In 1983, the second PDGA Disc Golf World Championships took place. That same year was the first time the event featured a division solely for women and the first time women competed in it. Ever since, Worlds (as disc golfers typically call their world championship) has always had an Open Women division, which is also known as Female Professional Open (FPO).
Keep reading or jump to...
- All pro disc golf world champions and runners-up (FPO) by year
- Trivia about FPO pro disc golf world champs
- Facts about payouts and earnings for FPO at Pro Disc Golf World Championships
- Facts about field size for FPO at Pro Disc Golf World Championships
- Facts about Pro Disc Golf World Championship locations
- Players with the most top 5 showings in FPO at Pro Disc Golf World Championships
Though Worlds is a roving event that's only taken place in the same city in successive years one time in its history and the totals of rounds and courses players have been asked to play have fluctuated widely, the prestige its winners have earned has been constant. Those with a win there are forever etched into disc golf history.
Below you can find a table noting every Worlds winner in the Open Women division along with how much money they earned, who they beat and by how many strokes, what city they won in, and more. We've included some of the most interesting things we noticed in the stats, too.
You can also take a look at which players have made the top five at Worlds most often, again with a few of our favorite takeaways included.
All Professional Disc Golf World Champions: FPO (Open Women)
Here is the list of every FPO (AKA, Open Women) disc golf world champion ever1:
| Year | Winner | Win Margin | Host City | Rounds Played | Top Prize | Prize Adjusted | Second Place |
| 2024 |  /  Ohn Scoggins |
Playoff | Nokia & Tampere, Finland | 5 | $15,000 | - | Iida Lehtomäki |
| 2024 |  Eveliina Salonen |
2 | Lynchburg, Virginia | 5 | $17,000 | $17,460 | Kat Mertsch |
| 2023 |  Kristin Lätt (neé Tattar) |
6 | Jeffersonville, Vermont | 5 | $15,000 | $15,851 | Missy Gannon |
| 2022 | Kristin Lätt (neé Tattar) |
8 | Emporia, Kansas | 5 | $11,000 | $11,972 | Henna Blomroos |
| 2021 | Catrina Allen |
1 | Ogden, Utah | 5 | $10,000 | $11,890 | Paige Pierce |
| 2020 | None. Didn't occur due to the pandemic. | ||||||
| 2019 | Paige Pierce |
5 | Peoria, Illinois | 5 | $5,000 | $6,296 | Eveliina Salonen |
| 2018 | Paige Shue (neė Bjerkaas) |
6 | Jeffersonville, Vermont | 5 | $5,000 | $6,399 | Paige Pierce |
| 2017 | Paige Pierce |
5 | Augusta, Georgia | 4 | $5,500 | $7,253 | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2016 | Valarie Jenkins |
6 | Emporia, Kansas | 5.5 | $5,000 | $6,706 | Catrina Allen |
| 2015 | Paige Pierce |
1 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 6.5 | $2,500 | $3,389 | Sarah Hokom |
| 2014 | Catrina Allen |
2 | Portland, Oregon | 7.5 | $2,250 | $3,056 | Paige Pierce |
| 2013 | Paige Pierce |
1 | Crown Point, Indiana | 7.5 | $2,000 | $2,763 | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2012 | Sarah Hokom |
1 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 7.5 | $2,000 | $2,820 | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2011 | Paige Pierce |
3 | Santa Cruz, California | 5.5 | $2,000 | $2,852 | Valarie Jenkins |
| 2010 | Sarah Cunningham (née Stanhope) |
6 | Crown Point, Indiana | 7.5 | $1,450 | $2,149 | Des Reading |
| 2009 | Valarie Jenkins |
14 | Kansas City, Missouri | 7.5 | $1,600 | $2,395 | Des Reading |
| 2008 | Valarie Jenkins |
12 | Kalamazoo / Battle Creek, Michigan | 8.5 | $1,650 | $2,433 | Des Reading |
| 2007 | Valarie Jenkins |
5 | Highbridge, Wisconsin | 7.5 | $1,800 | $2,797 | Des Reading |
| 2006 | Des Reading |
9 | Augusta, Georgia | 7.5 | $1,800 | $2,852 | Courtney Peavy |
| 2005 | Des Reading |
18 | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 8.5 | $1,750 | $2,893 | Juliana Korver |
| 2004 |  Birgitta Lagerholm |
2 | Des Moines, Iowa | 9.5 | $1,400 | $2,387 | Des Reading |
| 2003 | Juliana Korver |
11 | Flagstaff, Arizona | 8 | $1,500 | $2,625 | Des Reading |
| 2002 | Des Reading |
8 | Houston, Texas | 9.5 | $1,500 | $2,682 | Juliana Korver |
| 2001 | Juliana Korver |
7 | St. Paul, Minnesota | 8.5 | $1,460 | $2,657 | Lesli Todd |
| 2000 | Juliana Korver |
11 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 7.5 | $1,765 | $3,300 | Elaine King |
| 1999 | Juliana Korver |
19 | Rochester, New York | 9.5 | $850 | $1,643 | Elaine King |
| 1998 | Juliana Korver |
13 | Cincinatti, Ohio | 8.5 | $952 | $1,882 | Elaine King |
| 1997 |  Elaine King |
25 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 9.5 | $1,015 | $2,039 | Anni Kreml |
| 1996 | Beth Tanner |
4 | South Bend, Indiana | 9.5 | $1,060 | $2,177 | Anni Kreml |
| 1995 | Becky Powell |
1 | Port Arthur, Texas | 9.5 | $650 | $1,373 | Anni Kreml |
| 1994 |  Elaine King |
15 | Port Arthur, Texas | 9.5 | $800 | $1,734 | Amy Schiller (neė Bekken) |
| 1993 | Elaine King |
16 | Huntsville, Alabama | 8.5 | $751 | $1,680 | Chris O'Cleary |
| 1992 | Elaine King |
11 | Detroit, Michigan | 9 | $750 | $1,720 | Amye Jerez |
| 1991 | Elaine King |
10 | Dayton, Ohio | 7 | $775 | $1,833 | Susanne Giendl |
| 1990 | Amy Schiller (neė Bekken) |
19 | Scottsdale / Mesa / Fountain Hills, Arizona | 9 | $588 | $1,423 | Elaine King |
| 1989 | Chris O'Cleary |
3 | Waterloo / Cedar Falls, Iowa | 5 | $450 | $1,167 | Amy Schiller (neė Bekken) |
| 1988 | Chris O'Cleary |
8 | Cincinatti, Ohio | 6 | $930 | $2,508 | Elaine King |
| 1987 | Vanessa Chambers |
1 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 6 | $800 | $2,259 | Chris O'Cleary |
| 1986 | Vanessa Chambers |
4 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 6 | $415 | $1,224 | Roxanne Spencer |
| 1985 | Ramona Hale |
6 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 6 | $500 | $1,498 | Vanessa Chambers |
| 1984 | Marie Jackson Elsner |
6 | Rochester, New York | 5 | Judy Horowitz | ||
| 1983 | Marie Jackson Elsner |
2 | Huntsville, Alabama | 4 | Vanessa Chambers | ||
If you're wondering about all those half rounds, they're there because a "Final Nine" was once extremely common at disc golf world championships. They've fallen out of favor more recently, though.
In case you don't have the time to comb through the table for some of the biggest and/or most interesting takeaways, we've put together some of them for you below.
DISC GOLF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FPO WINNERS & RUNNERS UP: TRIVIA
- Who is the current women's disc golf world champion?
Ohn Scoggins - Who has won the most women's disc golf world championships?
Currently, three players are tied for the most disc golf world championships in FPO. Elaine King, Juliana Korver, and Paige Pierce have all won the title five times. - How many different women's disc golf world champions have there been?
20 different players have won the FPO division at a pro disc golf Worlds. Ten players have won the event twice or more and ten are one-time champions. - What is the largest margin of victory ever in the women's disc golf world championship?
Elaine King's 25-stroke advantage over second-place Anni Kreml in 1997 is the largest margin of victory ever in FPO at a disc golf world championship. - What is the average margin of victory for the women's disc golf world championship?
Women's world champions tend to dominate their competition. The average win in FPO has been by 7.5 strokes.
Another interesting stat in this vein is that women champions have won by double digits a total of 13 times. That's only happened four times in Open. - Who has the most second-place finishes in women's disc golf world championships?
Des Reading finished in second at the world championships in FPO a record six times. Reading wasn't always denied the top spot, though, and won the world title in 2002, 2005, and 2006. On a related note, Anni Kreml is the only FPO disc golfer to come in second at the world championships more than twice but have no world titles. She came in second three times. - How many playoffs have there been for the women's disc golf world championship?
Just one. The 2025 disc golf world championships marked the first playoff for the FPO title. Ohn Scoggins won it to become the oldest FPO disc golf world champion in history at 44. She beat 15-year-old Iida Lehtomäki, who would have been the youngest player to ever win the event.
MONEY MATTERS
- What is the most money anyone has ever won for the women's disc golf world championship?
$17,000, which Eveliina Salonen won in 2024. - What is the all-time average for the top prize for women's disc golf world championships?
Not adjusted for inflation, the top prizes over 42 iterations of the women's disc golf world championships average out to winners earning $3,052. Inflation considered, it comes to $4,025. - Have those averages changed in recent years?
Yes. The average payout to the women's disc golf world champion since 2016 has been $9,833 or $10,981 adjusted for inflation. - How do FPO payouts compare to MPO?
Winners of FPO have always earned less than winners of the MPO division. On average, MPO winners have earned around $3,700 more per Worlds win than FPO winners. Inflation considered, the number jumps to nearly $5,600 more in today's buying power.
This huge difference is influenced in part by the typically small fields in FPO at disc golf world championships, which you can read more about below.
FIELD SIZE
- What's the smallest field ever for FPO at a disc golf world championship?
The fewest players ever to compete for an FPO world title in disc golf is 14. That was in 2002. There have been fewer than 20 participants eight times. - What's the largest field ever for FPO at a disc golf world championship?
The most players ever to compete for an FPO world title in disc golf is 84. That was in 2024. - What's the average field size for FPO at disc golf world championships?
The average field size for FPO at disc golf's Worlds is 33.
LOCATION
- Have the disc golf world championships ever been played outside the U.S.A.?
In 1987, the disc golf world championships were played in Ontario, Canada. That's the only time. In 2025, however, Worlds will be played in Finland, the first time it has ever taken place outside of North America. - Which city has hosted the most professional disc golf world championships?
Charlotte, North Carolina, has hosted three pro disc golf world championships, more than any other city. - Has anyone not from North America ever won a women's disc golf world championship?
Yes – three women from Europe have won the title. 2024's World Champion, Eveliina Salonen, is from Finland. In 2022, Kristin Lätt became the second European woman to win a Pro Disc Golf World Championship and in 2023 the first-ever back-to-back FPO champ from Europe. In 2004 Birgitta Lagerholm of Sweden was the first person in FPO or MPO from outside North America to win pro Worlds.
The Most Top 5 Finishes in FPO at Disc Golf World Championships
Even for those who don't win, getting on or near the podium at a world championship demonstrates elite skill. Knowing this made us wonder which professional women disc golfers had most consistently been among the best at world championships over the years.
That's why we created a table of the top 20 FPO competitors by number of Worlds top fives. When there are ties, the player with the higher percentage of top 10s is listed first. When the percentage is the same, the order is alphabetical.
| Rank | Name | Top 5s | Total Championships Played | Top 5 % | Years in Top 5 |
| 1 | Elaine King | 16 | 29 | 55% | 1987-1994, 1996-2002, 2007 |
| 2 | Valarie Jenkins | 12 | 15 | 80% | 2005-2014, 2016-2017 |
| 3 | Paige Pierce | 11 | 14 | 79% | 2010-2011, 2013-2019, 2021-2022 |
| 4 | Des Reading | 10 | 17 | 59% | 2002-2010, 2013 |
| T5 | Catrina Allen | 9 | 13 | 69% | 2011-2017, 2019, 2021 |
| T5 | Juliana Korver | 9 | 14 | 64% | 1997-2005 |
| 7 | Anni Kreml | 8 | 10 | 80% | 1995-2001, 2003 |
| 8 | Birgitta Lagerholm | 7 | 10 | 70% | 2000-2002, 2004-2005, 2008-2009 |
| 9 | Vanessa Chambers | 6 | 6 | 100% | 1983-1988 |
| T10 | Amy Schiller | 5 | 5 | 100% | 1990-1992, 1994-1995 |
| T10 | Beth Tanner | 5 | 5 | 100% | 1993-1994, 1996-1997, 1999 |
| T10 | Kelli Hughes | 5 | 6 | 83% | 1990-1992, 1994-1995 |
| T10 | Chris O'Cleary | 5 | 6 | 83% | 1986-1989, 1993 |
| T10 | Kelli Hughes | 5 | 6 | 83% | 1990-1992, 1994-1995 |
| T10 | Sarah Hokom | 5 | 13 | 39% | 2012, 2015-2016, 2018-2019 |
| T13 | Ramona Hale | 4 | 4 | 100% | 1983-1986 |
| T13 | Henna Blomroos | 4 | 5 | 80% | 2019, 2022-2023, 2025 |
| T13 | Eveliina Salonen | 4 | 5 | 80% | 2019, 2022-2024 |
| T13 | Kristin Lätt | 4 | 7 | 57% | 2021-2024 |
| T13 | Roxanne Spencer | 4 | 7 | 57% | 1985-1986, 1988, 1990 |
| T13 | Sarah Cunningham | 4 | 9 | 44% | 2010-2013 |
| T13 | Lesli Todd | 4 | 9 | 44% | 2001-2004 |
These are some of the takeaways we found most interesting about these numbers:
- King is Queen.
Elaine King leads the FPO division in top five finishes at Worlds by three, with her first and last top 10 showings happening two decades apart – 1987 and 2007. She's also competed in the top tier of her division at more world championships than any player in history: 29. - Vanessa Chambers leads 100% club.
Five women have competed in more than two Worlds and made the top five every time they've competed. Two-time world champ Vanessa Chambers managed that feat through the most competitions. Chambers last competed in Worlds in 1988 before leaving her world championship days behind to start a family. That was her sixth straight Worlds and sixth straight top five showing. She was in the first group of disc golfers ever inducted into the Disc Golf Hall of Fame in 1993. - Pierce leads active players.
Pierce's 11 top fives at Worlds is the most of any actively touring FPO disc golfer.
We'll Keep You Posted
We plan to update this post as soon as the disc golf world championships take place each year, so keep it in a safe place if you'd like to find it again.
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1. The information in our table of winners was taken whenever possible directly from PDGA event pages. On rare occasions, the information on those pages differs slightly from the information the PDGA has in its own overview of Worlds winners.
