Canmore players sweep Big Bear Classic for first Bow Valley win

Canmore left the Big Bear Classic with both pro titles, and that is bigger than a weekend win. Kota Postma captured the MPO crown at 18-under par while Fanny Kempf took FPO in a playoff, giving the Bow Valley its first sweep at a professional disc golf event and sending a clear signal that Canmore’s scene is no longer just producing good local rounds, but real tournament pressure players.

The 26th Big Bear Classic ran May 30-31 at Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, where the tight landing zones and elevation changes already punish sloppy placement before the weather gets involved. Sunday rain made footing slick and made approach shots and putts tougher, which matters on a course like this because every miss can turn into a slide, a rollaway or a comeback putt that suddenly feels twice as long. PDGA event records listed 136 players and a $4,512 pro purse for the 2026 stop, with the tournament presented by Discmania.

Postma’s win fit the course and the conditions. He said he checked the board late in the final round, found himself one stroke back with three holes to play, birdied hole 17 to pull even, then watched the leader bogey 18 to finish the job. The result pushed a Canmore player with a 989 PDGA rating and more than $5,900 in career earnings to another local benchmark, and it came on home turf that rewards clean lines more than raw power.

Kempf’s victory was just as sharp, even if it took longer to settle. PDGA Live had her and Calgary’s Jo Henderson tied at plus-13 after Round 3, setting up a playoff that Kempf won after a throw-in forced the extra hole. Kempf said the playoff was a first for both players, which was fitting for a finish that separated nerves as much as skill. Henderson, listed by PDGA as being from Calgary, pushed the division all the way before Canmore held on.

The sweep gives the Big Bear Classic a different kind of weight now. Alberta Parks describes the event as an annual fixture at the Canmore Nordic Centre, and last year’s 25th edition already showed the tournament had staying power. This one showed something more: a host community with enough depth to win both pro divisions on the same weekend. For Canadian disc golf, that is how a regional event stops being a stopover and starts looking like a proving ground.