⛰️ Mountain disc golf
GOAT Whisperer, Taco Tuesday, and 🤷
Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. Like your local weather guy, but I talk about Cloud Breakers instead of rain.
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If you missed the Match Play primer, then I got you: The foot fault seen round the world
Let’s get into it.
Match Play Championship
RESULTS - 🏆 JOEL FREEMAN & OHN SCOGGINS
MPO/ The new pool play format had a rocky premiere. During the 1st two days, the commentators were as confused as viewers on matchups and tie breaks.
The tie break rules (“hole differential” then seed) were at the top of the complaints list. It only affected Pool C of MPO where Joel Freeman & Simon Lizotte tied in points and in “hole differential.”
Due to Lizotte’s partial absence from Tour, Freeman advanced to the Final 4 with his 3rd seed. Their head-to-head results had no impact on the tie break even though Lizotte won.
Drama aside, the final day was easier to track with less matchups. Freeman beat Conrad up 3 with 2 holes to play, and Jones knocked out #1 seed Buhr up 2 with 1 to play.
It came down to home state favorite vs. America’s heartthrob. The match was stagnant until the par 5 Hole 11… Jones hit early trees back-to-back and allowed Freeman a tap-in birdie for his biggest win and $10k.
Overall, the players enjoyed the casual competition while being able to all take home cash. And we got to see several Top of the World tees, C2 drains, mountain rollaways, and ace runs.
FPO/ The women’s side of things were a bit different. Only one top seed - Ella Hansen - was able to escape pool play and make it to the Final 4.
In the semis, Ohn Scoggins made putt after putt to put away Lisa Fajkus with 2 to play. Meanwhile, Hansen and Natalie Ryan’s distance made for a lot of back-and-forths, but Hansen had a bit more in the tank.
During the finals, Hansen showed hesitation with her putt while Scoggins put on a show. On holes 7 & 8, she made “no doubters” including a 69ft’er.
The match ended on Hole 9 with an emotional Scoggins finally winning a “big” one.
HIGHLIGHT
Joel Freeman showed off to the home crowd with this masterful drive to open the semifinals on Sunday.
Player Profile: Big Jerm
Last week, The Upshot interviewed Jeremy Koling, one of the most recognizable individuals in our sport. His candidness and understanding of his role shined through.
Pulling double duty as a touring pro and commentator, Koling had insights on touring life, changes to the sport, and the next generation.
Here’s his weekly schedule on tour:
Mon - Pack up RV and travel to next stop (5-12hr drives)
Tues - Jomez Practice Round shoot and maybe 2nd practice round
Wed - Practice round or Jomez Putting Game shoot
Thurs - Rest day if 3-day event or play for 4-day
Fri/Sat/Sun - Play. Rest. Board game. Commentate.
Imagine keeping that schedule for more than half the year. Few people can and burnout is real, but Koling and his fiancée work it out together.
Besides tour life, he looked into his magic 8-ball for the future. Right now, he thinks there are 10 guys on tour who could be the next GOAT of their era…
Gannon Buhr and Cole Redalen have been making their names well-known on social media and coverage. Their consistent play at 17 years old has been ridiculous these past 2 years.
And of course, there’s Eagle McMahon. He was easily the next GOAT, but until he gets his shoulder working his historical status is unknown.
Regardless, Koling believes we’re in the golden age of growth and standardization. Our complaints of tee pads, baskets, or general Tour conditions will be laughable in 10 years. Future us will be the judge.
Fresh Plastic
Insights by OTB Discs… Where the discs are VIRTUALLY IN YOUR HAND.
🛸 OTB’s Highlight: Taco Tuesday... Elevation Koi (3|4|-1|0) & MVP Neutron Soft Uplink (5|5|-3|0.5)
The wildly popular taco putter from Elevation is having its 3rd run released tomorrow (6/22) at 7PM CT. Their ridiculously floppy Koi will easily stick next to the basket.
The feel isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the results speak for themselves. If you want less ground play and love gyro, then MVP has their new understable Uplink out in taco-able plastic on Thursday (6/23) 9PM PT.
This newest version of Neutron Soft plastic is 100% softer than the recent soft runs of Envy and Proxy. So your perfectly beat-in DX Roc can be replaced, and the tree kicks will be a little less punishing.
Good news for all you Halo addicts out there… Expect to see a steady stream of “stock” Halo from Innova. They recently re-opened dealer pricing, so their flagship plastic is here to stay.
Jen Allen’s Halo Roc3 release followed by the Halo Invader and Wombat3 make Halo-only bags viable. Of course, that’s if you don’t mind the cost of that sweet premium plastic.
Random Dubs
1️⃣ UPlay’s official teaching guide is now available for sale through Amazon ($100). If you’re a teacher, coach, or just curious, then grab the fundamentals book and grow the sport with UPlay’s support.
2️⃣ Finishing 2nd, Niklas Anttila threw-in for eagle at this weekend’s Järva Open. He cut the corner with a blind 270’ BH straight into the woods and couldn’t believe the results.
Tweet of the Week
Thanks for reading today. Get out and buy new discs in-person this week!
- Charlie
What'd you think of this today’s edition?
Can somebody tell me what it is about Joel Freeman that rubs me the wrong way? Initially I liked the guy, but there's been a breathtakingly sharp drop off over the past year.