Buhr Survives Gossage's -14 Surge, Wins Memorial by One
Gannon Buhr's four-stroke cushion entering the final round of the 39th Memorial Championship presented by Discraft melted to a single stroke, but the wire-to-wire victory was secured as he finished at -51 to claim the A-tier title. Buhr, who led after every round, shot a final-round -11 on the demanding Red Mountain - South course in Scottsdale, AZ, a layout averaging 350 feet through punishing Sonoran Desert terrain. His consistency—never shooting worse than -10 across four rounds—was nearly upended by a furious charge from the chase pack, setting the stage for a dramatic finish where survival meant navigating thorns, rock, and relentless pressure.
The day's defining performance belonged to Aaron Gossage, who authored a bogey-free, 1085-rated -14, the hot round that slashed his deficit from four strokes to one. Gossage's clean card on a desert course that averaged 4.15 on its hardest hole (#2) was a masterclass in precision, and he battled Aviel Gomez (who also shot a 1085-rated -14) for round honors down the stretch. Dramatic moments data shows Gossage and Gomez were tied coming into the final holes, with Gossage "defending by 0" and Gomez "chasing by 0" on the par-4 17th (580ft) and par-3 18th (391ft), both players carding pars to finish tied for the round lead at -14.
Parker Welck joined Gossage in a tie for second at -50 overall, closing with a -12 that included uncorking a 462-foot drive on the 580-foot hole 17. Gomez's matching -14 vaulted him to fifth at -45, while Drew Gibson took fourth at -46. The field averaged 4-under par on the par-59 layout, with notable surges including Jacob Courtis firing a 1065-rated -12 (+56 over rating) to jump to T21 and Joshua Moore exceeding his rating by 74 points with a 1035-rated round.
Throughout the field, shot-making highlights punctuated the desert battle: Colten Montgomery buried a 39-foot Circle 2 putt on hole 16 (the easiest hole at 2.22 average), Bhrahsten Waugh aced the 250-foot hole 4 for eagle, and Ryan Bain saved par on 18 after finding OB. The tournament's fourth ace came from Waugh, while Dylan Almquist struggled to an 886-rated round, 92 points below average.
Buhr's Memorial Championship victory, built on a five-way tie after Round 1, his explosive -17 in Round 2, and steady play thereafter, reinforces his elite status. The one-stroke margin over Gossage and Welck—who tied at -50—highlighted the depth of MPO competition and the fine line between dominance and drama in desert disc golf. In the end, Buhr's wire-to-wire run survived its sternest test, claiming the title in a finale where every throw under the Arizona sun carried the weight of the championship.