HARRISONBURG, Va. – To say it has been a busy summer of disc golf for
Jesse Longenecker would be an understatement.
After missing EMU Disc Golf's spring season for an intercultural semester in Indonesia, Longenecker, a junior from Lancaster, Pa., has shaken off the rust and is ready to test himself against the best disc golfers in the world at the 2026 Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) World Championships. The tournament is set to take place on Aug. 26-30 at the Kensington Metropark in Milford, Mich., about 40 miles outside of Detroit.
The world championship will be the culmination of a summer filled with pro disc golf competitions for Longenecker, EMU's 2025 College Disc Golf D1 Singles National Champion. Here is a rundown of his summer results up to this point:
- Northwest Disc Golf Championship: Longenecker opened up the summer with the elite series competition in Mesa, Arizona, posting a solid second round 58 to get inside the top 30 before ultimately finishing in a tie for 53rd.
- Longnecker, an environmental science major at EMU, then competed in a series of five A-Tier tournaments, one step below the Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) Elite Series events. The highlight among those tournaments was a victory in the Cosmic Open, held on June 12-14 in Leicester, Mass. Longenecker posted a score of seven-under-par, clinching the win via a playoff. He also picked up a pair of runner-up showings at Brewster Ridge Open and the Warwick Disc Golf Championships.
- Eagles Crossing Masters Invitational: At the invite-only, non-PDGA event on July 25-26 in New Truxton, Mo., Longenecker had a breakthrough performance. During the first round, he posted the low score of six-under-par 60 to go into the final round tied for the lead. His second round of two-over-par 69 was good enough to take a home a second-place finish.
- DGPT+ Ledgestone Open: On July 30-Aug. 2, Longenecker returned to DGPT Elite Series action with the Ledgestone Open in Peoria, Ill. The first round was his best round of the weekend, turning in a scorecard of five-under-par 58. His final score over four rounds across two courses came out to eight-under-par, good for a tie for 20th. Luke Taylor took home the win with a cumulative score of 28-under-par.
- Discmania Challenge: From there, Longenecker traveled a little further west for the Discmania Challenge on Aug. 7-9 in Indianola, Iowa. A pair of five-under-par 59s followed by a final round scorecard of two-under-par 62 resulted in a tied for 26th overall. Evan Smith cruised to the win by eight strokes, posting a low score of 32-under-par.
- DGPT Doubles Championship: In his most recent tournament, Longenecker took a break from singles competition for the DGPT Doubles Championship on Aug. 14-16 in Clearwater, Minn. Playing alongside Lucas Oberholtzer Hess, the duo roared out of the gates, posting the best opening round of 16-under-par 49, birding every hole except holes 15 and 18. Longenecker and Hess remained in contention the rest of the weekend, ending up in a three-way tie for fourth place at 31-under-par. Adam Hammes and Richard Wysocki were the winning pair with a score of 36-under-par.
EMU supporters will have multiple ways to cheer on Longenecker at the PDGA World Championships. The event
will be livestreamed on the Disc Golf Network (subscription required), and there will be live scoring available on
the event page at PDGA.com.
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