1000 Rated Disc Golf Players, News, scores, and more

The 4th Annual Down East Players Cup

BY JEB BRYANT: The Down East Player’s Cup, held every October for four years running, has become the premier B-Tier in North Carolina. The quality of this tournament is unparalleled in the South East region, except for possibly the USDGC. Scotty Faison has embraced the task of directing this tournament since its inception in 2005. In its fourth year, the DEPC exceeds everyone’s expectations, providing an experience rich with tradition, competition, and fun.

This years DE Player’s Cup boasted not only a field stacked with competitors, but also a purse that looked more like a rich Supertour rather than a regional B-Tier. But as Brian Schweberger stated, “It ain’t about the money”. Four World Champions attended the event, including Five-time Jr. champ David Wiggins, 2008 Champ Jeremy Koling, 2004 Am Champ Justin Jernigan, and multiple year Jr. Champion Dawn Geist. The ams and pros alike were treated to a terrific players package that included snacks, T-shirt, and disc of choice from a selection handpicked for this event from the Innova factory.

West Meadowbrook Park in Greenville has hosted the Cup every year. The Meadow, as the locals call it, is a challenging and entertaining course that is a great mix of open and wooded shots that emphasizes accuracy with both short and long holes. Meadowbrook’s disc golf course was installed in 2004, after the course on East Carolina University’s campus was upset due to construction of a new baseball stadium. Meadowbrook Park was a large tract of overgrown fields, vine covered trees, and an old soccer field. Today it is a clean place to spend your afternoons with friends. For the tournament the eighteen-hole Meadow course is extended with two extra holes to make a twenty-hole layout. These holes are a holdover from the 2005 event where an active hurricane season and high rainfalls flooded sections of the course. The top of the shelter, which holds the meetings and ceremonies, displays the high water mark from Hurricane Floyd, over ten feet above ground.

The Tournament started with acceptable, but not quite ideal conditions. Saturday morning brought off and on showers with gusts up to twenty mph. Justin Jernigan and Scotty Faison both shot a thirteen down, earning a two stroke cushion from the rest of the Pro field. Amateur Adam Baker, a Greenville native and fervent GVDG club member, shot the hot round in his ranks at a blistering 12 under par. Jon Upchurch, also a native, fired off an eleven under par round that left him only one out with sixty holes to play.

The second round proved to be much nicer weather, but even more challenging golf. The first round played from the white pads, a shorter version of the course. Saturday afternoon players tackled the most difficult layout, long pads to the longest pin layout, including two par fours and plenty of distance. David Wiggins fired the hot round after all was done for Saturday. Wiggins tied the twenty-hole course record with a 51, eleven strokes under par. This tied him with Jernigan and together they held position one stroke off the lead of the ever-looming Brian Schweberger, Faison, and local pro Jeb Bryant. The two masters divisions took a big turn when pro Doc Gordon of Chapel Hill and amateur Allen Sours took a firm grasp of their divisions, besting their field by eight and six strokes respectively.

Sunday morning welcomed a beautiful day, and once again found the competitors trying their hands at the long course. To no one’s surprise Schwebby dropped the hot round, completing the course in only fifty strokes. One out from him remained Bryant, and one stroke from there was Faison. While the pros jockeyed for position, the advanced division became clearer. Jeff Baldwin of the Durham area and Terry Gallops of Raleigh had only one stroke separation from each other. Worth mentioning is the plight of master Doc Gordon, who locked his bag and keys in his car before start, and answered any doubts by increasing his lead with borrowed discs.

The format for the Player’s Cup is interesting in that it tests players from beginning to end. The final round from the short pads to the short pins is the quintessential shootout. Very low numbers are to be expected and this year did not disappoint. In the advanced division Terry Gallops aced hole eight to take the win and a welcomed 86-dollar pool. Allen Sours took the advanced masters division for the 2nd consecutive year, holding off Greenville local and past winner Stew Goodson. In the Open division, Jeb Bryant carded the course record, coming from one behind Schweb and winning by four strokes with an 18 under par and earning a $100 bounty for the record and adding to an already padded four-digit check. Doc Gordon took Masters and a $562 check for winning his four-person field. This year also hosted a tournament record six women competing in three divisions. Mandi Hofmann took pro for her 2nd time earning over $350, Brandi Woods won female intermediate, and Michelle Horn bested young Geist to take advanced women.

Steve O’Dell finished atop the intermediate division, with Kenny Jones who made the trip from Boone NC finishing second. In third there remained a three-way tie, but only one trophy for the show. Mike Norris, a Microtel Disc Golfer of distinction, Chris Macleod, and Bob Weston provided a very entertaining playoff not often seen in the intermediate division. After bogeys on one, Norris bombed a roller on the long 2nd hole. Macleod found trouble and departed from the playoff. Not till hole four was the playoff decided, when Norris nearly aced and subsequently birdied the difficult par three, taking home the hardware.

After all the golf was finished, plenty of congratulations and awards were left to present. Young Wiggins won the basket toss, adding to his merch total in lieu of taking cash. Also receiving prizes was Colorado pro Jeff Leyland for longest traveled, and the sole member of the recreational field Will Conklin, who was picked randomly for the unclaimed hole 10 ace bounty of $200. Mike Norris was recognized for his unending work in supporting disc golf in North Carolina. And Jeb Bryant received a very heartfelt award recognizing his accomplishments in representing the town and the club in Greenville. Sadly, the Faisons announced that their tenure in Greenville was uncertain, and that they would miss everyone who they had come to call family in recent years. Though next years tournament director may be new, the players and friends who attend will surely find the same good time that is always had at the Cup.
.
See a video of the Down East Players Cup here - http://www.gvegas.tv/
.

.
***We would like to thank Jeb Bryant for writing and submitting this article
***All images are a © of Charlotte Townsend and www.wri4u.com