The 2023 DGPT Season Begins
After a long winter of waiting in anticipation, the 2023 Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) season is finally here. Team Innova is thrilled to start our year off with a big win. Star Team member Calvin Heimburg took first place at last weekend’s 2023 Las Vegas Challenge presented by Innova, the first DGPT Elite Series event of the year. Calvin fought back from a three stroke deficit in the final round, ultimately taking down runner-up, Kevin Jones, on hole 18.
We had five FPO players finish in the top 10, showing that Innova’s women are going to be a force in 2023. As the first event of the season, LVC is the first opportunity for players’ to show that they plan to bring their A-game this year. Last weekend, Team Innova made that statement loud and clear.
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Aggressive Game Plan Leads Vinny to Victory
After a slow start in round one, Calvin Heimburg strung together three scorching rounds of disc golf, recovering a 5 stroke deficit and jumping 23 spots up the leaderboard into first place. He played aggressively and confidently, earning his strokes with bold plays where others laid up.
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Calvin charged his way to the win on the final day, draining four C2 putts on the front nine. He refused to give the leaders any breathing room. Through all that fighting, Heimburg still went into the back nine down three strokes to Kevin Jones.
“You can’t really play conservatively and win events anymore” -Calvin Heimburg
Jones had a conservative game plan for the difficult, OB-laden back nine of the Innova Course at Wildhorse – and Calvin took advantage. Throwing daring, perfectly-executed lines where Jones laid up, Calvin forced a tie going into hole 18. Calvin threw first on 18, stuck the landing zone, shifted the pressure to Kevin Jones, and walked away the two-time LVC Champion.
Photo By DGPT
For the weekend, Calvin Heimburg led the field in Birdie Percentage, was 2nd in Fairway Hits, and 3rd in Strokes Gained Tee to Green. This was the first time Calvin recovered a 3 stroke deficit or more after any round and went on to win an Elite Series event. With this smoking hot start to the season, Calvin looks determined to show what he is made of in 2023.
Hats off to Kevin Jones, who finished in second place at the 2023 LVC. He competed at a level any player would be proud of.
Innova’s Women are Ready for 2023
For the FPO, Team Innova set the tone for a season of success to come. Five of our female players finished in the top ten. Henna Blomroos had better throwing stats than any other player in the FPO. She led the field in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, Parked Percentage, and C1 and C2 Hits in Regulation. Her unmatched throwing landed her in a tie for 4th place.
Photo by DGPT
Hailey King finished in 6th place. She shot a 1001 rated -7 in the third round and had 3 eagles for the event. Jessica Weese took 7th, finishing 4th in the field for Birdie Percentage on the weekend. Ohn Scoggins ended the event in 8th place, after a strong push on the final day. She started her round with a 66 foot putt for birdie. She went on to shoot a hot -8 on the front 9 to put herself back into the mix. Jennifer Allen finished in a tie for 9th, leading the FPO in Fairway Hits.
Catrina Allen won the 2023 Las Vegas Challenge presented by Innova. She led the event from start to finish, putting on a commanding performance that will keep all eyes on her in the events to come. Congratulations to Catrina.
Non-DGPT Divisions
Team Innova had strong showings in more than just the Pro, Open divisions. In MP50+, Brian Schweberger took first place and Robert Bainbridge finished close behind in second. In MP60+, Team Innova swept the podium! Kevin Couch took first place, Mitch McClellan took second, and Jim Oates finished in third. Finally, in the FA1 division, Junior Team member Therese Cuevas took third place. Congratulations to all our Team members who pulled out podium finishes at this competitive event.
As the DGPT season opener, the LVC acts as a tonesetter for the year to come. The level of competition is at an all time high and this year’s LVC showed it. With new names in the top ten for both the MPO and FPO, 2023 is set to be a year of tight finishes within an ever-widening field. From Vegas, the DGPT will head to Waco, Texas for the Waco Annual Charity Open from March 10-12. Check in at Innovadiscs.com to keep up with all the Team Innova news this 2023 season and subscribe to the Disc Golf Network to watch the full season’s tournament coverage for both MPO and FPO live.
Innova and the LVC
Since 2001, Innova has supported the Las Vegas Challenge. In 2023, we are proud to have once again been the event’s title sponsor. As the DGPT season opener, LVC carries a special weight. With the help of Innova, the Las Vegas Challenge has become one of the professional and esteemed tournaments in the sport. It is all the more special that Calvin took home this win for Team Innova given that the event already means so much to us. We hope to continue the fruitful relationship between Innova and the LVC for many years to come.
