The highest disc golfers from throughout the globe competed final week within the 2022 Skilled Disc Golf World Championships. With such excessive degree competitors taking part in out in entrance of such a big and vigorous crowd, the occasion was as fascinating as anticipated. Staff Innova had athletes in each divisions within the hunt till the very finish. We had 4 MPO gamers and 5 FPO gamers end within the prime 10. Henna Blomroos took 2nd place in FPO! With the conclusion of Worlds, the 2022 Professional Tour post-season has begun. Gamers solely have two extra Elite Collection occasions and one Main, USDGC, so as to add themselves to the record of 2022 Professional Tour occasion winners and to qualify for the Tour Championships in mid-October. Staff Innova’s athletes are decided to maintain our superb season going at these final tournaments of the 12 months.
The 2022 Skilled Disc Golf World Championships had a record-setting purse of $200,000, a quantity that may have been inconceivable in our sport just some brief years in the past. Over 2,000 spectators purchased passes for the ultimate day to look at the crowning of our new World Champions in particular person. This substantial payout and crowd dimension show how a lot the game of disc golf is progressing.
Photograph by DGPT
This 12 months’s Worlds befell in Emporia, Kansas on the traditional Emporia Nation Membership course and the newly designed Supreme 18 course at Jones Park. These lengthy, OB-heavy programs characteristic frequent risk-reward selections, iconic island greens, altering elevation, various shot shapes, and the potential for wind. With nice situations all week, scores had been low. Gamers who stored the disc within the fairway and averted OB strokes excelled.
MPO within the High 10
On the MPO aspect for Staff Innova, Calvin Heimburg, Anthony Barela, Joel Freeman, and Nate Sexton dealt with the Emporia programs finest, all inserting within the prime 10 for the match. Calvin Heimburg stayed in competition for the win all week, making the final-day lead card. Calvin positioned sixth for the occasion total and led the sector in Parked share. Calvin has received two Elite Collection occasions already this season and has been within the combine of each Main. He can be a favourite going into the ultimate tournaments of the 12 months.
Anthony Barela had a breakout efficiency at this 12 months’s Worlds. He led the sector in Strokes Gained Tee to Inexperienced and Circle One Hits in regulation. The younger participant has at all times been recognized for his unmatched distance, however not essentially his consistency. Now, inserting in a tie for seventh on the World Championship, AB is proving that he’s greater than only a massive arm; he has the psychological sport and all-around talents to compete on the highest stage in opposition to the perfect on this planet.
Joel Freeman additionally completed in a tie for seventh place. He shot a sizzling ultimate spherical at -9, making 100% of his contained in the circle putts, and transferring 5 spots up the leaderboard to safe a prime 10 end. Out of 5 begins, that is Joel Freeman’s finest outcome at a World Championship but. Staff Captain, Nate Sexton, completed in a tie for ninth. That is Sexton’s third consecutive World Championship with a prime 10 outcome. Nate is understood to be probably the most constant gamers within the sport and his potential to dig deep at Main tournaments reveals why.
FPO within the High 10
For the FPO, Henna Blomroos, Eveliina Salonen, Ohn Scoggins, Kat Mertsch, and Hailey King all charged their manner into the highest 10. Henna Blomroos performed an unbelievable week of disc golf, main the sector in Strokes Gained Tee to Inexperienced, Parked share, Circle One Hits in regulation, and Circle Two Hits in regulation. All that incredible throwing earned Henna a 2nd place outcome. In her solely different World Championship look in 2019, she completed in 4th. Henna is establishing herself as the kind of participant who brings her finest when the stakes are highest.
Eveliina Salonen ended the week in a tie for fifth place. She led the sector in Fairway Hit share from the primary spherical by way of the final. Among the finest throwers within the FPO, Eveliina leads the sector for the season in Fairway Hits, Circle One Hits in regulation, and Circle Two Hits in regulation. She can be a participant to look at within the ultimate few occasions of 2022. Ohn Scoggins took seventh place and led the occasion in Strokes Gained Placing. Ohn not solely leads the FPO for the season in placing share, however has the perfect mixed C1+C2 placing statistic of any participant on Staff Innova, male or feminine. Ohn fought her manner by way of a mid-tournament harm and managed to tug collectively an unbelievable end.
Photograph by DGPT
Kat Mertsch took eighth place for the occasion and was 2nd within the area in birdie share at 48%. She shot a powerful 996-rated, -8 ultimate spherical to clinch her place within the prime 10. Kat is among the most promising, younger gamers on Staff Innova. Together with her uncooked expertise, mixed along with her fiery ardour for the sport, Kat Mertsch has massive wins in her future. Hailey King additionally shot an important ultimate spherical at -7 with 11 birdies. She completed the week in a tie for ninth place and was 2nd within the area in Fairway Hit share. Hailey received the 2022 USWDGC and along with her robust outcome at this 12 months’s Worlds, it’s clear that Hailey can be within the dialog for all Main titles in FPO for the foreseeable future.
Report-Setting Worlds
The 2022 Skilled Disc Golf World Championships was a record-setting occasion. Kristan Tattar’s win was the primary time a European received a World title since 2004 and was the biggest stroke margin of victory at a Worlds since 2009. Paul McBeth now takes his place because the participant with the second most Open World titles of all time in both division.
As well as, this was the best-covered match within the historical past of the game, with stay protection from the Disc Golf Community day by day, in addition to post-produced protection of the highest 4 playing cards in every division, and stuck digicam crews on Holes 16 and 18 of the Nation Membership. The proliferation of disc golf media lately exemplifies and advances the expansion of our sport.
With solely two Elite Collection occasions and one Main left this season, Staff Innova is making a ultimate push to spherical out a spectacular 12 months. The 2022 USDGC, from October 6-9 in Rockhill, South Carolina, can be gamers’ final likelihood this season to take a Main title and viewers’ final likelihood to expertise the thrill of a Main occasion in particular person. Don’t miss it!
