Trek Disc Golf

The Play It Again Sports Jonesboro Open presented by Westside Discs is starting today, Friday, April 12, 2024 and will run through Sunday, April 14, 2024. Who needs the Master’s when you have Jonesboro at Disc Side of Heaven!? Coverage will be on Disc Golf Network starting at 9:00 am Central Time for the FPO Division and 3:00 pm Central Time for the MPO Division. And of course, you can find next day post-produced coverage on JomezPro on YouTube. On the FPO side, par is 66 and the course is a total of 8,792 feet. For MPO, par is 63 with a total distance of 9,775 feet.

Before getting into some of my thoughts, here is what the Disc Golf Pro Tour has posted about Jonesboro on the event website:

“The Championship Course at Disc Side of Heaven was designed to challenge the best of the best. Boasting astonishing elevation changes reaching up to 60 feet, expansive water features, and majestic 100-foot-wide old-growth oaks, this course stands as a compelling contender for the title of the finest track on the Pro Tour. Its layout presents a wealth of risk-reward opportunities, ensuring a thrilling experience for players. In 2024, Jonesboro welcomes back the Disc Golf Pro Tour and Tournament Director Brad Pietz and his crew are excited to host the best players in the world and share their little piece of Heaven. Last year, a grand total of 158 players, encompassing both MPO and FPO divisions, competed for a total purse of $78,660. Congratulations to your MPO Champion Calvin Heimburg and FPO Champion Kat Mertsch! Read more about last year’s edition of the Play It Again Sports Jonesboro Open.”

The big change at Jonesboro this year is the flow of the course. Specific holes have remained the the same, but the order in which they are being played is different. Plenty of professionals coming in from their practice rounds shared at the press conference that they like the changes and are enjoying the flow of the course. I personally, love watching Jonesboro. Its a long course, but requires a great amount of accuracy to be able to be successful here. Their are iconic holes in my brain, and plenty of holes that can change the course of a tournament. I anticipate this year to be similar to years past, with Sunday coming down to the very end in both divisions to determine a winner.

On the FPO side, Kat Mertsch finished in first last year at -22 after beating out Hailey King in a playoff. In 2023, there were a lot of familiar names in the top 10, only a few strokes off the top and I’m anticiapting a lot of those names pop up on the leaderboard again this weekend. The likes of Handley, Hansen, Tattar, Gannon, and Solonen are bound to be in play this year. Kat played consistent last year, limiting mistakes and playing at the top of her game. I don’t see that happening that again this year, and I like the top players in the DGPT standings currently to continue a push towards the top. Last year, two players stuck out to me leading the field in strokes gained tee to green, and that is Evalina Solonen and Missy Gannon. Both of them have been playing well to start the year, and I evinsion it continuing here. Give me Evalina in 3rd, Missy in 2nd, but to take it down, Kristin makes a comeback. She finished in 6th last year at -15, but I think this is her weekend. She wins the event with a -21.

For the MPO, things are fascinating. Calvin has won 3 of the last 4 Jonesboro Opens, including last year with a win at -31. He was in a close race with Eagle, before he fell into 2nd, tied with a slew of players like Isaac Robinson and Ben Callaway. Andrew Presnell, Kyle Klein, Corey Ellis, Bradley Williams, James Proctor, James Conrad, and Gannon Buhr were all in the Top 10. And then you have Ricky to think about, who has won this event 3 times since 2017. Similar to last year with Kat, I think Ben Callaway played super consistent and his best golf to make it to the top 3 and I don’t see that happening. It’s hard not to ride the hot hands to the wins in this event. Even when you look beyond the top 10 from last year, you find the players that are scorching to start the season not too far off. Barela and Antilla lurking and poised to make a move this year.

I love looking at strokes gained tee to green because I think it really shows off the advantage a player has, assuming they can cash their putts. Silas Schults, Corey Ellis, and Calvin were top 3 last year and I like one of those players to be back in the mix this year. Without throwing forehands, does Calvin have the ability to compete at the top? I know he will be close, but I just don’t see it being enough to get him there. I’ll take Corey Ellis to finish in 3rd here at Jonesboro. In second, I’ll take a gamble on a player who has under performed so far this year and that is Isaac Robinson. I think Isaac has it, but just has not put it together so far this year. Let this be the tournament to turn it around. But to win, I’ll take Gannon Buhr. He’s arguably the best player right now and his game translate everywhere. Give me Gannon at -31. Enjoy the disc golf!