✂️ Fresh cuts for the new DGPT season
Tour BTS, Suckers Candy, and 360 FHs
Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter that always comes fun-sized.
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If you missed the LMO preview, then I got you: How GK Pro saved Fyre Fest
Let’s get into it.
Lake Marshall Open (Silver)
RESULTS - 🏆LUKE SAMSON & MACIE VELEDIAZ
The beautiful Lake Marshall property was flooded by local talent and touring pros looking to jumpstart 2023. While there were low talent pools, this event proved it could host a Tour stop in Montross, VA.
Fingers crossed, we’ll see pros tackle the course in 2024. This Halloween weekend saw two 1st time Tour winners who are now the 2023 DGPT point leaders.
MPO/ One of the Tour’s hardest working, Luke Samson started strong with a -9 (1054 rated). Sitting 2 back, Chris Dickerson had a poor putting performance by his standards.
But Dickerson found his putt on Saturday and shredded the course with 12 birdies taking the lead. Samson and Blake Poland sat in 2nd with 2 strokes to make up.
By Sunday, the Robot Chicken was showing all signs of running away with his 156th career win, but mistakes started on Hole 7. It was green light go for Samson who quickly took the lead and win with a clean -12 (1065 rated).
Just ‘cause this was a Silver Event, do NOT write Samson off. He showed off his skills, decision making, and clutchness with the weekend’s hottest round against one of this generation’s greats.
FPO/ Filled with mostly local talent, the 4 touring pros quickly separated themselves. By Round 2’s end, Macie Velediaz had a 29-stroke lead over 5th place.
And by the event’s end, Velediaz dominated the field with an ace, an eagle, and 16 birdies. She won her biggest event yet and a year-long bet made with touring partner - Zach Melton.
If she won a DGPT during her 1st full year on Tour, then Melton’s head would get shaved. Winning your 1st Tour event: $1.3k. Shaving Bob Ross’s head: Priceless.
STANDOUT PLAYERS
Out of Goldsboro, NC, Blake Poland is a regional pro who dominates his local scene. Not too long ago, he was working 60hr weeks for UPS, but switched jobs, and upped his practice.
In the 1st two rounds, he was sneaky good and stayed in the hunt for his 1st A-Tier win. But a poor final round pushed him down the leaderboard to 6th.
HIGHLIGHT
On her way to victory, Velediaz smashed chains in Round 2, Hole 4 and shared the $1.5k ace pot with Michael Griffith who hit Round 3, Hole 13.
On Tour
DGN’s latest attempt to stop unsubscribes had its 1st episode released Monday (10/31). Being a weekly DGN-exclusive, ‘On Tour’ is a 6-part docuseries giving audiences a look into Tour life, player backgrounds, and the 2022 season.
With production led by Cory “Johnny DG” Murrell, there was plenty of speculation on the quality and content before release. Episode 1 is 50min and did not disappoint.
Focusing on different players each episode with event recaps sprinkled in, this show could cater to both DG’ers and non-players alike. The stories are captivating, while the recaps aren’t a boring rehash.
‘On Tour’ could be the perfect show to carry you through the winter months and into 2023. Step aside HotD, Andor, and Hocus Pocus 2, we’ve got disc golf to watch.
Fresh Plastic
Sponsored by Powergrip USA… A PRETTY GOOD disc golf shop.
👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: Discmania Iron Samurai 4 (5|5|0|1)
Eagle McMahon’s Signature Series disc is back on the menu but in new Chroma plastic. This 4th run is the Jolly Rancher 🍬 you missed on Halloween.
These hard candies are firm, grippy, and have a pearlescent aesthetic. On flight, they are nearly indistinguishable from the Iron Samurai 3: torque-resistant, manipulatable, & trustworthy.
But this version of the flagship, do-it-all midrange introduces Discmania’s most durable plastic. So if you didn’t snag the IS3 or are a sucker for sweets, set a reminder for today (11/2) at 11AM ET.
Thankfully these Jolly Ranchers can be enjoyed by McMahon’s vegan and meat-eater fans alike. For those unaware, Eagle’s brand has expanded to omnivores.
Random Triples
1️⃣ Ever wanted to see the Joker throw a 360 FH over 600ft or a crop-topped 6’7” man hit 550ft? Chandler Kramer & Scott Stokely happily burned those images into our brains.
2️⃣ The DG Prescription podcast had on the DD/Westside Discs Team Manager - Gabe Diaz-Serrano. For those aspiring #TourLifers, he explained what sponsors look for:
Performance on the course
Marketability
Composure on and off the course
Fan engagement: create your own brand that people want to follow
Willingness to take part in team events or exposure opportunities
Ultimately, there’s many different ways to get sponsored. You don’t have to be a McBeth or Wysocki. You could be a Kona Panis, regional TD, or local pro.
3️⃣ If your weekend has gone bland in the off-season, then keep an eye on two A-Tiers in DG’s hottest Meccas.
Myrtle Beach Open (Notables: Joel Freeman, Isaac Robinson, Paul Ulibarri)
Veterans Park Open (Notables: Emerson Keith, Jake Hebenheimer, Jon Nicholson)
Watch the scores comes in on the PDGA Live app or wait for post-coverage from Gatekeeper for Myrtle. In the meantime, plan your next tourney trip with the 2023 A-Tier schedule released yesterday.
Meme of the Week
Thanks for reading today. Get out and keep on dreaming this weekend!
- Charlie
What'd you think of this week's edition?
Not sure I'm sold on Luke Samson -- got an assist from Prodigy basket chain-outs playing defense on Chris, looked a little frustrated the final round before getting some breaks
Macie's been coming for a while -- glad to see her get that win!
Lake Marshall is awesome -- hope DGPT figures out some way to MacGyver signal in Lake Marshall, Northwoods Black, and DeLaveaga -- if not, post-production works for me
Offseason is when I go watch some of the summer tournaments from Europe -- Prodigy basket chain-outs representing there, too!