Holyn Handley Wins Inaugural Big Easy Open in Wire-to-Wire Performance
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — March 15, 2026 — Holyn Handley of Grapevine, Texas, captured the inaugural MVP Big Easy Open presented by Flight Factory Discs on Saturday, holding off a hard-charging field across three rounds at Parc des Familles to claim the Disc Golf Pro Tour title.
Handley, who plays under the Discraft banner, was the only competitor to finish under par in all three rounds of the tournament, finishing as one of just three players in the FPO field to post an under-par total for the event. She was presented with a hand-carved cypress tree sculpture, the tournament’s signature trophy, before celebrating with the crowd in a New Orleans-style second line parade complete with a brass band.
Valerie Mandujano of San Antonio and Lisa Fajkus tied for second place. Ohn Scoggins and former DGPT standout Missy Gannon finished in a tie for fourth.
Final Standings
| # | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holyn Handley | -6 (62) | -1 (67) | -2 (66) | -9 (195) |
| T2 | Valerie Mandujano | -1 (67) | +3 (71) | -3 (65) | -1 (203) |
| T2 | Lisa Fajkus | +3 (71) | -3 (65) | -1 (67) | -1 (203) |
| T4 | Ohn Scoggins | +1 (69) | -2 (66) | +1 (69) | E (204) |
| T4 | Missy Gannon | +3 (71) | -5 (63) | +2 (70) | E (204) |
| T6 | Jessica Gurthie | +4 (72) | +1 (69) | -4 (64) | +1 (205) |
| T6 | Kat Mertsch | E (68) | +1 (69) | E (68) | +1 (205) |
| 8 | Ida Emilie Nesse | -1 (67) | E (68) | +4 (72) | +3 (207) |
| 9 | Paige Pierce | E (68) | +1 (69) | +3 (71) | +4 (208) |
| T10 | Alexis Mandujano | +2 (70) | +5 (73) | -1 (67) | +6 (210) |
| T10 | Catrina Allen | +1 (69) | +3 (71) | +2 (70) | +6 (210) |
| T10 | Hanna Huynh | +1 (69) | +2 (70) | +3 (71) | +6 (210) |
| T10 | Rebecca Cox | -2 (66) | -1 (67) | +9 (77) | +6 (210) |
Par 68 (9,403 ft) | Parc des Familles, Jefferson Parish, La. | 37-player FPO field
A Course Built for Difficulty
Parc des Familles — making its Disc Golf Pro Tour debut — proved every bit as demanding as advertised. The course, designed specifically for the FPO division, offered a severe test from the opening hole. Through three rounds, fewer than a handful of players managed to finish under par, a testament to a layout that rewarded precision and punished any mistake.
Hole 4, a par 5 stretching 883 feet, ranked as the most difficult hole on the card across the entire tournament, averaging more than a stroke over par in each round. Hole 18, the finishing hole, yielded just two birdies across 111 player-rounds — both in the opening round — and none in either the second or third rounds. The closer left players and commentators alike questioning whether the tournament committee might reconsider the routing for future editions.
Handley Sets the Tone
Handley announced herself immediately. She opened Round 1 with three consecutive birdies — a turkey — on holes 1 through 3, matching Ida Nesse of Norway in what commentators called a remarkable opening statement on a course that was expected to play mercilessly close to par.
She never let up. By the end of Round 1, Handley had posted a 6-under par round — a course record for Parc des Familles — opening a four-shot lead over Rebecca Cox of Cincinnati, who finished the day at 2-under. Mandujano and Nesse each sat at 1-under. Only four players finished the opening round below par.
Pressure on the Back Nine
Round 2 brought complications. Handley opened with a double bogey on hole 1, handing the chasing pack an opportunity. But she steadied, and the field could not capitalize. Cox, who plays for Latitude 64, moved onto the lead card and delivered a bogey-free front nine in Round 2 — the cleanest stretch of golf by any player across any portion of the tournament. She could not sustain the momentum on the back nine.
The story of Round 2 was Missy Gannon, playing on the chase card. Gannon went 5-under through 12 holes in the second round, climbing nine spots up the leaderboard and inserting herself into final-round contention. Handley carried her lead into the weekend intact.
Wind Defines the Final Round
Saturday’s final round arrived with conditions no one had forecast. A sustained and heavy wind swept across Parc des Familles, turning an already difficult course into a survival test.
“It was ripping,” one commentator noted, describing the headwind that players faced on holes 10 through 18 throughout the afternoon.
Handley struggled early in the final round, missing putts she had been converting all week. Playing alongside Cox, Gannon, and Ohn Scoggins on the lead card, she worked through the trouble without surrendering the lead. Meanwhile, Jessica Gurthie, playing on the chase card, made a run — going 5-under through 13 holes — but could not close the gap.
On the back nine, Gannon, who had been the most threatening presence all day, fell back. Handley, playing with the confidence of a wire-to-wire leader, closed out the victory.
A Tournament That Arrived
Off the course, the inaugural Big Easy Open made its own kind of history. Tournament officials confirmed that the event broke the Disc Golf Pro Tour record for first-time event ticket sales, marking an emphatic arrival for the sport in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
The conclusion of play gave way to a celebration in keeping with the location: a full New Orleans second line parade with a brass band led the players and fans through the course. Tournament organizers and local officials expressed confidence the event will return.
For Handley, the victory added a DGPT title to her résumé on one of the more demanding courses the tour has staged. Only the course record she shot in Round 1 will stand longer than the memory of the wind-whipped final day she navigated to the finish.
The 2026 MVP Big Easy Open presented by Flight Factory Discs was held March 13–15, 2026, at Parc des Familles in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
This story was produced using artificial intelligence. I personally edit every story, but mistakes can happen.