Ken Climo

The first world title and the nine-year run

The 1990 World Championships in the Phoenix area required sustained play across several courses and rounds. In the PDGA’s historical account, Climo moved into contention in the semifinals and made a decisive birdie on a 410-foot hole in the finals. He defeated Sam Grizzaffi by one throw. [4]

Climo retained the Open world championship every year from 1991 through 1998. The title moved among host communities while the winner remained the same. His run included championships in the Midwest, the Southeast, and Texas, testing him beyond the courses on which he had learned in Florida. By the end of the sequence he had won nine consecutive editions of the event. [5]

The championships of this period also reflected changes in course design. The PDGA’s retrospective describes the 1994 and 1995 events at Port Arthur, directed by John Houck, as notable for more demanding layouts that included par-five holes. Climo won both years. His success thus spanned a period in which championship golf was expanding the kinds of decisions and shots required from its leading players. [4]

Recognition while still in his prime

Climo entered the international Disc Golf Hall of Fame in 1995, long before his championship career was finished. The induction citation recognized his competitive ability and also his encouragement of new players and work toward additional courses in Florida. [2]

His own brand’s later account places the honor alongside his sixth consecutive world title at Port Arthur and notes that he was only twenty-seven. It also recalls the earlier nickname “King Climo.” [15, 1]

World championships after the streak

Ron Russell won the 1999 Open world championship, ending Climo’s nine-year sequence. Climo returned to the top in 2000 and won again in 2002. His twelfth Open world title followed in 2006. [5]

At the 2006 championships in Augusta, Georgia, the official results show Climo finishing on 372 throws, five ahead of Nate Doss and seven ahead of Avery Jenkins. The Open field contained 125 players. The recorded format included six rounds, a semifinal, and a final; Climo’s final-round score was 23. [8]

The United States championship and the Schultz rivalry

Climo won the inaugural United States Disc Golf Championship in 1999 and repeated in 2000. Further victories came in 2002, 2004, and 2007. His PDGA record also lists the 2007 European Open among his wins, illustrating a competitive reach beyond the World Championships and the United States championship. [6]

One of his most memorable USDGC appearances ended in defeat. At the 2003 event, Barry Schultz overcame a six-throw deficit in the final round and made a long putt on the last hole to force a playoff. The contest continued for ten extra holes before Schultz prevailed. Innova’s twenty-fifth-anniversary history of the championship identifies that finish as one of the event’s defining moments. [7]

Technique, equipment, and the professional game

Climo’s historical Innova equipment profile offers a practical view of how he approached different shots. It lists multiple KC Pro Rocs and KC Aviars at different stages of wear, allowing familiar molds to cover different flight paths. It also describes specialized uses for fairway drivers, rollers, straight shots, and turning flights. These descriptions show a system built around knowing how individual discs behave, rather than treating each model as having only one possible use. [9]

The same profile identifies him as right-handed and lists his tenure as Innova team captain from 2011 through 2015. His instructional advice emphasizes enjoyment and includes a reminder to play catch. [9]

Innova’s 2024 farewell account describes Climo as the first athlete on Team Innova and dates the creation of that team to 1999. It also credits his paid sponsorship with helping establish a route toward earning a living in professional disc golf. His importance to the company’s public identity is nevertheless explicit in its retrospective. [10]

A second championship chapter: Masters

Climo’s world championship career continued in the Masters division, with titles in 2012, 2014, and 2015. These were age-division championships and are distinguished here from his twelve Open titles. Together the two categories account for fifteen PDGA professional singles world championships. [1]

The 2014 championship brought another close contest with Barry Schultz. Climo began the final day two throws ahead, but Schultz erased that advantage in the semifinal. During the final nine, Climo fell behind again. An out-of-bounds drive left him two throws down with three holes remaining. He recovered a throw on each of the next two holes, then placed his last approach close to the basket. Schultz could not convert his longer putt, and Climo won his second Masters world title. [11]

In 2015, Patrick Brown led Climo by four throws entering the semifinal at Slippery Rock University. Climo’s 56 reduced the deficit to one. In the final nine he caught Brown, moved ahead, and then gained two throws on a par-five hole when he made birdie and Brown made bogey. He maintained that advantage through the remaining holes. [12]

The official results record Climo’s total of 377 to Brown’s 380, with a winning purse of $2,400. It was his third Masters world championship and fifteenth across Open and Masters. Twenty-five years after his first Open world title, another championship had turned on his ability to improve his position during the closing stages. [13]

Career milestones

1987 — PDGA membership begins. [6]

1989 — Fifth in his first Open World Championships. [10]

1990–1998 — Nine consecutive PDGA Open world championships. [5]

1995 — Inducted into the international Disc Golf Hall of Fame. [2]

1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007 — United States Disc Golf Championship victories. [6]

2000, 2002, 2006 — Three further Open world titles. [5]

2012, 2014, 2015 — Masters world championships. [1]

2021 — Inaugural Florida Hall induction with Steve Slasor. [1]

2024 — Innova announces the end of his team affiliation. [10]

2025 — Climo Disc Golf launches with Discraft support. [14, 15]