Hero Disc Presents the Japan Open
We want the Japan Open to bring disc golfers together from everywhere.
Appling, GA (PRWEB) July 22, 2014
When you ask most sports promoters how they measure the success of their efforts, there are usually two signposts they will point towards: 1. Participation on an international scale; and 2. Their sport being broadcast on television.
With those widely held barometers of success as the back drop, disc golf has now reached formidable status as an emerging sports powerhouse, especially with the recently held Japan Open tournament in Tochigi prefecture, as well as the international broadcast of the tournament across the Beach Sports Network affiliates.
"Many of us have been dreaming about a moment like this for disc golf," smiled john Duesler, Principal of DiscGolfPlanetTV and executive producer of the television broadcasts for the Professional Disc Golf Association. "The Japan Open has a long and storied history in disc golf, and it's part of a growing trend of our great tournaments turning into great media for the sport. This has not necessarily been a story of one breakthrough moment for disc golf, but a steady rise in the quality of our events and industry leaders appreciating the importance of a strong media presence."
Held at the renowned Nasushiobara Golf Club, the majestic Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed golf course was transformed into two championship disc golf courses that hosted players from as many as eleven nations, including the United States and Canada, as well as the Asian nations of Japan, Korea, and Singapore, and European disc golf hotbeds Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden. The tournament was held during the first week in June, which marks that beginning of the Japanese rainy season, but the precipitation did not dampen the spirits of the Hero Discs workers, the nearly 150 disc golf competitors, or the guests of the event, who were treated to the culture, cuisine, and camaraderie that are the trademarks of Japan Open tournament director and disc golf Hall of Famer Kozo Shimbo.
"We want the Japan Open to bring disc golfers together from everywhere," explained Shimbosan. "Disc golf is for everyone."
The competition was fought fiercely with 4,000,000 yen in the purse. Ricky Wysocki celebrated his first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun by winning the men's open division over Nikko Locastro, Paul McBeth, and Dave Feldberg.
Valarie Jenkins captured her fourth Japan Open title outlasting Paige Pierce by a narrow three-throw margin.
The Japan Open television broadcast can be seen throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East on 24 regional sports affiliates and the DISH and DirectTV satellite TV sports packages, when combined reach over 93 million cable and satellite TV subscribers. For a complete list of all the Beach Sports Network broadcast affiliates, you can click here.
The Japan Open television show is also debuting online on the DiscGolfPlanetTV YouTube channel, which you can access here.
Disc golf is a sport played much like ball golf, except players throw flying discs into above-ground targets, instead of hitting a ball into a hole in the ground. The Professional Disc Golf Association headquartered in Appling, Georgia, estimates that 2-4 million people play disc golf annually. The PDGA sanctions nearly 1900 events annually, where professional disc golfers compete for a total purse of over $2.5 million. Disc golf is played in over 30 nations, as determined by the PDGA Course Directory.
