Disc golfer Cadence Burge wins first Pro Tour event
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"I feel like this makes the last 10 years of my life worth it," Cadence Burge told a reporter after the win. Photos: Courtesy of Cadence Burge
Huntsville native and pro disc golfer Cadence Burge took home her first Disc Golf Pro Tour win this week at the Discmania Challenge in Des Moine, Iowa, shooting -17.
Why it matters: The disc golf phenom is an up-and-comer already competing alongside the best in the world.
- "Honestly, it's pretty crazy to get a win," 18-year-old Burge tells Axios. "It's pretty early in my career, and while of course I really wanted to win, I wasn't expecting to do it so quickly. ... Winning a pro tour event is kind of what everybody wants to do one day."
- She's competed in around 25 pro events so far, she said, with 2025 marking her third year on the pro tour. Her disc golf career goes back to 2015 when she began playing tournaments as an 8-year-old.
Zoom in: Burge's victory was a nail-biter. She went into the last round with a big lead, but was down by two strokes going into the 14th hole. Down by one on the last hole, she birdied to take the win.
What's next: Burge is headed to Europe for a month with her family to compete in Norway, Estonia and Finland, including two majors and the Pro World Championships in Nokia, Finland, July 30-Aug. 3.
Zoom out: Burge, daughter of Huntsville disc golf pro Larry Burge, grew up on the courses around Huntsville, and remembers the first time she bested him on the course in 2019.
- After that, they got competitive, and she passed him in official ratings about 18 months ago. She's now rated 965, compared to her dad's 905, though her rating's likely to go up following June's Discmania Challenge.
What they're saying: As disc golf grows in Huntsville, Axios asked Burge about the local scene and more. She said it's brought a lot of people to the area, especially as the city prepares to host the 2027 PDGA Amateur World Championships.
How does Huntsville's disc golf scene compare to other places you've played?
- "Huntsville, I would say, isn't really the kind of place to hold a pro tour event, but overall, most of our courses are beginner- and intermediate-friendly, so they allow for a large variety of people to play here."
Favorite discs in the bag?
- "Well I'm sponsored by Discmania, so all Discmania." For putting that's the Soft Exo Link, for midrange, the Neo Origin (thrown for that critical approach shot), and her go-to driver is the Lux Vapor Paradigm.
Any advice for new players?
- "I'd definitely say get involved with the local community, get your friends involved. ... There are a lot of leagues around here where you can play casually and also meet a bunch of new people. A big part of it is having people you can do it with."