With a ton of action on the professional scene this last weekend, there was a corresponding amount of movement on our big board.
May 10, 2016 by Steve Hill and Robert Leonard in Rankings with 5 comments
This week’s installment of the Ultiworld Disc Golf Power Rankings saw not only a division in the field, but also a division in the UWDG staff’s top picks.
With three of the Professional Disc Golf Association’s top players jetsetting to the Czech Republic for the Konopiště Open and the rest getting caught in the rain at the Kansas City Wide Open, the split in the field resulted in some disputes as to how the top three spots in our rankings should play out. Were we supposed to give the top slot to the world champion who, due to incremental recent struggles compared to 2015, appears to be in a bit of a slump? Or should we give it to the rocket-armed German who has eked out playoff wins against the champ two out of the last three tournaments? Stuck in the middle of the two is the sidearm bomber from South Carolina who took home top honors in the land of barbecue this week.
In the end, it came down to the driving philosophy behind these rankings: We want them to be about now, as we’ll be updating them more frequently than the PDGA updates its ratings or other tours update their standards. With that in mind, we let the cards fall as you see them below.
The best part of all this? We still don’t agree, and you probably won’t either. Luckily, you can sound off in the comments and let us know which side you’re on. Enjoy!
MPO Power Rankings:
| Rank | Player | Change | Prior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dropped from rankings: Miles Seaborn (17), Steve Rico (19), Steve Brinster (20) | |||
| 1 | Simon Lizotte | +2 | 3 |
| 2 | Paul McBeth | -1 | 1 |
| 3 | Ricky Wysocki | -1 | 2 |
| 4 | Karl Johan Nybo | +5 | 9 |
| 5 | Cam Todd | +2 | 7 |
| 6 | Nate Doss | - | 6 |
| 7 | Philo Brathwaite | -2 | 5 |
| 8 | Eagle McMahon | -4 | 4 |
| 9 | Nate Sexton | -1 | 8 |
| 10 | Jeremy Koling | +2 | 12 |
| 11 | Paul Ulibarri | -1 | 10 |
| 12 | Jared Roan | +6 | 18 |
| 13 | Seppo Paju | - | |
| 14 | - | 14 | |
| 15 | Nikko Locastro | -4 | 11 |
| 16 | Bradley Williams | - | |
| 17 | Will Schusterick | -4 | 13 |
| 18 | Devan Owens | -3 | 15 |
| 19 | Zach Melton | -3 | 16 |
| 20 | Zackeriath Johnson | - | |
1. The German phenom has beat the world champion two out of the last three weeks. Now, Simon Lizotte will take a European vacation before coming back to the U.S. for Worlds.
2. News flash: There is nothing wrong with Paul McBeth. If anything, he’s forced others to elevate their games.
3. Disc golf is a cruel mistress, as Ricky Wysocki drops a slot despite winning in Kansas City.
4. Dear Innova, please fund a K.J. Nybo U.S. Tour. We’ll be there to cover it.
5. Is Cam Todd the best story in disc golf right now? And who is going to step up and offer him a sponsorship deal? He gets the nod here over Doss due to two weeks in a row of solid play.
6. It took him a bit to shake off the rust, but Nate Doss got hotter as the weekend wore on at the KCWO and now heads home for the Masters Cup.
7. Take away the La Mirada Open, and Philo Brathwaite hasn’t managed worst than seventh place at any event this year.
8. We took a little heat for letting Eagle McMahon fly so high in our rankings last week. He came back to earth a bit in Kansas City.
9. If Nate Sexton comes out to the Masters Cup in his Battle of the Eras video garb, we guarantee him a spot in the top 5 based on principle alone.
10. An sixth place finish at the KCWO helps Jeremy Koling crack the Top-10.
11. Paul Ulibarri just epitomizes steady. We’d love to see him heat up a bit as the season keeps moving.
12. Jared Roan shot a scorching 50 in the KCWO’s final round to jump into 10th place and climb six spots on our board.
13. Admittedly, Seppo Paju should have been on last week’s Power Rankings. He came out strong at the Konopiště Open and continues to play well on the EuroTour.
14. No play, no change for Matt Orum this week.
15. Nikko Locastro has either started on fire or finished on fire in most of this season’s big events. He just needs to keep it burning for a full tournament now.
16. After being on the bubble last week, Bradley Williams‘ 11th place finish in Kansas City gets him on the list. We’re looking forward to seing how he fares at this summer’s Disc Golf Pro Tour.
17. National Tour finishes for Will Schusterick this season: 16th place, 31st place, 28th place.
18. This ranking has less to do with Devan Owens and more to do with those who played this weekend.
19. Zach Melton dug himself too big of a hole too early in KC.
20. Welcome to the board, Zackeriath Johnson. You’ve earned it.
On the Bubble: Alex Geisinger, Miles Seaborn, Steve Rico, Steve Brinster, Cale Leiviska, Michael Johansen
FPO Power Rankings:
| Rank | Player | Change | Prior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dropped from rankings: Jessica Hill (10) | |||
| 1 | Catrina Allen | - | 1 |
| 2 | Paige Pierce | - | 2 |
| 3 | Valarie Jenkins | +2 | 5 |
| 4 | Jennifer Allen | - | 4 |
| 5 | Madison Walker | -2 | 3 |
| 6 | Des Reading | +1 | 7 |
| 7 | Sarah Hokom | -1 | 6 |
| 8 | - | 8 | |
| 9 | Paige Shue | - | |
| 10 | Hannah Leatherman | -1 | 9 |
1. Catrina Allen has now won 10 FPO tournaments in a row and hasn’t lost since September.
2. If Paige Pierce doesn’t take a 12 and build a snowman in the second round of the KCWO, she gives Allen a run for her money.
3. Valarie Jenkins celebrated her return to the National Tour and her 30th birthday with a strong showing in the Midwest this weekend.
4. Jennifer Allen is the female equivalent of K.J. Nybo, in that we don’t get to see her on tour enough.
5. We promise there is not an Ultiworld Disc Golf jinx, even if Madison Walker did get off to a horrid start after we featured her in our KCWO preview.
6. Des Reading gets a bump up the list even with a lower showing in Kansas City.
7. Here’s to a speedy recovery and a climb back up this list when Sarah Hokom returns to play.
8. We’ll get to see Jessica Weese come out of hibernation mode when she takes the tee at the Masters Cup in two weeks.
9. Another one off the bubble, Paige Bjerkaas has shown well in back-to-back NTs.
10. Per her PDGA page, we won’t see Hannah Leatherman on a brighter stage until August.
