The Waco Annual Charity Open has a reputation for producing “underdog” champions.
Kona Panis taking down the event by an astounding 12 strokes last year certainly feeds that vibe. It’s on the MPO side, however, that the “come-from-behind kids” have seen the most success.
In fact, three of the five lowest-rated players to ever win a DGPT event were 1) all MPO golfers, and 2) surprise winners at the Waco Annual Charity Open – check ‘em out:
- Colten Montgomery, 2020 – 1012 rating
- Jeremy Koling, 2018 – 1022 rating
- Jeremy Koling, 2017 – 1023 rating
WACO became a DGPT event in 2017. During that time, the only “regular” MPO victor was Paul McBeth in 2019. Apart from him, you have the aforementioned Koling and Montgomery, as well as Nikko Locastro. Yeah, three of these guys have major titles to their names, but c’mon …
They’re no longer the favorites of the MPO field – you get it.
The reasons why unproven MPO golfers have a chance in Waco are largely two-fold:
- It’s only the second DGPT event of the year. Players are still getting back in the swing (pun) of things. As the Pro Tour drags on, the best of the MPO field gets consistent.
- Not all holes are wooded, but plenty of them are. And the ones that are make a point of being thick – really thick. If you’re off by an inch, might as well be off by a mile.
The same thing frequently happens during the Santa Cruz Masters Cup. When you hear players complain about DeLaveage Disc Golf Course, that’s why – luck seems to play a sizable role.
If it’s your week, it’s your week. And if it’s not, it’s really not …
Still not convinced?
Take a look at today’s round two MPO lead card:
- Paul McBeth, – 8
- Luke Humphries, -8
- Nicholas Carl, -8
- Andrew Fish, -6
Other forgettable names (again, they’re underdogs) within five strokes of the top spot include Knut Valen Håland, Scott Stokely, Ian Burchett, Isaac Robinson, Mason Ford and some rando named Harper Thompson – I literally have zero idea who this Thompson cat is …
There’s a reason for it, though – they (not just Harper) don’t win much. Heck, after shooting the single highest-rated round of his career, Carl quickly took to Twitter to fire off the following:
Hearing my name on live coverage atop the leaderboard currently is a pretty cool feeling. I’m not expecting for it to stand but damn, pretty awesome feeling.
— Nick Carl (@NickCarl24) March 11, 2022
Given that blatant lack of self-confidence, I wouldn’t put any money down on Nick doing much today. Do keep a close eye on Humphries, Fish and Ford moving forward, though …
Humphries turned heads at the Las Vegas Challenge two weeks ago with a fourth-place finish. Clearly, that wasn’t a fluke. Fish has a long track record of shredding heavily-wooded courses. And Ford’s no chump – he beat Ricky Wysocki in a playoff to win the 2021 Music City Open.
Also, he’s from Texas – he knows The BEast better than most.
It’s early. The weather looks like it’ll cooperate. There’s lots of golf left to play.
Don’t be surprised, though, when one or two of these lesser-known characters makes life hard on Mr. McBeth come Sunday afternoon. If history’s any indication, you should expect it.
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