Post Event Pulse: 2025 Discmania Challenge
Ezra Aderhold Earns First DGPT Victory
Ezra Aderhold celebrates after taking down his first DGPT victory. Photo: Kevin Huver / DGPT.
Ezra Aderhold battled the field this weekend and came out on top at -29 to earn his first DGPT win of his career. Aderhold started out strong on Championship Sunday, carding birdies on the first five holes. He continued his momentum on the back nine with six birdies. He made a 35-footer for the birdie on 15, then got the clutch bounce-back birdie on hole 17 after a bogey on 16. Ezra made it on the island in two and tapped in the 16-footer for the birdie on the difficult 17th hole.
Aderhold was second in birdie percentage for the weekend at 61%, giving himself ample chances to score, reaching C2 in regulation 81% of the time, and led the field in strokes gained tee to green at 20.29. Ezra’s success on the greens was his key to the victory this weekend. Overall, he finished above 90% in C1 and C1X putting, sinking 96% from C1 (50/52) and 94% from C1X.
His first win was just a matter of time. Aderhold is having his best season since 2021 and was trending toward his first win. Ezra’s notable finishes before Des Moines were 8th at the PDGA Champions Cup, 5th at the Northwest Disc Golf Championship, and 10th at the Preserve. Aderhold will ride this momentum into the European swing and work to continue his way up the DGPT standings as he currently sits in 8th for the year.
Cadence Burge Holds on for Wire-to-Wire Win in Dramatic Hole 18 Finish
Cadence Burge put it all together this weekend to win her first DGPT event. Burge shot -17 and averaged 1005 golf. She clutched up on the final four holes, birdieing 15, 17, and 18 to claim the win. Cadence did the hard work early. She shot the hot round on day one at -5 and followed that up with a nine under 1032 rated Saturday to increase her lead to four shots over Ohn Scoggins.
After shooting the hot rounds on Friday and Saturday, Burge was almost overtaken by Holyn Handley, who charged five places up the leaderboard on moving day and started six strokes back of Bruge going into Championship Sunday. After some struggles on the back nine, where Burge went four strokes over par between 12-14, it looked like the young gun might have given it away to the season points leader. Handley was nine under for the round, a full seven strokes better than Burge, sitting on a one-stroke lead headed into the uphill par-four finishing hole.
After a perfect drive off the tee, Handley pulled her backhand drive to the right, giving her solid progression up the fairway, but a pinched angle on her upshot into the tight 18th green. Burge put her upshot just a few feet away, putting all the pressure on Handley as she lined up a big forehand approach. Needing a spike forehand angle to ensure a safe landing, Holyn’s drive came out too low and wide, and never crossed back in bounds at the end of the flight, ultimately landing out of bounds. After Handley’s approach also went OB and she missed her comeback putt from the backside OB line, Cadence was able to clean up an easy tap-in for a four-stroke swing and three-stroke victory at Pickard Park!
Burge avoided the big numbers over the weekend, leading the field in scramble percentage at 67% (6/9). Burge had success on the greens as well, gaining 8.28 strokes putting and making 94% of her putts from C1, 91% from C1X, and three putts from C2.
It’s no surprise Cadence broke through for her first win on tour. She has had three top-five and five top-ten finishes out of her six DGPT events played this season. She also achieved her highest career round rating in round two (1032), and coming into the Disc Mania Challenge, she had recorded eight of her ten highest-rated rounds in 2025. Burge will take this momentum into the Krokhol Open to kick off the European swing.
Adam Hammes Final Round Fireworks
Adam Hammes tied his own course record set at last year’s Des Moines Challenge, scorching the course for -14, 50 on Championship Sunday. His 1093-rated round vaulted him up 12 spots into a tie for second place at -27 with Evan Smith. This marks Hammes’ second-best finish of the season behind his win at WACO.
After shooting -1 on Friday, Hammes found another gear in rounds two and three, shooting -12 and -14. His improvements off the tee made the difference, and Hammes ended the tournament in first place in birdie percentage at 63%. Hammes had a top-five finish at the Champions Cup, the first major of the year. If he can parlay this momentum into the European swing, he could be a contender at Worlds.
Ohn Scoggins’ Podium Finish
Ohn Scoggins was right in the hunt for the win this weekend and ended the tournament in third, shooting -12. Scoggins shot -4 on Friday and improved by two strokes on Saturday to card -6 and remain in second place going into Sunday. Ohn shot -2 on Sunday to drop to third.
Ohn’s prowess on the green was on full display this weekend in Des Moines. She gained 8.91 strokes putting on the field and 9.61 strokes C1X putting. Scoggins ended the tournament perfect in the circle, making all 52 of her C1 putts. It’s no surprise that Ohn is the second-best C1 putter on tour, making 83.69% of her attempts.
Scoggins secured her third podium finish of the season, with the others coming at the Open at Austin, 3rd, and the Cascade Challenge, 2nd. Additionally, Scoggins has finished inside the top ten at nine of her 11 DGPT/Major starts this season.
Evan Smith Ties For Second, Earns Best Finish of 2025
Evan Smith posted two double-digit under-par rounds this weekend to end the event tied for second at -27 with Adam Hammes. Smith opened up the weekend with a bogey-free -11 round, posted -6 on Saturday, and shot a -10 on Sunday to move up a spot into second.
Smith, the Raleigh, North Carolina native, displayed his elite forehand all tournament and held the fourth-best birdie percentage of the weekend at 57%. He led the field in scramble percentage at 70% and only took three bogeys the whole tournament. Smith combined his success off the tee with an elite performance on the green, making 96% of his putts from C1 (47/49), 94% from C1X, and cashed seven putts from circle two.
Evan grabbed his second podium of the season this past weekend. His previous podium finish was at WACO, where he took third place. This past weekend was great momentum for Smith going into the European events, starting with the Krokhol Open.
