Ultiworld Disc Golf FPO Power Rankings [August 6, 2020]

The first updated rankings since March

August 6, 2020 by Christopher Wiklund and Patrick Aubyrn in Rankings with 0 comments

Welcome to the Ultiworld Disc Golf 2020 Power Rankings! Our rankings offer a fun alternative to the PDGA World Rankings and player ratings. Those metrics take a long view of the field, ours relies on the “hot take.”

Here’s how we rank our Top 25.

First, we use an algorithm to create an objective ballot. This formula combines standardized scores across Elite Series tournaments, multipliers for depth of field and tournament purse, and a decay function that emphasizes recent performance.

Next, the Ultiworld Disc Golf staff cast top 10 ballots. Our goal is to marry the “eye test” with cold hard stats.

Finally, we added a popular vote for 2020, which gives our subscribers a chance to cast ballots alongside the staff.

Staff and subscribers only consider results within the past two months. They prioritize performance at Elite Series events but may consider regional tournaments as well. Because our human voters only rank the top 10, the objective ballot covers the lower half of the rankings. The objective ballot, on the other hand, has slightly greater historical reach than the former because it only considers Elite Series events.

Let’s get to the results!

Power Rankings Top 10 are available to all Ultiworld Disc Golf readers. Want the entire top 25? You’ll have to be a subscriber.

1. Paige Pierce

Rating: 988

Last Month: 1st place – Dynamic Discs Open (DGPT), The Preserve Championship (DGPT), Discraft Great Lakes Open, 5th Place- The Silver Cup (DGPT Silver Series)

2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 1st place – The Memorial, Dynamic Discs Open, The Preserve, DGLO

Paige Pierce has been dominant all season, she’s the best player in the FPO field and it isn’t particularly close. She is in the top five of every major UDisc Live statistical category except for C1x putting, where she is in sixth at 77%. Her only stumble this season came in WACO where she finished in 13th. The only reason Pierce wouldn’t be the favorite to win everything she enters this season is injury, or if the European contingency is able to make it state-side this season.

2. Catrina Allen

Rating: 965

Last Month: 3rd  place, Dynamic Discs Open (DGPT), 2nd Place- The Preserve Open (DGPT). 6th Place- Discraft Great Lakes Open (DGPT), 2nd Place- River City Open (A Tier).

2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 2nd Place- The Preserve Open (DGPT)

Catrina Allen is the second best player on tour. She is an elite, generational talent from tee to green, but sadly, once she gets to the green, things get ugly. Allen has not finished outside of the top 10 since the 2018 GBO. Allen is only hitting 49% from inside 10 meters, good for 31st of all qualifying FPO players.

3. Missy Gannon

Rating: 949

Last Month: 2nd place – Dynamic Discs Open (DGPT), The Preserve Championship (DGPT). Silver Cup (DGPT Silver Series), 8th Place- DGLO (DGPT)

2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 2nd place – Dynamic Discs Open (DGPT), The Preserve Championship (DGPT). Silver Cup (DGPT Silver Series)

Missy Gannon has without question been the breakout player of 2020. She doesn’t play a super flashy brand of golf, but her strategy of “hit the fairway and make putts” is a time tested and super effective strategy. Her 78% rate from C1X would be the envy of many players in both open divisions.

4. Sarah Hokom

Rating: 975

Last Month: 4th Place- The Preserve Championship (DGPT), 6th Place- Silver Cup (DGPT Silver Series), 3rd Place- DGLO

2020 Best Elite Series Finish- 3rd Place- DGLO

Sarah Hokom is doing a good job shaking off a lackluster 2019. The ascendancy of the European players and Gannon may have distracted people from how good, and how consistently good Hokom is at disc golf. She hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 since 2014, which is bonkers, and a podium finish at DGLO should help remind people.

5. Eveliina Salonen

Rating: 971

Last Month: 1st Place- Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Helsinki, Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Turku, Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Tampere, Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Kuopio, 2nd Place- Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Helsinki

2020 Best Elite Series Finish- 1st Place- WACO (DGPT)

Salonen has been enjoying the home cooking in Finland, absolutely eating up the competition on the Prodigy Tour. It is unlikely that we’ll see Salonen come stateside this season, and that is our loss. Salonen was able to consistently challenge the top of the leaderboard at every type of course on tour.

6. Henna Blomroos

Rating: 971

Last Month: 1st Place- Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Helsinki, 3rd Place- Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Turku, 2nd Placce- Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Tampere, 4th Place- Prodigy Disc Tour 2020 Kuopio

2020 Best Elite Series Finish- 2nd Place- WACO (DGPT)

Blomroos hasn’t been dominating the Prodigy tour in quite the same way Salonen has, but she has been finding the podium more often than not. Blomroos made the podium in each of her three pre-Covid events state side. 

7. Hailey King

Rating: 941

Last Month: 2nd Place- Silver Cup (DGPT Silver Series), 5th Place- DGLO (DGPT)

2020 Best Elite Series Finish-  5th Place- DGLO (DGPT)

Hailey King is one of the most exciting young players in FPO. She isn’t going to blow the doors off the competition from the tee, but when she is approaching the basket she is efficient and accurate. King is seventh in birdie percentage (23%), scramble percentage (45%), and C1X putting (75%).  From Circle 2, though, King is hitting almost a quarter of her bids at 22%. As she continues to grow, and develop her game off the tee, she will be almost certainly become a truly elite player.

8. Jessica Weese

Rating: 945

Last Month: 1st Place- Seviren Lang Memorial, 11th Place- The Preserve Championship, 7th Place- Silver Cup (DGPT Silver Series), 3rd Place- DGLO

2020 Best Elite Series Finish- 3rd Place- DGLO

Weese missed cash at the Preserve but has put together a nice run of finishes since the re-start of the season, including a win at the Seviren Lang Memorial over Kona Panis, Courtney Cannon,  Christine Jennings, and Deann Carey. Weese is one of those players who is capable of showing up on any given weekend and taking the win, and it wouldn’t be totally surprising, but it would be kind of surprising. Does that make sense? She has 69 career wins, including a couple DGPT wins, and several state championships but seems to fly under the radar.

9. Kristin Tattar

Rating: 965

Last Month: 1st Place- EDGL Karikasari- Holstre-Polli #1 (C Tier), EDGL Jarvakandi #2 (C Tier), BDGC Alutaguse Open 2020 (A Tier), 2nd Place- Prodigy Disc Tour 2020- Turku (A Tier), Prodigy Disc Pro Tour- Kuopio (A Tier)

2020 Best Elite Series Finish- N/A

In all likelihood, the reigning US Women’s Champion will not have the opportunity to defend her title in 2020, which, as we’ve discussed, is a huge bummer. Instead, Tattar will have to make due battling it out in her native Estonia, and making occasional trips across the Gulf of Finland to lock horns with Salonen and Blomroos. Three wins on the season is nothing to sneeze at, and while she isn’t currently registered for any tournaments coming up, it would be surprising if she didn’t grow that total when 2020 is (mercifully, please) done with.

10. Kona Star Panis

Rating: 923

Last Month: 7th Place- Dynamic Discs Open (DGPT), 6th Place- The Preserve Championship (DGPT), 11th Place- Silver Cup (DGPT Silver Series), 2nd Place- Seviren Lang Memorial (A Tier), 9th Place- DGLO (DGPT)

2020 Best Elite Series Finish- 5th Place- WACO

In our anonymous players survey, Panis had the dubious honor of being the runaway “winner” of the “Most Overrated FPO Player” category. This season, so far, she looks like she is on track to show that her quality of play is catching up with her social media skills. Panis only has one finish outside of the top 10 this season, and has shown improvement  in almost every statistical category compared to last year.  Maybe next year, Panis’s peers will see her as “underrated.”

Top 25 continues below.