Tucson, AZ, WPH Press, 9/13/24-
Enter HERE (deadline on 9/16)
The ninth annual 2024 Tucson Memorial marks the eighty-ninth event in the history of the Race 4 Eight tour, with the tour spanning 17 states in the R48’s first thirteen seasons. The 2024 Tucson Memorial will feature the largest prize purse of the 2024/25 Race 4 Eight handball season ($50k), 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.
Danos Cordova will aim to defend his R48 Men’s Pro Memorial title after winning the 2023 Memorial in a thrilling final against current R48 #1 Martin Mulkerrins. Mulkerrins will be seeking to win the Memorial after losing in the 2022 and 2023 Memorial finals, while thirteen of the top fourteen Race 4 Eight pros and a strong mix of current and rising Race 4 Eight pros will also seek to etch their names on the Memorial trophy.
The WR48 will feature a new champion, as defending WR48 Memorial champion and current WR48 #1 Catriona Casey will miss the 2024/25 Race 4 Eight season with a torn ACL. Current 4-Wall national champion Danielle Daskalakis will lead the 2024 WR48 field that will include Tucson WR48 pros Ashley Ruiz and Mikaila Esser, as well as a strong group of challengers from across the U.S. and Ireland.
Fourteen-time SR48 champion and defending SR48 Memorial champion David Fink will be joined by SR48 #2 Dave Munson and a number of the world’s best SR stars in the 2024 SR48 Memorial.
2024 Race 4 Eight Tucson Memorial
- Date: September 20-22, 2024
- 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), Carroll (2017, 2021), L. Cordova (2022), D. Cordova (2023)
- List of Tucson WR48 pro champions: McMahon (2017), Casey (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023)
- List of SR48 Tucson R48 Men’s pro champions: Chavez (2014), Fink (2018), Fink (2019, 2022, 2023)
- Defending Tucson Memorial R48 champion: Danos Cordova (2023)
- Defending Tucson Memorial WR48 champion: Catriona Casey (2023)
- Defending Tucson Memorial SR48 champion: David Fink (2023)
- Number of ranked R48 pros entered: 19
- Number of ranked WR48 pros entered: 4
- Number of ranked SR48 pros entered: 2
- Current or former R48 #1’s entered: 2 (Lucho, Mulkerrins, Fink)
- Current or former WR48 #1’s entered: n/a
- Current or former SR48 #1’s entered: 1 (Fink)
2024 Tucson Memorial Broadcast Schedule: Saturday, September 21, 9 am-6 pm PST, Sunday, September 22, 9 am-1 pm PST
2024 Tucson Memorial Press Release HERE
Follow the draws and results from the 2024 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
The Race 4 Eight: A Family Affair HERE
2024/25 Race 4 Eight Schedule and Entries HERE
WPH RACE 4 EIGHT: The World Players of Handball’s 2024/25 Race 4 Eight XIV 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