DGPT turns Preserve Championship into first-ever Elite Series doubles event

The Disc Golf Pro Tour is remaking one of its flagship stops into a format experiment, turning the Preserve Championship into the 2026 DGPT Doubles Championship at The Preserve. The event keeps its August 14-16 dates and Clearwater, Minnesota, home, but the competitive identity changes completely: for the first time, an Elite Series tournament will be played as doubles.

That shift is more than a novelty. The Tour said it worked with the DGPT Player Council and the Preserve Championship organizing team to shape the format, and the opening blueprint is clear: three rounds, with two rounds of best shot followed by one round of alternate shot. The Sunday alternate-shot round will use modified rules similar to those used at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, a setup that should put a premium on chemistry, trust and nerve when a second throw depends entirely on the first. In doubles, partner selection can become the biggest strategic call of the week. Pairings that combine raw distance with elite touch, or a conservative placement game with a fearless putter, can create advantages that never exist in singles.

Simon Lizotte and Cale Leiviska were among the strongest voices behind the change. Lizotte said he had been hoping for a top-level doubles event for a long time and pointed to his upbringing in Germany, where doubles was part of tournament week and produced some of his most memorable disc golf experiences. Leiviska, whose purchase of an abandoned golf course during the COVID-19 era helped create The Preserve, has long been tied to the venue’s growth. DGPT materials say Black Bear Disc Golf Course was co-designed and continually refined by Leiviska with input from Lizotte, which makes the course feel like a fitting stage for a format they have both pushed to elevate.

The Preserve is not entering this experiment from the margins. Last year’s Preserve Championship drew 156 players, carried a combined purse of $82,117 and crowned Silva Saarinen in FPO and Gannon Buhr in MPO across the June 13-15, 2025 weekend. This year’s PDGA-sanctioned doubles event is currently listed with 162 players, and the field size suggests the Tour expects serious buy-in, not a sideshow.

The wider signal is harder to miss. The PDGA’s own rules treat doubles as a formal discipline, and it identifies best-shot as the most popular format. By placing that style on an Elite Series stage, the DGPT is testing whether doubles can deliver the same pressure, clarity and spectator appeal as singles. Its March 19 preview even highlighted ten teams to watch, a sign that the Tour sees enough storylines, enough skill overlap and enough competitive intrigue to make this a live trial for future innovation.