At Ledgestone, A Title Defense and Another First Time Winner

A
glimpse
of
the
future.

August
9,
2023
by


Kingsley
Flett
in

Analysis,

Recap
with
comments

It
was
Saturday
evening
in
Peoria,
Illinois,
and

Cole
Redalen
had
just
spent
four
and
half
hours
in
the
rain
and
mud
on
what
most
say
is
the
toughest
woods
course
on
the
tour.

Redalen
had
stretched
his
one-stroke
lead
in
round
two
to
four
strokes
over
the
chasing
pack
at
Northwood
Black
in
the
third
round
of
the
Discraft
Ledgestone
Open.
DGN
commentator
Nate
Perkins
asked
the
kind
of
filler
question
that
comes
at
the
end
of
many
interviews:
“Cole,
you
have
four
strokes
going
into
Eureka.
What
are
you
going
to
do
this
evening?”

“I’m
going
to
eat
some
chicken
and
rice
with
salsa
and
cheese
back
at
the
RV,”
the
18-year-old
Oregonian
said.
“Then
I’ll
probably
go
to
the
flymart
and
sell
some
frisbees
and
then
do
anything
else
I
would
do
preparing
for
a
tournament
round.” 
It
was
a
measured
and
specific
answer
that
seemed
like
a
reflection
of
the
way
Redalen
played
the
four
rounds
of
this
DGPT
Elite+
event.
Plan,
visualize,
and
execute:
that
seemed
to
be
the
theme
of
the
weekend
for
the
player
who,
in
this
era
of
young
MPO
phenoms,
just
staked
a
claim
for
the
title
of
“next
big
thing.”

Eureka
Lake
was
a
mirror
for
round
one,
with
the
warm
and
still
conditions
leaving
the
course
that
was
rated
eighth
most
difficult
on
the
2022
tour
open
to
some
low
scoring.
In
the
2022
event,
there
was
just
one
player
11-under-par
after
round
one
(Gannon
Buhr)
and
10th
place
was
5-under-par.
This
year,

Calvin
Heimburg
and
Ezra
Robinson
both
shot
12-under
par,
and
the
six
players
clustered
around
10th
place
all
shot
9-under-par.

The
MPO
tournament
then
moved
over
to
the
feared
Northwood
Black
course,
and
it
was
here
that
Redalen
made
his
move.
Starting
on
the
chase
card,
Redalen
had
a
slow
start:
birdie-less
on
the
first
three
holes
before
carding
a
bogey
on
the
par-4
hole
four.
Then,
on
hole
five,
where
his
cardmate
Simon
Lizotte
pulled
one
of
his
many
tricks
for
the
weekend
by
threading
a
forehand
through
the
trees
on
a
line
that
only
he
could
see
to
park
the
hole
for
a
birdie,
Redalen
combined
a
perfectly
placed
fairway
throw
with
a
bullseye
hit
for
a
birdie
of
his
own.

That
set
off
a
blistering
run,
where
Redalen
birdied
9
out
of
the
next
12
holes,
not
missing
a
fairway
off
the
tee
on
the
par
4s
and
5s
and
only
missing
the
green
twice
on
the
par
3s.

“Sometimes,
it
feels
like
something
takes
over
and
you
are
not
missing
a
shot,”
said
Redalen
after
the
round.
“It’s
hard
to
play
conservative
out
here.
You
have
to
hit
the
lines.
You
have
to
hit
the
fairways.
I
made
sure
I
was
committing
to
the
shots
that
would
keep
me
in
the
fairway.
It’s
important
to
throw
a
lot
of
hyzer
flips
out
here
because
as
soon
as
you
try
to
bring
the
disc
flat,
it’s
easy
to
yank
some
or
let
some
early
out.
The
hyzer
is
a
nice
consistent
release
—
for
my
game
at
least.”

Redalen
and
his
chase
cardmate
from
round
2,
Simon
Lizotte,
joined
Heimburg
and
Ezra
Robinson
on
the
lead
card
for
another
round
in
the
woods
at
Northwood.
The
heat
and
humidity
that
had
been
blanketing
Peoria
for
a
few
days
finally
broke
on
Friday
night
as
nearly
seven
inches
of
rain
fell
between
4am
and
10am,
downing
some
trees,
turning
the
fairways
at
Northwood
Park
muddy,
and
making
the
teepads
slick.
Moving
spectators
around
the
course
presented
an
added
challenge
to
the
treacherous
conditions
underfoot.
There
were
long
waits
for
holes
to
clear
and
the
round
turned
into
a
four
and
a
half
hour
marathon
for
most
groups.
The
same
pro
players,
playing
the
same
course
one
day
later,
averaged
4.7
more
strokes
per
round
and
the
bogey
percentage
increased
from
24%
to
36%.
It
seemed
that
everyone
who
fell
down
the
leaderboard,
like
Lizotte,
did
so
due
to
one
or
two
disaster
holes,
while
those
that
climbed,
like

Andrew
Marwede,
stayed
mostly
clean.

Redalen
was
surprised
to
have
cleared
out
to
a
four-stroke
lead
by
the
end
of
the
round.
“I
thought
it
would
take
a
5,
or
maybe
6-under
to
maintain
a
stroke
lead,”
he
said.
“To
have
four,
with
only
a
three-under
today,
is
mind
blowing
to
me.
It’s
one
thing
to
come
out
here
and
shoot
a
nine-under
like
I
did
yesterday.
But
it’s
another
thing
to
consistently
hit
those
same
shots
that
you
did
the
day
before.”

Take
Redalen
out
of
the
equation,
and
it
was
a
continuation
of
the
2023
MPO
DGPT
script,
with
multiple
contenders
swapping
between
lead
and
chase
cards,
all
an
eagle
or
double
bogey
away
from
triumph
or
disaster.
Between
rounds
three
and
four,
Redalen
had
completely
swapped
cardmates
on
the
top
grouping.
Joining
him
for
the
final
round
were
Ricky
Wysocki
and
Casey
White,
who
had
each
shot
five-under-par,
along
with
Andrew
Marwede,
who
put
together
a
four-under-par
for
the
round.

In
deftly
navigating
Northwood
Black’s
tight
fairways
and
mostly
avoiding
its
punishing
rough,
Redalen
executed
his
shots
with
a
smoothness
that
was
reminiscent
of
the
player
that
wunderkinds
like
him,
Gannon
Buhr,
Kyle
Klein,
Niklas
Anttila,
and
Anthony
Barela
are
looking
to
usurp.
That
Paul
McBeth-like
grace
isn’t
just
aesthetic
—
it
provides
balance,
consistency,
and
control
that
becomes
more
telling
in
tough
conditions
or
when
the
stakes
are
high.
Redalen
stayed
smooth
in
the
tough
conditions
of
round
three
and,
heading
into
championship
Sunday,
it
was
time
to
see
if
he
could
produce
when
the
stakes
were
high.

Any
doubts
that
the
occasion
might
prove
too
big
were
dispelled
in
the
first
couple
of
holes.
Redalen
took
an
aggressive
line
over
the
lake
on
hole
one
to
set
up
a
birdie.
He
then
threw
a
roller
on
hole
two
in
a
way
that
made
the
high
risk
shot
look
risk-free,
the
disc
flirting
with
the
lake’s
edge
on
the
left
side
before
finishing
in
prime
position
for
another
birdie.
This
was
the
second
of
his
eventual
eight
birdies
in
the
front
nine
that
had
him
eight
strokes
clear
of
his
card
and,
under
normal
circumstances,
would
have
seen
him
pulling
away
for
a
comfortable
win.

But
these
were
not
normal
circumstances.

Not
more
than
an
hour
into
the
round,
three
extremely
unlikely
events
occurred
in
a
space
of
two
minutes
and
forty
seconds.
On
hole
seven,
Andrew
Marwede
flicked
his
disc
275
feet
straight
into
the
back
of
the
bucket
for
an
ace,
barely
touching
a
chain.
Then,
a
distant
roar
wafted
over
from
hole
10
where
Calvin
Heimburg
threw
his
Eagle
on
a
perfect
flex
line
for
a
425-foot
ace.
Perhaps
even
less
likely
was
Calvin’s
pumped
up
show
of
emotion
after
the
disc
had
hit
low
center
chains
and
stuck,
complete
with
a
loud
whoop
and
high
fives
all
around.
Heimburg
has
shown
less
excitement
when
he’s
won
big
tournaments.
Crazy
times.

The
ace
brought
Vinny
to
within
two
strokes
of
Redalen,
although
he
was
three
holes
ahead
on
the
course.
Amazingly,
the
gap
wouldn’t
get
any
closer.
Any
outside
chance
that
Heimburg
might
have
had
to
chase
Redalen
down
faded
on
the
must-birdie
hole
15
when
he
left
his
drive
short.
By
the
time
Redalen
reached
the
same
tee,
he
was
ahead
by
four
with
four
holes
to
play
and
looking
safe.
He
took
that
lead
to
five
strokes
at
the
end
to
record
one
of
the
more
dominant
MPO
wins
seen
on
the
DGPT
this
year.
Redalen
had
equalled
the
course
record
on
both
courses
used
in
the
tournament.

Redalen
had
been
statesman-like
all
weekend
—
measured
and
calm,
taking
deep
breaths
on
each
tee
pad,
visualizing
each
shot
before
throwing
it,
and
giving
exact
and
detailed
responses
to
each
interviewer
at
the
beginning
and
end
of
each
round.
But
after
the
winning
putt
dropped
and
he
was
mobbed
by
some
friends
who
tried
to
chair
him
off
and
then
dropped
him,
he
was
briefly
an
18-year-old
kid
again.

By
the
time
he
spoke
with
DGN’s
Terry
Miller
after
the
round,
though,
he
was
back
to
speaking
like
he’d
been
rehearsing
for
this
moment
for
all
of
his
short
life.
His
message
after
the
round
was
an
ode
to
every
sports
parent
everywhere.

“I
love
you
Mom
and
Dad,”
he
said.
“I
know
you
are
at
home
watching
this
on
the
couch
right
now,
and
I
couldn’t
have
done
this
without
you
guys.
All
the
drives
to
tournaments
and
places
to
stay
and
support
when
basketball
didn’t
work
out
and
everything
that
happened
to
get
myself
on
tour
and
the
belief
in
me.
Thank
you.
You
guys
are
the
real
heroes
and
winners
today.”

It
wasn’t
just
Redalen’s
first
major
win,
it
was
his
first
significant
win
ever.
He’d
never
even
won
an
A-tier
event
prior
to
the
Ledgestone
victory.
It
is
clearly
not
going
to
be
his
last.

Missy
Doesn’t
Hide
from
the
Course

Missy
Gannon
has
been
in
the
picture
for
much
of
the
Disc
Golf
Pro
Tour
this
year,
making
6
podiums
out
of
16
DGPT
events
prior
to
the
Ledgestone.
She
came
to
Peoria
seeking
her
first
DGPT
win
of
the
year
and
to
defend
her
title
from
2022.
With
her
first
shot
of
the
tournament,
she
set
the
tone
for
the
next
four
days.

Gannon’s
tee
shot
on
Northwood
Black’s
hole
1
was
a
perfect
S-shaped
illustration
of
why
woods
golf
should
never
leave
the
tour.
The
shot
turned
to
follow
the
track
marking
the
center
of
the
fairway,
kept
turning
around
the
guardian
trees
to
the
right
of
the
basket,
before
fading
and
skipping
onto
the
wood
chips
in
the
bullseye
–
the
first
time
anyone
can
remember
an
FPO
player
driving
that
far
on
the
hole,
let
alone
parking
it.

“I
had
parked
it
in
practice,”
she
said
after
the
round.
“You
do
have
to
get
a
little
lucky.
There
is
obviously
the
main
gap
straight
down
the
middle,
but
I
couldn’t
throw
something
straight
enough
to
hit
that
main
gap.
I
know
I
had
to
hit
that
high
right
side
to
get
close
to
the
basket.
I
know
I
could
do
it,
and
it’s
just
about
playing
aggressive
and
trying
not
to
shy
away
from
the
course.”

The
birdie
was
the
first
of
two
with
which
Gannon
kicked
off
her
tournament,
and
she
kept
up
the
pressure
on
the
rest
of
the
field
for
round
one,
shooting
two
under
par
to
lead

Ella
Hansen
and
Sarah
Hokom
by
a
stroke.

“The
front
nine
felt
really
smooth
initially,”
Gannon
said
after
the
round.
“The
back
nine
felt
a
little
bit
more
of
a
roller
coaster.
I
had
to
scramble
pretty
hard
for
par
and
to
minimise
the
bogeys.”

The
FPO
field
shifted
to
Sunset
Hills
for
rounds
two
and
three
of
the
tournament,
and
it
was

Ohn
Scoggins
who
led
the
charge
in
round
two,
shooting
to
a
share
of
the
lead
with
Gannon
and
Hansen
with
an
eight-under-par
53
that
included
four
putts
from
the
edge
of
circle
two
and
beyond.

“I
haven’t
practiced
jump
putts
at
all
this
weekend,”
Scoggins
said
after
the
round.
“Somehow
it
worked
very
well.
Sometimes
when
you
don’t
practice
as
much
with
jump
puts
and
you
don’t
expect
as
much
from
yourself
you
make
more
than
you
think.
But
every
day
I
practice.
Even
when
I’m
real
tired,
I
just
think
like
it’s
a
real
job.
You
have
to
do
what
you
have
to
do.
If
you
want
to
play
good
disc
golf,
you
can’t
just
get
up
from
your
bed
and
play
good,
you
have
to
put
your
heart
and
soul
into
it.”

Scoggins
had
commented
that
moving
to
the
more
open
spaces
of
Sunset
Hills
felt
like
“getting
out
of
jail.”
There
have
been
a
few
critics
suggesting
that
the
FPO
dedicated
course
had
underestimated
the
strength
of
the
field
which
averaged
more
than
a
stroke
under
par
for
round
two.

“I
love
having
a
dedicated
course,”
said
Missy
Gannon.
“I
think
we
can
all
agree
on
that.
But
it
is
interesting
when
we
are
seeing
the
field
just
become
so
good.
But
at
the
same
time,
managing
a
course
that’s
somewhat
birdie
or
die
is
a
whole
skill
in
and
of
itself.
So,
I
think
that
there’s
still
a
lot
of
challenges
even
though
all
the
birdies
are
out
there.”

Just
like
with
the
MPO
field
on
Northwood
Black,
the
soaking
rain
made
all
the
difference
in
round
three,
the
field
shooting
nearly
five
strokes
worse
on
average
in
the
damp
and
slippery
conditions.
It
was
still
raining
heavily
in
the
early
holes,
but
it
was
here
that
Gannon
took
control,
staying
clean
and
shooting
a
five-under-par
56
to
go
into
Sunday
with
a
four
stroke
lead
over
Scoggins
and
Hansen.

Gannon
didn’t
shy
away
from
the
course
(in
her
words)
on
hole
one
of
round
three
when
her
approach
left
her
above
the
basket
on
circle’s
edge,
facing
a
putt
that
would
have
left
her
a
long
comebacker
should
she
miss.
“I
figured
if
I
got
as
low
and
as
level
with
the
basket
as
I
could,”
Gannon
said.
“I
figured
a
little
flick
of
the
wrist
and
let
it
ride.
I
was
ok
with
whatever
the
result
was
going
to
be,
but
my
focus
was
on
the
spot
that
I
wanted
to
hit.
It
was
a
good
one
to
drop
on
the
first
hole.”

The
FPO
field
moved
back
to
Northwood
Black
for
the
final
round.
Gannon
wasn’t
able
to
replicate
her
hole
1
park
job
from
the
first
round;
instead,
an
early
release
caught
a
tree
and
kicked
out
of
bounds
to
the
left.
Gannon’s
bogey
was
an
early
hiccup
before
Hansen
strung
three
birdies
together
to
close
the
lead
to
one
by
hole
4.
But
then
a
birdie
by
Gannon
on
hole-five
and
consecutive
bogeys
by
Hansen
on
holes
6
and
7
restored
the
gap.
Gannon
steadied
and
gradually
pulled
away
from
Scoggins
to
be
leading
by
six
strokes
with
two
to
play.
Her
nerveless
tee
shot
to
land
inside
the
bullseye
on
the
dangerous
hole
16
was
another
example
of
Gannon’s
controlled
aggression
throughout
the
weekend.

“I
never
thought
I’d
be
a
back-to-back
champion,”
Gannon
said
in
her
post-win
interview.
“I
mean
it’s
just
so
hard
to
do
now.
But
I
felt
like
this
was
the
chance
to
do
it.
These
are
the
courses
that
I
play
so
well
on.
I
feel
so
comfortable
here.
Sometimes
courses
just
suit
your
game
and
your
shot
shapes.
I
knew
I
played
the
back
nine
here
better
than
the
front
nine,
so
I
told
myself
to
stay
patient
and
trust
my
process.”

The
DGPT
is
now
hitting
the
busiest
part
of
the
year
with
the
LWS
Open
at
Idlewild,
the
Great
Lakes
Open,
the
World
Championships,
and
the
MVP
Open
all
coming
up
in
the
next
six
weeks.
Buckle
up
disc
golf
fans:
this
is
the
time
of
year
that
some
big
questions
get
answered.

Can
anyone
take
Tattar’s
crown
at
the
big
tournaments
down
the
stretch,
or
could
she
complete
the
Grand
Slam?
Will
Paul
McBeth
be
able
to
defend
his
World
title,
or
will
2023
continue
to
throw
up
surprise
winners?
Which
MPO
player
will
walk
away
from
2023
as
the
#1
player
in
the
world?
Stay
tuned.

Original source