Major Victories, Plentiful Podiums, and New PDGA Records
With 31 Disc Golf Pro Tour and PDGA Major podiums, as well as 8 wins, Team Innova ‘ROC’ed the 2024 season. Eveliina Salonen brought home the most important title of them all, winning the 2024 PDGA Pro World Championship. Ohn Scoggins shot the highest FPO event rating in PDGA history. Calvin Heimburg secured two back-to-back wins on Tour. The Team earned 18 Age-Protected Major titles, had athletes cross historic milestones in terms of win count, and saw breakout performances from juniors and rookies.
Top Innova Storylines from 2024
Eveliina Salonen’s Best Season Yet
Eveliina Salonen led the charge for Team Innova in 2024, earning two Major titles, two DGPT victories, the Finnish National title, and six DGPT & Major podiums.
It all started at the Pro Tour season opener, the 2024 Chess.com Invitational, where Eveliina ended a 4-year win drought. She set a course record in the final round and overcame a two-stroke deficit, ultimately winning by a margin of 5.
From there, Eveliina didn’t look back. She won the second PDGA Major of her career at the 2024 Champions Cup, joined on the podium by teammates Henna Blomroos and Ohn Scoggins. Just weeks later, she earned a Pro Tour win overseas at the 2024 Copenhagen Open.
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At this point, Eveliina was already having the best season of her career, but she wasn’t finished yet. Eveliina rounded out her sensational year by achieving a goal she had since she was a little girl, winning the PDGA Pro World Championship.
Salonen Wins the 2024 PDGA Pro World Championship
In late August in Lynchburg Virginia, Innova Star Team Member Eveliina Salonen earned the title that secures her place as one of disc golf’s all-time greats. She won the 2024 PDGA Pro World Championship, after five rounds at two of the hardest courses we’ve seen. She became the first Finnish player to win Worlds, coming from a country that has one of the most enthusiastic, committed disc golf communities anywhere. Eveliina led the event Strokes Gained Tee to Green with a staggering 41.44 strokes gained. To put that into perspective, 2nd place in the same stat came in at 28.14.
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Scoggins Shoots Highest FPO Event Rating in PDGA History
Ohn Scoggins made disc golf history at the 2024 Open at Austin, setting the new record for the highest FPO event rating at a PDGA tournament. She won by 11 strokes, the largest margin of victory at an Elite event of the past three seasons. Ohn averaged 1029-rated through three rounds. Her -13 in the second round is tied for the 5th highest single round rating in FPO history at 1055. Pairing that with her 1042-rated final round means Ohn shot both of the highest-rated FPO rounds of the year in the same tournament.
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Already Ohn Top and Still Getting Better
Somehow Ohn is simultaneously a seasoned legend of the game and also keeps getting better with each passing season. With her win at the 2024 LWS Open, this became Ohn’s first year with multiple Elite victories. She also took 2nd place at the Champions Cup, 2nd at Throw Pink, and won the PDGA Masters Worlds in the FP40 division.
Vinny Goes Back to Back
Calvin Heimburg won the 2024 DDO in dominant fashion, making for his 5th year in a row winning at least one DGPT event. Just weeks later, at the very next event he played, Vinny kept the momentum rolling. He won the 2024 OTB Open, making for his third consecutive year with multiple wins in the same season. This year, Vinny had five podium finishes in addition to his wins. He reiterates his consistency on Tour again and again.
Shwebby Reaches 400 Wins
The winningest player in professional disc golf, Brian “Schwebby” Schweberger, made history earlier this year, becoming the first athlete to reach 400 PDGA Pro wins. For most top players, there is a moment or season that defines their career – a lights-out round, a big win, or a dominant year or two. To understand the scope of Schwebby’s achievement in the sport, you need to look at over two decades of consistent excellence. Brian has been playing a tournament almost every weekend for 25 years. In that time, he won nearly half and podiumed at 75% of the events he entered. Schwebby now sits at 422 wins, but if you’re reading this article even a few days after it was published, rest assured that the number has kept climbing.
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Innova’s FPO Has More Podium Finishes than Tournaments Played
Innova’s FPO Team is stacked – the proof is in the podiums. In 27 DGPT events and PDGA Majors (including the Throw Pink Women’s Disc Golf Championship), Innova’s women had 29 podiums and wins. That’s more than one podium per event. Throughout the season, we only missed the podium at one Major and two DGPT events.
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Breakout Performances from New Names
Team Innova had a few athletes who leveled up their game in 2024. Randon Latta earned the first DGPT podium of his career at the 2024 OTB Open. Sofia Donnecke burst onto the scene at the 2024 Portland Open, earning 3rd place in her rookie season. Anneli Tõugjas-Männiste took 3rd at the 2024 Krokhol Open in just her fourth-ever Pro Tour appearance. Joona Heinänen had his first Pro Tour podium at the European Disc Golf Festival. Rebecca Don won the USWDGC in FJ18 and then went on to win the Innova Rip, a DGPT Q-Series, in FPO. And disc golf veteran (but new to Innova) Väinö Mäkelä took 3rd at the Krokhol Open in just his 2nd event on the Team.
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2024 Disc Golf Pro Tour and PDGA Major Wins
| Tournament | Player | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Discs Open (MPO↓) | Calvin Heimburg | 1st |
| OTB Open | Calvin Heimburg | 1st |
| Chess.com Invitational (FPO↓) | Eveliina Salonen | 1st |
| Open at Austin | Ohn Scoggins | 1st |
| PDGA Champions Cup | Eveliina Salonen | 1st |
| Copenhagen Open | Eveliina Salonen | 1st |
| LWS Open | Ohn Scoggins | 1st |
| PDGA Pro World Championship | Eveliina Salonen | 1st |
2024 Disc Golf Pro Tour and PDGA Major Podiums
| Tournament | Player | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Open at Austin (MPO↓) | Calvin Heimburg | 3rd |
| Jonesboro Open | Calvin Heimburg | 2nd |
| OTB Open | Randon Latta | 3rd |
| Krokhol Open | Väinö Mäkelä | 3rd |
| European Disc Golf Festival | Joona Heinänen | 3rd |
| Ledgestone Open | Calvin Heimburg | 3rd |
| LWS Open | Calvin Heimburg | 2nd |
| USDGC | Calvin Heimburg | 2nd |
| Waco (FPO↓) | Ohn Scoggins | 2nd |
| USWDGC | Eveliina Salonen | 2nd |
| Texas States | Ohn Scoggins | 3rd |
| Jonesboro Open | Eveliina Salonen | 3rd |
| Music City Open | Henna Blomroos | 3rd |
| Champions Cup | Ohn Scoggins | 2nd |
| Champions Cup | Henna Blomroos | 2nd |
| Dynamic Discs Open | Hailey King | 2nd |
| OTB Open | Kat Mertsch | 2nd |
| Portland Open | Sofia Donnecke | 3rd |
| Beaver State Fling | Ohn Scoggins | 2nd |
| Turku Open | Eveliina Salonen | 2nd |
| Turku Open | Henna Blomroos | 3rd |
| Swedish Open | Henna Blomroos | 2nd |
| Krokhol Open | Anneli Tõugjas-Männiste | 3rd |
| European Disc Golf Festival | Eveliina Salonen | 2nd |
| Ledgestone Open | Hailey King | 2nd |
| PDGA Pro World Championship | Kat Mertsch | 2nd |
| DGLO | Eveliina Salonen | 2nd |
| GMC | Ohn Scoggins | 3rd |
| MVP Open | Ohn Scoggins | 3rd |
| TPWDGC | Ohn Scoggins | 2nd |
| TPWDGC | Eveliina Salonen | 3rd |
2024 DGPT World Stats Leaders
These results are determined by the average statistics for each athlete across all DGPT and PDGA Major events in 2024 in which the athlete competed (Excluding USDGC & TPWDGC)
- Ohn Scoggins led Scramble rate, C2x Putting, and OB rate
- Henna Blomroos led Parked Percentage and C1 Hits in Regulation
- Eveliina Salonen led C2 Hits in Regulation
- Holly Finley led C1x Putting
- Calvin Heimburg led Parked Percentage
Masters and Juniors Major Titles
Earning a PDGA Major title in any division is a dream accomplishment. This season, 18 Innova Master and Junior athletes saw that dream become a reality.
Congratulations to Juliana Korver (FP50), Pam Reineke (FP60), Sandy Gast (FP65), Rebecca Don (FJ18), and Eva Lutsenko (FJ12) for winning their divisions at the 2024 United States Women’s Disc Golf Championship.
Congratulations to Joe Rovere (MP40), Ohn Scoggins (FP40), Juliana Korver (FP50), Kevin Babbit (MP55), Amy Schiller (FP60), and Pete May (MP80) for winning their divisions at the 2024 PDGA Masters World Championships.
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Congratulations to Therese Cuevas (FJ15), Taaniel Mehine (MJ12), Eva Lutsenko (FJ12), and Nikko Forbes (MJ10) for winning their divisions at the 2024 PDGA Junior World Championships.
And congratulations to Eric Rainey (MP60), Kathy Hardyman (FP60), and Pete May (MP80) for winning their divisions at the 2024 Tim Selinske Masters.
The Off-Season
The Pros may be taking time to rest, but Innova is ramping up for an off-season of content that will keep the discs flying all winter. Check Innovadiscs.com for articles to help you find new molds, refine your game, and stay informed on news in the sport. Visit our Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram for tips, In the Bags, and the latest announcements from Innova.
