The wind whipped across Swenson Park Golf Course, challenging the best disc golfers in the world. But by Sunday afternoon, it was clear: two champions had risen to the occasion.
Isaac Robinson, the 24-year-old phenom from Georgia, claimed his fourth PDGA Major in three years, securing the 2025 Champions Cup title in the Men’s Professional Open division. On the women’s side, Missy Gannon of New York withstood a fierce push from a stacked lead card to win her first Champions Cup in the Female Professional Open field.
The Stockton event marked the first time since 2011 that a PDGA Major was held in California, bringing the highest level of disc golf competition back to the West Coast.
Robinson adds to growing legacy
With temperatures rising and winds swirling across the tight OB lines of Swenson Park, Isaac Robinson stayed cool under pressure.
“I came out here feeling good, but I didn’t necessarily expect to take it down,” Robinson said. “To add another one to the list — especially in a field like this — feels amazing.”
His pivotal moment came on the 17th hole, a 40-foot uphill putt that sealed his win.
“That one will stick in my mind forever,” he said.
Now with four Major wins in just two seasons since 2023, Robinson has etched his name in the sport’s history books. He credited his offseason switch to Latitude 64 discs and his focus on consistent, smart play — especially in a field where players were shooting as low as 14-under in early rounds.
“You can’t chase every hot round. I focused on clean upshots, making putts, and letting the wind dictate when to attack or play safe,” he explained.
Gannon holds steady in dramatic final round
Missy Gannon entered the final round with a four-stroke lead and faced a gauntlet of world-class challengers that included five-time world champion Paige Pierce, European standout Kristin Lätt, and rising Finnish star Silva Saarinen.
The round was anything but quiet. Pierce threw in an eagle. Lätt clawed back into contention. But Gannon remained composed.
“I try to think the score is zero-zero,” Gannon said. “I just want to play the best I can, no matter what’s going on around me… until the very end, when I need to know what I have to do.”
Though her lead briefly shrank, Gannon never relinquished control. She finished with the same margin she started with a three-stroke victory after a roller-coaster round filled with swings and surges from the field.
A return to California, and a win for Stockton
The 2025 Champions Cup wasn’t supposed to happen in California. Originally slated for Appling, Georgia, the tournament was forced to relocate after a pine beetle infestation and hurricane damage made the original venue unplayable.
Enter Stockton, a city with a growing reputation in the disc golf world. Swenson Park has hosted Elite Series events in recent years, but this was the first PDGA Major here.
“We don’t get to California as often as we’d like,” said Doug Bjerkaas, PDGA operations & logistics director. “But when our team saw what [local directors] Sean Jack and Sean Mercy were doing here, it made sense. They run a world-class event.”
The course, typically a ball golf venue, was transformed by designer Leonard Muise, who used towering California trees and water hazards to add technical depth to an otherwise flat, open layout. Volunteers and staff added family-friendly touches like bounce houses, mini disc golf layouts for kids, and free entry for children under 10.
“It’s not just the course,” said PDGA media rep Hayden Henry. “It’s the experience. They made this feel like a true community event.”
With thousands of fans in attendance over the weekend, many arriving from across the country, Stockton’s first PDGA Major was more than just a replacement. It was a statement.
(Video by Daniel Garza & Sammy Jimenez | Stocktonia)
What’s next?
For Isaac Robinson, the goal is clear: “I want to go back-to-back at Worlds,” he said.
For Gannon, her win confirms what the disc golf world already suspected: She belongs among the sport’s elite.
And for Stockton?
With a successful Champions Cup in the books, the city has made its case to be a permanent fixture on the disc golf map.