Congratulations Ethan Hadders!
World Champion
Clifton Park native Ethan Hadders captured the 2026 MJ18 Junior Disc Golf World Championship in Pittsburgh, earning his first PDGA Major title.
Uh, What is Disc Golf?
It’s like if Golf and Frisbee had a baby
Instead of hitting a ball toward a hole, players throw a flying disc toward a metal basket.
Players begin each hole by throwing from a designated tee area.
Each following throw is taken from where the previous disc landed.
The hole ends when the disc lands in the basket.
Just like traditional golf, the lowest total score wins.
2026 Junior Worlds
From Clifton Park to the Top of the Leaderboard
Hadders traveled to Pittsburgh for the 2026 PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships and came home as the MJ18 World Champion.
How it started
One Afternoon Turned Into Something Much Bigger
Hadders first tried disc golf in 2020 after his grandfather invited him out for a round. What began as something to do became a sport he practiced relentlessly.
Years later, that introduction led all the way to a junior world championship.
Read the Spectrum News profile2026 Junior Worlds
A World Championship Run
IT’S NOT FRISBEE, STOP SAYING THAT!
A Hometown Win
Clifton Park is a town where youth sports are part of the local culture. Shenendehowa athletics are usually a big part of that conversation, but hometown success does not stop at one school, one field or even the traditional sports.
Hadders attends Mekeel Christian Academy, where he is entering his senior year, plays multiple school sports and has been named student body president. Then, outside of school, he became the best junior disc golfer in his division in the world.
Not bad for something that started with a Frisbee and a bored afternoon with Grandpa.
Clifton Park → Pittsburgh → World Champion
Congrats, Ethan.
A world championship is coming home to Clifton Park.
