The Preserve is fast-becoming one of the favorite tour stops of many pros. The beautiful landscape, manicured courses, and emphasis on fun as much as competition makes the event unique. Last weekend, Team Innova put on a solid performance in Minnesota; Calvin Heimburg earned yet another podium finish, Kat Mertsch tied for 4th, and Garrett Gurthie, Hailey King, and Jen Allen all placed in the top 10.
FPO in Top 10
Kat Mertsch
Kat Mertsch has become one of the most consistent players in the FPO. At last weekend’s Preserve Championship, she finished in a tie for 4th, her tenth top 10 finish so far this season. Kat led the field in C1X Putting and was 3rd in Scramble rate.
In the first round, Kat followed up a tough double bogey on Hole 8 with an incredible ace on Hole 9. Talk about a bounceback! She currently sits in 6th place of the DGPT Point Standings. This is Kat’s first season on the Innova Star Team and she has already more than proven that she belongs there.
Photo by DGPT
Hailey King
Just two weeks after her big win at the DDO, Hailey King is back in the top 10. She finished in a tie for 7th at last weekend’s Preserve Championship. Hailey was 2nd in the field in Parked percentage and 3rd in Strokes Gained Tee to Green. She now sits in eighth place of the Pro Tour Point Standings.
Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen has only finished outside of the top 10 at two DGPT events this year. At the 2023 Preserve Championship, Jen took 10th place. She was 2nd in the field in C2 Hits in Regulation. Even though Jen has played fewer events this year than most of her competitors, her consistent strong finishes have her in qualifying position in the Points Standings.
MPO in Top 10
Calvin Heimburg
Photo by DGPT
Barely past the halfway mark of the season and Calvin Heimburg has just earned his tenth DGPT podium finish, tying for 2nd at the 2023 Preserve Championship. Calvin struggled heavily in the final round on the putting green, but his exceptional throwing kept him in contention. He led the field in C1 Hits in Regulation, C2 Hits in Regulation, and was 2nd in Fairway Hits. Though he only made 50% of his C1 putts in the final round, the rest of Calvin’s game was enough to keep him in 2nd place. Many touring pros can play their best and still land outside the top 10; Calvin struggled last weekend and still took 2nd place.
At the end of the season, the top eight Elite results from each player count towards their DGPT Point Standings. This was Calvin’s eighth Elite podium finish of the season, meaning he will have only 3rd place finishes or better counted to his point total from Elite Events.
Calvin remains well in the lead of the DGPT Point Standings. He is the number one player in the world in the UDisc rankings, PDGA rankings, and the Statmando rankings. Each weekend, the rest of the field views him as the player to beat. This year belongs to Calvin.
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Garrett Gurthie
Garrett Gurthie had his best finish so far in 2023, landing in a tie for 5th place. He was 3rd in the field in Parked percentage, earning many of his strokes on his competitors through tap-ins. GG parked an impressive 28% of the holes. He jumped five spots up the DGPT Point Standings into a qualifying position.
2023 PCS Open
The PCS Open presented by Innova is returning this year as the first ever Disc Golf Pro Tour Elite Event held outside of the United States. Innova is proud to be back as the event’s title sponsor for the second year in a row. The tournament will take place from July 13th – 15th in Vestnes, Norway at Øverås Diskgolfpark. Spectator passes are available through Eventbright and all three rounds will be aired live on the Disc Golf Network. Follow score updates during each round for all your favorite players on Udisclive. Look for tournament recaps, team news, and tips on Innovadiscs.com.
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