Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 10/30/25-
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The tenth annual 2025 Tucson Memorial marks the ninety-eighth event in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour, with the tour spanning 17 states and two countries in the Race 4 Eight’s first fourteen seasons. The 2025 Tucson Memorial will feature the largest prize purse of the 2025/26 Race 4 Eight handball season, with the top R48 Men’s pros, Women Race 4 Eight, and Senior Race 4 Eight (40+) pros vying for one of the sport’s most prestigious prizes.
The Tucson Memorial was created in 2015 to honor handball friends and family who were sadly lost, a tradition that has evoked wonderful memories of handball players and fans who spent their lifetimes playing and supporting in the sport.
Martin Mulkerrins will seek to defend his Memorial title amidst a torrid 12-month run that he seen him win six Race 4 Eight titles and hold the current R48 #1 ranking. Joining Mulkerrins in the R48 Memorial field will be the Race 4 Eight’s Elite 8; the Flying Cordova brothers, Leo Canales, Sam Esser, Sean Lenning, and Ray Ure. In addition to the Elite 8, a number of the sport’s bubbling talents will aim to break into the tour’s elite status.
The WR48 Memorial field is stacked with top talent, as current WR48 Player’s Cup champion Niamh Heffernan will aim to win her first Memorial against a field that includes WR48 #2 Clodagh Munroe, WR48 #3 Aoife Holden, and WR48 #8 Ashley Ruiz.
SR48 #2 Sean Lenning will seek to stay undefeated on the SR48 tour in his third SR48 start, while aiming for his first SR48 Memorial title against top five SR48 peer Boxer Rosales and Bill Mehilos.
2025 Race 4 Eight Tucson Memorial
- Date: November 7-9, 2025
- Site: Tucson Racquet Club, 4001 N. Country Club Dr., Tucson, AZ 85716
- Tournament director: WPH
- Tournament sponsor: JR WPH
- Pro Events: R48 Men’s pro singles, WR48 singles, SR48 singles, Men’s Big Ball Pro Doubles, Men’s Big Ball B Doubles
- List of R48 Tucson R48 Men’s pro champions: Moreno (2011), Lenning (2012, 2015, 2018), Brady (2014), Mulkerrins (2019, 2024), Carroll (2017, 2021), L. Cordova (2022), D. Cordova (2023)
- List of Tucson WR48 pro champions: McMahon (2017), Casey (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023), Ni Churraoin (2024)
- List of SR48 Tucson Men’s pro champions: Chavez (2014), Fink (2018), Fink (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Defending Tucson Memorial R48 champion: Martin Mulkerrins (2024)
- Defending Tucson Memorial WR48 champion: Ciana Ni Churraoin (2024)
- Defending Tucson Memorial SR48 champion: David Fink (2024)
- Number of ranked R48 pros entered: 15
- Number of ranked WR48 pros entered: 5
- Number of ranked SR48 pros entered: 4
- Current or former R48 #1’s entered: 2 (Lucho, Lenning, Mulkerrins)
- Current or former WR48 #1’s entered: n/a
- Current or former SR48 #1’s entered: 1 (Fink)
Important Links
2025 Tucson Memorial Press Release HERE
Follow the draws and results from the 2025 Race 4 Eight Tucson Memorial HERE
Current Race 4 Eight rankings HERE
Race 4 Eight Fun Facts HERE
Race 4 Eight History of Champions HERE
Race 4 Eight Pro Player Bios HERE
WPH Destination Series Tucson HERE
Handball Terminology + Instruction and R48 Rules HERE
WPH Coaching Center Instructional Videos HERE
Support the sport and become a WPH Patreon HERE
2025/26 Race 4 Eight Schedule and Entries HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2025/26 Race 4 Eight Powered by ESPN features Race 4 Eight stops from California to Mexico, all culminating with The Player’s Championship. Similar to NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and the FedEx PGA Playoffs, players earn points in the Race 4 Eight’s regular season stops to qualify for the season-ending Player’s Championship and bonus prizes.
For more information on the WPH Race 4 Eight title sponsor opportunity, please contact World Players of Handball Executive Director David Vincent at dave.vincent@wphlive.tv or World Players of Handball Development Director David Fink at david.fink@wphlive.tv. For more information on the World Players of Handball, please visit wphlive.tv
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
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WPH R48Pro #2 The Memorial – ESPN+ Broadcast Schedule
(All Times Local Tucson, Arizona Time MST)
Day 1: Saturday, November 8th, 2025
Men’s Pro Singles Quarterfinals (R48)
- 9:00 am: R48 QF 1 – TBD
- 9:45 am: R48 QF 2 – TBD
- 10:30 am: R48 QF 3 – TBD
- 11:15 am: R48 QF 4 – TBD
Senior 40+ Singles Semifinals (SR48)
- 12:00 pm: SR48 SF 1 – TBD
- 12:45 pm: SR48 SF 2 – TBD
Women’s Elite Pro Singles Semifinals (WR48)
- 1:30 pm: WR48 SF 1 – TBD
- 2:15 pm: WR48 SF 2 – TBD
Men’s Pro Singles Semifinals (R48)
- 3:15 pm: R48 SF 1 – TBD
- 4:15 pm: R48 SF 2 – TBD
Day 2: Sunday, November 9th, 2025
- 9:00 am: Senior 40+ Final (SR48) – TBD
- 9:45 am: Women’s Elite Pro Final (WR48) – TBD
- 10:30 am: Pro Big Ball Doubles Final – TBD
- 11:30 am: Pro Men’s Small Ball Singles Final (R48) – TBD
You can watch all the action LIVE on ESPN+ beginning Saturday, November 8th, 2025 (MST). For those outside of the ESPN broadcast area, you can watch some limited side-court action through the WPH Patreon page at Patreon.com/wphlive. Rare interviews, raw Friday action, and Patreon-only clips will be uploaded throughout the event.
Follow the brackets (LIVE on Friday by Noon) HERE