Top 5 Moments From the 2026 Discraft Ledgestone Open

By Nick Quargnenti
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Few events on the Disc Golf Pro Tour capture the scale and prestige of the Discraft Ledgestone Open presented by ZÜCA. Since its founding in 2011, Ledgestone has grown into one of professional disc golf’s premier events, combining the demanding challenges of Northwood Black, Lake Eureka, and Sunset Hills with one of the Tour’s largest most electric atmospheres. This year’s edition was no exception. Across four days, the world’s best players battled one of the Tour’s toughest course rotations, delivering clutch putts, towering drives, and comeback wins as they chased one of the season’s most coveted titles.

Here are some of our top storylines and biggest moments from an unforgettable week at Ledgestone…

1) Luke Taylor Claims First DGPT Victory

Luke Taylor finally has his Tour victory, and it came on one of the biggest stages of the season. The Shepherd, Michigan native captured his first career Tour event win at the Ledgestone Open, taking down the DGPT+ event after holding off world No. 1 Gannon Buhr in a battle that came down to the closing holes at Eureka Temp. It was a breakthrough that had been years in the making, and one that immediately stands as the biggest win of his career.

The finish was a refreshing change from recent Ledgestone history. Seven of the last 10 editions of the event had been won by at least five strokes, including each of the previous three years. This time, every shot mattered until the very end, as Taylor, Sullivan Tipton, and Gannon Buhr traded punches before Taylor ultimately closed out the victory.

Before this weekend, Taylor had played 62 Tour events without ever reaching the podium, despite collecting 14 top-10 finishes and several close calls in fourth place. His steady improvement throughout 2026 hinted that a breakthrough was coming. Through 13 Tour events this season, he has now recorded five top-10 finishes, capped by his first career victory.

Taylor’s performance was backed by some of the strongest tee-to-green play in the field. He led the tournament in reaching both C1 in regulation (56%) and C2 in regulation (72%), while also leading the field with 36.14 strokes gained tee-to-green. Even after a few uncharacteristic C1 misses late in the final round, he continued giving himself scoring chances and never let the moment get away from him.

Two of the defining shots of the weekend came on Hole 2 and Hole 18, where Taylor trusted an aggressive forehand water carry off the fairway. The first helped him scramble for a crucial par early in the round, while the second set up an inside-the-circle look that ultimately helped seal his first Tour victory. After finishing 22nd in the 2025 DGPT Powerball World Standings and entering Ledgestone in 11th, Taylor now heads toward the World Championships with the biggest confidence boost of his career.

2) Eveliina Salonen Makes Ledgestone History

Eveliina Salonen bounced back in a big way at the Ledgestone Open, capturing her fourth Tour victory of the 2026 season and 13th career Tour event win. The victory tied her career high of four wins in a single season, matching her 2024 campaign, while moving her into sole possession of ninth on the all-time FPO Tour wins list. It also extended an incredible streak of Finnish dominance, with either Salonen or Silva Saarinen now winning each of the last seven Tour events.

Making the performance even more impressive, this was Salonen’s first appearance at Ledgestone, and she became the first European FPO player ever to win the event. After finishing 11th at the United States Women’s Disc Golf Championship, her second lowest finish of the season, she answered immediately with a statement victory. Entering the final round one stroke behind Holyn Handley, Salonen surged into the lead by Hole 5 and never looked back, eventually winning by eight strokes. Remarkably, it still was not her largest margin of victory this season after winning the Ale Open by 15-strokes back in Sweden.

Salonen’s play backed up the result from start to finish. She led the field in birdie percentage (42%), parked percentage (13%), C1 in regulation (50%), and strokes gained tee-to-green (23.62). She also carded one of only two eagles all weekend on Sunset Hills’ Hole 6.

She closed the tournament with confidence by posting the hot rounds on both courses, firing a 1003-rated 7-under at Sunset Hills in Round 3 before following it with a 1020-rated 7-under at Northwood Black on Championship Sunday. Following the victory, Salonen said she plans to return home for a short break before making the trip back to the United States for the PDGA Pro World Championships.

3) A Championship Sunday Battle to the Finish

Championship Sunday in MPO delivered one of the most entertaining finishes of the 2026 season. Entering the final round, world No. 1 Gannon Buhr held a three-stroke lead after three days of strong play, but it did not take long for the leaderboard to tighten. A bogey on Hole 5 followed by his only double bogey of the tournament on Hole 6 opened the door, allowing Sullivan Tipton and Luke Taylor to pull even before both moved ahead by Hole 7. By the turn, Tipton had separated himself, carrying a two-stroke lead over Buhr and a three-stroke advantage over Taylor.

The battle continued throughout the back nine as Tipton protected the lead while Buhr and Taylor traded positions behind him. Every birdie and par became increasingly important, with the pressure building as the trio approached Eureka Temp’s famous finishing stretch. The tournament remained up for grabs with just two holes to play.

Everything changed on the island green at Hole 17. Taylor was first to throw and barely held the island, giving himself a chance at birdie. Tipton’s drive carried just long and found out-of-bounds, forcing him to the drop zone. Moments later, Buhr stepped up and parked his drive, immediately putting pressure on the leader.

Tipton still had an opportunity to limit the damage with a long putt for par from the drop zone, but his bid sailed high, skipped out-of-bounds, and resulted in just his second double bogey of the tournament. In a matter of minutes, the leaderboard completely flipped. Taylor suddenly held a one-stroke lead heading to Hole 18, while Buhr and Tipton found themselves tied for second.

Taylor ultimately completed the victory with a clutch approach over the water to set up the winning putt, while Buhr secured yet another podium finish, his 10th in 14 Tour events this season, including six victories. Tipton settled for third, but the finish should not overshadow what was one of the best performances of his season. His third-place finish marked just the second Tour podium of his career and his best result of 2026, proving he has the game to battle with the very best players on Tour when the pressure is at its highest.

4) Ella Hansen’s Best Finish of the Season

Ella Hansen continued one of the quietest, yet most consistent, seasons in FPO by capturing her first podium finish of 2026 with a runner-up performance at the Ledgestone Open. The second-place finish also stands as her best result of the season and extends her streak to eight consecutive top-10 finishes dating back to the Open at Austin. Five of those finishes have now been inside the top five, reinforcing that the two-time Tour winner continues to trend in the right direction.

Hansen put herself in contention from the opening round, carding a 1002-rated 5-under at Northwood Black before remaining on the lead card for the rest of the tournament. She also turned in a clean bogey-free round at Sunset Hills during Round 3, giving herself a chance to chase the title heading into Championship Sunday.

Her putting once again proved to be one of her biggest strengths. Hansen led the field in C2 putting at 30%, fueled by 4.22 strokes gained from Circle 2, including three made C2 putts during the final round alone. She also finished as one of only two players in the field, alongside Chantel Budinsky, to avoid carding a single double bogey across the demanding Ledgestone layouts.

Hansen entered the week fifth in the DGPT Powerball World Standings and now heads to Iowa with plenty of momentum for the Discmania Challenge. After that, she and Raven Klein, better known as Team Causing a Rivka, will compete together at the DGPT Doubles Championship before attention shifts to the season’s biggest event, the PDGA Pro World Championships.

5) More Storylines from Ledgestone

Ledgestone delivered plenty of memorable performances beyond the champions. In FPO, Catrina Allen returned to the podium for the first time since 2023, finishing in 3rd place for her best result of the 2026 season. It was a welcome return to form for the 5x Ledgestone Open champion, who showed she can still contend against today’s deepest fields.

Holyn Handley also remained in the mix throughout the weekend. The DGPT Powerball World Standings leader entered the final round with a one-stroke advantage after three strong rounds, but a slower finish saw her fall to 5th place. Even so, she once again proved why she has spent much of the season atop the standings, adding another quality finish to an already impressive campaign.

Ohn Scoggins also turned in another solid performance, finishing T7. While another top-10 is a strong result on paper, it officially brought an end to her remarkable streak of consecutive top-four finishes on Tour.

Over in MPO, one of the biggest storylines was the return of six-time World Champion Paul McBeth. After an extended break from Tour competition, McBeth returned to one of the venues he knows best and worked his way onto the chase card entering the final round. He ultimately finished T12, an encouraging result considering it was just his third Tour event of the season and came against one of the deepest fields of the year.

Isaac Robinson also delivered one of the performances of Championship Sunday, firing a blistering 13-under, 1105-rated round at Lake Eureka. The highest-rated round of his career vaulted him 18 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 5th, giving him his sixth top-five finish of the 2026 season.

Elsewhere, Adam Hammes continued his strong campaign with a 4th-place finish after competing on the lead card during the final round. The result marked his fourth top-five finish and served as an impressive bounce back after missing cash at the Ale Open just weeks earlier. Simon Lizotte also put together his best performance of the season, tying for 5th to secure his first top-10 finish of 2026.

BONUS) Alexis Kerman ACE Alert!

Alexis Kerman delivered the only FPO ace of the week, throwing in on the 307-foot, par 3 Hole 8 at Northwood Black during Round 1 of the Ledgestone Open. She finished the tournament in 39th place.

BONUS) Two Throw-Ins. Three Holes.

Ricky Wysocki delivered one of the most memorable highlights of the week during Round 2 at Northwood Black, cashing in two throw-ins in a three-hole stretch. On the 947-foot, par 5 Hole 6, Wysocki canned a 217-foot “Ricky-chet” for the only eagle recorded on the hole all weekend. Two holes later, he followed it up with another highlight, draining a 205-foot birdie throw-in on the 389-foot, par 3 Hole 8. He went on to finish the tournament in [X] place.

Editor’s Note: Tour events include DGPT Elite Series, DGPT+, DGPT Playoff, and PDGA Pro Major events.

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