Holton rises to World No. 1 with the win; Rudney makes history as the oldest woman to secure a World Long Drive World Championship
LaSALLE, Colo – Zack Holton (from Birmingham, AL), the most consistent player on the World Long Drive (WLD) tour this year, capped off the 2025 season with his first career World Long Drive World Championship at Bigfoot Turf Farm in LaSalle, Colorado, on Saturday. Holton, now ranked No. 1 in the world, is the only player in the men’s Open Division to win multiple events this year (3).
Holton’s championship-winning drive was 471 yards, a new career-long and the second highest of the event. Holton’s winning drive is the longest championship-winning drive in World Long Drive’s 51-year history.
Scottie Pearman hit the longest drive of the 2025 season in the semifinals at 486 yards; he finished as the runner-up to Holton with a 459-yard drive in the final.
Kelly Rudney (from Kitchener, ON), 50, set a World Long Drive record, becoming the oldest woman to ever win a World Championship after blasting a 409-yard drive in the final round of the World Long Drive Women’s Division World Championship. She beat World No. 1 Monica Lieving 413 yards to 380 yards in the final.
Rudney’s longest drive of the event was 413 yards, one yard short of the women’s world record (414 yards, Phillis Meti). Rudney is now a three-time winner on the World Long Drive tour, including a win at WLD Endless Summer in Belleville, Ontario, earlier this year.
Mike Dobbyn (from Fort Worth, TX) won his second world championship, taking home the Senior Division title with a 403-yard drive in the final to outlast 2023 Senior World Champion Ryan Reisbeck. Dobbyn, who won his first world championship in 2007, joins David Mobley and Jason Zuback as the only players to win a World Long Drive World Championship in both the Open Division and the Senior Division. Dobbyn’s longest drive of the event was 405 yards.
Tanner Pipes (from Kirksville, MO) won the Amateur Division championship with a 396-yard drive in the final round to win his first career world championship. It’s the second WLD victory of his career.
LONGEST DRIVES BY DIVISION AT WLD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Open Division
Scottie Pearman – 486 yards (longest of any player in 2025)
Women’s Division
Kelly Rudney – 413 yards (longest of any woman in 2025)
Senior Division
Ryan Reisbeck – 412 yards
Amateur Division
Thomas Fliniks – 419 yards
World Long Drive is the ultimate, full-throttle competition to see who can outlast their opponent by hitting a golf ball the farthest.
For more information, visit World Long Drive’s Website, Twitter, and Instagram.
About World Long Drive:
The World Long Drive Tour is the largest annual domestic professional golf event not associated with the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, or the LPGA. It was first held in 1974, and since 2000 consisted of Open, Women’s, Seniors (over-45s), and Amateur events. The Rise division, a subdivision of the Open will have its inception in the 2025 season. The World Long Drive tour is comprised of nine events domestically and over 30 events internationally all culminating for the season finale World Long Drive Championship. Additionally, World Long Drive hosts televised exhibition events benefiting The V Foundation. World Long Drive tour and championship is owned and operated by GF Sports and Entertainment based out of New York, NY.
About GF Sports and Entertainment:
GF Sports & Entertainment is a global events and operations company that elevates the experience of live sports, entertainment and interactive events. The company owns the ATP’s only U.S. indoor 500 level tournament, the Dallas Open, as well as, the National Lacrosse League’s Ottawa Black Bears. GF Sports & Entertainment also incubates emerging sport concepts including The World Long Drive tour which features the longest and fastest hitters in the golf world who compete for prize money and ranking points all culminating to crown a World Long Drive Champion. GF Sports & Entertainment was founded in July 2015 by New York-based private equity firm GF Capital. For additional information, please visit www.gfsportsandentertainment.com.
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