🛡️ A battle in Norway

Masters, Sweet & Salty, and Fish

July 19, 2022

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The disc golf newsletter that brings you all the things you like and none of what you don’t.Email Read Time: 5 Minutes & 17 Seconds

If you missed the PCS Sula primer, then I got you: Next Step in Disc Tech?

Let’s get into it.

PCS Sula Open (Silver Series)

RESULTS - 🏆 GREGG BARSBY

What an incredible event to kickoff the Pro Tour’s Europe Swing. It was one of the best battles this year with beautiful fjord backdrops.

Starting at Vasset Diskgolfpark, no player strung together 2 good rounds. The top 8 were separated only by 2 strokes after Round 2.

Of note, Jakub Semerád shot the hottest score at Vasset with a -9 (1081 rated). He joined lead card along with Eric Oakley, Chandler Kramer, & Kristian Kuoksa for Friday’s round at Øverås Diskgolfpark.

The Czech Republic pro, SemerĂĄd, continued his push in Round 3 while living his dream alongside his role models. He looked comfortable gaining the lead even with a few mistakes at the end of his round.

Gregg Barsby showed off his experience by popping off on the chase card and landing in 2nd place for Championship Saturday. He was in prime position behind SemerĂĄd by 2 strokes and had a buffer between the rest of the field.

Final round is when it got interesting. SemerĂĄd and Barsby battled all day, trading the lead and bad breaks.

On Hole 18, SemerĂĄd went OB allowing Barsby to lay up and push it to playoffs. Going back to the tee of 18, the men set off again to determine the winner.

Again Semerád couldn’t figure out this hole and went OB on an aggressive upshot. An emotional Barsby was able to hit a nervy birdie putt and secured his 79th career win.

STANDOUT PLAYERS

Going into this event, Jakub Semerád was only 1011 rated but already had a big win at the Euro Tour’s 1st 2022 event - Pro Forester. This weekend he averaged a 1045 rating, finished in 2nd, and earned $3.5k.

At 23 years old, he’s been pro since 2018 and has his own YouTube channel. While he couldn’t fight off Barsby, Semerád showed he’ll be a dominant force in Europe for years to come.

HIGHLIGHT

VäinÜ Mäkelä, 2021 Finnish Nationals Champ, dropped a perfect cut-roller Round 1, Hole 1.

Masters Worlds

PDGA Masters World Championships were this weekend in Peoria, IL. The Pro Masters divisions previewed the courses for Discraft’s Ledgestone Open (8/12-14). Here are some of the results after 4 rounds, a semi-final round, and the Final 9:

Pro Masters 40+

  1. Joe Rovere, Total score -3

  2. Martin Hendel, Total score -2

  3. Michael Johansen, Total Score E

Pro Masters Women 40+

  1. Ohn Scoggins, Total score -22

  2. Jennifer Allen, Total score -8

  3. Stephanie Vincent, Total score -7

Pro Masters 50+

  1. JohnE McCray, Total score -16

  2. Ron Convers, Total score -14

  3. Barry Schultz, Total score -14

You might not have known these touring pros were old enough to be in age-protected divisions. They’re so good that they still compete with the young guns.

But this weekend was their time to shine and several added another Major to their historic resumes. Ohn Scoggins & JohnE McCray had stand-out performances.

Scoggins dominated her division to defend her 2021 World title. Already with 2 Silver Series wins and several podium finishes, 2022 is her year with more to come.

And McCray went from clinically dead to World Champion within months. Whether you call it the best comeback story or the most inspirational, it’s clear that the man has the strongest “will to win” out of anyone.

Fresh Plastic

Sponsored by Powergrip USA… A PRETTY GOOD disc golf shop. Europe’s largest store now in the US.

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: Clash Discs Honey (12|5|-2|2) & Salt (12|5|-1|3)You’ve seen their food-themed discs and unique commercial with Nikko Locastro, but you still don’t know much about them.

Out of Finland, Clash Discs broke into the scene this year with 11 approved molds and counting. They partnered with Locastro - a revolving door of sponsors - after he was dropped by Westside Discs.

And their newest releases - Honey & Salt - will fill a slot in your bag or collection. Both come in their “Steady” plastic, which feels nearly identical to Kastaplast’s K1.

The Honey:

  • US distance driver with moderate turn then soft fade for those smooth s-curves

  • Gets serious glide with its dome, making it very easy to throw and control for all arms

  • Similar flight to a Discmania Astronaut or beat-in Innova Wraith

The Salt:

  • More stable than Honey, this disc is better for big arms and Max D

  • Never sacrifice control when throwing out your arm or fighting headwinds

  • Similar depth and hand-feel as Honey, making them the perfect pair

And for 10% off your Powergrip order, use code PLYRSMTGJULY22. A discount PLUS sweet & salty discs? Name a better combo.

Random Dubs

1️⃣ Everyone needs more Andrew Fish in their life, and lucky for us he’s going on tour full-time starting now. Working as an environmental engineer for 8+ years, he’s officially quit his job and will hit the road for the rest of 2022 and beyond.

Now that he can focus without distractions, we might finally see “peak Fish performance.” You can support his touring efforts by purchasing some discs from him.

2️⃣ Here’s a Nick & Matt Show nugget to get you amped for the European Open in 2 days… At The Beast in Nokia, Finland, the last MPO player not named Paul McBeth to win was Dave Feldberg in 2011.

While the Major doesn’t happen every year, this stat is still ridiculous. McBeast doesn’t get his nickname from this course, but there are other reasons why he thrives here.

Tweet of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Get out and play like a Barsbarian this week!

- Charlie

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