From the desk of Owl P. Jackson, Esq.

August 16, 2022 by Owl P. Jackson, Esq. in Opinion with comments

What a week in disc golf news! Paige Pierce releases her long-awaited Fierce documentary. Nikko’s suspension ruling is announced. The G.O.A.T. lays down a solid burn on Twitter. Halo Firebirds. And there, as the smoke clears—from the ashes of a disc golf news firestorm—rises a solitary water tower. These are the top 10 storylines of the 2022 Ledgestone Open.

1. Ricky three-peats

“State champs, white and blue; Yeah, I remember you.”

Through three-and-a-half rounds of disc golf, only a stroke or two separated the top of the field. It looked like it was going to go down to the wire for an exciting finish. Midway though the final round, however, Ricky caught fire while the rest of the card went stagnant. Six straight birdies and the tournament was essentially over. Ricky called it going into “blackout mode,” noting that you go in and out of it, so get the birdies while you can! Ricky’s win gives him three in-a-row at Ledgestone (2 ½ in-a-row if you’re annoying). More importantly, Ricky becomes the first MPO player to reach three Elite Series wins this season and finds himself on top of the DGPT standings. He still isn’t in perfect health and visibly showed signs of back pain during a few putts. But…if he keeps “blacking out,” it shouldn’t matter.

2. Missy Gannon’s late-season form

“You sure had a hell of a view from way up there.”

Is it the bigger paydays? Does it just take her a while to warm up? Whatever the reason, I believe we are reaching Missy’s time of the year. If you remember, Missy finished last season by winning the Throw Pink Championship (somehow still not a major, but feels bigger than some majors), the Pro Tour Championship (same), and the DGPT Player of the Year award. This season has been a little slower than some were expecting, but—as we’ve seen before from her—there is still plenty of season left. She looked great off the tee and on the putting green this weekend. Paige and Kristin hung around for a while and Ohn made a late push, but Missy was the best player in the field. She looks to repeat last year’s victory in Des Moines this coming weekend.

3. Getting your first Elite Series win

“I talked to you a million times; But I’m getting out of…