Top 3 Moments From the 2026 PDGA Pro World Championships
Another World Championship is officially in the books, and Detroit made sure the return to U.S. soil was worth the wait. The 2026 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships Presented by 1st Phorm brought the sport’s best to Kensington Metropark for a week of action across two legendary courses, Toboggan and Black Locust. From a dominant FPO performance to an MPO battle that stayed in doubt until the final holes, Worlds delivered the drama, big moments, and unforgettable finishes that come with the sport’s biggest title.
Here are some of our top moments from an unforgettable week in Detroit…
1) Silas Schultz Is a World Champion
Silas Schultz is a World Champion. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native has captured the 2026 PDGA Pro World Championships, earning one of the most prestigious titles in the sport and the biggest victory of his career.
This championship represents several firsts for Schultz. It is his first World Championship, his first Tour event victory, and his first Tour event podium finish. Across 75 previous Tour events dating back to his debut in 2018, Schultz had collected 10 top-10 finishes, including two 4th place finishes as his previous career best. Entering Worlds, his best result of the 2026 season was a 4th place finish at the Ale Open, with just three top-10s across his 16 Tour events before the World Championships.
Schultz entered the final round three strokes behind the lead, but a bogey-free -10, the second-best round of Championship Sunday, put him right back into contention. He also went 100% in scrambling during the final round, helping him maintain momentum as the championship came down to the final holes.
Then came Hole 18, with Schultz and Balodis tied heading into the final hole. Schultz delivered a clutch circle 2 putt to force a playoff, sending the two players back to Hole 18 to decide the championship. The playoff lasted just one hole. An out-of-bounds stroke by Balodis gave Schultz the advantage, allowing him to play conservatively and secure his first World Championship with a final score of 35-under par.
Schultz’s performance was consistent throughout the week. He led the field in parked percentage at 18%, reaching C2 in regulation at 74%, and strokes gained from tee-to-green at 27.55. His 52% birdie rate was also the second-best mark in the field.
The victory moves Schultz up three spots in the DGPT Powerball World Standings to 10th and earns him an automatic spot in the Powerball Cup. After finishing the 2025 season ranked 34th, Schultz now has a World Championship and his first Tour victory to add to a breakout 2026 season.
2) Eveliina Salonen Dominates Worlds
Eveliina Salonen is once again a World Champion. The Finnish star took down the 2026 PDGA Pro World Championships to claim her second World Championship title, sixth PDGA Pro Major title, and 14th career Tour event victory. With six Major wins, Salonen now ties Juliana Korver for the fourth-most PDGA Pro Major victories in FPO history.
The victory also adds another milestone to an already historic 2026 season. Salonen now has five Tour wins this year, the most she has ever earned in a single season, surpassing her previous record of four wins in 2024. Only Silva Saarinen has more wins this season with six. Salonen is also on a two-event winning streak after taking down Ledgestone in her last Tour appearance before Worlds.
Salonen was placed on the feature card to start the tournament and never left the lead card. She took control of the event in Round 2 and never gave it back, eventually winning by 17 strokes. That margin is the largest victory in the modern era of the PDGA Pro World Championships.
Entering the final round with a nine-stroke lead, Salonen had plenty of room to play conservatively, but instead she produced the best round of the weekend. She fired a bogey-free -14 at Toboggan, setting the new FPO course record while adding an eagle on Hole 3. The round earned a 1057 rating, tied for the fourth-best rated round in FPO history.
Her performance was just as dominant across the full event. Salonen led the field in birdie percentage at 52%, fairway hits at 81%, scrambling at 73%, C1 in regulation at 60%, C2 in regulation at 80%, and strokes gained tee-to-green at 43.28. She carded just five bogeys, one of only two players without a double bogey, and recorded only six out-of-bounds strokes, the fewest in the field. Her 1023 event rating now ranks fourth all-time in FPO history.
Salonen remains sixth in the DGPT Powerball World Standings, but her run through the second half of the season has significantly narrowed the gap to the players ahead of her. After finishing 11th in the standings at the end of 2025, her five wins and two Major titles in 2026 have put her firmly back in the conversation near the top of the division.
3) A Championship Sunday Battle to the Finish
Rainers Balodis officially put himself on the map at the 2026 PDGA Pro World Championships. The Talsi, Latvia native represented his country on the biggest stage in disc golf, finishing second to earn the first Tour podium and top-10 finish of his career. Worlds was also Balodis’ first Tour event outside Europe, and had he completed the comeback with a victory, he would have become the first European MPO player to win a World Championship.
The breakthrough came in just his 11th Tour event. Before Worlds, Balodis’ best career finish was 14th at the 2024 European Open. In 2026, he had competed in five Tour events, all in Europe before Worlds, with his best finish being 19th at the Ale Open. That made his run at Toboggan one of the biggest breakthroughs of the season.
Balodis entered Championship Sunday with a three-stroke lead after shooting the hot round of Round 4, a -13 at Toboggan that earned a 1088 rating. He maintained his advantage through the front nine, but the back nine proved more difficult. That opened the door for a charging Silas Schultz, who continued to close the gap throughout the final holes.
The battle came down to the final hole. On Hole 17, Balodis received a foot fault violation on his approach, resulting in a penalty stroke and leaving him tied with Schultz heading into Hole 18 (see the PDGA’s full statement on the ruling). Schultz then connected on a circle 2 putt to force a playoff. On the playoff hole, Balodis’ drive came out early and left him pinched off in the fairway. His approach then caught early, sending his forehand just out of bounds and giving Schultz the advantage he needed to secure the World Championship.
While he walked away with a runner-up finish, Balodis leaves Worlds with a career-defining result. His second-place result moved him up 41 spots in the DGPT Powerball World Standings to 59th, establishing him as a player to watch on the international stage. After a hard-fought battle that came down to a playoff, Balodis has given fans plenty of reason to expect more from the young Latvian in the seasons ahead.
BONUS) A World-Class Ace From Gannon Buhr!
The World No. 1 didn’t leave Worlds with the title, but he still made history at the tournament. During Round 2 at Toboggan, Gannon Buhr aced Hole 1, a 528-foot par 3, with a high-speed forehand that worked its way downhill, through the wind, and straight into the chains. The shot earned the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays and became one of the signature moments of the championship. Buhr went on to finish T-8th at the 2026 PDGA Pro World Championships.
Editor’s Note: Tour events include DGPT Elite Series, DGPT+, DGPT Playoff, and PDGA Pro Major events.
