ROUND 3: The 2025 Amateur Disc Golf World Championships at Harmony Bends in Missouri

ROUND 3: The 2025 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships ​⁠
Thursday, August 21st

By the start of Round 3, I couldn’t deny it anymore — my forearm was injured. No amount of stubbornness, testing, or pushing through pain was going to change that. Every forehand attempt sent sharp pain through my upper arm, and the reality I didn’t want to face became unavoidable.

Despite that, I still threw 20 forehands total during this round.
• Front 9: 9 forehands out of 29 total throws (including putts), 5 at full power
• Back 9: 11 forehands out of 39 total throws, 7 at full power

Each one was quite painful — and each one forced a decision.

That meant leaning on my backhand more than ever before — something completely outside my comfort zone. After a year of yips, a shaky (mostly unsuccessful) rebuild, and the mental baggage that followed cancer, my backhand hasn’t been something I’ve trusted in a very long time. But in this round, I didn’t have the luxury of preference. I had to start playing the throw my body would allow.

The front 9 was rough. Awkward lines, second-guessing, and the constant reminder that this wasn’t how I imagined competing at Am Worlds. Still, there was something unexpectedly freeing about it. I had to let go of what I couldn’t do and start focusing on what I could. Looking back, that mindset shift was the beginning of something important.

The back 9 is where reality fully set in. My forearm wasn’t coming back — and I finally stopped trying to make it. There were many situations where I wanted to throw forehand and forced myself to go backhand instead. It wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t pretty — but there were small glimmers of hope: a straighter release, a smoother flight, moments that hinted this injury might also be an invitation to finally rebuild my backhand the right way.

This round slowly stopped being about score and started becoming about adaptation. Every hole required me to accept the player I was in that moment, not the player I thought I should be. It became about surviving, adjusting, and trusting that growth often comes from the ugliest rounds.

I also included a short moment where I give Nikki a quick disc golf lesson during the round — and her improvement in such a short time was incredible. There’s a before-and-after clip at the end showing the difference in her form, and I’m so excited to watch her continue improving.

Looking back now, this round feels like a true turning point — the moment I stopped fighting for a version of myself that was slipping away and started opening the door for a stronger, more resilient (and more backhand-friendly) version to emerge.

Day 3 (Thursday, Aug. 21): 883 Rated
Round 3 at Harmony Bends DGC
Disc Golf Lesson for Nikki

BREAKDOWN:
◦ Friday (Aug. 15): 2 practice rounds + head cold 🤧 started
◦ Saturday (16): Mixed Doubles round + chigger bites 😢 + still sick
◦ Sunday (17): Practice round — I could hardly throw my forearm (my main/dominant throw). It was painful, and my body wouldn’t even allow a proper follow-through. Still sick.
◦ Monday (18): Took the day off to rest and prepare for the tournament.
◦ Tuesday (19): Round 1 — Felt good. My forearm was back with little to no pain and plenty of power. I truly thought the rest day had fixed everything.
◦ Wednesday (20): Round 2 — Forearm pain was worse than ever, and the location of the pain was unusual. Still not sure how I managed to injure it this way.
◦ Thursday (21): Round 3 — Forearm pain continued 😖 I still attempted to throw it, but shifted heavily toward throwing backhand whenever possible.

After Am Worlds, I ended up taking a couple of months off from throwing forehand entirely.

Date: August 21, 2025
Course Name: Harmony Bends DGC
Course Number: 248 Courses Played
Location: Jefferson City, Missouri
Holes: 18 Hole Course
Layout: Amateur Worlds FA1
UDisc Course Rating: 4.8 Stars ⭐️

ROUND 3:
UDisc Round Rating: 178
UDisc Round Score: E [68]
PDGA Rating: 883
Ranking: T46th

🔥Daily Putting: 405 Days🔥
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