🏁 A DGPT finale to remember

Free Agency, Raptor Eyes, and Random Triples

October 19, 2022

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter that doesn’t pack it up for the off-season.Email Read Time: 5 Minutes & 33 Seconds

Thank you all for sticking with me through 8 months of non-stop grind. Until 2023 kicks off in Feb, you can expect ONE edition every Wednesday morning.

Welcome to the off-season! Let’s get into it.

DGPT Championship

RESULTS - 🏆RICKY WYSOCKI & KRISTIN TATTAR

Was it a little slice of Nevin or Hell? It’s always a game of inches in the woods, and any lucky or unlucky kick meant thousands.

This was no birdie-fest that many Tour stops showcase. It was all over the players’ faces that this NC course played hard.

But even with the randomness of the format, the seeding was proven true. And it was an insane finish to an already exciting season with broken records.

MPO/ Fresh off his USDGC loss, Niklas Anttila was at home in the woods. He squeaked past round 1 and the quarterfinals along with Klein, Robinson, & Gossage.

They joined the season’s top 8 for semis. But only Robinson held on as McBeth replicated the course record (-7) while Ricky Wysocki & Gannon Buhr hosted a putting clinic. Then there were 4: decorated veterans vs young newcomers.

Both Robinson & Wysocki had dream starts and steadily pulled away. But the $35k nerves crept in, and Robinson missed makeable putts leaving the door open.

All the while, Buhr quietly gained strokes as they got aggressive. Into Hole 18, Robinson had 1 stroke over Wysocki & Buhr, so he went for the safe par play.

Buhr went OB on his roller upshot, and Wysocki hammered a FH into the circle to tie it up. They then walked back to the same teepad, and it was as if the broadcast was on replay.

With his clutch gene, Wysocki birdied the hardest hole twice, showed why he’s #1, and sealed the deal on Player of the Year. The paycheck brought his 2022 total to $105,776 - the most prize cash in a single season.

FPO/ The season’s storylines continued in the finale:

  • Eveliina Salonen wouldn’t lose if her putter found the basket

  • Paige Pierce only bags tree magnets

  • “Big Money Missy” Gannon is real. Going from quarterfinals to finals, she increased her paycheck by $6k

  • Valerie Mandujano will be a contender every year

  • Ohn Scoggins got that dog in her (2nd place, $20k at >40 years old)

  • Kristin Tattar was picked to win by 76% of the brackets

Tattar’s dominating season ended with another win and $35k. She became the 1st player ever (regardless of division) to win over $100k in a season.

HIGHLIGHT

Throwing it in from 355ft was not Niklas Anttila’s plan on Hole 15. But hitting the eagle gave him the edge over Mason Ford during Friday’s quarterfinals.

Contracts Watch

🚨 NEW-ISH 🚨

Before the season ended, some pros took their names off the market and robbed saved us months of speculation.

  • Calvin Heimburg -Squashing “Contract Year Calvin” theories, he extended his Innova sponsorship 5 years. Numbers weren’t released, but the incentives were enough. 2023 Halo Toro?

  • Kyle Klein - Crush Boy #3 re-ups with Discmania for 4 years, $100k/yr guaranteed. Like Heimburg, his deal was negotiated by Beacon Sports Management.

PREDICTIONS

The mixed bag gang has their contracts up, but they’ll likely re-sign. Their 2022 contracts:

MOVES MADE

Gannon Buhr - The brightest 17-year-old future is not for sale. He still has a year on his contract but hopes to release his own player-designed discs like Kevin Jones and Cale Leiviska. He wants a PD-like 10 speed and a berg-like “no-touch disc”.

Fresh Plastic

Sponsored by Powergrip USA… A PRETTY GOOD disc golf shop.

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: Dynamic Discs Raptor Eye Judge (2|4|0|1)Ricky “Raptor Legs” Wysocki and DD have outdone themselves with their new Raptor Eye discs.

While this new plastic only changes aesthetics, it does a hell of a job at it. Their latest release is the same Classic Blend Judge we all know and love, but with the Raptor Eye seeing all.

If you want a new flight, look to the DD Lucid Ice Criminal (10|3|1|4). This already very OS fairway driver is now in one of their most durable, OS plastic.

It’s perfect for when you need a predictable hook, even with +20mph winds in your face. For this week ONLY (thru 10/23), use POWERGRIP20 for 20% off your order (restrictions may apply).

Random Triples

1️⃣ Prodigy finally released their Pound Squatch Apex XL bag ($250) that their pros have been rocking. It looks eerily like a Pound Octothorpe ($400+) or a Squatch Legend ($260).

But instead of paying them, start your own bag company with an Alibaba buy of 200pcs at $24/ea. Why buy Squatch when you can buy ɥɔʇɐnbS?

2️⃣ Big Money Skins is here along with their cash-generating tactics. They’ve recruited half the tour to compete for $100k this weekend (10/21-23) at Eagles Crossing.

  • Using McGressive scoring: Albatrosses = 15, Eagles = 9, Birdies = 4, Pars = 1, no deduction for Bogey+. Highest score wins.

  • Starts with 96 competitors playing for top 48 (McGressive), then cuts down to 16 playing skins, and ends with the final 4 skins match on Sunday

  • One player will win $50k

  • PPV $14.99, live through a 3rd party media company or GK Pro’s private stream

  • Spectator passes are $150 for all days or $75 for Sunday

  • Free contest with prizes to pick the final 4 players

Let’s see how this complicated format plays out and if the broadcast quality holds up. Supposedly, the company is laying fiber and creating a custom network for stream quality.

3️⃣ On the DG Prescription podcast, Seth Munsey shared some wisdom: “The best thing about DG is you play every day. The worst thing about DG is you play every day.”

We can all agree with the 1st part, but those who’ve Amazon’d elbow sleeves relate to both. The #1 injury is overuse, and Munsey believes recovery is just as important as training.

Focus on recovery fundamentals like sleep, drinking water, and your mental health in this off-season.

Meme of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Get out and shave some strokes this weekend!

- Charlie

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