Mile High Showdown: Maurice Allen wins World Long Drive Championship
By Yash Padhye
The Mile High Showdown in Denver produced some monster drives – even DJ can’t generate 483 yards!
The Mile High Showdown guaranteed some monster drives. That’s what happens when you put the best Long Drivers on the tee in that thin, high-altitude Colorado atmosphere. And the Mile High Showdown is a great tune-up for the World Long Drive Championship in September.
The long drivers – both men and women – are a special breed, not really traditional competitive golfers, just folks who enjoy slamming the little white ball as far down the range as is humanly possible.
Yes. I know. If we’re true golfers we enjoy watching our balls soar long and straight. The long drive competitors are just better at it than the rest of us.
Maurice Allen is your 2017 Mile High Showdown men’s champion. He won the Denver event this year with
a 483-yard drive right down the middle of the constructed “fairway.”
Say bye bye!@MauriceAllen360 is the #MileHighShowdown Men's Champion! #WorldLongDrive pic.twitter.com/m83HGlJOzx
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 26, 2017
Allen was wearing neon green and blue pants and danced his way to the victory.
What is the World Long Drive Championship?
According to Businessinsider.com’s Tyler Lauletta, the long drive competition is a place where extremely strong golfers gather together to see who can hit golf balls farther than anyone else in the world.
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Long drive competition is golf’s version of the home run derby. There was a lot of excitement at this event, but Allen hit the biggest drive of the day at the right time to take home the crown.
What is the World Long Drive Association?
According to Golf Channel, The World Long Drive Association brings together the world’s longest hitters in three divisions, the open division, the women’s division and the masters division for players ages 45 and up.
The Women’s Long Drive Association, which holds separate events, offers additional competitive opportunities for women long drivers.
After his win Mile High men’s champion Allen told Golf Channel,
"There are a lot of people who believed in me. . . all these people gave me an opportunity. And for a guy who was sleeping in his car five years ago because he wanted to be a Long Driver, it [doesn’t] get any sweeter than this."
That 483 yard drive was hit by Allen in the quarterfinals. Due to that drive, he advanced to the semifinals against Justin James. Allen hit a 465-yard drive that beat out James. In the finals, he beat out top-seeded Ryan Reisbeck with a 436-yard drive.
As a result of his performance, Allen won the $20,000 check awarded to the winner. According to Golf Channel, this was his first televised World Long Drive Association win.
He has quite a personality and even did his best to try and impersonate Ric Flair.
The Rolex wearin', diamond ring wearin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin', limousine ridin', jet flyin' son of a gun! - @MauriceAllen360 pic.twitter.com/QAzJaDU7p1
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 25, 2017
Next: Porsche European Open: Five sleepers
While Allen may not be winning majors and playing out on the PGA TOUR, he sure can drive it farther than most of the guys on Tour.