A Win and Two Podiums at the Innova Open
Team Innova had our strongest showing so far this season at last weekend’s Innova Open at Texas States. Calvin Heimburg took the win in MPO with a nearly unheard of margin of victory for the Disc Golf Pro Tour. Joel Freeman fought a heated battle through the final holes of the tournament to secure a tie for 2nd. And Ohn Scoggins landed her second podium of the year, showing why she is considered to be the best putter in the FPO.
The Innova Open at Texas States was played at a new venue this year. The players in both divisions loved the fair, yet challenging courses. We received overwhelming positive feedback from the athletes, volunteers, and spectators. On all counts, last weekend was a huge success for Innova.
View this post on Instagram
The Hottest Start in DGPT History
An Elite Series victory, a Silver Series victory, and 2 more DGPT podium finishes would be a fantastic season for any player; Calvin Heimburg has achieved those accolades in just four tournaments. He is yet to miss a podium in 2023, making for the hottest start through four events in DGPT history. This is shaping up to be the season of Vinny.
Photo by DGPT
Calvin dominated the 2023 Innova Open at Texas States, beating the field by a margin of six strokes. With the level of competition on Tour at an all time high, that is likely to be the widest margin of victory we see all year.
To achieve such a commanding win, Calvin had to be clean off the tee and clutch on the green. While in most tournaments the winner either out-drives the field or out-putts the field, at the 2023 Innova Open, Calvin Heimburg did both. He led the MPO in Strokes Gained Putting, took 2nd in C1 Putting percentage, and 3rd in C2 Putting percentage. He also took 2nd in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, 1st in C2 Hits in Regulation, 2nd in Fairway Hit percentage, and had the lowest OB rate in the field. Not surprisingly, he led in Birdie percentage as well. Every aspect of Calvin’s game was on point.
He had the hot round on the first two days and managed to shoot double-digits under par in all three rounds. His second round was a course-record-setting, 1086-rated, 13 under par that was full of highlights. In that round, Calvin sank an 81-footer, a 68-footer, and a crowd-pleasing, Vinny classic – a basketball-style putt from circle’s edge through thick rough.
Calvin has opened up a commanding lead in the 2023 DGPT Standings. He leads the field for the season in Birdie percentage, C2 Hits in Regulation, and Precise Power Index, a measure of accuracy at long distances. For years, Calvin Heimburg has been one of the highest-rated, most-consistent players in the field. This year, Vinny has found the X-factor as well, the confidence, hunger, and aggression needed to triumph.
Joel Freeman Fights to the Finish
Photo by DGPT
Innova’s latest addition to the Star Team, Joel Freeman, took 2nd place at the Innova Open at Texas States. This is Joel’s best finish so far this year. Joel led the field in C1 Hits in Regulation and tied Calvin for the lowest OB rate in the MPO.
Joel matched his competitor, Anthony Barela, stroke for stroke through the final 8 holes of the tournament to maintain a tie for 2nd. He birdied the final four holes, including sinking a C2 putt on the 18th green, to earn himself his first podium of 2023.
Teammate, Bradley Williams, led the Innova Open in C1 putting, missing only one putt inside the circle through all three rounds.
Ohn Scoggins Finds Her Putting Stroke
Ohn Scoggins took 3rd place at last weekend’s Innova Open at Texas States, her second podium finish of 2023. After an off-season of spending time with family in Laos, Ohn said she needed some time to settle back into her game. Finishing this event 1st in C1 Putting percentage and 2nd in Stroke Gained Putting, Ohn and her legendary putting stroke seem to be back. This year, her driving has been top of the field as well. Last weekend, she was 2nd in the field in Fairway Hit percentage.
Photo by DGPT
Ohn started her event with the hot round of the weekend at -8. She aced the second hole of the tournament with a beautiful skip shot using her Star Destroyer. That shot fuelled Ohn, who went on to shoot 9 more birdies in that round.
View this post on Instagram
Ohn Scoggins is currently the second highest rated disc golfer in the FPO at an impressive 976. She is the most-accomplished, consistent, and best-rated player who is yet to take down an Elite Series event. With the way she is playing so far in 2023, Ohn better clear a special spot in her trophy case for her big wins to come this season.
Jessica Weese with Sneakily Hot Start to 2023
Jessica Weese finished in a tie for 5th, continuing an impressive season. She led the field in C2 hits in regulation and was 3rd in Fairway Hits. Jessica has taken a top 10 spot at three of the four events so far in 2023. With her 5th place result last weekend, Jessica Weese moved into second pfslace of the DGPT Standings for the FPO.
Photo by DGPT
Kat Mertsch ended in a tie for 8th place, her second Top Ten of 2023. Kat led the field in Strokes Gained Putting as well as Parked percentage. She eagled the 465-foot, Par 4, Hole 12 in the second round. That was the only Eagle for the FPO all weekend except for Ohn’s ace.
Emily Beach finished in 10th place, her best finish thus far this season at a Disc Golf Pro Tour event.
A Successful New Addition to the DGPT
A huge amount of time and effort went into making the Innova Open at Texas States the first-class tournament that it was. Innova takes pride in making our sponsored events the best player and spectator experience possible. The Innova Open courses were widely loved by the players and the event ran smoothly for spectators and volunteers. It was one of the highest-rated fields in Silver Series history, with as many big name players as many Elite Series events.
Photo by DGPT
It is always special to see our Team members perform well at events that bear the name, “Innova.” Calvin Heimburg has now taken down both Innova sponsored events this season. What’s more, Calvin is on a four-event podium streak with no signs of slowing. The Disc Golf Pro Tour will return to Nasheville, TN from April 7-9 for the next event of the season, the Music City Open. Tune in to the Disc Golf Network to watch Calvin Heimburg and Team Innova work to keep our streak alive.
