Paul McBeth (born July 9, 1990) is an American professional disc golfer from Huntington Beach, California. He won the PDGA World Championships four times in a row (2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015) and again in 2019 and 2022, making him a six-time champion. He did not finish outside the top 2 at a World championship between 2012 and 2022. McBeth was the top rated player of the PDGA in 2015, 2017, 2018, and again in 2019. He is widely considered to be the best disc golfer of the modern era.
McBeth turned pro in 2008. His career earnings are $652,124.09 (as of September 2022). He proposed to Hannah Croke in April 2017 and got married in December 2018.
Professional career
Although he played his first professional event in 2006, McBeth's professional career began in 2008, when he played in 29 professional events, netting $11,852.50 in winnings and earning the PDGA Male Rookie of the Year Award. Along with his six World titles, McBeth has received the PDGA Male Player of the year three times (2013, 2014, 2015). On October 8, 2019 McBeth held a PDGA rating of 1060 which, at the time, was the highest rating ever achieved by a professional disc golfer. This was exceeded on March 13, 2020, when he was rated 1061.
2014 season
During McBeth's 2014 campaign, he competed in 25 tournaments which netted him $40,907. Of the 25 tournaments he competed in, McBeth won 15, placed 2nd in 5, and 3rd in 3. McBeth's worst finish of the year was 6th place, which happened twice. He took home many key trophies and topped it off with a World Championship.
In the Memorial Championship, a National Tour event, McBeth bested Johne McCray by 4 strokes after coming into the final round tied. His final round performance netted him $4,000.
McBeth also won two majors. First, McBeth was able to net himself $4,412 and a victory in the European Masters by shooting a final round, tournament-best score of -12, giving him the win over second place finisher Karl Johan Nybo by 4 strokes.
The second major McBeth won during the 2014 season was the coveted PDGA World Championship. He and Ricky Wysocki were tied after the final hole resulting in a sudden-death playoff. The playoff would eventually go to five holes before McBeth ultimately took home the World Championship and the $5,000 prize that came with it.
2015 season
McBeth dominated the 2015 season, winning 19 of 25 events by an average of almost 6 strokes and finishing in the top 3 in every event. He won all five Major events, disc golf's first Grand Slam, including his fourth World title and his first ever win at the USDGC, making him only the third man to win both the World and US titles in the same year (after Ken Climo and Barry Schultz). McBeth also took home three NT wins and earned enough points to win the National Tour for the fourth straight year.