DGPT: 2021 Play It Again Sports Jonesboro Open Apr 16-18

[BeRReGoN]

I don't understand this at all, why is Paul practicing with Magnets?

I guess it's a problem when you have a line of discs with your name on it, it would be strange to not use them, but if it wasn't the case he might have switch for something with a different feel or flight.

 

[Jolt]

I guess it's a problem when you have a line of discs with your name on it, it would be strange to not use them, but if it wasn't the case he might have switch for something with a different feel or flight.

Magnets? Not many Discraft discs that feels SO different in the hand vs the Luna as the Magnet does.
And yes...he "can´t" change putter, Luna IS his putter and it sells like crazy.

Thats the downside of having his own line, he "has to" use them.

 

[BeRReGoN]

Magnets? Not many Discraft discs that feels SO different in the hand vs the Luna as the Magnet does.
And yes...he "can´t" change putter, Luna IS his putter and it sells like crazy.

Thats the downside of having his own line, he "has to" use them.

Anyway it's kind of a fun problem, I'll putt with a Stego if they gave me enough money

But I guess eventually if he really feels the Luna need a change, they will come out with a version 2.0 or new plastic that make it more to his liking.

 

[Twmccoy]

Putting ... he is missing some pretty "standard" putts these days.

I guess I could agree with that. Paul also seems to be leaving himself long birdie putts. His teeshots and upshots are finishing a little too far from the hole.

Then, Paul will throw some miserable upshot and then drain a miraculous 60' putt.

I watched Paul's 1st round. I thought it looked good, but Ricky looked better.

 

[McCready]

Not a single bogey or even an OB for 3 rounds on that course is mind boggling. I know his line of crystals & essential oils is flying off the shelves after that performance. A lot of guys I know around here are frustrated that our ticks don't carry Lyme disease and are planning trips up north to hopefully catch it.

 

[autocrosscrx]

Looking at stats, the conclusion is that any drop or deficiency compared to Ricky and Calvin is pretty exclusively a C1X issue.

edit: in reference to Paul McB's "struggles"

 

[jakebake91]

Anyway it's kind of a fun problem, I'll putt with a Stego if they gave me enough money

But I guess eventually if he really feels the Luna need a change, they will come out with a version 2.0 or new plastic that make it more to his liking.

Or. Just stamp "Luna" on some magnets for him and we'd be none the wiser.....

 

[Ryan P.]

Statistically McBeth's struggles this weekend were limited to putting, which has been the case all year. He was the second best this weekend outside the circles, and in the circles he was worse than the average golfer. https://udisclive.com/live/jonesboro2021/?t=playerStats&stats=all&d=MPO. From a quick survey of the other tourneys, that's not been exactly the case, but he's generally been good at throwing and bad at putting this year.

Also, the video was clear that McBeth wasn't going to actually putt using the Magnet, but that they were allowing him to warm up better. They mentioned something about it being straighter. I'm not going to guess as to what that means, but its very odd.

If McBeth can figure out his putt, he'll still be the favorite to win worlds. He's still the top rated player even with it being a little shaky. But Ricky and Calvin are currently the favs in my mind.

 

[autocrosscrx]

...or keep selling out Lunas and do a run of PMcB Magnets and sell those out, too.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

While McBeth definitely didn't look like himself, I'm not count him out of any event he's in. Maybe he's enjoying the $$$$$$$$, distracted, bored, has his head up his butt... any or all of the above.

But at his core, he's a competitor...perhaps even moreso than he is a disc golfer. Performances like this aren't going to sit well with him. When he's ready, I'm sure he'll out in the work to figure out what he needs to do remain the guy with a target on his back.

Not guaranteeing he'll win World's, but I will be thoroughly if he doesn't get things figured out, and end up battling for 6x on the final day.

 

[Rastnav]

Statistically McBeth's struggles this weekend were limited to putting, which has been the case all year. He was the second best this weekend outside the circles, and in the circles he was worse than the average golfer. https://udisclive.com/live/jonesboro2021/?t=playerStats&stats=all&d=MPO. From a quick survey of the other tourneys, that's not been exactly the case, but he's generally been good at throwing and bad at putting this year.

Also, the video was clear that McBeth wasn't going to actually putt using the Magnet, but that they were allowing him to warm up better. They mentioned something about it being straighter. I'm not going to guess as to what that means, but its very odd.

If McBeth can figure out his putt, he'll still be the favorite to win worlds. He's still the top rated player even with it being a little shaky. But Ricky and Calvin are currently the favs in my mind.

I think this is where the C1X stat kinda falls down. There is a big difference between a 20 footer, a 25 footer, and one that is right at the edge of the circle. Obstructions and "death putts" also matter.

I recall that commentary on some of his rounds has mentioned how often he is leaving himself tougher putts, and how that can wear on you. And this might not be just approach game issues, but also could be due to missing placement on his drives, even ones that are in the fairway.

I'd love to see some analysis that took into account the actual putt distance and conditions, drive placement, etc.

 

[Ryan P.]

I think this is where the C1X stat kinda falls down. There is a big difference between a 20 footer, a 25 footer, and one that is right at the edge of the circle. Obstructions and "death putts" also matter.

I recall that commentary on some of his rounds has mentioned how often he is leaving himself tougher putts, and how that can wear on you. And this might not be just approach game issues, but also could be due to missing placement on his drives, even ones that are in the fairway.

I'd love to see some analysis that took into account the actual putt distance and conditions, drive placement, etc.

I think you missed what I was saying. You are correct that the C1X stat isn't perfect. Until we have data tracking that gets down to the specific foot (and maybe even more than that), I'll want more data because it can be misleading. However, I don't think it's so misleading as to discount it.

Paul's driving has been as good as usual, but his putting has been drastically different. He's normally around the top 10 in putting but rarely is he the best. However, as of late his putting has been bad, well below his standards. At Waco he only gained half a stroke over the average player in the field. This tournament he lost strokes to the average player. If what you're saying is true (and my eyes agree), then he's probably lost a couple strokes to having longer putts. However, that means he's still well below his average of top 10ish. He seems to even know something is off since he was using Magnets to practice.

Also, I realized I cherry picked his two worst events. However, I only found two other tournament where he gained less than a stroke on the field putting (I looked through about 30 random tourneys), so I think having two within a month is strong evidence that corroborates with other evidence.

 

[txmxer]

I think you'd have to consider that in the 3rd round, he came out with a mindset of attacking the course and hoping for the best. Since he was a little off, that skews everything in the negative direction. I think if he had turned down the aggression, he finishes in 3rd or 4th at worst, but never has a chance to challenge the leaders. Of course, by the time they got to the back 9, he just wanted to finish out.

As far as the Luna being an issue, seems pretty suspect. He's putted with it just fine and he has about 1000 to choose from at home. He goes through his bag every week to make sure they are still flying as expected.

 

[XC_Eddy]

Jonesboro is a beautiful course. Fun to watch the players bomb it out there, but it's not quite golf course levels of open. Not much in the way of gimmicky ropes and OB, either. I mostly agree with Jerm and Uli's assessment that a couple of those holes could use a mandatory. On the other hand it is kind of fun to see players get creative and not take the most obvious line. If it doesn't create an unfair advantage then maybe adding isn't entirely necessary.

As for the above discussion about Paul's putting issues, that's gotta be mostly mental, no? Guy putted great with the Luna in 2019. Why would it suddenly be an issue now?

Rick's play right now is on another level. He's aways been super well rounded with a consistent backhand, forehand, scramble game, and of course the putting. Lately He's also become more consistent on 500+ ft shots. His distance is not far off of the Eagle, Drew, and Garretts of the world. Ricky hits is golf line way more than they do and outdrives them on a regular basis. We are witnessing some top level play from Ricky right now and I for one am here for it. Guy hasn't dominated like this since 2017 when he was 1st or 2nd at almost every tournament he played.

 

[Shankapotamus]

That's the thing, Paul and PP have multiple world titles for a reason. They do rise to the occasion and I wouldn't be surprised if both wind up with another ring, but I do like Rick's chances.

 

[txmxer]

Ricky keeps bringing his A+ game. Based on observation and his interviews, momentum is very important to his approach to the game.

Might say he is a head case. But you gotta like where his head is at.

Additionally, I guess he has a reputation for "going for it" each throw. Post interview on Saturday and play on Sunday, he is clearly playing smart when he feels he needs to back down a notch and lay up.

 

[Twmccoy]

OK, final McBeth thoughts after watching a little more coverage. Wysocki seems to know his discs better than Paul. Ricky throws more consistent and accurate lines. Paul seemed to be turning things over randomly, and he was wild at times.

Ricky was on with every drive. He can outdrive Paul consistently, too.

Paul's putting was also a little meh. He's still leaving himself long birdie looks, and not capitalizing on many of them. Also some routine putts that were missed.

Ricky definitely seems more confident in his discs and shotmaking than Paul right now.


I'll reiterate that I don't think Paul played BAD, but the mistakes he made hurt, and Ricky was playing too well and making too few mistakes to be caught.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

*patiently waits for someone to start the "Has Paul peaked?" thread.

I'm no McFanboi, but... I respect his approach to the game and his mental toughness. Could be interesting to see how this narrative looks come June-July.

opcorn:

 

[Riverdog]

*patiently waits for someone to start the "Has Paul peaked?" thread. opcorn:


I'm no McFanboi, but... I respect his approach to the game and his mental toughness. Could be interesting to see how this narrative looks in come June-July.

Could've written than myself, word for word... might've changed to Could to Will, but I'm with ya. [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gooberau]

Not a single bogey or even an OB for 3 rounds on that course is mind boggling.

It's amazing. Casey White was bogey free until the last hole of the tournament, but he did have an OB on the second round (par).