From the desk of Owl P. Jackson, Esq.

August 3, 2022 by Owl P. Jackson, Esq. in Opinion with comments

Down the hill, up the hill, and back down the hill we go! The 40th Great Lakes Open flew by as fast as its namesake, the toboggan. In its wake, we are left with new winners and old. So, hop on in and let’s go for a ride! These are the top 10 storylines of the 2022 Discraft Great Lakes Open.

1. Calvin Heimburg’s second win of the year

“I just love anything with an engine. That is one of my main loves.”

Since his win at Jonesboro, Calvin’s season has felt a little lackluster. It wasn’t because it was a bad season; it’s because we know how good Calvin can be. Interestingly enough, Jonesboro is probably the most similar course to the Toboggan, with its major elevation changes and long bomber fairways. Once again, Calvin got it done on the first hole of a playoff. Think about how this changes the way you feel about Calvin’s season as a whole. Calvin was nowhere to be seen in the Player of the Year conversation. Now he is one of only three players with multiple Elite Series wins (along with Simon and Ricky) and sits atop the Pro Tour standings.

2. Natalie Ryan’s first Elite Series victory

“I try to approach making movies in a way that it’s about the making of them and not the result of them, if that makes sense.”

Remember OTB Open? Paige Pierce was way ahead going into the final day to the point where it didn’t even seem like it would be worth watching. It was Natalie Ryan who almost chased her down from a 9-stroke deficit. In the end, she couldn’t get it done. This past weekend, it was Natalie Ryan who was in the driver’s seat on the final day. And she got it done. Natalie was excellent off the tee all weekend, with the Toboggan showcasing her elite power and distance. She took some time off recently to deal with mental struggles and came back stronger than ever. So, look for her to make a run at Worlds in Emporia. She took 11th at DDO earlier this season, but her game has been getting more polished each week.

3. Trans women in FPO

“People talk differently.”

Whenever Natalie Ryan is in contention, she dominates the conversation. All of a sudden, everyone is very concerned about trans women and their ability to play or not play in women’s divisions in sports. In the past, you could say, “well, it’s not like she is…