🏁 We're in the true postseason now

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter where the Green Mountain State is known for disc golf, not Ben & Jerry’s.

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If you missed AFDO’s recap, then I got you: Wide Open Worlds

Let’s get into it.

TOUR COVERAGE
PDGA World Championships

CURRENT LEADERS - 🏅 CHRIS CLEMONS & KRISTIN TATTAR

It’s the last day of August, and Labor Day weekend is here. Kids are back to school, College Football kicks off Saturday, and Billie Joe Armstrong is about to start his long September sleep.

But who cares about all that? We’re in the midst of the most important week all year. Worlds is in full swing, and the hype is at an all-time high.

Mostly 18 holes are over, and it’s still anybody’s game. In no particular order, here are the way-too-early storylines you should know about or may have missed:

1 - Rain, rain, go away.

As the top half of the MPO & FPO fields tackled Brewster Ridge, the skies opened up midday. It was the hardest downpour seen all year and affected the FPO feature cards.

But to no one’s surprise, the conditions had zero impact on the defending World Champ. Tattar looked lightyears better than the 5 out of 10 she claimed during the press conference.

Leading with 67% C2 makes, her putts were dropping in from everywhere. Tattar’s sitting in a comfortable not dominant 3-stroke lead, but this is likely just the start.

She looked locked in, and even the massive puddles couldn’t get in her way. Her 1034-rated round will not be the last stellar score she’ll put up.

2 - Battling burnout and weather delays.

According to Ezra Aderhold, burnout is just a state of mind. When you’re playing poorly, then everything feels like a slog.

But this is the World Championships. It’s life-changing, so players will push their physical and mental limits.

During the presser, McBeth announced this would likely be his last event of the year. He didn’t go into the specifics, but his shoulder is not 100% and he and Hannah are expecting their 1st child in October.

Despite his injury and the lightning delay that ended his round early, he’s still locked into a battle with Wysocki… for 69th place (-3). With 7 holes left in their 1st round, the pair will be lucky to hit double digits going into Fox Run.

Due to the round suspension, they’ll have Round 2 to duke it out again as the cards are not reshuffling. Who will come out on top?

3 - Standouts and letdowns.

You know how the age-old saying goes… You can’t win a tournament on the first day, but you can lose it. To some, the 1st of 5 rounds doesn’t matter, but it still has storylines.

Those who navigated the wet footing of Brewster found themselves at the top. The standout players so far:

• Valerie Mandujano seems to be the most capable of challenging Tattar. Reminiscent of last year at Waco, she’s showing complete control over her discs. Watch her park job on Hole 16.

• Chris Clemons went bogey-free with his lefty FHs and 100% C1X putting. His -12 sits at 1086 rated.

• Aaron Gossage & Niklas Anttila are the only players who could still tie Clemons. The pair sit at -6 each with 6 holes left tomorrow morning.

On the other side of the coin, there were many who found one too many trees. These players need to start sprinting or risk getting left behind:

• Seen nursing her arm, Ohn Scoggins is losing the battle with an overuse injury. Her putting is suffering, but if there was one player who could dig deep it’s her.

• Silva Saarinen made highlight after highlight, but as the rain hit she went cold. Coming off 4 wins on the Euro Tour, she has all the skills but needs to put them together.

• Last week, Adam Hammes suffered a gash to his throwing elbow and has now dropped out. It’s unfortunate for the Portland Elite+ winner.

There are still 72-80 holes left, so no one’s counted out just yet.

4 - Fox Run and fall vibes.

Next on deck is the Fox Run Meadows course. It’s 18 holes of OB lines and beautiful Green Mountain views.

Like a less punishing Eureka Lake, it’s vital to stay between the lines and make your C2 putts. With how scoreable it can be, this will be a sprint to the very end.

Thankfully, the weather conditions are looking world-class. So there will be no shortage of wallpaper-worthy fall vibes.

5 - We’re lucky to get two mornings of Round 1, so grab your coffee and get ready for 7:45 AM ET coverage.

RD1 HIGHLIGHT

Vinny must have magnets in his discs cause they find metal more than others. On his 1st throw of the tournament, he was less than an inch off sticking an ace.

POWERED BY POWERGRIP USA
Celebrate Worlds with Fresh Plastic

Just days ago, Powergrip USA posted a huge Innova restock. It had classic favorites, eye-popping Halos, and Dave Dunipace’s latest creation.

• Innova Alien (4|2|0|1) - Available in Nexus, DX, and Star plastic, this is one of the most unique discs out there. Some say it’s a stroke of genius, while others call it a gimmick.
  All you need to know is it flies like a mid-range Berg that feels strangely good in the hand.

• Innova TeeBird3 (8|4|0|2) - This is Hailey King’s newest go-to. She bagged it after her Hawkeye was turning too much. The Teebird3 goes straight when thrown as hard as she wants.

• Innova Halo Mamba (11|6|-5|1) - I’ve been smacked up and down by old heads who swear by the Mamba. Especially in Halo, it’s the perfect distance driver for those who can’t throw like King.

Celebrate Worlds Week with Powergrip USA today! Use code WORLDS23 for 20% off now through Sunday.

DISC DOGS & LIGHTWEIGHTS
Random Dubs

1️⃣ Name a more iconic duo than disc golf and dogs. I’ll wait…

Up until now, that duo gets broken up when a kid goes off to college. If that’s you or your own college-aged kids, then set your sights on MI’s Ferris State University.

Starting this year, the home of the Bulldogs is rolling out a new program for specific students to have 1 pet on campus. Coincidentally, their disc golf program is one of the top dogs.

Winning 4x at College Nationals in the past, they brought 4 teams and 16 players to this year’s. Becoming a Bulldog alum just got way more appealing.

2️⃣ You’ve heard this many times before, but the Up & Down podcast proved it scientifically… Lighter discs are the key to big distance.

For those not so mathematically inclined, here’s all you need to know: With the same throwing power, a lighter disc will come out faster no matter what.

This increase in velocity impacts your distance by 3 fold. So if you don’t have time to improve your form, then just throw lighter discs.

They improve lift, time aloft, and turn in the flight pattern. If you’re into the actual physics of flight, then dig down into their findings more here.

Meme of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Get out and throw the Simon Line this weekend!

- Charlie