☔ Getting wet & wild in PDX

Twice or It's Luck, Ter Bear, and Dougie Firs

Jun 07, 2022

Hello and welcome. This is The Players Meeting, where my daily screen time is 16 hours, so I can bring you the best of disc golf.
Email Read Time: 5 Minutes & 33 Seconds

If you missed the PDXO primer, then I got you: Cheers to the PNW

Let’s get into it.

Portland Open

If you liked what you saw, then get ready for 4 more years. On JomezPro, Dustin Keegan shared that there’s a 5-year plan for the venue.

He and Jeff Spring designed the East course with fun, spectators, and the future in mind. It could host 10k+ spectators and have the option of a 2nd course on the property’s West side.

Is that a Worlds bid I hear? Keegan hinted it’ll be the pair’s goal soon…

RESULTS - 🏆 SIMON LIZOTTE & VALERIE MANDUJANO

MPO/ Playing clean and executing shots were vital at both Blue Lake & Glendoveer East. Let alone the OB on every hole, players were fighting wet conditions and lengthy rounds.

The courses changed, but 3 players remained constant each day: Simon Lizotte, Garrett Gurthie, and Isaac Robinson. From Thursday to the finale, we saw these names at the top.

This event had it all… On and off rain, new nicknames, McBeth’s old school putt, Simon Lines, Double G putting clinics, and a nail-biting finish. Like a course designer’s dream, Glendoveer Hole 18 played its role perfectly.

As the 2nd hardest hole, it got Gurthie within 2 strokes of Lizotte going into the final day. And it made for a dramatic finish on Sunday.

Going back and forth all round, Lizotte & Gurthie drove on 18 as co-leaders with 6 strokes over the field. Gurthie put himself in position to attack, while Lizotte gave into nerves with a mediocre drive.

Wanting to apply pressure, Lizotte tried to go for a C2 eagle look but landed OB. With the win potentially given to him, Gurthie threw directly OB to give it right back.

And like that, Lizotte won back-to-back weeks to prove it wasn’t just luck. We’re witnessing his “elite” days right now, so grab that jerky and enjoy the show.

FPO/ It was the Valerie Mandujano show for FPO. She got the wire-to-wire victory starting with a hot 1002 rated round on Thursday followed by 2 consistent days at the top.

And it was all she wrote after RD3 at Glendoveer. Giving herself an 8 stroke lead into Sunday, she 1-upped herself to walk in with 9 strokes over the field.

Mandujano proved herself on distance courses and that her Waco win wasn’t a fluke. Is she “elite” now? Twice or it’s luck? Regardless, Mandujano is in good company now.

STANDOUT PLAYER

Since graduating college 2 weeks ago, this was Isaac “Fedex” Robinson’s 1st DGPT event as a touring pro. He’s hitting the road full-time and started it off with a podium finish.

This was far from his breakout performance, but appearing on lead card every day earned him his new nickname from Big Sexy. Get used to seeing his quick, guaranteed delivery to the basket on JomezPro.

HIGHLIGHT

After an early tree hit, James Proctor airs it all the way for a 280ft birdie during RD2 H1.

The Disc Golf Renaissance Man Guy

On The Trevor Staub Show, Terry Miller discussed his long history and the future of DG media. Playing for 30 years now, he quit his 9-to-5 job in 2010 to make this his career.

At first, he took to media with his flip cam. But over the years he’s done all from vlogs, podcasts, shot-by-shot coverage, and live coverage with SmashboxxTV.

He’s been there for every single important moment of the modern era. So if Big Jerm is the Ace Witness, then Terry is THE Witness.

Here’s his take on Live vs. Post-Produced:

They will continue to co-exist, but the gap IS shrinking and will continue as money flows in
Complaints of “there’s not enough action” or “the commentators are bad” have been solved with more cameras and defined commentator roles

At the end of the day, Terry knows it’s not a battle. And he believes that both will thrive to make the sport better.

Fresh Plastic

Insights by OTB Discs… Where the discs are VIRTUALLY IN YOUR HAND.

🛸 OTB’s Highlight: Discmania C-Line DD3 (12|5|-1|3)
Their flagship driver is finally making its stock debut in the renowned C-line plastic. The consistency out of the box is what they’ve been looking to develop with their new factory.

This stock run is not a meat hook like Cloud Breakers or Innova runs. But it’s nowhere near as understable as the Echo S-Line DD3s. It lives somewhere in between and should land perfectly as your dependable crusher.

Don’t sleep on this grippy, stiff, and user friendly disc. It drops everywhere including your favorite retailer today at 11AM EST.

Not looking for a hyped up driver today? Then wait for the Orbit Sockibomb Slammer (3|1|0.5|4). It’s hype has been swelling and will burst on Thursday (6/9).

Expect it to seem more OS than a Harp, but partly cause it won’t fly as far. Other DD releases that day: Lucid Ice Glimmer Raider, Fuzion-X Vandal, Hybrid Culprit, and Lucid Ice Justice. Visit OTB for all and more.

Random Dubs

1️⃣ If you didn’t know, elevation affects a disc’s flight enough to turn your TL into a Teebird. On The Upshot, Colorado native - Aaron Gossage - shared his insights for throwing at elevation.

The air is thinner: Discs become more stable, lose glide, but will go farther
Putts are affected the same: Hyzer harder and drop faster coming from C2
Portland, OR: 50’ elevation → Bailey, CO: 7,740’ elevation

The DGPT Matchplay Championship (6/16-6/19) is coming up quick in Bailey, CO. Gossage has a real chance of winning due to his experience and many top-3 finishes this season.

2️⃣ JohnE McCray is back! After a massive heart attack and missing 4 months of play, he took down his 1st tournament.

It wasn’t a Tour event with the top pros. But with McCray’s competitive drive, there’s no doubt the “Ageless Wonder” will be back on top with the young guns.

He’s even joined them on TikTok. Check out his 1st official throw back.