🌏🏆 Worlds Preview 🏃‍♂️🏌️ Part 3 - Open Division

In case you missed them, be sure to check out the Senior Division and Women’s Division previews.

The Speedgolf World Championships are so close, I’m feeling my pre-round jitters! It’s time to push the Hype Meter up to 11…

The Open Division is where dreams go to die - and legends are born. We’re talking about the fastest runners who can actually putt, the best golfers who can actually run, and everything in between. With a field that includes professional golfers, sub-3 marathoners, and a man famous for yelling “NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” this division is faster than a cart girl dodging dinner invitations.

With 44 athletes in the field, we’ve got more storylines than a Netflix series. Before we dive into the top 21, let’s meet the supporting cast who make this division deeper than a Scottish pot bunker…

You can’t have a World Championships in Japan without a healthy contingent of home talent! Even though these hometown heroes don’t crack the top 21, they probably know the 700 Club better than I know my mortgage payment schedule: Makoto Kurihara | Takafumi Ozaki | Koichi Taka | Shunsuke Ichimori | Masahiko Maeba

The flat country sends us two speedgolfers who are anything but flat on the course: Edouard De Landtsheer | Filip Bereens

While their neighbors across the Tasman keep hoarding all the speedgolf trophies, these Aussies are here to prove that New Zealand and Japan aren’t the only Pacific powers in the sport: Troy Levier | Reuben Haley | Riley Davie

While Emily Mollard has already shattered the stereotype of the leisurely French lunch break, these golfers are here to further destroy France’s reputation for taking it slow: Jeremie Felenc | Alex Arguel | Bastian Mas | Alexis Rollet | Cyrille Fournier

For a country that claims to be “world champion” of sports we invented ourselves, this bunch of Americans (including yours truly) is just happy to be invited to the party: Jim Davis | Garrett Holt | Adam Lorton

From the lands where summer is more of a long weekend than a season, these Nordic warriors will be making the most of the mild November weather in Tochigi: Pertti Palosuo, Finland | Ville Heinonen, Finland | Hampus Sethfors, Sweden | Oscar Green, Sweden

I could have put five names in this section and you totally would’ve believed me. Team New Zealand is that deep. But in reality, there’s only one Kiwi I have ranked outside the top 21 and his name is Brad Dippie.

And now, the best of the best…

#21 James McMaster, Australia | 🏆 Elite Golf | 🐢 Leisurely Speed

After a five-year speedgolf sabbatical (presumably spent wrestling crocodiles and grilling shrimp), James McMaster returned to competitive play like a boomerang - in more than one way. At the Nagoya Bayside Classic, he got lost on the course and added ~10 minutes to his time. Get this guy a GPS and he’ll be dangerous!

Signature performances: 3rd at Nagoya Bayside Classic, 2nd at British Open 2018

#20 Nic Goodin, United States | ⛳️ Steady Golf | ⏱️ Efficient Speed

Nic Goodin “The Southpaw from Springfield” always pictured himself representing Team USA, but in his daydreams he was playing in the Ryder Cup, in front of thousands of fans, making millions of dollars. He did find a sport where he’s top 20 in the world, and — plot twist — he’ll be playing in front of dozens of fans, paying thousands of dollars for the privilege. Ah, the American dream!

Don’t sleep on Nic, who was a couple putts and a couple penalty strokes from beating Rob Hogan to take the US Open in 2022. This youth pastor bombs it off the tee with unholy power, showing that the meek may inherit the earth, but the bold inherit the fairway.

Signature Performances: 3rd at Missouri Open, 7th at US Open, 4th at US Open 2023

#19 Joakim Wikland, Sweden | ⛳️ Steady Golf | ⏱️ Efficient Speed

If looks could kill, Joakim Wikland’s intensity would have the rest of the field six feet under. The chrome-domed Swede came within 55 seconds of glory at the Swedish Open - about the time it takes to read this preview. That’s the kind of near miss that keeps a speedgolfer up at night (though the reflection off his head probably helps with night putting practice).

Signature performance: 4th at Swedish Speedgolf Open

#18 Lauri Alakuijala, Finland | 👍 Competent Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

While most Finns spend their summers enjoying the midnight sun, Lauri Alakuijala was busy in Britain making some of speedgolf’s biggest names look like they were playing in slow motion. Anyone who can make Rob Hogan eat dust deserves our attention - even if we can’t pronounce their name on the first try. (Or the second. Or the third…)

Signature performances: 2nd at Finnish Open, 2nd at British Open, 3rd at Salo, 13th at Worlds 2022

#17 Henrik Honkalehto, Finland | 👍 Competent Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

#16 Marko Kuningas, Finland | 👍 Competent Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

The Finnish dynamic duo stole our hearts (but unfortunately not gold) at the 2022 World Cup. Ever since, they’ve been collecting speedgolf hardware like they’re furnishing an IKEA showroom. Even though “Kuningas & Honkalehto” sounds like a Nordic law firm, they’re more interested in breaking course records than legal precedents.

• Honkalehto: 1st at Tali Open, 2nd at Swedish Open, 5th at Finnish Open, 2nd at Salo,
• Kuningas: 1st at Salo

Golf Ratings Key:

From ‘hold my beer’ to ‘hold my trophy’ - a completely subjective guide to golf ability.

#15 Mick McBeth, New Zealand | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

Sun’s out, guns out! While the Scottish McBeth might have been tormented by guilt, the Kiwi McBeth seems more tormented by the friction of sleeves. But unlike his Shakespearean namesake, there’s nothing tragic about Mick’s tournament results - except that he plays in the same tournaments as Jamie Reid!

Speaking of turning tragedy on its head, Mick — whose wife Adelle has had two kidney transplants — used speedgolf for good when he teamed up with Jamie Reid, Bernie Smith, and brother-in-law Reeve to raise $43,000 for Kidney Kids. All they had to do was play every golf hole in Taranaki (almost 3 marathons in 2.5 days)! From one speedgolf fanatic to another: that’s a lot of speedgolf.

Signature performances: 2nd at Cape Kidnappers Invitational, 2nd at Taranaki Masters, 3rd at Northland Open

#14 Craig Russell, New Zealand | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

I think you’ve already surmised that Team New Zealand is bringing a strong team to Worlds. Craig Russell, co-founder of Speedgolf North, is the perfect example. He’s the 6th highest-rated Kiwi in the field, which means five of the remaining 13 are his countrymen!

Signature performances: 8th at New Zealand Open, 4th at Cape Kidnappers Invitational

#13 Gatjeak Gew, South Sudan | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

Gatjeak Gew has arms longer than my list of excuses after a bad round. And with those arms, he can bomb the driver. Gatjeak led the US Speedgolf Open through two rounds before being overtaken by Luke Willett. Expect him to show up to Worlds 2024 locked in.

Signature performances: 4th at US Open, 4th at Missouri Open

#12 Jordan Anderson, New Zealand | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

At 22, Jordan Anderson is young enough to still be on his parents’ Netflix account, but old enough to make his dad and brother Jamie (two-time New Zealand Under-20 Champ) sweat on the course. Now Jordan’s hoping to add some international hardware to the family trophy case. No pressure, kid - just the entire nation of New Zealand and your father watching.

Signature performances: 7th at New Zealand Open, beat brother Jamie at Stratford Golf Club finals

#11 Stan Masson, France | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

Most long drive competitors are one-trick ponies. Stan Masson? He’s the whole stable. After casually bombing drives into next week, he dropped a 76 in 50 minutes at the French Open this year — the best single round of the tournament — which left him just one stroke behind 2024’s most decorated speedgolfer, Luke Willett.

Signature performances: 3rd at French Open, 1st at French Open 2023

Speed Ratings Key:

From ‘did they teleport’ to ‘did they stop for lunch?’ — how I rate running.

And now, the top 10 speedgolfers at Worlds…

#10 Luke Bone, UK | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

Being a golf pro at Farnham pays the bills, but being Luke Willett’s speedgolf partner pays in precious metals. Recently engaged Luke Bone might be planning a wedding, but first he’s planning to crash the party at Worlds.

Signature performances: 4th at British Open, 1st at British Pairs Championship

#9 Brad Hayward, New Zealand | 🏆 Elite Golf | ⏱️ Efficient Speed

When your high school teammate becomes #1 in the world, you either get jealous or get inspired. Looks like Brad Hayward chose the latter. (My condolences to every high school golfer who had to play against New Plymouth in 2009). Brad brings a pro golf pedigree and a preference for wedge putting he presumably learned from Jamie Reid. Preview Brad’s game on Go Golf.

Signature performances: 5th at New Zealand Open, 8th at Cape Kidnappers Invitational

#8 Scott Dawley, United States | 🏆 Elite Golf | ⏱️ Efficient Speed

The lazy analysis says Scott Dawley’s best performances are behind him.

• 2020: 1st at US Open
• 2021: Sets world record with bogey-free 65 in 42 minutes, 2nd at US Open
• 2022: 2nd at US Open, no wins on US Tour
• 2023: 2 wins on US Tour (without Jason Hawkins or Wes Cupp in the field), 6th at US Open
• 2024: No wins on US Tour, 3rd at US Open, hole in one at Missouri Open​

I don’t buy the lazy analysis. One year ago, Scott Dawley made it a priority to be in world-class shape for the 2024 World Championships, and I think he’s going to bring it.

Signature performances: 3rd at US Open, 5th at British Open, 2nd at Missouri Open, 2nd at Kentucky Open

#7 Robin Smith, New Zealand | 🥇 2022 World Cup Champion | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

Robin Smith is accustomed to chasing Jamie Reid, but everything turned upside down at the 2022 World Championships, where the leaders played last. Shortly after making a nasty quadruple bogey on the short par-4 14th, Robin was caught by Reid (who had built an insurmountable lead). Instead of forcing Robin to the side, Jamie refused to pass and instead urged Robin to play faster. The rest is speedgolf history.

Talent? Character? They’re not mutually-exclusive. Expect both from Team New Zealand.

Signature performances: 4th at New Zealand Open, 5th at Cape Kidnappers, 1st at Carterton Open

#6 Bernie Smith, New Zealand | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

Not to be confused with his dart-throwing namesake (though both are known for hitting small targets under pressure), Bernie Smith has been Jamie Reid’s closest domestic competition for two years running — kind of like being the second-fastest cheetah on the Serengeti. His recent 104, 103 at the New Zealand Open is the kind of scoring that makes mathematicians do double-takes — those aren’t temperatures, they’re speedgolf scores! And they’re the kind of numbers that suggest Bernie might be tired of silver medals clashing with his golf outfit.

Signature performances: 2nd at New Zealand Open, 3rd at Cape Kidnappers Invitational

Do you want a front row seat to an elite speedgolfer’s round? Do you want to contribute to the 2024 World Championships broadcast? If so, I’d be extremely grateful if YOU would consider being a camera operator at the World Championships.

I really don’t like asking for help. But I can’t deny the truth — I need help. There are going to be amazing performances at Worlds, but if we don’t have cameras rolling, those moments will be lost forever.

If you’re interested, reply to this email and I’ll share more details.

⛳🏃🏌🔥

On to the favorites!

#5 Jin Ota, Japan | 🥈 2022 Worlds & World Cup Runner-up | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

#4 Tatsuya Shinmoto, Japan | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🏃‍♂️ Swift Speed

If Jin Ota and Tatsuya Shinmoto were any closer in their head-to-head battles, they’d need to share a golf cart (which, of course, would defeat the whole purpose). Their rivalry has become speedgolf’s version of a Japanese game show - incredibly intense, slightly confusing to outsiders, and decided by impossibly small margins. First, a margin of 31 seconds, then 3 seconds… next time they might need quantum physics to separate them.

While Ota was sidelined from defending his 2023 US Open title, Shinmoto’s been busy sweeping Japanese Tour events like a Zen garden curator. The PR Golf Studio director has gone 4-for-4 in domestic events this year, though each victory over Ota has been by less time than it takes to bow politely.

These two represent Japan’s best hope of keeping the World Championship trophy from flying south. And while this rivalry has produced some epic finishes, Ota and Shinmoto will need to put their personal battle on hold at Worlds, because there’s a certain Kiwi they both need to catch first…

Signature Performances:

• Ota: 2nd at Nagoya Bayside Classic, 1st at US Open 2023, 3rd at Japan Open 2023
• Shinmoto: 1st at Ibaraki Open, 1st at Iga, 1st at Hokkaido, 1st at Nagoya, 2nd at Japan Open 2023

#3 Rob Hogan, Ireland | ⛳️ Steady Golf | 🚀 Supersonic Speed

Rob Hogan — the most famous speedgolfer on Earth — is more famous for roasting people’s golf swings on Instagram than for playing speedgolf. Kind of like being known as a food critic when you’re actually a Michelin-starred chef.

The big bearded Irishman is equal parts sasquatch and Zen master. What were his highlights when he won the 2022 US Open? Quoting Hogan: “Well, I suffered. And I felt the wind in my hair.”

My dad lives in Indiana. Rob Hogan lives in the moment.

Why is Hogan so good at speedgolf? Scholars will debate this for centuries, but to me, the key is shot box time. Every speedgolfer looks to minimize how long it takes to set up and execute a golf shot. But somehow, Hogan does it in literally half the time of the other best speedgolfers in the world.

A victory at Worlds would cement Hogan’s legacy as the greatest speedgolfer of the modern era (2013+). But there are two rather large obstacles in his way, and both have recently reminded Rob that being a legend doesn’t make you invincible. It just makes the target on your back bigger.

Signature performances: 1st at French Open, 2nd at Irish Open, 6th at British Open

#2 Luke Willett, UK | 👍 Competent Golf | 🚀 Supersonic Speed

Luke Willett should be tired. Why is he not tired?

Luke’s 2024 highlights would be enough to earn any speedgolfer a lifetime achievement award.

• Guinness World Record in Dubai 🌴
• British Pairs 🏆
• ​Missouri Speedgolf Open 🏆
• ​US Speedgolf Open 🏆
• Irish Speedgolf Open 🏆
• French Speedgolf Open 🥈
• Finnish Speedgolf Open 🏆
• British Speedgolf Open 🥉

The scariest part isn’t even his trophy collection - it’s his apparently bottomless gas tank. When the US Open turned into a 22-hour suffer-fest (three rounds, no mercy), Luke treated it like a light warm-up. While everyone else was mainlining energy drinks and questioning their life choices, he just kept getting faster, like some sort of cheerful British terminator.

Sounds like a killer, right? Not so fast. You know those people who say all the right things and make you want to roll your eyes? Luke’s not one of them. When he says “Playing golf is a gift” or calls Rob Hogan “a friend for life,” he means it with the sincerity of a golden retriever who just found his favorite tennis ball.

The man who’s been collecting international titles faster than he collects frequent flyer miles has the best chance of anyone to pull off an upset at the 700 Club. But to do that, he’s got to get past the defending Champ…

Signature performances: 1st at US Open, 1st at Irish Open, 1st at Finnish Open, 3rd at British Open, 2nd at French Open, 1st at British Pairs

#1 Jamie Reid, New Zealand | 🥇 2022 World Champ | 🏆 Elite Golf | 🚀 Supersonic Speed

Jamie Reid has been the #1 speedgolfer in the world since he was a wee Kiwi with no kids and no facial hair. Since missing out on his first Worlds title by a single second in 2018, the man has been nigh unstoppable.

At the last World Championships, he won by 18 minutes. He could have stopped for a coffee break at the turn… both days. And remember, this wasn’t against weekend warriors - that’s how badly he beat the second-best speedgolfer on Earth. As if that weren’t enough, he did it while basically becoming Robin Smith’s pace car for the final holes. Because apparently, domination wasn’t challenging enough.

When most golfers break 100, they get a pat on the back and maybe a beer. When Jamie broke 100 (68 in 31 minutes) at the New Zealand Open, he got global headlines (including Speedgolf Baby’s first video to crack 1 million views!)

As impressive as Luke Willett’s global conquest has been (and it’s been incredible), Jamie exists in a different dimension. He’s already proven he owns the 700 Club, winning the Japan Open there last year. At this point, a Reid loss would be a bigger story than anyone else’s win - and that’s exactly how legends are measured.

Signature performances: 1st at New Zealand Open, 1st at Cape Kidnappers Invitational, 1st at Japan Open 2023

And there you have it, folks - from “happy to be here” to “happy to make history”, the best of the best in speedgolf. Be sure to add your email address to the list if you haven’t already.

And until we meet at the 700 Club, I hope your grooves are clean and your gloves are tight.