March Madness came early

Normally, at this time of year, I'm spending hours in front of my computer, analyzing match-ups and plugging in numbers to my own formulas, measuring teams by their statistics. I'd be looking for one or two 12-seeds that could make a Cinderella run, trying to figure out how many 3/14 upsets I can get away with, and making sure I find that 2-seed poised for being knocked off by a 15. Last year was very disappointing, but understandable, having no NCAA Basketball Tournaments. This year, I doubt that I will put much time into many, if any, brackets. But we still got a little March Madness at Waco this past weekend.

Picking up where I left off 

I dare say that my words last week proved prophetic as I was searching for those fresh faces to root on, and go toe-to-toe with the established top players in disc golf. We got the usual suspects in the first round of coverage, both through the live DGN feed and the post-produced coverage from Jomez Pro and Gatekeeper Media.

When the winds died down after the first round, there were 2 new faces on the lead card heading into Saturday, Gavin Rathbun and 15-year-old Gannon Buhr. Gavin, on the radar but not on tour coverage to this point, would hold onto a top-4 spot to get another turn on the Jomez card. Gannon maintained with solid enough play to stay on camera with Gatekeeper Media's Chase Card coverage in the Final Round. Which brings me back to one of those up-and-comers that I mentioned in my last post, Raven Newsome (2020 MVP Open at Maple Hill), whose 56-57 earned him a spot on the Final Round Chase Card with Buhr, Heimberg and Wysocki. While I've never met Raven, I first learned his name from his exploits in the Copperhead V held in Apex, NC back in August of 2020.

Once bitten

Originally slated to take place in May in Fayetteville, NC, the Copperhead V found refuge in the Raleigh Metro area thanks to CADL (Capital Area Disc League) due to Covid-19 restrictions, finally making it's appearance in August. I had finished 4th in MA3 last year and hoped to make it a win this time. Moving to Middle Creek DGC changed things a bit, but I still had high hopes. Despite throwing one of the best shots of my life on the uphill 300-foot 18th and being the only player in my division to birdie the hole in either of the two rounds, I did not fare well. But this young man, Raven, was setting the course on fire.

Back-to-back 41s (1065-rated) for a 26-under in MPO, to the tune of a seven shot victory over Taylor Rafaleowski and fully doubling up Scott Conway. I mentioned those guys before too, and they're no slouches in the Carolina woods.

I started watching for his name. He held off Nathan Queen (recent Innova touring pro) in the two-round Airborne Invitational later in the year. In between the two, he was on a live DGN feature card at the MVP Open. His rating has consistently risen to the current 1016, up 17 points from a year ago, and he's only getting better. He even started the season with a win at the Victoria Open in Texas, followed by cashing in Vegas and the Memorial.

Wild and windy in Waco

Raven got his chance with two solid rounds, finding himself in a tie for 6th leading into Sunday's round, on the strength of 100% C1x putting. I believe there was only one other player that matched that stat. I blame Nate Sexton for jinxing him as he missed his birdie attempt from circle 1 on the first hole. Niced by Nate. I guess there are worse things to be.

A low drive and an unfortunate kick on 2 led to a bogey after the initial par. He torched his drive on 3, getting a huge flare to the left, putting him out of position for a run. Raven was smooth off the tee on 4, and gave a long bid a chance, but just drew cage as it slid left at the end of the flight. He was short on both a 5 and 6, converting the easy layup on the former and hitting a big putt on the latter.

He would get that elusive birdie on 7, then took advantage of a fortuitous gap behind 8 to secure another with a clutch putt. I won't spoil the rest of the coverage, but between the experienced pros, Ricky and Calvin, and the young guys, it's a very entertaining front 9. You'll have to watch the back 9 as well, since hole 10 is something really special.

 

Waco normally provides a special challenge, with the  winds along the Brazos River and wooded, technical sections of the course. Thia year featured some exciting play at the end, building on last year's tension in the final round, which was cut short  as Covid-19 infiltrated all of our daily lives. If you haven't watched the Jomez Pro Vlog for behind the scenes at Waco last year, that's a good one to go back and check as well.

Looking forward

Throw Down the Mountain in Florida is next on tap for Raven, followed by Texas States (where we'll get to see Dan Brooks-Wells again too.) He has a strong forehand, especially controlling the flex shot, and he has a beautiful putting stroke. He'll start to find his lines and seemed to have a solid finish after having some trouble off and on through the first 6 holes.

 

Every player have days where they're just a little off their game, but pros push through those and most times scramble to save no worse than par. Raven will get there. I'm looking forward to very rewarding season of up and coming players, like Raven, watching them throw those Flippin Discs.