The Future of Disc Golf
Disc golf’s future is bright and healthy – At last week’s Junior World Championships, in Peoria, Illinois, that was clear. Hundreds of the best young disc golfers from around the globe competed for the most sought after accolade a Junior can earn. Team Innova’s Sylus Williams won a World Title in the MJ15 division, Genevieve Davis won a World Title in FJ10, Therese Cuevas took 2nd in FJ15, MJ Gager took 2nd in FJ12, Nathan Brewer and Isaac Crawford tied for 3rd in MJ10, and Tanner Grayum took 5th in MJ10. Congrats to all of Team Innova’s Junior Team athletes who competed!
Sylus Williams Wins Playoff to Earn Major Title (MJ15)
Sylus Williams has just joined a long, historic list of Team Innova World Champions. Despite air quality concerns, bad weather, round cancellations, and a whole lot of uncertainty throughout the week, Sylus was able to keep a good head on his shoulders. He shot the hot first, second, and fourth rounds in his division, all at nine under par. His week was highlighted by a -7 run on the final six holes of the fourth round. Despite Sylus’s excellent shooting, MJ15 was the closest division of the week. Sylus had to beat competitor Riven Tanner in a two hole playoff to secure the win. Props to Riven on a hard-fought battle.
Sylus Williams’ game has been improving rapidly over the past few years. Since 2021, his rating has increased over 75 points to 985. He has multiple podium finishes this season in the MPO division at local tournaments and won his first tournament in MPO last year. If he can continue to get better at this rate, by the time Sylus is an adult he could be one of the best in the game. Watch Out Calvin!
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Team Innova’s Newest Addition, Genevieve Davis, Becomes World Champ (FJ10)
Genevieve Davis has been on Team Innova for less than a month and she’s already brought home a World Title! Genevieve had a true breakthrough performance, shooting an exceptional 258 points above her player rating for the week. She looked in control from the first round through the last, ultimately winning the event by a 12 stroke margin. Genevieve also won the distance competition in her age group, crushing one to 205 feet – when it’s your week, it’s your week.
Though she is no stranger to winning (taking down eight events in ten starts) this is Genevieve’s biggest victory to date by far. In September, she will compete at the 2023 United States Women’s Disc Golf Championship in the FJ10 division. We hope her new World’s victory brings Genevieve confidence and makes her feel rewarded for the hard work she’s clearly been putting in. What an amazing first performance on Team Innova!
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Therese Cuevas Takes 2nd, Shoots Round of Her Career (FJ15)
Team Innova’s Therese Cuevas took 2nd place in the FJ15 division of the Junior World Championships. She shot an incredibly hot round on the second day at -7. That round was the highest rated of Therese’s career by 50 ratings points and was over 100 points above her current player rating. She averaged 55 points above her player rating for the event.
Therese Cuevas has an incredible win rate in her less than three year PDGA career. She has taken down 31 of the 45 events she has competed in. Among those wins is the 2022 United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships presented by Innova where Therese won in the FJ15 division. Therese proved in her second round last week that she can shoot elite level disc golf. Once those rounds start happening more consistently, she will be competitive at the biggest tournaments in the sport.
MJ Gager is Back on the World’s Podium (FJ12)
MJ Gager took 2nd place in the FJ12 division of the Junior World Championships for the second year in a row. She shot a staggering 71 points above her player rating for the week. She also shot over 50 ratings points better this year than she did last year. It is clear she has made major strides in her game in a short period of time.
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Junior Doubles World Champions Share the MJ10 Podium
Innova Teammates Nathan Brewer and Isaac Crawford tied for 3rd place in the MJ10 division of the Junior World Championships.
Nathan Brewer is a Junior Worlds veteran. In 2021, he became MJ08 World Champion and last year he made his debut in the MJ10 division. This year, Nathan finished eight places higher up the leaderboard than last year.
Isaac Crawford shot the hot final nine, at -4, to move himself onto the podium into a tie with Nathan. Isaac shot an impressive 73 points above his player rating for the event, averaging nearly 900-rated for the tournament. Nathan and Isaac also won the Junior World Championships Doubles competition in the MJ10 division, playing together as partners.
Tanner Grayum, the 2022 MJ08 World Champion, played fantastic golf at his first appearance in the MJ10 division. He took 5th place and averaged 80 points above his player rating, despite being one of the younger players in the field. Let’s go Tanner!
The Next Generation is Coming Up Fast
Disc golf has grown to the point where we have young athletes competing who were raised with a disc in their hands before they could walk. At last weekend’s Junior Worlds, we saw just how competitive the future of disc golf will be. When 12 year olds are throwing over 400 feet and 8 year olds are making smart decisions on the course, today’s top pros better keep one eye over their shoulders. The next generation will be more talented and well-rounded than ever.
