1) Handley’s Dramatic Playoff Victory
Holyn Handley claimed her first career DGPT victory at the 2024 Beaver State Fling, marking a significant milestone in her career with her 47th Tour event*. This win is Handley’s 13th career podium finish at a Tour event* and it propels her to the #1 spot in the DGPT World Standings for the first time in her career, a remarkable rise from her 4th place finish in 2023, 13th in 2022, and 42nd in 2021. Notably, Handley previously captured victory at the 2023 Throw Pink Women’s Disc Golf Championship (a prominent PDGA A-Tier).
WE’VE GOT A PLAYOFF!!!
Find out who wins here: https://t.co/6wvZLbHKvv pic.twitter.com/3v5FAD1nKW
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 9, 2024
Handley showcased her clutch performance by hitting an incredible putt on Hole 18 to force a playoff against Ohn Scoggins. The 2 were tied heading into the final round, but Handley emerged victorious in the one-hole playoff.
Holyn Handley takes down the 2024 Beaver State Fling after a one hole playoff! pic.twitter.com/tR7FQIsgeD
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 9, 2024
Her stellar -10 round during Round 2, featuring a 61% birdie rate, was the hottest of the weekend and her 2nd hot round in as many weeks after a -11 hot round at the Portland Open where she finished in 2nd place, 2-strokes behind Paige Pierce.
Furthermore, she led the field in C1 in Regulation (44%) and Strokes Gained from Tee-to-Green (15.57). Handley also finished the tournament with a 44% birdie rate, just shy of Scoggins’ 46%.
1x DGPT CHAMPION 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xDvuv1DLKr
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 10, 2024
This season, Handley has matched Scoggins with the most Tour event* hot rounds at 6. She has now recorded the tournament hot round in 3 consecutive Tour events and 5 out of her last 7. Additionally, with the win she again finished in the top-5 maintaining an impressive streak of 4 top-5 finishes in a row. Handley is now also close behind Scoggins in the turkey race this season, with 27 instances of 3 birdies in a row compared to Scoggins’ 28.
Our newest FPO Champion is already looking forward to her next win 🏆 pic.twitter.com/tbVQTEZkC1
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 9, 2024
We can all agree that Handley has been on the verge of a DGPT victory, and her win this weekend is well-deserved for one of the best FPO players in the world. The big question now is, can she keep this momentum going? We’re excited to find out!
2) Buhr’s Ore-GANNON Sweep!
Gannon Buhr triumphed at the 2024 Beaver State Fling, securing back-to-back victories in Oregon following his commanding 8-stroke win at the Portland Open last weekend. This marks Buhr’s 7th career Tour event win, passing Will Schusterick and tying Steve Rico for 11th all-time in MPO, and 6th of all time in the DGPT era.
Back-to-back for the Ice Man 🥶 pic.twitter.com/2rHjsKmWtw
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 10, 2024
Impressively, Buhr went bogey-free across all 3 rounds, a rare feat only accomplished twice before in the last 3 seasons at an MPO Major, Elite, or Silver event—both also at the Beaver State Fling (Eagle McMahon in 2023 and Garrett Gurthie in 2022).
With a perfect 100% scramble rate (7 for 7), Buhr demonstrated exceptional skill and consistency by remaining poised on and off the fairway. His win further solidifies his lead in Tour Points, underscoring his dominance in the competitive DGPT World Standings.
Gannon Buhr earns his first back-to-back Elite victories 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/PMOeDaNu4P
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 10, 2024
It’s now a notable 3 horse race for DGPT Player of the Year contenders so far this season. With Buhr clinching his 3rd Tour event this season, he now matches Anthony Barela with Calvin Heimburg close behind with 2 wins.
| Buhr | Heimburg | Barela | |
| Tour Event* Wins | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| DGPT Standings | 1st | 3rd | 5th |
| Avg. Place | 4.7 | 9.5 | 15 |
| Avg. Rating (rounded) | 1051 | 1045 | 1042 |
3) Nate Doss Back in Action!
3X World Champion Nate Doss made a triumphant return to the competitive scene at the 2024 Beaver State Fling, marking his first tournament appearance in nearly 6 years since the 2018 Zoo Town Open. Ironically, the last Tour event* he participated in was the 2018 Beaver State Fling where he finished in 18th place. At the time, Gannon Buhr was the reigning PDGA Junior Worlds champion (MJ3).
It’s been nearly SIX YEARS since Nate Doss has competed in a tournament! Doss talks about what motivated him to want to come back and compete! pic.twitter.com/sAsPoZH6NI
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) June 6, 2024
The Oregon native and hometown hero finished this event T71st with a total score of -3. Despite a rocky start, finishing over par in Round 1, Doss rallied with -4 in Round 2 and -1 in Round 3, earning an unofficial event rating of 1004.
This event marked his 157th Tour event*, including National Tour events. Doss’s participation felt like a nostalgic nod to his illustrious career, and while the finish was maybe less than Doss desired, seeing him back in action was a thrill for fans and a true honor. As he continues to play and practice with his characteristic love for the sport, we hope to see more of him on the course this season.
BONUS) A “Couple” of Aces!
Couples that ace together make the Top 10 together! During Round 1 of the Beaver State Fling, Holly Finley aced Hole 13 (197’). Later that same day, her boyfriend Noah Fiveash aced the exact same Hole 13 on the MPO side! Their highlights would go on to be featured on the SportsCenter Top 10
* DGPT wins include standard DGPT, DGPT+, and DGPT Playoff events.
