Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2020/10/01/ultiworld-disc-golf-fpo-power-rankings-october-1-2020/
In our last mid-season edition of the 2020 Power Rankings, America’s top three players—Paige Pierce, Sarah Hokom, and Catrina Allen—retain their hold on the top three spots, but the young guns are lurking. The Green Mountain Championship and the MVP Open featured some thrilling final rounds, and we’re hoping for more of the same in Arkansas and the Carolinas. It’s fair to say that everyone is chasing the six-time DGPT winner and presumptive Player of the Year Paige Pierce at this point. She’s back to her winning ways, has never lost the Jonesboro Open, and has past competitive experience at the Winthrop Arena that is sure to give her an advantage between the ropes. But with three tournaments over three consecutive weekends, including the only Major of the year, the physical and mental toll will be grueling. It’s all about that grind, and it ain’t over ’til it’s over.
Methodology: We combine an algorithmic objective ranking with subjective ballots submitted by UWDG staff and subscribers. The algorithm uses a standardized scoring model to compare elite events, awards competition and cash bonuses, and features a decay function that gradually phases out past results. Staff and subscribers consider results from the past two months, prioritizing elite events in the U.S. and Europe. The most recent month receives priority over the previous month. Voters may consider other PDGA sanctioned events but observe the following hierarchy: Elite > A-tiers > B-tiers > C-tiers. For this edition of the Power Rankings, we prioritized the following tournaments:
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Let’s get to the results!
Power Rankings Top 10 are available to all Ultiworld Disc Golf readers. Want the entire top 25? You’ll have to be a subscriber.
1. Paige Pierce
Rating: 982
Last Month: 1st place – Green Mountain Championship, 1st place – MVP Open
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 1st place – The Memorial, Dynamic Discs Open, The Preserve Championship, Great Lakes Open, Green Mountain Championship, MVP Open
Paige Pierce suffered an acute case of the “what ifs” after her second place finish at the Ledgestone Insurance Open. There she averaged 960-rated golf over the first three rounds but capped her tournament off with a 1032-rated, 11-under par 50 in the final round. In the seven rounds since then, Pierce has averaged 999-rated golf and picked up two more Ws on the DGPT against stiff competition from Hailey King at the GMC and Sarah Hokom at the MVP Open. Winning handily like she did at the Dynamic Discs Open (10 strokes) and the Preserve Championship (13 strokes) is impressive, but winning back-to-back tournaments in the final round shows some real grit.
2. Sarah Hokom
Rating: 968
Last Month: 3rd place – Green Mountain Championship, 2nd place – MVP Open, 1st place – The Maine State Championships (A), 1st place – The Hollows Fall Classic (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 2nd place – Idlewild Open, MVP Open
Sarah Hokom is peaking at the right time. With three consecutive off-week wins and podium finishes at the last two DGPT tournaments, she’s in prime form to contend at the final three events. It’ll be especially interesting to see how Hokom fares at the Disc Side of Heaven course. The early days with MVP Disc Sports in 2019 were a bit bumpy and she finished in eighth place at the Jonesboro Open, but in ’17 and ’18 Hokom finished second and fourth, respectively. Comfort with her disc arsenal combined with her recent run of play should yield a better result this time around.
3. Catrina Allen
Rating: 966
Last Month: 3rd place – Green Mountain Championship, 4th place MVP Open, 2nd place – The Music City Open (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 1st place – The Ledgestone Insurance Open
In her last two DGPT tournaments, Catrina Allen turned in the type of solid top-5 finishes expected of her when she’s not winning. She looks more relaxed on the course lately, which bodes well for her heading into the Jonesboro Open and the Women’s National Championship. On paper, these courses are well-suited to her strengths, and if you follow Sara Sinclair on social media, you know that Allen’s been hitting the gym the way she likes to before a big event. Like Hokom, she’s in prime position to challenge Pierce heading into the final stretch of the season.
4. Hailey King
Rating: 949
Last Month: 2nd place – Green Mountain Championship, 4th place – MVP Open
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 2nd place – Green Mountain Championship
In the last edition of the Power Rankings I said, “Hailey King is flying a bit under the radar right now. She’s only played two of the five Elite Series DGPT events since the restart, but quietly notched top 5 finishes at both.” Under the radar no longer. If King had matched her tournament average for C1X putting in rounds 1-3 during the final round of the GMO, she likely would have walked away with the W in Vermont. No matter, she outclassed everyone but the best player in the world that weekend and has two more top 5 finishes in the ledger. If she can keep it on the dance floor in Arkansas and the Carolinas—fairway percentage is her weakest statistical category—I’ve got a feeling she could make another serious run at the top spot.
5. Heather Young
Rating: 948
Last Month: 6th place – Green Mountain Championship, 3rd place – MVP Open
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 3rd place – Ledgestone Insurance Open, MVP Open
It is a shame that we won’t see Heather Young in Jonesboro, it’s an attackable course that rewards a steady hand. She claimed the third podium spot at the MVP Open courtesy of a 1002-rated, 2-under par 59 in the final round, her first time cracking four digits on the ratings front. Though she only ranked sixth in the G.I.R. categories, her stellar putting and scrambling set her apart from the remainder of the field.
6. Missy Gannon
Rating: 949
Last Month: 6th place – Green Mountain Championship, 7th place – MVP Open, 1st place – Stafford Open (A), 2nd place – Hollows Fall Classic (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 2nd place – Dynamic Discs Open
Missy Gannon has averaged 952-rated golf over the past four tournaments, just north of her current player rating, but hasn’t really pushed her ceiling during that span. Of her last 13 rounds, her highest single-round ratings are 986 and 970. That said, the Disc Side of Heaven course is similar to the Emporia Country Club and Airborn Disc Golf Preserve, where she notched her best DGPT finishes this season. What’s the weather forecast in Joneboro? If it gets a bit breezy, Gannon has a distinct advantage on the green courtesy of her trusty spin putt.
7. Eveliina Salonen
Rating: 970
Last Month: 1st place – Nokia Open (C)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 1st place – Waco Annual Charity Open, Prodigy Disc Pro Tour – Turku, Prodigy Disc Pro Tour – Tampere, Prodigy Disc Pro Tour – Kuopio
It seems as though the season is over for Europe’s #1. Eveliina Salonen picked up her fifth win of the year at the beginning of September in Nokia, besting her buddy Henna Blomroos by six, and isn’t currently registered for any more tournaments.
8. Kristin Tattar
Rating: 971
Last Month: 1st place – Eesti Meistrivõistlused (B), 1st place – Pärnumaa Lahtised Meistrivõistlused Discgolfis (C)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 2nd place – Prodigy Disc Pro Tour – Turku, Prodigy Disc Pro Tour – Kuopio
Ditto Europe’s highest rated player. She won by 17 at the Eesti Meistrivõistlused over Anneli Tõugas and by 20 at the Pärnumaa Lahtised Meistrivõistlused Discgolfis. Neither was an Elite Series event, but dominance is dominance.
9. Henna Blomroos
Rating: 965
Last Month: 2nd place – Nokia Open (C)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 1st place – Prodigy Disc Pro Tour – Helsinki
Ditto Europe’s #3. The Henna-coaster rolled on in Nokia, where Blomroos recorded 948-, 869-, and 996-rated rounds. Her second round was the worst of the weekend in FPO and her third round was the best of the weekend. Without the stat sheet it’s hard to say what caused the second round slump, but it’s a recipe for disaster any time you fail to card a birdie and log a sextuple-bogey 10 in the same round.
10. Ellen Widboom
Rating: 940
Last Month: 1st place – Three Rivers Open (B), 1st place – The Hamilton County Open (B), 1st place – Jacksonville Open (A), 3rd place – Music City Open (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 1st place – Idlewild Open
Ellen Widboom just plays good golf. She eked out a playoff victory over Christine Jennings in Indiana after a spell of below average play in the final round, cruised to an eight-throw victory in her home state of Florida, and hopped on the podium against a solid 24-player field in Nashville this past weekend.
Top 25 continues below.
11. Jessica Weese
Rating: 945
Last Month: 5th place – Green Mountain Championship, 10th place – MVP Open, 2nd place – The Maine State Championships (A), 5th place – Music City Open (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 3rd place – Great Lakes Open
Jessica Weese was in the driver’s seat heading into the final round at the Maine State Championships with a three-stroke lead over Sarah Hokom but couldn’t quite seal the deal. The good news? Weese led the field in Parked Percentage, Circle 1 in Regulation, and Birdie Percentage. Those are good stats to build on as the remainder of the season plays out.
12. Lisa Fajkus
Rating: 942
Last Month: 6th place – MVP Open, 2nd place – Stafford Open (A), 7th place – Music City Open (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 6th place – MVP Open
942-rated Lisa Fajkus was the third highest rated woman in the field at the Music City Open and must be somewhat disappointed with a seventh place finish. She played every round below her rating and averaged 12 points below that mark. The long course in Jonesboro will put her stellar accuracy and scrambling to the test, but I think she’s more likely to make some noise in the Carolinas, where the courses set up better for players with less distance off the tee who rely on their short game.
13. Vanessa Van Dyken
Rating: 936
Last Month: 11th place – Green Mountain Championship, 8th place – MVP Open
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 7th place – Ledgestone Insurance Open
A pair of 896-rated rounds at Brewster Ridge kept Vanessa Van Dyken out of contention at the Green Mountain Championship. If she had played those rounds to her 966 average at Fox Run, she would have finished approximately 16 strokes better and challenged the top 5. VVD is seventh in Parked Percentage and sixth in C1 in Regulation despite ranking outside the top 10 in the other driving metrics, which suggests she’s been a bit scatter shot on her full pulls. Last year, she finished fifth at the Jonesboro Open and must be feeling the good vibes after cleaning up her woods play at the MVP Open.
14. Lykke Sandvik
Rating: 922
Last Month: 1st place – StovnerPutten 2020 (B)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 4th place – Prodigy Disc Pro Tour – Turku
Behind the scenes, Lykke Sandvik was my pick for 2020 breakout player of the year. She increased her rating by forty points in 2019 and signed with Prodigy Discs in the off-season. A CrossFit athlete when she’s not golfing, Sandvik obviously crushed her cross-training regimen in preparation for 2020. She planned to compete in the States twice, at least, then COVID struck. Back home in Norway, she’s averaged 937-rated golf since June (a bit out of the window we usually consider, but a nice stat for her) and recently won $1000 in Oslo at the StovnerPutten 2020, besting her competition by 27 strokes over three rounds.
15. Holly Finley
Rating: 937
Last Month: 12th place – Green Mountain Championship, 9th place – MVP Open, 3rd place – Stafford Open (A), 1st place – Music City Open (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 6th place – The Preserve Championship, Idlewild Open
Holly Finley picked up her first W and biggest tournament payout of the season last weekend in Nashville, beating Catrina Allen by two strokes. She averaged 973-rated golf for the weekend, 36 points higher than her current rating, wrapping the tournament with 994 and 987 showings. Based on her last four finishes, Finley is trending upward at the right time.
16. Valerie Mandujano
Rating: 955
Last Month: 1st place – Feather Frenzdemic (C), 1st place – Texas Women’s Championships (B)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 5th place – Ledgestone Insurance Open
After wrapping up her two-stop, DGPT road trip, the elder Mandujano picked up off-tour wins in my neck of the woods at The Canyons in Lockport, IL and back home at the Texas Women’s Championships. She has won eight consecutive B- and C-tiers since starting the year with a third place finish at the Lone Star Classic (B).
17. Callie McMorran
Rating: 933
Last Month: 1st place – Colorado State Disc Golf Championships, 6th place – Music City Open
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 6th place – The Memorial Championship
It’s difficult to get a bead on McMorran’s game of late because she hasn’t played on tour since the Ledgestone Insurance Open in August. A glance at her social suggests that she’s been alternating tournament play with running unsanctioned events and repping Innova hard. She played well in the desert to start the year, will that experience translate to the ropes course at Winthrop?
18. Rebecca Cox
Rating: 932
Last Month: 10th place – Green Mountain Championship, 11th place – MVP Open
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 5th place – Waco Annual Charity Open
In 2019, Rebecca Cox played 26 tournaments, all A-tiers or higher, with an average finish of sixth and only missed the top 10 four times. This year she’s played 12 tournaments with an average finish of tenth and missed the top 10 five times. Her UDisc Stats are virtually identical between the two seasons, which, to me, demonstrates the ever-increasing strength of field in FPO. Cox is comfortable at Disc Side of Heaven, finishing fourth last year and sixth in 2018. How she performs there in 2020 could be a harbinger for how we grade her season in retrospect.
19. Alexis Mandujano
Rating: 925
Last Month: 3rd place – Feather Frenzdemic (C), 2nd place – Texas Women’s Championships (B)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 9th place – Idlewild Open
The younger Mandujano came close to usurping her sister at the Texas Women’s Championships but fell two strokes short. That said, she still played eleven strokes better than third place finisher Emily Beach. Mandujano has averaged 952-rated golf over her past five rounds since coming off tour. She seems primed to nab a win at one of her last three tournaments, especially if big sister is off her game at any point.
20. Jennifer Allen
Rating: 951
Last Month: 1st place – The Shootout at Wilderness Ranch (C), 1st place – Arizona State Championships
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 2nd place – The Memorial Championship
Jen Allen’s spot in our rankings is a testament to her skill. She has only played two Elite Series events this year, but in those tournaments she reminded us why she is the eighth-highest rated woman in the world. After an abysmal first round at Sunset Hills in Peoria, Allen was tied for 30th place, but she fought back into a tie for 13th and only missed the top 10 by four strokes.
21. Emily Beach
Rating: 925
Last Month: 3rd place – Texas Women’s Championships
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 9th place – Ledgestone Insurance Open
Emily Beach is another one of the young guns to watch. Just into her third decade on the planet, the Oklahoma lefty planned to hit the road full time this year after moving home to save money and put in the field reps. Alas, COVID. She played to her average at the Texas Women’s Championships, where she finished third, but looks to crash the top 10 in Jonesboro like she did in Peoria earlier this summer.
22. Christine Jennings
Rating: 921
Last Month: 2nd place – Three Rivers Open (B), 2nd place – The Hamilton County Open (B), 2nd place – Seth Burton Memorial (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 13th place – Idlewild Open, Ledgestone Insurance Open
Did you know that the 2020 weekend warrior of the year, Christine Jennings, just achieved the highest player rating of her career? Apparently she’s also enrolled in school, working a day job, house hunting, and, oh yeah, Par Tee-ing with Hannah McBeth on their DGPT podcast. Jennings doing work!
23. Paige Shue
Rating: 944
Last Month: 15th place – Green Mountain Championship
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 3rd place – Dynamic Discs Open
Paige Shue’s first trip back to Smuggs since her triumphant World Championship didn’t go quite to plan. She finished eighteen strokes behind last cash and ranked last in scramble percentage. Shue isn’t currently registered for any more tournaments in 2020. Hopefully she gets some good R&R and enjoys some casual rounds with her hubby in lieu of touring. Of all the players I’ve spoken with in FPO, my interview with Shue is the most memorable, so I hope that she’s back to the grind in 2021.
24. Elaine King
Rating: 932
Last Month: 2nd place – Where World’s Woulda Been (B), 3rd place – Lake Lure Open (B), 1st place – Down East Players Cup (A)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 13th place – Ledgestone Insurance Open
What do Elaine King and I have in common? We are both Down East Players Cup champions! I learned to play the game in Greenville, NC and am glad to see the tournament is attracting some of the game’s top players and building its reputation. King is one of my favorite players to watch, and I would love to see her shred my original home course West Meadowbrook Park.
25. Ohn Scoggins
Rating: 947
Last Month: 1st place – Sky High Showdown (C), 1st place – High Sierra Cup (B), 1st place – Bailiff’s Wallet (B)
2020 Best Elite Series Finish: 13th place – Ledgestone Insurance Open
It always bums me out to see tournaments with a lone competitor in the FPO field, especially one of Ohn Scoggins’ pedigree. At the Bailiff’s Wallet there were 118 players across all divisions but only five women. I can’t help but view these numbers in light of the important discussions we’ve been having lately about gender equity in disc golf. The numbers disparity at this tournament is a reminder that we’re not doing enough to make women feel welcome, supported, and safe on the course. Kudos to Scoggins for balling despite playing in an unenviable situation.
Want to see how the voting shook out? See the complete voter tallies for FPO.