Salt Lake City hosts 25th U.S. women’s disc golf championship

Eveliina Salonen entered Salt Lake City with a title defense that already carries rare company and a steep physical test. The 25th United States Women’s Disc Golf Championship opened with the sport’s biggest women’s major arriving at Brighton Ski Resort, where the thin air, long chairlift ride and mixed mountain layout are set to shape the week as much as the scores.

The championship runs July 16-19 across Salt Lake City, with FPO and FP40 playing Brighton for all four rounds while the other divisions split time between Creekside, Dragonfly and Roots. The event marks the 25th edition of the USWDGC, which began in 1999 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has grown into one of the defining titles on the women’s side. Sports Salt Lake, the Utah Sports Commission, ElevateUT Disc Golf and Team Thunder Puss are part of the presentation in a setting backed by the Wasatch Mountains.

Brighton’s Majestic 18 is the centerpiece. The course starts at the top of the Majestic chairlift and works through mid-mountain terrain before opening into alpine views, with more than 9,000 feet of elevation creating a different kind of championship pressure. Brighton says the 18-hole layout was designed and maintained by Chaz Critchfield of Mountain Air Disc Golf LLC, and its profile blends forested paths, mountain views and a mix of technical and open shots. Players can reach the course by chairlift or by hiking the Lake Mary Trail, but the welcome letter warns that the ride to hole 1 takes about 25 minutes and that players should board 35 to 40 minutes before tee time.

That elevation change is not a detail, it is the round. The PDGA’s welcome letter puts Brighton around 9,000 feet while the valley courses sit roughly between 4,200 and 4,500 feet, and it tells players to hydrate, manage the cardio load and be alert for altitude sickness. On a course with bomber holes, tight wooded corridors and technical par 4s, the players best equipped to win are the ones who can land power without forcing it and scramble cleanly when the mountain asks for another shot.

Salonen is the headliner because the history is already stacked in her favor. The DGPT says she owns five PDGA Pro Major wins, including the 2026 European Open, and has finished inside the top 10 in her last 12 FPO Majors. A victory in Utah would make her only the fifth woman to win back-to-back USWDGC titles, joining Paige Pierce, Lesli Todd, Valarie Jenkins and Des Reading. The featured opening-round group also underlines how international this field is, with Kaidi Allsalu, Kristýna Jurčíková, Julia Fors and Iida Lehtomäki in the spotlight.

The week began on July 15 with check-in and a Women’s Wellness Expo at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City, followed by opening ceremonies there that evening. The event also opened its broadcast window with a Wednesday press conference at 4:00 PM MDT, then live FPO coverage across Disc Golf Network from July 16 through July 19. With blue-chip names, mountain air and a major title on the line, Salt Lake City has become the sport’s next proving ground.