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Back-to-Back Breakthroughs: Luke Taylor and Evan Smith Claim First DGPT Victories

  • Writer: Discraft Discs
    Discraft Discs
  • 6 hours ago
  • 3 min read
Evan Smith at the 2026 Discmania Challenge Photo Credit: DGPT

For the first time in Team Discraft history, two players have captured their first Disc Golf Pro Tour victories in back-to-back events.


One week after Luke Taylor broke through at the 2026 Discraft Ledgestone Open, Evan Smith followed with a commanding victory at the 2026 Discmania Challenge. These consecutive wins also marked the first time since 2023 that the DGPT has seen back-to-back first-time Tour champions.


Two players. Two career-defining weekends. Two very different paths to the top of the podium.


Luke Taylor Breaks Through at 2026 Ledgestone Open

Luke Taylor at the 2026 Ledgestone Open. Photo Credit: DGPT

For Luke Taylor, the breakthrough came on one of the biggest stages of the season.

Entering Championship Sunday at the 2026 Discraft Ledgestone Open four strokes off the lead, Taylor had work to do. What followed was the best round of his tournament—and one of the biggest rounds of his young career.


Taylor fired a 10-under, 1086-rated final round at Eureka Temp, turning a four-stroke deficit into a one-stroke victory. He finished the four-round event at (-28) to claim the first DGPT victory of his career. The victory had been years in the making.


Luke Taylor and friends at the 2026 Ledgestone Open. Photo Credit: DGPT

Before Ledgestone, Taylor had competed in 62 Tour events without reaching the podium. Throughout 2026, the pieces had continued to come together and at Ledgestone, everything clicked!


Taylor led the field in both Circle 1 and Circle 2 in regulation while gaining more than 36 strokes tee-to-green throughout the tournament. When the championship came down to the final holes, his aggressive play remained on display, including a crucial forehand water carry on Hole 18 that helped put him in position to close out the victory.


One Week Later, Evan Smith Takes Over in Iowa

Evan Smith at the 2026 Discmania Challenge Photo Credit: DGPT

Just seven days later, another member of Team Discraft stepped into the spotlight. At the 2026 Discmania Challenge at Pickard Park, Evan Smith didn't simply capture his first DGPT victory, he delivered one of the most dominant performances of the season.


Smith opened the tournament with a (-10) 1080-rated first round to put himself immediately into contention. Then came Round 2. Smith shot 15-under, connected on all 16 of his Circle 1 putting attempts and recorded a 1107-rated round, the highest-rated PDGA round of his career! This performance gave him an eight-stroke advantage heading into the final round. From there, he never gave the field an opening.


Smith finished the event at (-32), eight strokes clear of second place, to secure his first DGPT title. He led the MPO field in birdie rate, C2 putting and strokes gained tee-to-green on his way to the win.


Evan Smith celebrating with friends at the 2026 Discmania Challenge Photo Credit: DGPT

Like Taylor, Smith's first victory came after years of knocking on the door. Since making his Tour debut in 2021, Smith had played 56 Tour events with 14 Top 10 finishes and seven podiums before finally reaching the top step. His 2026 season had already included a runner-up finish at the Queen City Classic and a fifth-place finish at the PDGA Champions Cup, but after taking some time away from Tour competition, Smith returned and delivered the biggest performance of his career!


Two Firsts. One Special Stretch for Team Discraft.

First wins are special and getting two of them in consecutive weeks makes this stretch of the 2026 season one we won't soon forget. Luke Taylor battled from behind on Championship Sunday at one of the Tour's premier events. Evan Smith grabbed control in Iowa and never let go. Their paths to victory looked completely different, but both weekends ended the same way, with a Team Discraft athlete lifting a DGPT trophy for the first time!


Congratulations to Luke Taylor and Evan Smith on their first DGPT wins and on making a little Team Discraft history along the way!


 

Celebrate the Wins with Victory Editions

Two breakthrough victories deserve two special releases. Celebrate Luke Taylor’s first DGPT win with his Victory Edition Drone and Evan Smith’s first Tour victory with the Victory Edition Force, honoring his dominant performance at the 2026 Discmania Challenge! Both Victory Editions are available for retailers to order beginning Friday, August 14th, with a release on the Discraft Factory Store at 3 PM ET on August 14th.




 
 
 

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