A Sunday showdown is set.

April 17, 2022 by Cameron Guidry in News, Recap with comments

The 1050 club is representing well at W.R. Jackson this weekend, taking three of the four spots on the lead card through the wet conditions on Saturday. Ricky Wysocki, Calvin Heimburg, and Chris Dickerson entered the day at or near the top of the leaderboard and maintained their position heading into Sunday’s final round. Wysocki sits at 30-under, holding a one stroke lead over Heimburg and 2 strokes over Dickerson. Wysocki will look to win his third straight major in Appling after taking down the 2011 PDGA Championship and 2017 World Championship, both of which held rounds at WR Jackson.

What’s At Stake?

For Wysocki, this would be one of the strongest indicators for his case for best player in the world, after a POTY-quality season last year. He has not had a major win since 2017, and while his pedigree is as good as anyone not named Paul McBeth, a return to the top of the heap would be a career milestone and an important brick in building his legacy even stronger.

In the case of Heimburg, this would likely mark the moment when Heimburg’s prime really begins. To this point, it has felt like his DPGT wins have felt more like flashes, having not proven his mettle in the biggest moments, and his first major win would be momentum toward an illustrious career, as well as a fantastic way to dispel the notions that he has been playing down as of late.

Lastly, for Dickerson, another major championship would bump him more toward being a member of the capital-E Elite of his generation. At times, Dickerson can feel like he isn’t discussed in the same breath as Wysocki and McBeth, whether due to his lack of tour time or his low DGPT win totals, but Dickerson deserves to be discussed with the best of the late 2010s, and this win would help to ensure he won’t get left out again.

McBeth’s Chase for 17 Ends Early

With a 1-over Round 3, Paul McBeth fell firmly out of contention on Saturday, dropping to 29th and sitting back from the lead by double digit strokes. It was a frustrating day on top of a frustrating weekend for McBeth, where he missed lines off the tee by small margins, hinting at what could have been if the near misses had been tightened up. He’ll lick his wounds and prep for the next major, this time in the more friendly territory of Emporia at the World Championships.

The Matchup By The Numbers

Gap-Hitting at a Premium

By its very nature as a wooded course, W.R. Jackson is demanding accuracy off the tee. It makes sense to see two of the best gap-hitting throwers in the game right now — Heimburg and Dickerson — at the top of the leaderboard. Dickerson, in particular, was dialed in on Saturday, hitting 81% of fairways with high difficulty shots. His drive on 4 comes to mind as a special ability, and his strong all-around game may just make him the most dangerous in the field.

Babcock and Ellis Hang Around

While it may feel like a three horse race, it isn’t quite that cut and dry. At 26-under, both Gavin Babcock and Corey Ellis have an outside chance to take down a career-defining win. Babcock surged out of the gates with a -6 start, throwing down a bogey-free -11, while Ellis had a few more bumps in the road helped by previous rounds (-9 on Saturday, two bogeys).

Overheard

“I was up and down too much. I definitely threw it, point A to point B. If I got out of position, I scrambled and saved par. And I think that’s a great gameplan out here. I have the ability to be aggressive when I need to, and that’s in my backpocket if I need it. But I don’t really need to break my game plan as of right now — I’m really in control of my game and in control of the tournament.” – Ricky Wysocki on his third round

Statline

Paul McBeth’s 984 rated round is the 4th lowest rated round he has ever shot at a major championship, and his lowest since the 2011 European Open

— PDGA Stats (@PDGAStats) April 17, 2022

Round Three Highlights

Champions Cup Round Three Highlights

1. Cameron Guidry
   

   

   Cameron Guidry started playing disc golf in Norman, Oklahoma, as a way to pass the time until ultimate season came back. Little did he know he’d spend way too much time to be just OK in yet another disc-related sport. He lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, and is a social media manager by day and a journalism student by night. He is currently on the Liberty Disc Golf Team and plans to keep splitting his time between both disc sports.

TAGGED: PDGA MPO, Ccorey Ellis, Gavin Babcock

EVENTS: 2022 PDGA Champions Cup

PLAYERS: Austin Hannum, Calvin Heimburg, Chris Dickerson, Paul McBeth, Ricky Wysocki