EMPORIA, Kansas — Jason Guthridge’s first foray into major tournament disc golf produced positive results for the young player from Galion.
Guthridge finished 34th out of 72 players at the Professional Disc Golf Association’s Junior World Championships last week in Emporia, Kansas. He finished with a final score of 1-over par 363 for the tournament.
Guthridge aced the No. 16 hole at the Jones East course in Emporia. He was one of only seven players to record an ace during the tournament.
Guthridge shot 65 in the opening and followed up with a score of 46 in round two. In round three, he shot a score of 79. He then shot 58 in round four. In the fifth round, Guthridge tallied a score of 60. He finished the match with a score of 60 in the sixth round.
Guthridge tied for 34th with three other players: Tyler Ahrens of Gig Harbor, Washington; Drew Hamilton of Laurinburg, North Carolina; and Max Caico of Sunrise, Florida.
Kade Filimoehala of Kaysville, Utah, claimed the tournament championship, shooting a final score of 52 under par, including a round of 28 under par in the four-player tournament finals.
Guthridge was one of four players from Ohio who was invited to play in the world championships. Aiden Gensel of Parma Heights finished in a three-way tie for 13th place (-20). Adam Osborn of Franklin also finished in a three-way in 21st place (-8). Ilkin Groh of Cincinnati tied for 27th place (-4).
Guthridge, age 18, graduated from Galion High this spring. He’s been playing disc golf competitively for about two and a half years.
According to the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) website, Guthridge, who is classified as an amateur by the PDGA, has a rating of 915. He has played in seven career events with two wins since he started competing in 2019. He won the All Joes, No Pros tournament in July 2020 in Tiffin and claimed first place at the second annual Woodsman Link Championship in August 2020 in Ontario.
Guthridge has finished as the runnerup in two events. He placed second at the Metro Madness tournament in June 2020 in Fremont and was second at the Marion Open in September 2019.
For information about the Professional Disc Golf Association, visit www.pdga.com.
