Four Flames disc golf alumni make cut for this week’s PDGA World Championships in Bedford County

Disc golf players helping world championships — Current Liberty team members, including graduate Tim Schmidt (left) helped with Sunday's driving competition at Ivy Hill Golf Club.

Four former Liberty University disc golf players are in the field and one current team member is on the cusp for this week's PDGA World Championships, scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday at the New London Tech and Ivy Hill Golf Club courses in nearby Bedford County.

Matthew Alexander ('22), Justin Rosak ('22), Clayton Lewis ('24), and Lance Brown ('16) qualified for the prestigious tournament by receiving a high enough rating based on showings in PDGA circuit events this year.

"Justin Rosak plays on the pro tour along with Lance Brown," said Lewis, who transferred into Liberty in 2022 before graduating in May and was awarded a Tier III rating. "I'm not on the tour, and I don't play professionally, but I played some local events and played well enough in those to qualify."

Graduate Tim Schmidt, who played on Liberty's Division I squad that tied for seventh at the College Disc Golf National Championships this past season, earned a Tier IV rating and was the sixth man on the waiting list to get into the field as of Sunday.

"They've been in the mix of it all," Flames Head Coach Steve Bowman said of the alumni in the field. "Clayton just graduated, and he made the cut, which is crazy. The fact that (Schmidt is) that close to making it is a great accomplishment."

The World Championships draw up to 300 of the top players from around the world. Players began arriving for the tournament last week, and practices on the two courses opened Thursday with a skills competition on Sunday testing the players' driving distances and putting skills.

Current players and coaches have taken active roles in working with the Professional Disc Golf Association with set up for the event and will participate in various ways in the tournament.

"We have teams out here working with the grounds crew at Ivy Hill, and we have a table set up with a place to meet and convene," said Bowman, who has worked with tournament organizers throughout the summer months leading up to the event. "With the support shown by the disc golf community, all the excitement and ticket sales, (the USDGA is) looking to bring back another PDGA major event next year."

Over the weekend, it was announced that the Pro Tour Championships will be played on the same two Bedford County courses from Oct. 16-19, the weekend after the United States Disc Golf Championships. Liberty uses both New London and Ivy Hill courses to host its Flamethrower Invitational, a qualifier for the College Disc Golf National Championships.

"It's really nice because at least with New London, it's the course that we all go and play on all of the time," said Kyle Sennett, a junior who played on the Flames' CDG Division III national championship team last spring. "Most (Liberty players) are more excited to see how the pros throw at New London compared to here (at Ivy Hill)."

Starting last week, many Flames team members marked out-of-bounds areas and set up flags and hay bales on certain holes. A group of several players helped with marking the distances of the players' throws in Sunday's driving competition.

"We're flagging where the throws land, and they measure it with a viewfinder," Sennett said.

"During the tournament, there will be some people spotting, some people doing crowd control, and some people might even be doing live scoring," Schmidt added.

Team members will also be assisting Eagles Wings, a disc golf ministry that travels along with the PDGA Pro Tour to put on chapel services for the players, on Thursday night at The Hope Company in Lynchburg.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video edited by Kylee Wright/Club Sports Video & Media Assistant

Four Flames disc golf alumni make cut for this week’s PDGA World Championships in Bedford County

Players Mentioned

Clayton Lewis

Kyle Sennett

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