🃏 Some guys just can't handle Vegas

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter that makes disc golf as fun as a weekend in Vegas. (Remember: What happens here, stays here.)

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If you missed LVC’s preview, then I got you: “The Gang Sues a 17 y/o”

Let’s get into it.

LAS VEGAS CHALLENGE

RESULTS - 🏆CALVIN HEIMBURG & CATRINA ALLEN

What a weekend to kick off the season. It brought the drama, the prestige, and an extra $600 for hustling pros.

MPO/ When you pair the Tour’s hardest greens with Vegas winds, you get a rat race with those who weather the storm surviving. After 2 rounds and averaging 1073, Anthony Barela pulled ahead with a 3-stroke lead.

But Kevin Jones had something to prove and made up the deficit to have 2 strokes into Championship Sunday. Following just a few back were AB, Calvin Heimburg, & Eagle McMahon.

For 16 holes, Jones would hold onto that lead until Heimburg’s aggression tied it up with 2 to go. What followed was heartbreak for Jones.

With his last win 913 days ago, his dry spell would continue after an OB drive and an attempt at his own Holy Shot. Heimburg then laid up and became 2x LVC Champion.

FPO/ Catrina Allen took down LVC for her 5th time. But even as the favorite, it wasn’t a walk-in for the back-to-back champ.

She averaged a 1005 rating over the 1st 3 rounds gaining an 8-stroke lead into Sunday, but it came with a few speed bumps. She started slow with zero birdies until Hole 10.

That became the turning point, and she made sure not to blow her lead. She beat “Big Money” Missy by 4 strokes and a charging Holyn Handley by 5 who shot a 1016-rated round.

STANDOUT PLAYER

Caroline Henderson from Frisco, TX:

• Her 1st ever tournament was in APR 2021

• This was her 1st Elite Event and appearance on DGN

• Finished 9th and earned the highest 1st cash in DGPT history

• She’s on her 1st full tour and is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year

HIGHLIGHT

The Gates of Vegas showed up in full force on Sunday. Fortunately, these freak occurrences didn’t have an impact on the results…

1. Cartgate - Allen approached Hole 10’s basket when a golf cart prevented her disc from coming back in bounds

2. Spottergate - AB smashed his Hole 10 drive into perfect position - a rangefinder volunteer’s leg

3. Goosegate - McBeth skipped into a goose instead of Hole 17’s green

SEASON STORYLINES

Pop Quiz: What 3 words get disc golfers all hot & bothered?
Nope, not OS approach disc. Although that’s a close second.

It’s… 2023 Season Storylines. Who doesn’t love jumping to conclusions and making predictions after the 1st event?

Usually, they don’t come true but I’d be remiss not to hit on a few today. Keep an eye on these storylines:

• DGN’s new pre/post show - Tournament Central - canceled after one day? No, they’re tweaking the show and will be back for WACO

• JomezPro refreshed its graphics, and this season’s was criticized. The bottom score bug no longer shows all scores together. Will it stick?

• How long will Prodigy v. Buhr continue? Until this resolves in or out of court, Buhr will unhappily throw Prodigy until further notice

• Nate Sexton kept his cash streak of 114 events alive. He’s playing a lot more this year, so it will be at risk weekly

• Eagle McMahon is mostly thriving as a BH-only player. Can he stay healthy and competitive?

• Off-season training fell flat… Eveliina Salonen had the putting yips and missed the final-day cut for the 1st time

• How did players who switched sponsors perform?

  • The good - AB, Emerson Keith, Holyn Handley

  • The bad - Simon Lizotte, Cole Redalen, Gannon Buhr

  • The ugly - Paige Shue, Austin Turner, Austin Hannum, Thomas Gilbert

• Injuries are becoming more prevalent. Will we continue to see player dropouts?

  • Ricky Wysocki (wrist)

  • Big Jerm (ankle)

  • Gavin Babcock (ankle)

FRESH PLASTIC

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

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: DD Supreme Fugitive Prototype (5|3|0|4)
For Trilogy fans, this refresh will be foreign but absolutely necessary.

Approved back in 2012, the DD Fugitive (5|5|-0.5|1.5) has been out of production and is known for its straight, long flight. But with this refresh, the Fugitive Prototype trades in its turn for beef.

This disc will no longer be in the crowded point-and-shoot category, instead it’ll be the perfect compliment to the DD Justice. Pick up a new Fugitive for shots you want predictable fade but need more distance.

Starting on Thursday (3/2) at 12PM ET, you can add this new mold in all-premium Supreme plastic to your bag.

RANDOM DUBS

1️⃣ The DGPT announced a huge change to their end-of-season Championship. Since the Tour’s inception in 2016, it’s been a bracket format with the top performers receiving byes while the lower seeds battled to advance.

The new format will feature a semi-final and final of 2 rounds each for a total of 4 with no player byes. Here are some fancy DGPT graphics on it:

Drawing inspiration from golf’s FedEx Tour Championship, the format will be easier to follow and provide a better daily viewing experience.

Will it be less exciting without a possible Cinderella Story? Maybe.
Will it be more entertaining from Day 1 and feature big comeback stories? Yes.

2️⃣ Do you struggle with putting yips once the pressure is on? Follow this advice that Philo gave on the Go Throw podcast:

Or you could always give this Redditor’s advice a go…

TWEET OF THE WEEK

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

- Charlie