8 Players to Watch in 2019
WARNING: This article is almost entirely subjective. These are my opinions, even though my opinions are mostly fact based.
The professional disc golf scene is flooded with up and coming talent every single year. Year after year we witness a rise through the ranks by players like Anthony Barela, Calvin Heimburg, and more recently, Eagle McMahon. Introductions aren’t necessarily my strong suit so let’s get into these.
8: Legacy Discs’ Nick Newton is certainly a local favorite in Southern California but has been drastically improving since he turned pro in 2012. This last year Nick won 3 Open events and improved his rating from 998 to 1004; not a large jump but after watching his most recent performances, I think Nick is showing no signs of slowing down. Having played with him numerous times, I can say that Nick’s game is revolved around accuracy, touch, and putting; three things that most disc golfers can’t seem to master. What really sets him apart from others is his ability to weave effortlessly through the densest of forests and then subsequently unleash a drive 500'+ with no issue at all. Nick has established himself as a top woods player and as soon as he finds consistency in the open and on the putting green, we will see him on tour.
7: As I’ve previously mentioned in articles past, Innova’s Calvin Heimburg has been on the rise on a national level, let alone in Florida. Just this last year, he leapt up the ranks and is now the highest rated player in Florida (by 2 points over JohnE McCray). Calvin won an array of tournaments this year including several top three finishes at other sizable events. Calvin most notably took 3rd place at the MVP Open behind no others than James Conrad and Paul McBeth. Heimburg’s rating jumped 17 points over the course of the 2018 season and I believe that to be primarily attributed to his performances at wooded courses (like those of Throw Down the Mountain and MVP Open). These courses tend to boost players’ rating tremendously due to the poor play by some high rated players because let’s face it, sometimes the tree life just chooses you…EVERY. SINGLE. SHOT.
6: Latitude 64’s Emerson Keith left an absolute crater on the local circuit this year, winning a whopping 17 B/C Tiers. Despite his small size, Keith can throw as far as any of the touring pros and has thrived in both the woods and the open. He played 50 tournaments over the course of the 2018 season (the most by any PDGA member) and has really established himself as a contender at events of any size. He began his year hot, taking 9th at the Las Vegas Challenge and finished his year equally strongly, taking 14th at USDGC. I do not know if Keith plans on touring next year, but if he does, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him tear up the both the DGPT and NT circuits.
5: Kevin Jones has established himself on tour this year as one of the farthest throwers the game has to offer. He even won the Distance Competition at PDGA Pro Worlds to reaffirm this. He won four A Tiers and cashed at every tournament he played barring a singular one round C Tier. Jones jumped 25 rating points over the course of the 2018 season and finished impressively at Beaver State Fling, USDGC, GBO, and DGPT Championships finishing 3rd, 3rd, 5th and 5th, respectively. Many of Jones’ successes were found in the woods, proving him to be a ‘double threat’ so to speak. Obviously, Prodiscus USA went out of business so Jones is currently without a sponsor but I cannot see a bag change affecting Jones’ performance whatsoever.
4: Hailing from Rauma, Finland, Henna Blomroos has ascended through the professional women’s ranks at an almost parabolic rate. She began the 2018 season rated 929 and finished October with a 960 rating. She has defeated the likes of Pierce, Salonen, Allen, and Tattar numerous times, winning six A Tiers and taking 2nd place at Konopiste and Nokia. Henna also has several 1000 rated rounds this year and shows no signs of slowing down, with her best finishes coming in the latter half of the year.
3: Dynamic Disc’s AJ Risley has experienced more growth on tour than most other current touring professionals. Since beginning his professional disc golf career in 2013, Risley has jumped 47 rating points, averaging a growth of ~10 rating points per year. Having jumped exactly 10 points over the 2018 season, I suspect AJ will continue to exceed all expectations both off the tee and on the putting green. Risley finished this last year with top ten finishes at 9 A Tiers and one NT (GBO), while cashing at every event he played barring three: DGPT Idlewild, HOF Classic, and USDGC.
2: At the beginning of the year, not a single soul in the professional disc golf world had heard of Clint Calvin, now his name is echoing through the ears of US professionals and amateurs alike. Only a few months after picking up his first equipment sponsor Prodigy Disc, he won the USADGC and I, personally, couldn’t be less surprised. This past year alone, his rating has jumped 45 points and he currently sits at a comfortable 996. Clint displays great practice discipline and incredible composure on the course and I firmly believe we will see him on tour sooner than later.
1: This one will be fairly brief because Chris Dickerson needs no introduction and no justification for being on this list. For years now, Dickerson has been tearing up his local circuit. Dickerson has averaged 21 victories per year since the beginning of the 2016 season, more than any other current pro. Dickerson has repeatedly established his prowess in wooded play but proved at the DGPT Championship that he is no slouch at power play either. He has yet to join the PDGA Tour, but is a top 5 player in the world. Hopefully, we’ll see Chris Dickerson on tour sooner than later.