Erik Tribelhorn continues to make his mark in the disc golf world.
The Yuma-area resident won the Mixed Amateur 50+ division at the Colorado State Disc Golf Championships, September 22-24. Tribelhorn shot 14-under par over 54 holes. The first and third rounds were played at Adams Hollow, located near the Adams County Fairgrounds in Brighton. Saturday’s round was played at Lower Badlands, which Tribelhorn explained is a reconfigured layout just south of Water World in Thornton.
He tossed a 50 in the first round, followed by rounds of 51 and 55. Tribelhorn said he did not play very well on Sunday due to a nagging elbow injury that he has been battling for a couple of years.
What’s more, he qualified earlier this year for a national amateur tournament in Austin, Texas, November 1-4. He said it will be four rounds of 18 holes, followed by the top four players competing in a final round of nine holes on the fifth day. There are currently 1,004 players signed up for the tournament, including 79 in Tribelhorn’s division.
He also has qualified for the world championships in 2024. It will be held in Emporia, Kansas, which Tribelhorn said is known as being the disc golf capital of the United States. The community hosts dozens of tournaments each year, and normally one or two majors that bring in more than 1,000 players.
Tribelhorn is sitting second in the world in the Professional Disc Golf Association Global Masters Series. More than 4,000 players from around the world in his age division are ranked by their top eight-rated rounds in 2023.
He has shared his passion for disc golf throughout the region. He has installed seven courses in northeast Colorado, including the YDH/Yuma Lions Club course earlier this year. He said he is putting the finishing touches on an 11-hole course around the fishing ponds south of Akron, which should be completed in the next couple of weeks.
“My hope is to get many of the smaller schools and communities in the tri-state region to consider adding a course to their community,” Tribelhorn said.
