Shocking News Shakes Up The Disc Golf Community

This Week In Disc Golf there was some breaking news that shocked the disc golf community, the first DGPT Europe event crowned a champion, more PDGA drama, and SO MUCH MORE only on the Disc Golf World

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#discgolf #discgolfing #pdga #dgpt #frisbee #disc #prodiscgolf #innovadisc #discraft #dynamicdiscs #discmania #discgolfprotour

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this weekend disc golf saw an uncharacteristic mid-season split from Prodigy by Kevin Jones anela impresses with a chase down for his second Elite Series Victory OD and rever dominate PDGA gets criticized for not following its own water guidelines and so much more what’s going on all you dis generates it’s swiss cheese with the disc golf world and if you don’t know by now it’s because of all the holes in my game the minivan Jefferson and I are on the road in Minnesota for the preserved Championship connected by Microsoft teams and I’m not going to lie it feels great to be back you’re watching this week in disc golf where I cover all things dis golf from the past week want to take a brief moment to thank you for taking the time to watch all of those of you who have subscribed and of course the dis generates who are on the patreon because of each and every one of you it allows us to do what we love make dis golf content for the masses with the latest kjj news and him announcing the split from Prodigy this last Monday as everyone’s head spinning as fast as a skateboarding 9-year-old hitting 900s like a Tony Hawk video game so let’s dive into possible causes for his departure and the word we’ve heard might just be a suspected landing spot as shocking as Kevin Jones departure just might be especially considering his leaving came Midway through his third year of a 4-year contract extension with Prodigy that he signed back in 2022 immediately bringing into question and speculation what exactly led to the split the sport has not been immune to players leaving their contracts early fans have seen Paige Pierce Ricky Waki Jake wolf this year and of course that lawsuit battle between Ganon and prod y just last season those instances the player was the beneficiary often leaving for better opportunities larger contracts and of course those touted helicopter rides yet with the silence surrounding the details of this move unlike what the sport has seen prior and it being in the middle of the season for most this split doesn’t feel the same one reason being most feel Kevin’s contract has to be far more player friendly than anything you could see in this difficult Market remember that extension came during the co boom in 2022 when the money was flowing and a little more than a year moved from his huge dgbt Championship win and a stellar 2020 season where he and his jump putt catapulted him to being one of the most popular stars on tour keep in mind that four-year extension came the same offseason that saw both Chris Dickerson and World Champion Katrina Allen leave Prodigy not only making Kevin the face of the brand along with all the promises that came with it marketing pushes like some of the other biggest Pros in the sport with his very own disc lineup something Prodigy had not done with any player prior oh it’s Poss I it’s difficult for most to believe this relationship deteriorated that quickly for KJ to walk from a remaining year to test the market without some major disagreements even with what looks like a new sponsorship deal already locked in and its announcement in the near future putting to rest him leaving the sport to DJ full-time but let’s not forget during this contract span it saw the meteoric rise of not one but two talents in the following two years in Ganon Bert and last season’s breakout Isaac Robinson possibly shifting Prodigy’s approach to the dis Golf Market completely proof enough was bur and Prodigy’s lawsuit in which Prodigy at one point was willing to go to court to force Ganon to finish out his contract in which their argument being genon was too valuable to the company to leave early instead of opting for a lame duck cash grab tough for the face of the Brandon KJ to hear after the ink of his contract just dried and only one year into his four-year extension only for Isaac Robinson the follow the next year with two majors and an upcoming free agency in the near future of his own Prodigy’s long history of player discourse over contract negotiations disc royalty disputes ndas or Prodigy simply shifting in another direction from established Talent so maybe KJ could have left like a number of Pros we’ve already seen drop Prodigy however with Isaac and Ezra Robinson on the roster and both of their recent successes on tour and them needing contract extensions themselves instead most feel with KJ’s recent struggles that Prodigy would be more inclined to create a larger cap space to allow for a larger and long-term offer to the Brothers there’s no way of sugarcoating KJ’s performance this season either which everyone seems to enjoy highlighting yet with a season where he’s only cracked the top 20 once thus far at MCO and worse him not cashing in the majority of the dgbt events he’s played bringing in question by some of his work ethic and dedication fans need to keep in mind that these contract disputes with Prodigy and the conversation over his possible departure while possibly negotiating with other manufacturers certainly takes its time to Iron out there’s no chance that this split being as amicably as it appears on paper did not take weeks if not months to negotiate and of course because of Prodigy with it possible ndas all this going on while playing in events and being on tour one has to believe all the noise and contract talks certainly could wear on a player’s mindset and who’s not to say it possibly affecting Kevin’s play with the rumored NDA we may never get the full details but with the departure now announced it has most fans concerned where exactly he lands which is what the community is debating on while waiting for the KJ announcement so let’s spend time breaking down the market what we have heard and seen while here at Clearwater for The Preserve the first tournament showcasing his new bag the market appears limited House of diss has to be content with their current lineup with large contracts tied with Mato Ricky Waki and Kristen tar at an offseason where the manufacturers under the house of dis Brands called a number of player contracts offers so a KJ move to them seems as likely as Kendrick ever stopped playing not like us on repeat MVP is too tied up with some of the largest contracts in the game to go after Kevin Jones that and ulie put down any disc craft talk already on the tour life and none believe Lone Star is in this race either and none believe Lone Star is in this race to land KJ after what some considered an embarrassing offseason where a number of players and staff left the company all the other smaller manufacturers are unable to afford the KJ contract after slow disc sales leaving us with the rumored favorites to acquire KJ’s talents fans are seemingly leaning towards a signing with an online manufacturer and OTB or infinite a popular landing spot for a number of Pros just this this past offseason with KJ having a smaller sponsorship with OTB already seems easier for them to extend a larger contract but also restricts his signing with infinite leaving only the largest manufacturer in the sport in Inova who could add behind heimberg in a list of veteran players unlike most in the market Innova certainly is not hurting for money and an offer to KJ has little to no risk that other manufacturers would have to face as it would be incentive Laden for the remainder of the season and possibly longer though there seems to be much debate online the word of mouth here in clear water is overwhelmingly Inova as nearly everyone we have spoken to here on the property and other players staff and fans definitely say Inova we were even told by a fan at the Skins event that KJ could be seen throwing team stamped Inova discs I can’t confirm as the only thing of note that I witnessed was KJ walking with his old Prodigy bag with the logo now taped up you take all this information as you may but with that much chatter has me believing when KJ does announce it will be with Inova B at 69 I just told myself you got to will this one in there whatever you have just will it in there this man unbelievable this is what athletes look for this is the moment this week also featured the second Elite Series event for the dgbt Europe up in the turu open which heading into the final day saw Estonia Mari vilman with a five-stroke lead on James Proctor and Nicholas anela and after the first eight holes nothing had changed as it would appear Mari would win his first Elite Series event only for Nicholas Lo to bury a mindbending 72t putt from the knee on his way to an insane finish that not only saw him chase down Mari but also separate in the end for his second Elite Series win he would go on to birdie eight of the back nine remaining holes which saw an additional highlight put from the knee again this one around guardians from 42 anela would finish the day 12 under for a 1081 rated round anela aside from looking like a family member of Team black and House of dragons has separated from the field and become the top European no player with this impressive chase down and the first European Elite Series win could also be building an even larger fan base here in the states rufos Ana’s impressive win was enough to at least slightly quiet the competition field chatter from fans that has been attached to these European tour stops thus far which is one of the largest talking points after the Copenhagen open which is something that we will just need to get accustomed to cuz with the possible continued growth of the dgpt Europe in the addition of the elite events they bring it could shift the sport more than just stats points and Records if these tour stops prize pools can be at least competitive when compared to stops in the US we could see continued European stays from the top European touring Pros moving forward certainly best for the sport long-term future and certainly for the pros but won’t stop that competition field talk we’ve heard for winners here in the states and overseas anytime soon James Proctor was able to take down a second place finish with an impressive 10 under final day round while Mari unfortunately dropped down for a third place finish in the fpo Silva snin was was able to hold off a charging Aina solanin on the final day for her win Silva might look as upset as Justin Timberlake’s mug shot during every interview but also looks Stellar on European tracks and especially from the putting green since her return to Europe after a huge fourth place finish at Champions Cup she has won three events and another third place Podium on top of that this weekend saw another dominating putting performance over eight Strokes gained putting from the nearest competitor Hanna Bloom Rus was able to keep her Podium stretched together with a third place finish herself it’s now her third straight Podium finish in a row Masters World Championship was also held this past weekend over in Emporia Kansas the event had seven age divisions with plenty name players in the mix Joe Rivier LED start to finish averaged 1040 for the tournament and won by 14 Strokes in mp 40 yet was outdone by own who won the FP 40 by 25 Strokes some other notable winners Johnny McCrae was able to take down the mp50 division while both Juliana corver and Elaine King took down yet another world championships in the FP 50 and the fp-55 yet like nearly every PDGA run event still had its share of controversy as dead reading posted the conditions of the event that had players critical of the PDGA not following their very own water guidelines by having two water stations during the hot Kansas summer this event hosts the sports greatest past athletes Hall of Famers and Pioneers of the game playing on longer tracks than when the world championship was held on the same course a mere 2 years ago in similar conditions that Stanley and zero were digging in with about the same amount of water water yes most of them watching don’t get that reference but them playing in those conditions is scarier than how early some of them are having dinner you’re talking possible heat exhaustion and or Worse stroke even Dez’s World Championship experience was cut short having to be assisted off the course and even going to urgent care both deser post and Jay Yeti reading who went on the tour Life podcast to explain there were only two water stations found on Champions Landing simply put that’s inexcusable edga organization should be about the details and a above all player safety yet this is another instance of them falling terribly short in both instances listen I’m a Believer in the new leadership and especially Doug burkus moving the sport in the PDGA in the right direction moving forward however an organization funded by the thousands of disc golfers need to be continually held accountable by its members speaking up on conditions only helps raise the expectations and standard of our Sport and members should be just as equally invested in just exactly where their money is going as it should be going back to you the members growing the game and further professionalizing the sport and just in my opinion not spent on CBS running post coverage for two few of viewers now let’s get to some quick hitters McBeth and his foundation opened the first permanent disc golf course in New York City in the made for Lifetime moment saw the goat hit back-to-back Aces at the course opening something he’s claimed he has never done prior Ricky entered yet another event at the World Series of Poker this one resulted in him cashing and winning over $3,000 as he finished in the cash in 669 place I know I red his first finish at last week’s twig coming out of a World Series of pokerun in the black is certainly impressive will shrick and wife Trish welcome the new baby girl Lily Ren shrick into the world congratulations goes out to them Cynthia riotti Paige Pierce Kevin Jones and others hit up bonaroo for a disc golf Clinic questionable Festival attire some poor decisions that inevitably turn into a great time and of course some music Chris Dickerson released some great news about hip after getting some second opinions realized his early prognosis of aular necrosis was false and it’s simply arthritis awesome news for fans of camo on tour Luke Taylor gets an ace this time on a ball Golf Course Grant zillner leaves pdj but not dis golf as he says he will be announcing his latest move shortly and we also had a great time at preserve during a practice round where Jefferson and editor Drew battled Pro Conor O’Reilly be on the lookout for that content in the future and guys that wraps up another this week in disc gol if you’re attending The Preserve be on the lookout for Jefferson and I out on the course if you enjoyed and you’re not subscribed make sure to do so and if you want more check out all the previous episodes and all the content we continue to pump out