May 13, 2022 by Patrick Aubyrn in Rankings with comments

Eleven tournament rounds in eighteen days is no small feat: preparing for two courses at the Dynamic Discs Open, the last of the three tournaments in this stretch, on a short week (only three days to travel and practice) and then battling gale force winds for 54 holes underscored the grind as the tour closed its first leg. So where do we stand heading into the west coast swing?

Well, the top six are virtually unchanged. On the heels of two masterful performances at the Jonesboro Open and the DDO, Kristin Tattar nabs the #1 spot for the first time this season. By unanimous decision, at that. It was a toss up between Catrina Allen and Paige Pierce for the #2 spot, but Allen edged out Pierce by the thinnest of margins. Unsurprisingly, these three have separated themselves from the pack and should be the favorites week-in and week-out. Along with Pierce at #3, Valerie Mandujano (#4), Missy Gannon (#5), and Kat Mertsch (#6) maintained their positions and clearly stand out as the best (and most consistent) of the challengers.

With the Europeans home for a bit, which players will capitalize on their absence? Hailey King (#7) is the most obvious answer, but Ohn Scoggins (#11, fresh off her W at Goat Hill) is always a threat, Ella Hansen (#9) is ready to air it out, Holyn Handley (#14) is ready to rebound after a lackluster performance in Emporia, and Maria Oliva (currently unranked) is primed for a reset in sunny California. I expect these five players to shake things up at the top of our docket heading into the USWDGC (beginning June 30).

Methodology: We combine an algorithmic objective ranking with subjective ballots…