Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2019/08/02/mid-america-open-preview-worlds-just-around-harmony-bends/
Worlds schmorlds. No reason to look ahead to Peoria when it’s Mid-America Open weekend!
We kid, but only a little bit. The Mid-America Open is hosted at Harmony Bends, one of the most highly-rated courses out there, and is an opportunity for us to see some local talent shine while the big names tune-up for Pro Worlds.
The event is in its 35th year and has taken on Disc Golf Pro Tour Test Event status for 2019. JomezPro was originally scheduled to film the weekend but was a late withdrawal. Central Coast Disc Golf caught some of the action last season.
Central Coast Disc Golf Harmony Bends Mid America Open
Of the 82 Open players registered, 12 are 1000+ rated or better, with 1025-rated Alex Russell being the top dog. Nikko Locastro, Joel Freeman, and A.J. Risley will also be in attendance. Shasta Criss won last season’s Open division. Local George Smith has won the event 13 times, has a PDGA number in the low 4000s, and is again playing MPO. Jay “Yeti” Reading and Dixon Jowers are playing in the Pro Masters 40+ division.
The Open Women’s division does not boast a single player rated 900 or higher, but that shouldn’t distract you from the fact that hometown hero Cynthia Ricciotti will be out there. Cynthia, you may recall, carried Team Chump in their friendly matchup against Paul and Hannah McBeth in 2017. She is currently 888-rated and has a more impressive disc golf resume than you.
You can follow along with livescoring of the Mid America Open on UDisc Live.