Ken "The Champ" Climo (born March 27, 1968, in

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies T ...

) is an American professional disc golfer considered by some to be the best professional disc golfer of all time. Climo has claimed twelve

PDGA The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the promotion and sustainable growth of disc golf. The PDGA is the global governing body of disc golf. The organization promotes the ...

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

titles, including nine in as many years from 1990 to 1998. The only other golfers to achieve multiple World titles are Harold Duvall (1982, 1985),

Barry Schultz Barry Schultz is a professional disc golfer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has played disc golf since the early 1980s, and has been a professional since 1992. He is on the Innova Champion Discs Hall of Fame Team. For a number of years, ...

(2003–2004),

Nate Doss Nate Doss is an American professional disc golfer who won three PDGA World Championships (2005, 2007, 2011). With his third win, Doss became only the second person to achieve three MPO world championship wins, after Ken Climo‘s twelve. Add ...

(2005, 2007, 2011),

Paul McBeth 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 c ...

(2012–2015, 2019, 2022),

Richard Wysocki Richard Wysocki (born June 5, 1993, in Brunswick, Ohio) is an United States of America, American professional disc golfer based in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Wysocki grew up in Medina, Ohio, near Roscoe Ewing Disc Golf Course. After winning the ...

(2016, 2017) and Isaac Robinson (2023, 2024). In addition to his world titles, Climo has an unequalled record in the

United States Disc Golf Championship The United States Disc Golf Championship is a disc golf tournament held at the Winthrop Gold Course, on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The professional event has been held annually as a PDGA sanctioned Major since ...

(the premier event in the game), earning five titles (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007). Named PDGA player of the year seven times, Ken Climo was inducted into the PDGA Hall of Fame in 1995. He competed in the World Championships masters division for the first time in 2012, at the age of 44, and won by a large margin, securing his 13th world championship title. He has added 2 more world titles to his resume since then (2014, 2015). During his three decades in the PDGA, Climo has notched 103

aces An ace is a playing card. Ace(s), ACE(S) and variants may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Awards * ACE Awards (Award for Cable Excellence) Comics * ''Ace Comics'', a 1937-1959 comic book series * Ace Magazines (comics), a 1940- ...

. Climo, with

Innova Discs Innova may refer to: * Innova Capital Partners, an American investment firm * Innova Discs, a disc golf disc manufacturer * Innova Disc Golf (video game), ''Innova Disc Golf'' (video game) * Innova Junior College, Woodlands, Singapore * Innova Recor ...

, has created his own special blend of plastic, known as KC Pro. Several popular disc molds are available in KC Pro, including the Aviar and Roc. Climo spent 26 years as an Innova sponsored player. His departure from the brand was announced on November 27, 2024.

Professional career

Open division

Climo has 221 wins in the Open Division, the most all-time, including 12 World Championships and 5 US Championships. He was the first player to ever win the World and US Championships in the same year.

PDGA Pro World Championships (12)

Other majors (8)

Major playoff record (0-1)

National tour (14)

NT playoff record (3-0)

Summary

Annual statistics

Masters division

Although eligible for the Masters Division in 2008 when he turned 40, Climo played his first Masters event in 2012, when he won the World Championships. He has won two additional World Championships since then (2014, 2015), bringing his total (including Open Division) to 15.

PDGA Masters World Championships(3)

National tour (6)

NT playoff record (1-0)

Summary

Annual statistics

Equipment

Climo has been sponsored by Innova Champion discs throughout his career. He has a number of past and current signature discs (marked with *) and carries a combination of the following discs in competition: Drivers *Boss (Champion) *Destroyer (Pro, Star) *Firebird (Champion)* *Katana (Echo Star) *Starfire (Pro) *Tern (Champion)* *Wraith (Pro, Star)* *XCaliber (Echo Star) Fairway Drivers *Banshee (Champion) *Eagle (Champion)* *TeeBird (Champion, KC Pro)* *TL (Champion) *Sidewinder (Champion) Midranges *Roc (KC Pro)* Putters *Aviar (KC Pro)* Climo's other signature discs have included: Cheetah, Cobra, Gazelle, Pegasus, Polaris LS, Raven, Scorpion, Stingray, Viper, Vulcan, Whippet, XD

References

External links

Ken Climo's PDGA Profile

Climo Disc Golf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Climo, Ken American disc golfers Living people 1968 births Place of birth missing (living people) Sportspeople from Clearwater, Florida 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen