Professional disc golf’s showcase tournament is getting older and better in central Illinois as the 15th anniversary of the pro event is ready to launch.
Disc Golf Pro Tour’s 2025 Discraft Ledgestone Open, presented by Zuca, will run Thursday through Sunday on courses around the Peoria area and under the guidance of longtime course-builder and tournament director Nate Heinold.
Defending champions Gannon Buhr and Holyn Handley are in the field among 200 professional players from across the U.S. and Europe. Buhr is the current No. 1-ranked men’s player in the world, a 20-year-old phenom from Iowa. Handley, a Texas native, is the current DGPT season standings leader.
They will compete for an estimated prize total of $150,000 in a total field of 2,400 pro and amateur players, the largest participation level of any disc tournament in the world.
Here are some things you should know about the event:
When is the Ledgestone Open disc golf tournament?
- Thursday — First Round, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.: Men’s Pro Open tees at Lake Eureka Temp Disc Golf Course. Women’s Pro Open tees at Northwood Black Shorts Course (Morton).
- Friday — Second Round, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Men’s Pro Open tees at Northwood Black Long Course (Morton). Women’s Pro Open tees at Sunset Hills (Pekin).
- Saturday — Third Round, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.: Men’s Pro Open tees at Northwood Black Long Course (Morton). Women’s Pro Open tees at Sunset Hills (Pekin).
- Sunday — Final Round, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.: Men’s Pro Open tees at Lake Eureka Temp Disc Golf Course. Women’s Pro Open tees at Northwood Black Shorts (Morton).
Pro age divisions and amateurs are slotted on various courses around the area. Detailed course assignments and tee times can be found online at the tournament site. Prize payouts below the Men’s Open and Women’s Open pros are also available online.
Where is the Ledgestone Open disc golf tournament? How can I watch?
The tournament, with professional and amateur divisions, the latter reaching down as young as age 10, will play out on 12 disc golf courses around the area, with directions available online.
Courses include Lake Eureka Park (Eureka), Wildlife Prairie Park (Hanna City), Northwood Park (Morton), Meggido at Westwood Park (Morton), Washington Park (Washington), Sunset Hills Country Club (Pekin), McNaughton Park (Pekin), Kennel Lake Sportsmen’s Club (Morton), Three Sisters Park (Chillicothe), Illinois Central College (East Peoria) and Maxwell Park (Normal), Brady Park (East Peoria).
The 2025 Ledgestone can be seen via live stream at Disc Golf Network. It’s a pay service.
2025 Ledgestone Open tickets
VIP and general admission passes are available for all four days or individual days. There are items and perks that come with different ticket levels, and that information is available on the Ledgestone site online. Information and ordering instructions are online.
- VIP: VIP passes for all four days of the tournament is $128.02. VIP for Thursday or Friday rounds are $38.26. For Saturday and Sunday they are $48.76.
- General admission: Tickets for all four days are $65.02. Single-day tickets are $22.50 for Thursday or Friday, and $27.76 for Saturday or Sunday.
Ledgestone Open special events
- Noon-8 p.m. Thursday: Kids activities, including disc dyeing, DGA Mini Course and inflatables at Lake Eureka.
- 3-5 p.m. Thursday: Disc legendary pro Catrina Allen autograph signing at Five Points Washington.
- 6-9 p.m. Thursday: Ice Cream Sundae/Root Beer Floats by Gramma Nanas Kitchen at Lake Eureka (free). Band Performance (6-8 p.m.) by Jonny Quest at Lake Eureka.
- 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday: Disc Tour pros Paige Pierce, Chris Dickerson, Anthony Barela, Paul McBeth and Missy Gannon meet-and-greet at Lake Eureka.
- 5-8 p.m. Friday: Team Ledgestone players signing downtown Morton.
- 5-9 p.m. Saturday: Pizza Party and band performance at Comfort Inn Hotel in Morton.
- 6-7 p.m. Sunday: Tournament awards and raffle at Lake Eureka.
The top female pros in the field
- Holyn Handley: A Grapevine, Texas, native who is No. 2 in the world in the Professional Disc Golf Association rankings. She has 12 top-3 finishes in women’s pro events this season. Has 34 career event wins and career earnings of $217,904.00.
- Catrina Allen: The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native has 181 career wins and $373,000 in career earnings. She is a five-time Ledgestone champion, and currently ranked No. 34 in the world.
- Paige Pierce: The Pensacola, Florida, native is ranked No. 11 in the world and has 154 career wins and $431,000 in career earnings. She is a two-time Ledgestone champion.
- Missy Gannon: The Beacon, New York, native is No. 6 in the world rankings and has 48 career wins and $376,000 in career earnings. She is a two-time Ledgestone champion.
- Ohn Scoggins: The Los Angeles native is ranked No. 5 in the world and has 105 career wins and $335,000 career earnings.
The top male pros in the field
- Calvin Heimburg: The Safety Harbor, Florida, native is ranked No. 3 in the world and has 61 wins and $505,000 in career earnings.
- Gannon Buhr: The Urbandale, Iowa, native is currently the No. 1 ranked player in the world. He has 50 wins and $502,000 in career earnings at just age 20.
- Anthony Barela: A Mesa, Arizona, native is ranked No. 6 in the world. He has 41 career wins and $295,000 in earnings.
- Paul McBeth: The Huntington Beach, California, native is a legendary figure on the tour and currently ranked No. 7 in the world. He has 151 wins and $815,000 in career earnings. He is a two-time Ledgestone champion.
- Richard Wysocki: A Scottsdale, Arizona, native who is currently ranked No. 4 in the world. He has 133 wins and $864,000 in career earnings. He is a three-time Ledgestone champion.
Did you know?
- The Ledgestone Open has a major commitment to local fundraising causes. Since 2014, the event has raised over $750,000 for charity, including $490,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital via its regional affiliate clinic in Peoria. The tournament also supports Easter Seals.
- Disc golf participation has grown by 76% worldwide over the last five years.
- There are more disc golf courses in the United States (10,063) than Dunkin’ locations (9,574).
- 33 U.S. states have 100 or more disc golf courses.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
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