Troy hosts annual Timber Beast
<p>Steve Tolo of Bozeman, winner of the Grandmaster division, putts on 18, a 375-foot par 4 during Timberbeast 2015.</p>
<p>Steven White of Spokane, Wash., tees off on 14, a 391-foot par 4 during Timber Beast 2015.</p>
<p>Libby's Jon Reny putts on 18, a 375-foot par 4 during Timberbeast 2015.</p>
<p>Jon Graff of Missoula putts on 18, a 375-foot par 4 during Timberbeast 2015.</p>
The Timber Beast Disc Golf Tournament was held in Troy Saturday, June 20. There were 124 participants that came from all over the Pacific Northwest.
“We had people from Calgary participate and people from Seattle. They really come from all over,” Brian Bjortomt, the tournament director, said.
This was the 10th Timber Beast Challenge and Bjortomt has been a part of all of them.
The Timber Beast Disc Golf Tournament doesn’t deliver the biggest payout for the winners, but it’s always one of the most popular tournaments.
“It’s been the most attended tournament in Montana eight of the last nine years,” Bjortomt said. “Troy has a beautiful course and I think that’s a big reason why they keep coming back. We had 124 participants that competed in 14 different divisions for men and women ranging in age from 11 to 69 years old.”
Dallas Brown from Libby won the advanced division with a score of 97. Brown shot a 48 in round one and a 49 in round two. He finished 11 under par on the day. The advanced division is the top amateur division.
Tyler Bugni from Bozeman won the Open division by shooting 15 under par. Bugni won $230 for finishing in first place. It was his first Pro Disc Golf Association sanctioned win.
McCoy Conner from Missoula finished second and Jared Person and Tim Vache tied for third in the Open division. McCoy won $160 and Person and Vache won $102. The Open division is for the top professionals of any age or gender.
Ron Pannesi from Bozeman won the Masters division and Kymberley Willoughby from Spokane Valley, Wash., won the Masters Women division. The Masters division is part of the professional divisions and is for players who will be 40 years of age or older during the current year.
The Grandmaster division is available to players who will be 50 years of age or older this year. Steve Tolo from Bozeman won the Grandmaster division. The Senior Grandmaster division is available to players who will be 60 years of age or older this year. T.C. Bare from Tumtum, Wash. won the Senior Grandmaster division.
Garen Blanchard from Spokane, Wash., won the Intermediate division. The Intermediate division available to all amateur players of any age with a player rating lower than 935. It’s generally for players who have been playing for two to three years.
Tim Vache and Ken Rickus both got an ace on hole seven. An ace occurs when a player makes their first shot into the basket. It’s comparative to a hole in one in golf.
Jared Person became the first professional to outright win the Discs Across the Kootenai. The Discs Across the Kootenai is a contest in which the participants go across the river over the old bridge and attempt to throw their discs across the Kootenai River. Person was the only competitor to successfully toss his disc back across the Kootenai.
After The Discs Across the Kootenai contest there was live music and food for the community and participants to enjoy.
Bjortomt had a number of participants tell him that Troy is one of their favorite tournaments.
“The participants have often told me that Troy is one of their favorite tournaments. The city really welcomes them to town,” Bjortomt said. “They camp out down by the river and we always draw a huge crowd for the Discs Across the Kootenai. They go crazy for it and the community really embraces the event. It’s always a fun weekend when we come to Troy.”