Bryce MacDonald wins junior singles at Tri-Cities Open

The clearest statement of the Tri-Cities Open came from the junior singles bracket, where Bryce MacDonald finished the job with a 22-4 rout of Keegan Leonard in the final. At the American Cornhole League’s first stop in Tri-Cities, MacDonald did more than collect a title at HAPO Center in Pasco, Washington. He separated himself from his age group in a field built to show how far the next wave of cornhole talent has come.

The June 19-21 event brought juniors onto the same stage as women’s, senior, college and high school entries, giving Friday’s schedule the feel of a full cornhole festival rather than a single-bracket showcase. The ACL promoted the tournament as open to the public, with more than $25,000 in guaranteed prizes and cash payouts attached to a weekend that also included doubles on Saturday and singles for all skill levels on Sunday. Visit Tri-Cities listed the venue as HAPO Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco, WA 99301.

MacDonald’s final score mattered because it was the kind of decisive finish that can carry weight in an open event. The bracket page showed Leonard as the finalist and MacDonald as champion, and the 22-4 line left no doubt about the margin between the two in the title match. In an ACL format that divides singles into five skill-based tiers using the Cornhole Performance Index, the junior bracket gives younger players a way to compete in a structure that keeps the matchups fair while still placing them in the same high-visibility environment as older divisions.

That setup was central to what made the Tri-Cities Open noteworthy. Local organizers expected about 300 players and crowds of up to 1,200 or more, and the event was streamed on ESPN+, YouTube and Facebook. The 3 City Slingers, the Tri-City-based club that helped push the event forward, played a major role in promoting the tournament, while leadership included Mark Leonard, Michael Gonzales and tournament director Kat Kennedy-Halbert. HAPO Center also handled concessions, coffee and a bar, and helped with setup around the venue.

For the ACL, the first Tri-Cities Open fit into its 2025/26 Open schedule as part of a broader push into the Pacific Northwest and the West Coast. Cody Lewis said he hoped the event could continue into 2027, and MacDonald’s junior title gave that ambition a clear proof point: the region can produce a winner who looks ready to keep climbing.