COLUMBIA − A staple of Columbia summers since 1985, the Mid-America Open is being held this Friday through Sunday at Harmony Bends Disc Golf Course in Strawn Park.
Day one started Friday with Texas native Alexis Mandujano shattering the course record in the Woman’s Pro Tour (FPO) division, with a score of -9. However, that didn’t happen without controversy about the future of the FPO.
The Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) recently announced that the FPO would be scrapped in states with strong anti-discrimination laws about gender identity.
That decision came after lawsuits from Natalie Ryan, a transgender athlete who sued the DGPT in California and Minnesota over being barred from competition. DGPT has since reversed course, creating a new “United Series” that runs alongside the FPO in states with anti-discrimination laws.
“We’re really excited to get back to disc golf and allow the women to compete as they were intended,” Dan McKercher, an operations manager for the DGPT, said. “We want to support these players, we want to support the tour, we want to keep disc golf going.”
Events with a United Series designation will allow transgender athletes to participate in the FPO if they have undergone hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgery.
The United Series is not offered in states that do not have anti-discrimination policies around gender identity, like Missouri. In states with anti-discriminations policies, the FPO is running under its original rules, which requires transgender individuals to have transitioned prior to puberty.
“Everybody that I’ve talked to, especially on the professional level, wants a solution that keeps everybody happy,” Joseph Douglass, director for the Mid-America Open tournament, said. “I don’t know if there is one that will make everybody happy, but I know everybody’s working towards that.”
Douglass is not an employee of the DGPT, but rather works with the Columbia Disc Golf Club. He has been in the disc golf scene since 2003.
This is the third year in which the Mid-America Open has been officially part of the tour. Payouts for the winners of the event are estimated around $8,000 for both the men’s and women’s tour.
Full coverage showcasing some of the world’s best disc golfers will be on the Disc Golf Network, with next-day coverage on YouTube. Tickets for the event are being sold through Eventbrite, while information, including spectator etiquette, can be found via the DGPT website.