The longest hitters in the world will be taking a trip up north to Port Rowan, Ontario this weekend for the sixth World Long Drive event of the year. Just two weeks ago, the world saw Colton Casto become the fifth different winner of the season. Colton was able to hold off Justin James in the finals, hitting a drive of 380 yards, just 4 yards longer than James’ last ball. Colton’s first win on tour this season moved his world ranking up four spots to fourth in the world, entering this weekend’s tournament.
Colton’s pursuit for back-to-back championships will not be a walk in the park, as the bracket will be filled with all five winners on tour this season. Justin James will be a favorite coming into this weekend after narrowly falling to Colton in the finals in Memphis. Justin is the only player in the Open Division that has advanced to the Top 8 in every event this year. The 2023 Hobe Sound winner will have some extra motivation after being in the Top 4 in the previous two events. Another big name to keep an eye on is Sam Attanasio. He recently became just the seventh player to hit 230 miles per hour ball speed and had a fantastic showing in Memphis, putting up some of the longest balls of the event.
Along with the Open division, the Senior and Amateur Division will be in Port Rowan as well. 3-time Senior Division winner Eddie Fernandes will not be in Canada, opening the door for a new senior champion this weekend. Troy Caley, who won in Canada last year, will look to capitalize off a strong T-3 finish in Memphis. The professional amateur Andrew Eigner will be making his return to the WLD competition after taking the past event in Memphis off.
The tournament will begin on Saturday, July 8th with the range to open at 7:00 AM, the first group in the Open Division starts at 8:00 AM. Following the initial round of the Open Division, the regional qualifiers will begin at 2:00 PM, where local hitters will look to solidify a spot in the World Championships in Atlanta, in a double-elimination format. On Sunday, the Amateur division will start at 8:00 AM, with the top 8 players advancing to the quarterfinals. Directly after an Amateur champion is crowned, the Senior Division will begin at 10:30 AM with the same format as the amateurs until a winner has been named. And finally, to wrap up the day, the Open Division Round 2 will begin at 1:30, with the quarterfinal match play starting at 3:45 PM.
To stay up to date this weekend, follow @Worldlongdrive on Instagram for updates throughout the days and the best behind the scenes look at the top World Long Drivers. If you are interested in watching this weekend, head over to our Youtube channel, @World Long Drive, and tune in all weekend.