YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Competitive disc golf arrived recently at this U.S. airlift hub in western Tokyo as Yokota Disc Golf Open 4 became the first on-base tournament sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association.

The tournament, held Saturday, marked a milestone for the Yokota Disc Golf Club, which opened its course in 2023. Previous competitions were casual events aimed at socializing, but this one offered players the opportunity to track their progress with official PDGA ratings, tournament director Maj. Marshall Gries told Stars and Stripes at the competition.

“In the past, we focused on giving players a chance to just come out, have fun, and treat it more like a social get-together without worrying too much about their scores,” said Gries, a host nation support officer at U.S. Forces Japan and founder of the Yokota club. “But I realized it could still be fun while adding the structure and benefits of a sanctioned event.”

The event was classified as a C-tier tournament, a local-level competition that typically takes place on a single course in one day and requires minimal staff and volunteers.

Disc golf mirrors traditional golf in structure but uses flying discs thrown toward elevated metal baskets. Players aim to complete each hole in as few throws as possible over varied terrain.

The Yokota course coincides with the nine-hole, par-3 golf course on base. The course is listed in UDisc, an app for disc golfers that displays the layout and where scores can be recorded.

Thirteen players competed in the professional division and four in the amateur division. The field included nine U.S. military members — two from Yokosuka Naval Base — along with five unaffiliated civilians and three Japanese players.

Cash prizes went to the top six professionals, with the top three also receiving 3D-printed trophies. The top three amateurs received discs and trophies.

Beau Hoover took first place in the men’s pro division, followed by Chadwick Miller and Gries. In the amateur division, Ricky Mott took first place followed by Jesus Ruiz and Benjamin Sabin.

“It was exciting to win a PDGA sanctioned event as a PDGA member,” said Mott, a technical sergeant with the 374th Maintenance Squadron and Yokota club member competing in his first sanctioned event. “However, my time has come to move up to the [men’s pro open] division to compete against a very talented pool of competitors and further improve my disc golf game.”

The tournament’s only female competitor, Kaori Suhara, played in the men’s open division. She began playing disc golf with her family three years ago and said she was initially nervous about competing but felt supported.

“I wasn’t particularly worried about being the only female because some of my friends were also playing in the tournament,” she said. “I know that disc golf is a sport where you can easily connect and get along with people of all ages and genders.”

Another C-tier PDGA event is scheduled at Yokota at the end of May, Gries said.

“Honestly, the most rewarding part has been getting to bring people together around something they love,” he said. “With so few courses in Japan, and only a handful around Tokyo, being able to host events at Yokota has meant a lot.”