The Road to Reno Podcast is World Long Drive's interview series, going behind the scenes with the athletes chasing a title at this October's 2026 World Long Drive Championship in Reno, Nevada. Episode 3 sits down with World Long Drive's number one ranked woman and reigning 2025 Women's Division World Champion, Kelly Rudney.

Kelly Rudney doesn't remember winning her own world championship. In the finals at the 2025 World Long Drive Championship, she blacked out. She recalls fragments, the first ball of her opening set coming back 409, a personal-best 413 at another point in the event, and then sealing the win with a 407-yard drive in the final. "I heard nothing," she told us. "It was like I was deaf." She didn't come back to herself until her closest competitor, Monica Lieving, was standing in front of her, calling her out for finally hitting the numbers they'd talked about the night before.

Her path into the sport started almost by accident.

In 2019, she brought her brother to the Toronto Golf Show mostly to keep him company, and a booth called Canada Long Drive caught her eye, three balls for five bucks. Her first competitive swing ever came back at 275 yards. "I've been an athlete all my life," she told us. "I'll never know if I can do it if I don't try it." That decision turned into a career.

The conversation also gets personal. Kelly opens up emotionally about the loss of her father earlier this year, and the impact he had on her both as a person and throughout her World Long Drive career.

She's quick to credit the community around her too, describing the Women's Division as having "16 or 17 cheerleaders" at every event, and her relationship with Phillis, a mentor turned rival. "We fight up on the tee box," she said, "and then we have a drink afterward."

Her advice for anyone on the fence about trying the sport is simple: just do it. "Everybody at long drive is a big family," she said. "If you try it, you'll be hooked." Heading into her second year as champion, with the 2026 World Long Drive Championship set for October 15-17 in Reno, Nevada, Rudney is gearing up to defend both her title and her spot at the top of the rankings.

The countdown is on. In just seven weeks, the world's longest hitters descend on Reno, Nevada for the 2026 World Long Drive Championship, presented by Caesars Entertainment, and tickets are officially on sale now.

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This is golf at full throttle. This is World Long Drive.

The 2026 World Long Drive Championship takes place October 15–17 at Wildcreek Golf Course in Reno, Nevada. While all three days bring elite competition, Saturday, October 17 is Championship Day, the day all three divisions (Open, Senior, and Women's) crown their champions and TV crews are on site filming for broadcast on The Golf Channel.

Tickets are available now with a variety of options to fit any group. Group rates apply, and kids under 12 get in free.

The Best in the World, Doing What No One Else Can

If you've never seen long drive in person, prepare to have your mind blown. These are athletes pushing the outer limits of speed, strength, precision, and pure power, launching drives north of 400 yards, creeping toward the once-unthinkable 500-yard mark. It's a combination of raw athleticism and surgical control: launch it as far as humanly possible, and somehow still land it in the grid. There's nothing else like it in golf, or in sports.

Champions Returning to Defend Their Titles

The 2026 Championship carries extra weight, as last year's champions look to defend what they've won.

Zack Holton, the reigning Open Division World Champion, will look to hold off a hungry field, including a familiar face in Scottie Pearman. The two have become one of the most talked-about rivalries on tour, friends off the tee, but fierce competitors on it, and their battle for the top spot is far from settled.

Kelly Rudney, the reigning Women's Division World Champion and current World No. 1, returns to Reno looking to defend her title and her ranking in one of the most competitive fields the division has ever seen.

In the Senior Division, Mike Dobbyn returns as the defending champion, but he won't have it easy. Current World No. 1 Ryan Reisbeck will be pushing hard to reclaim the belt, and 2026 tour winners Ryan Ehlers and Kevin Shook both arrive hungry after strong seasons of their own.

Three divisions. Countless storylines. One weekend to settle them all.

Why Reno

Reno isn't just a host city, it's the perfect backdrop for this event. With over 50 golf courses within 90 minutes of the city, Reno is one of the country's premier golf destinations, and now, for the first time, it's home to the World Long Drive Championship.

We're proud to have Caesars Entertainment as our presenting partner and official hotel and lodging host for the Championship, offering complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport and the venue, making it easier than ever to be part of the action. A huge thank you as well to Visit Reno Tahoe for welcoming the World Long Drive community with open arms, and to Wildcreek Golf Course for hosting what's shaping up to be one of the most exciting events in the sport's history.

Home of the Longest Hitters on the Planet

Great music. Great atmosphere. Food, beverage, and merch. Activations for all ages. Whether you've played golf your whole life, or the driver is the only club that's ever really called your name, this is an event built for you.

Tickets are on sale now at https://www.worldlongdrive.com/tickets. We'll see you in Reno.