Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2021/03/19/ultiworld-disc-golf-mpo-power-rankings-us-edition-march-19-2021/
Photo: DGPT
Two Elite Series events into the 2021 season and the top of the Power Rankings don’t look too different then they did prior to Las Vegas. Two different winners at the events, yet neither breaks into the top three.
A few of our 1050-rated players — Calvin Heimburg, Ricky Wysocki, Paul McBeth — have been as consistent as can be expected, but the rest of the division has been battling the ups and downs coming out of the offseason. Eagle McMahon looked commanding in Vegas and then stumbled for two rounds in Waco. Nikko Locastro won in dramatic fashion in Waco after sitting out prior tournaments due to a self-imposed hand injury.
With the return of the National Tour to a tough track at Dogwood, it’s hard to see how the next couple of weeks shake out. Much of the tour will also head to Arkansas after to another event we don’t have much data on with a full touring field. April may be a month where we see if some early season returns are legit, or if our top five is going to stay the same for a couple more months.
Note: while COVID travel restrictions remain in place, this list considers players based in America. We will break out an international top 10 once the season gets underway across the pond.
Methodology: We combine an algorithmic objective ranking with subjective ballots submitted by UWDG staff. 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. For the preseason ranking, staff and subscribers considered the following criteria: 1. the results from the most recent Elite Series events, the Jonesboro Open, the USDGC/WNC, and the DGPT Tour Championship, 2. the 2020 UWDG World Rankings, and 3. their super subjective vibes, gut feelings, and premonitions heading into the new season.
Full breakdowns for each player continue below.
1. Calvin Heimburg
Heimburg holds onto the top spot in our rankings with three top five finishes including two second place finishes at the All-Star event and in Las Vegas. Heimburg is the only player in MPO who has finished in the top five at every event, whereas many of his top-tier peers have been a bit all over the map. That said, Heimburg’s 2021 stats are a mixed bag. He especially wants to improve his circle two putting game. I expect to see those numbers revert to the Heimburgian mean, which is to say, top 10 across the board, as the season progresses.
2. Ricky Wysocki
Wysocki finished in fifth place at the Las Vegas Challenge, but he missed the top ten in WACO despite leading the tour in birdie percentage at 56%. Wysocki is also canning putts from inside the circle at an 89% clip, so what gives? Big numbers, that’s what gives. Wysocki carded two double bogeys and a triple bogey in the final round this past weekend. With the quality of play we’ve seen thus far, those lost strokes are going to kill you every time. In short, Wysocki is playing better than his finishes are indicating.
3. Paul McBeth
The at least ten-million-dollar-man stays in our top three thanks in large part to his win at The Memorial and because he is, in fact, Paul McBeth. Ninth in Las Vegas and fifth in Waco are definitely not the finishes that McBeth would want to start the season, but the man has earned a little slack. During his interview on The Upshot, McBeth said that his putt was feeling off, and the numbers back that up–he is hitting home on a mere 80% of his putts from inside the circle.
4. Eagle McMahon
McMahon started the season with an impressive eight stroke victory in Las Vegas but fell back to earth in Texas, placing 47th in Waco. McMahon threw two rounds rated in the 990s to open the tournament, but salvaged some dignity with an 8-under-par, 1049-rated round on Sunday. He stated on Instagram that he had been dealing with an upper back injury, here’s hoping that things will be sorted by Texas States.
5. Nikko Locastro
Two Elite Series wins in less than a year after going nearly a decade between big W’s has got to feel good. Nikko’s 2021 debut was one to remember, and vaults him from 12th on our big board into the top 5. In Waco, Nikko led the field in fairways hit, C1 and C2 in regulation, birdies, and C2 putting at 60%(!), which made up for his pedestrian 69% C1X conversion rate. Putt for show, do virtually everything else for dough?
6. Chris Dickerson
Dickerson is doing his thing, which is to say racking up W’s in the southeast and shredding on tour when he shows up. Dickerson took seventh at his first Elite Series tournament of the year, and we’ll be seeing plenty more of him as the season goes on.
7. Paul Ulibarri
The ageless wonder is off to a strong start in 2021. One has to wonder if the COVID-shortened 2020 was a blessing in disguise for Uli, giving his surgically repaired knee some extra time to heal. The Jomez commentator took second at the Memorial, his best showing ever at that tournament, and his first top ten on the track since 2016.
8. Garrett Gurthie
The Jerky Salesman and Disc Golfer Extraordinaire took fourth place in Vegas, 17th at the Memorial, and 25th in Waco. As is often the case, Gurthie’s putter has been holding him back. The man is third in parked percentage (24%) and circle 1 in regulation (56%) thusfar, but only converts 77% of his C1X putts and a woeful 9% from beyond 10 meters.
9. Ezra Aderhold
Aderhold seems to be a much more confident player in his sophomore campaign, and has become an instant fan favorite. He followed up his second place showing in Vegas with a less impressive 27th place finish in Waco, but it’s clear that the youngster has all the tools to become a top level player.
10. Cale Leiviska
Rounding out or top ten is the man himself, the pride of the land of ten thousand lakes, Cale Leiviska. For many newer fans, his second place showing in Waco was the most they’ve seen of Leiviska on coverage. Hopefully they got their fill of the smooth throwing righty, as he won’t be back at an Elite series event until the DDO later in the spring.
11. Kevin Jones
Fourth place at the All-Star event, Seventh in Vegas, and then 54th in Waco. So far 2021 is looking a lot like 2020 for Jones: a couple strong showings followed by an off weekend. Here’s hoping Mr. USA can find more consistency.
12. Jeremy Koling
Three top 20 finishes including an 11th at Memorial isn’t good enough to crack our top ten, but there’s something to be said for consistency.
13. James Conrad
If I told you that after two tournaments—Vegas and Waco—James Conrad finished 11th at one and 34th at the other, you’d probably assume he played better in Waco. You’d be wrong. Conrad looks to improve on a lackluster 2020 season and is probably still getting a feel for his new MVP plastic in the woods.
14. Chris Clemons
The lefty from KC took home seventh place in Waco, which is his best finish at an Elite Event since the tail end of 2019. Many, this writer included, expected 2020 to be a break-out season for Clemons, could it be 2021 instead?
15. Eric Oakley
Oakley usually finishes somewhere in the mid-teens, so here he is at number 15 on our list. Like Clemons, Oakley will be looking to recapture the magic of 2019 when he finished in the top 10 eight times at A Tiers or better.
16. Drew Gibson
Three top 10 finishes to kick off 2021 should probably land Gibson higher on our list, but his 29th place finish at Waco cost him some spots.
17. Kyle Klein
Four top tens including seventh at Waco and sixth at Memorial bode well for the youngster who is entering his second full season playing in the Open Division. Statistically he ranks in the middle of the pack but has avoided big numbers on the scorecard, with only one double bogey through seven UDisc rounds.
18. Adam Hammes
Hammes was the hot name coming out of the off-season for good reason, but so far 2021 has been a bit of a rollercoaster for the youngster from Wisconsin. If he can clean up his C1x putting and keep it on the fairway, his payoff should match the hype.
19. Philo Brathwaite
If Philo is playing, he’s on this list. I don’t make the rules.
2o. Andrew Presnell
Presnell spent most of 2020 tearing up his local scene, playing 32 tournaments and taking down 14. Now that he’s back on tour, expectations are higher. He started the season with a solid 14th place showing in Vegas, but fell back to 43rd in Waco.
21. Zackeriath Johnson
Johnson cashed at both Vegas and Waco, no small feat. His stats indicate that he needs to find more consistency off the tee and convert more C1X putts. In Waco, he ranked 4th in parked percentage and 7th in C1 in regulation, but 40th in C2 in regulation, 69th in fairways hit, and 92nd in C1X putting.
22. Bradley Williams
Williams doesn’t tour as much as we would like, and his podium finish at Waco was a good reminder of why that fact is such a tragedy. Plus, no looks smoother throwing a disc than Mr. Williams. Silky.
23. Emerson Keith
Keith missed the cash line in Vegas but bounced back in his home state, where he tied for 11th at the Waco Annual Charity Open. With the Open at Belton and the Texas State Championships coming up, look for Keith to put on a show à la 2019 Worlds.
24. Alex Russell
Russell has a full tour schedule on the calendar for 2021 which will give him plenty of opportunities to show that his 14th place finish at The Memorial is more the norm than his 29th place finishes in Vegas and Waco.
25. Matt Bell
Death, taxes, Matt Bell’s putter.