Sports Editor:
Alex Tam
alextam@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
-Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet:
Anaheim Angels vs. Texas Rangers
Wednesday, July 21 4 p.m. ESPN
A true natural
University student Dave Feldberg is one the top disc golfers in the nation
ALEX TAM
SPORTS EDITOR
Disc golf is one of today's many
lesser-known but increasingly
popular sports.
University student Dave Feldberg is
a participant in this emerging sport and
is widely considered one of the top disc
golfers in the United States.
The 27-year-old Springfield resident
is ranked 14th nationally in the Pro
fessional Disc Golf Association's play
er ratings. The PDGA currently has
1,722 members.
Feldberg, who has earned $8,865 in
prize money so far this year, turned
professional in 2000, and has won a to
tal of more than $48,000 during his
four-year career on the PDGA tour. His
biggest win so far in 2004 was at June's
Kansas City Wide Open, where he won
by four strokes and took home the
$1,600 grand prize.
Feldberg is now preparing for disc
golf s biggest tournament of the year,
the PDGA Professional Disc Golf
World Championships in Des Moines,
Iowa, that begin Aug. 9. Last year's win
ner, Barry Schultz of Sheboygan, Wise.,
won $5,000.
The prestige of earning prize money
and playing disc golf around the world
wasn't on Feldberg's mind years ago.
Feldberg joined the professional
ranks only three years after picking up
the sport from his friends at Western
Michigan University in 1997.
"They said they were going to play
disc golf and I never had heard of it,"
said Feldberg. "[At the time], I hadn't
thrown a Frisbee in years."
Feldberg took the game as a recre
ational activity with his friends.
"Just the social gathering of it all,
my friends would come out after class
es and we would walk around the park
together and hang out and throw
Frisbees," Feldberg said. "It was pretty
cool."In 1999, Feldberg joined a few
professional disc golfers from Michi
gan to form a group who labeled
themselves "The Winnie Crew" be
cause they drove around the country
to each golf event in a Winnebago
motor home.
As time passed, members of "The
Winnie Crew" came and went to em
bark on their own endeavors aside
from disc golf.
During that time, Feldberg was unit
ed with fellow professional disc golfer
Avery Jenkins. The two became best
friends and are now roommates.
Feldberg said he found difficulties
developing his technique. However,
he was told he had a genuine feel for
the game.
"I was kind of a natural, but I had
struggles because I had developed all
my own forms," Feldberg said. "When I
got on the professional circuit, every
body had a similar form and it wasn't
anything like mine. They could do a lot
better than me."
Over time, Feldberg honed his skills
by learning from some of the top disc
golf players in the world, including
Todd Branch, Al Shack, and Ken
Climo. Climo, whom some consid
ered disc golf s answer to Tiger Woods,
is an 11-time PDGA World Champion
and is the all-time PDGA tour money
leader with earnings topping
$225,000 in the span of his 14
year career.
"All of the world's top players taught
me different throwing techniques and
I was able to practice and work it out,"
Feldberg said.
This year, Feldberg has made over
$1,000 in three of the 13 events he has
participated in after finishing in the
top three.
Please see FELDBERG, page 8
Dave Feldberg
has won more
than $48,000
in career earnings
since 2000
playing for the
Professional Disc
Golf Association.
He is rated 14th
in the nation,
according to
PDGA player
ratings.
The Springfield
resident has been
involved with the
sport since 1997.
Erik R. Bishoff
Online & Photo Editor
Lack of consistency plagues Ems
Jared Paben Editor in Chief
Emeralds catcher Colt Morton blocks the ball at home plate in Eugene's
7-5 loss to Everett Sunday. Morton is batting .270 for the year.
The Emeralds are in the bottom half
of their division after 31 games
ALEX TAM
SPORTS EDITOR
Unpredictability has characterized the Eugene Emeralds
through the first 31 games of the season.
The Emeralds (12 -19) sit in the bottom half of the West Divi
sion standings in the Northwest League after losing 7-4 to Everett
on Monday in front of a crowd of 2,402 at Civic Stadium. Eugene
is now seven games behind first-place Everett and have lost eight
of their past 10 games.
Last week, Eugene lost three games of the five-game series
against the Indiansin Spokane.
Eugene manager Roy Howell said the inconsistency of his
team has hurt the Emeralds' chances of putting together a
winning streak.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to see," Howell said. "One day,
they were swinging the bat very well and the next, they get
punched out 10 or 12 times. They're very young and they're seeing
different and better pitching than they have ever seen."
On Sunday, the Emeralds lost the opening game of the six
game series against first-place Everett, 7-5.
After Eugene tied the score 2-2 in the fourth inning behind
Lachlan Dale's home run, Everett posted five runs in the sixth in
ning. In that sixth inning, the Aqua Sox sent nine batters to the
plate, including Rob Johnson, who hit a two-run home run.
The Emeralds mounted a rally in the ninth inning after load
ing the bases with one out. However, the comeback attempt fell
short when catcher and cleanup hitter Colt Morton recorded the
final out with runners on second and third base.
Please see EMERALDS, page 6
Oregon hurdler
takes 14 th
at Olympic trial
Mitchum's first Olympic Team Trials
experience brought him to the semifinals
ALEX TAM
SPORTS EDITOR
Competing against several of the world's top hurdlers on the
nation's biggest stage can be intimidating, especially for a college
student finishing his second season.
But that wasn't the case for Oregon sophomore Eric Mitchum.
The last of three Oregon representatives at the U.S. Olympic
Team Trials in Sacramento, Calif., Mitchum finished
14th in the 110-meter hurdle semifinal
on Sunday, ending his Olympics chances.
Mitchum placed seventh in the first of two
heats with a time of 13.53 seconds in the
semifinal. The time was his second fastest
ever wind-legal time and third best overall in
his career. Going into the meet, Mitchum
ranked 11th after running the 110 meter hur
dles in 13.38 at the NCAA Championships
in June. The time set a new Oregon record.
In early April, Mitchum ran the 110 me
ter hurdles in 13.50 at the Texas Relays.
"I've been here since Sunday (July 11)
and I'm glad I came early," Mitchum said.
Eric Mitchum
Oregon hurdler
Please see TRIALS, page 6