Missy Gannon took down the 2021 DGPT Championship and is the No. 6 seed in 2022. Photo: Kevin Huver / DGPT
There was no slowing down in 2022.
As the Disc Golf Pro Tour became the Official Pro Tour of the PDGA, the Elite Series rose to even greater heights (and will be even bigger) in 2022. Week-in and week-out, the action was intense and the finishes were often dramatic.
Simon Lizotte surges on championship sunday. Photo: Disc Golf Pro Tour
Maple Hill has several buildings on-site, including a house, a garage, and at least one barn.
Plus, the “sap house.”
If you’ve been to the grounds, or if you’ve ever watched coverage of the DGPT - MVP Open at Maple Hill, you’ve seen the sap house.
On the 18th hole, the sap house looms large. And on the final day of the tournament, you’ll see it ringed with people, especially on the deck that surrounds the second floor.
Cool conditions and a still-present breeze greeted most players at the opening tee box, but players began to find some comfort on the course.
In both divisions, the hottest rounds of the week came on Saturday.
FPO: Shuffling at the Top
Kristen Tattar and Paige Pierce started the day tied for the lead. Neither stayed there.
But both are close, along with the rest of the top nine.
All are within five throws of the leader, Natalie Ryan, whose hot round of 3-under paced the field on a chilly-but-beautiful Saturday in Massachusetts.
Raven Newsom managed Friday's cold front better than the rest. He leads the MPO field after one round at Maple Hill. Photo: Kevin Huver / DGPT
Sometimes, when the weather pushes out, there’s something behind it…
A cold front with a bad attitude, for example.
Shivering temperatures and, more notably, blustery winds greeted both player and patron at the DGPT - MVP Open at Maple Hill on Friday.
First, the FPO field ventured into its second circuit around the tree farm, with many players taking advantage of battery-powered hand warmers and any other helpful tech they could bring or borrow.
Kat Mertsch (-2) weathered the storm to lead after round one at Maple Hill. Photo: Kevin Huver / DGPT
And then, the rain came…
As the players and spectators ventured onto the iconic grounds of Maple Hill, the topic of conversation was not if the weather would move in… it was when.
A 100% chance of precipitation and potentially severe thunderstorms was in the forecast for much of the day, and the skies already hid the morning sun behind a gray mist.
But, the business of disc golf on the Disc Golf Pro Tour is to play, so each grouping threw over the familiar pond on the first hole and began round one of the DGPT - MVP Open at Maple Hill.
Welcome to the regular season finale of the 2022 Disc Golf Pro Tour.
Welcome to Maple Hill.
The final Elite Series event is set at the beloved and challenging track in Leicester, Massachusetts for the 2022 MVP Open at Maple Hill.
It's a limited field of 81 MPO and 44 FPO players for the last DGPT Playoff event where players are vying for positioning, and for some, a spot in the DGPT Championships in three weeks in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Adam Hammes and Catrina Allen return as the defending champions from 2021 and both are looking to close out their respective seasons on a high note.
Sunday for Ricky Wysocki started with a 72-foot par save in the pouring rain. It ended with a roaring run down 18 as the rain returned at Smugglers’ Notch.
Chris Dickerson, the defending champion who erased Wysocki’s lead to tie things up heading into the 72nd hole of the week, had just sailed his drive OB right to end his repeat bid.
