Get 'em while they're hot
July 26, 2016 by Steve Hill in Rankings with 0 comments
After the anarchy of our post-Vibram Open power rankings, some sanity returns to the list, as many top professional disc golfers were all in the same spot this weekend at the European Masters in Stockholm, Sweden.
The men, that is. With only two women taking part in the fourth Disc Golf World Tour event, the rankings got a little tricky on that side of the spectrum. Luckily, there were a few sanctioned events in the United States to tide us over.
That wasn’t the only hiccup in compiling this list, though. A knee injury dropped Simon Lizotte off the board entirely, and it’s still uncertain if he’ll heal in time for Worlds in two weeks. Will Schusterick struggled overseas to also disappear from the Top 20, and a new name from Finland emerged in his place after stringing together some strong tournaments.
Other than that it was pretty smooth sailing in ordering the rankings. Ricky Wysocki and Paul McBeth kept doing Ricky Wysocki and Paul McBeth things, while Nate Doss and Nate Sexton continued their campaign for name supremacy. Plus, there was a good amount of hair action this week, and a young gun made a big move. Without further ado…
MPO Power Rankings:
| Rank | Player | Change | Prior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dropped from rankings: Simon Lizotte (4), Will Schusterick (12), Jared Roan (20) | |||
| 1 | Ricky Wysocki | - | 1 |
| 2 | Paul McBeth | - | 2 |
| 3 | Nate Doss | +3 | 6 |
| 4 | Nate Sexton | -1 | 3 |
| 5 | Eagle McMahon | +11 | 16 |
| 6 | Paul Ulibarri | +8 | 14 |
| 7 | Devan Owens | +4 | 11 |
| 8 | Philo Brathwaite | +5 | 13 |
| 9 | Karl Johan Nybo | -2 | 7 |
| 10 | Bradley Williams | -5 | 5 |
| 11 | Matt Dollar | - | |
| 12 | Jeremy Koling | +3 | 15 |
| 13 | Nikko Locastro | +5 | 18 |
| 14 | Alex Geisinger | +3 | 17 |
| 15 | Michael Johansen | -7 | 8 |
| 16 | Cale Leiviska | -7 | 9 |
| 17 | Leo Piironen | - | |
| 18 | Gregg Barsby | +1 | 19 |
| 19 | Drew Gibson | -9 | 10 |
| 20 | Zach Melton | - | |
1. With three straight wins, including a nail-biter at the European Masters, Ricky Wysocki continues to be Mr. Momentum.
2. It took a couple rounds for Paul McBeth to knock off his post-Vibram Open rust, but he was on fire to close out in Sweden. He’s rediscovering his form just in time for Worlds.
3. In the battle of the Nates – they tied for 6th at Järva – we give Nate Doss the nod for his prior 2nd place finish at the A-Tier Silver Cup to Sexton’s win at the B-Tier Fire in the Sky.
4. That said, Nate Sexton would have a solid argument for remaining in third place.
5. Eagle McMahon followed up a 6th place Silver Cup finish in which he nearly broke the Rollin’ Ridge course record with a 3rd place European Masters showing where he did break the course record. Reminder: He’s only 18.
6. Paul Ulibarri rides the power of the man bun back up the charts after a successful Eurotrip.
7. Devan Owens is quietly having a tremendous season. It’ll be interesting to see if he can parlay his recent success into a top Worlds performance on courses that suit his style.
8. With a history of starting seasons hot but faltering as the year wears on, Philo Brathwaite is looking to break that trend as the mercury gets higher. A 2nd place finish at Fire in the Sky was a plus, but 14th at the European Masters was a step backward.
9. In the last set of rankings we opined that K.J. Nybo would likely fall out of the Top-1o in our next installment. He proved us wrong with another strong tournament on the shiny Disc Golf World Tour stage.
10. Bradley Williams slipped to 10th place tie at the Silver Cup, but rebounded with 4th and 1st place stateside finishes in lieu of heading overseas. He’ll be a threat to make some noise at Worlds.
11. For lack of a better pun, Matt Dollar has been money since hitting a Sportscenter ace at the Vibram Open. A 5th place tie at the Silver Cup and two consecutive wins after that bring him to the board in a big way.
12. Jeremy Koling struggled en route to a 14th place finish at the Estonian Open, then rolled that performance into a slow European Masters start before rebounding into 8th place.
13. Another slow starter in Sweden, Nikko Locastro’s bounce back only brought him to 14th place.
14. He hasn’t played since tying for 5th at the Silver Cup, but Alex Geisinger is a favorite at this weekend’s Majestic. He won the event last year.
15. Michael Johansen might have something to say about that whole “Geisinger is a favorite” line, though, as he carves the woods.
16. Same for Cale Leiviska, who’s basically playing in his backyard this weekend.
17. While talent evaluation in disc golf does not seem to work the way it does in other sports, credit to Discmania for unearthing young guns like Leo Piironen. The recently-crowned Finnish national champion also scored a Top-10 European Masters placement.
18. What are the odds Gregg Barsby and Ulibarri traded hair secrets while they were on the final round chase card in Sweden? You know Barsby at least mentioned something.
19. Drew Gibson cooled off at the Silver Cup and took 1st place and 4th place at lower-tiered events while his contemporaries were overseas. A strong Majestic performance could be a big confidence boost heading into Worlds.
20. Lefty + beard + decent European showings = welcome back, Zach Melton.
On the Bubble: Will Schusterick, Dustin Keegan, Zackeriath Johnson
FPO Power Rankings:
| Rank | Player | Change | Prior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dropped from rankings: Paige Shue (5), Des Reading (6), Melodie Bailey (9) | |||
| 1 | Catrina Allen | - | 1 |
| 2 | Sarah Hokom | +2 | 4 |
| 3 | Paige Pierce | -1 | 2 |
| 4 | Valarie Jenkins | -1 | 3 |
| 5 | Madison Walker | +2 | 7 |
| 6 | Lisa Fajkus | - | |
| 7 | Zoe Andyke | +1 | 8 |
| 8 | Ragna Bygde Lewis | - | |
| 9 | Eveliina Salonen | +1 | 10 |
| 10 | Lesli Todd | - | |
1. No Silver Cup for Catrina Allen, but she handled the Estonian Open with ease before taking 56th in Open at the European Masters.
2. Sarah Hokom’s return from injury has been impressive, highlighted by a come-from-behind Silver Cup win and an A-Tier victory over Paige Pierce.
3. Speaking of Paige Pierce, is she still a top favorite for Worlds? Or will her inconsistent season be too much to overcome?
4. Valarie Jenkins hasn’t played since her 2nd place Silver Cup finish.
5. Madison Walker, meanwhile, improved on her 5th place finish in Wisconsin with a 4th place showing at the A-Tier Titan Disc Golf Open last weekend.
6. Texas product Lisa Fajkus‘ last three events: 4th place, 1st place, 3rd place. She’ll be a name to watch at the Majestic.
7. Zoe Andyke took 2nd place at the B-Tier Eastwood Open after her 6th place Silver Cup finish.
8. Ragna Bygde Lewis jumps onto the board after taking 3rd place at the Estonian Open and finishing 83rd at the European Masters. While pregnant. Impressive.
9. Time for Prodigy Disc to fund some Eveliina Salonen trips to the U.S. after her Finnish National Championships victory.
10. Lesli Todd is back on the board after consecutive 7th and 6th place finishes.
On the bubble: Holly Finley, Paige Bjerkaas
