Silas Schultz won the 2026 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championship in Milford, Michigan, finishing at 35-under par and beating Latvia's Rainers Balodis in a one-hole playoff. The victory is his first World title and his first-ever Disc Golf Pro Tour win.
A final charge from three back
Schultz started Championship Sunday three strokes behind Balodis at Kensington Metropark. He posted a bogey-free -10, the day's second-best round, on the Toboggan and Black Locust courses. Perfect scrambling kept his round clean as the lead tightened on the back nine.
A foot fault swings the moment
On Hole 17, Balodis received a penalty stroke for a foot fault on his approach. The error dropped him into a tie with Schultz. Schultz then hit a circle 2 putt to force sudden death.
The playoff lasted one hole. Balodis pulled his drive early and then saw his forehand approach sail out of bounds. Schultz played safely and claimed the title his steady round had earned.
Schultz led the tournament field in parked percentage at 18% and strokes gained tee-to-green at 27.55. His birdie rate of 52% was the second-best mark across all competitors.
A first podium on the biggest stage
In 75 previous Tour events since 2018, Schultz had never finished on the podium. His best prior results were two fourth-place finishes. The breakthrough lifts him to 10th in the DGPT Powerball World Standings.
Balodis, playing his first Tour event outside Europe, earned his own first podium and top-ten. A World Championship as a first Tour title is a rare turn in any athlete's story. For Schultz, it arrived the moment the door opened.
