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The Montana Disc Golf Power Rankings, Helena, MT (2026)

12/26/2022

PRESEASON 2023 MTDG POWER RANKINGS ARE LIVE! Merry Christmas to all and let us have it in the comments!

1. Rayce Compton. Coming off 3 State Championships in 4 years, the freshly-crowned 1000-rated player has looked nothing short of dominant and we expect the same moving forward in 2023. Compton should be entering his prime, and even with the title belt in hand he's still somehow got plenty of room to improve. He might have to, just to hold off the pack of hungry dogs behind him.

2. Christian Dietrich. Turns out you can't keep an old dog down forever. The 2010 Beaver State Fling champion made a full comeback in 2022, with a win at the Zoo Town Open over a tough young field and cashes at a Disc Golf Pro Tour event and an MP40 Major. Montana's highest rating at 1007 brings the savvy veteran into the number 2 slot even as Father Time knocks on the door.

3. Tucker Stratton. Who said quadruple-black belt karate skills don't translate to the disc golf course? With strong finishes at States and Swards, and yeoman's work carrying the Montana banner as Lead Card Tuck at the Portneuf Valley Open, Big-Arm Sensei looks to be locked and loaded for a breakout 2023--we've got our money on this year as the year for his fourth digit.

4. Chad Hemsley. Talk about lightning in a bottle! Chad hurdled onto the scene like a half-Canadian bullet in 2020 and has shown unmatched dedication since then, with a number of great finishes and Montana's highest cash total in 2022. With the passion and and potential this Prodigy pro brings to the table, we have no doubt his first true signature win is on the horizon.

5 (tie). Sawyer Bracy. The Rocky Mountain Championships winner and Billings' newly-crowned top-rated player, Bracy continued to impress in 2022. A huge cash year and increased visibility in the Montana scene earns this Top Tier top dog his first top five nod, and we're not convinced 2022 wasn't the beginning of something special for the Magic City motocrosser.

5( tie). David Trussell. The smooth-throwing Whitefish native shot up the ratings ledger this year and is just six points shy of the magic number. Trussell impressed with a blowout win in his hometown tournament and a great showing at the Wilderness Club. We hope to see this rising star make some moves and be more active in 2023 to prove his top-five ranking is no fluke.

7. Shane Anderson. Shane showed flashes of greatness in the 2022 season, including a strong 2nd place finish at the Queen City Classic. The Circle 2 assassin and former 1000+ player and State Champ is looking to show off that Dad-power coming into his 56th year of sanctioned disc golf.

8. Seth White. Dropping out of the 1000-rated club after a few tough years on the competitive Professional Nursing circuit, rumor has it this Billings graphic art wizard will be back with a vengeance in 2023 and beyond. Coming off a successful career as a caddy for a few years, Seth returned to the tour with a top-five finish at States, showing few, if any, signs of rust.

9. Kevin Sheehan Jr. The grind of higher education, coaching football, and inactivity have taken a toll on the young prodigy. We hope dropping to 9th lights a fire in the former 1000+ rated State Champ's eyes, although word has it another season of heavy football commitments may keep this (still) young gun away from a charge up the rankings.

10 (tie). Conor Dannis, Jeff Syc, McCoy Connor, Cal Davis, Jack Scott. Five more of Montana's finest round out our Preseason 2023 rankings, and are just inches away from being right up there with the best of them. We expect lead cards and big things from these guys in 2023.

Honorable Mention: You know who you are! Come get it!

FPO TOP 5

1. Erika Stinchcomb. This Missoula-based absolute badass shines both on the Disc Golf Pro Tour and in the commentary booth where she has become one of the top voices in video coverage. We only wish the Pro Tour left her a little more time to play under the Big Sky.

2. Jessy Prado-Smith. This Hamilton banger and 2022 State Champ is just getting started and has earned her rep as the player to beat in most Montana fields.

3. Katy Gannon. Up-and-comer Gannon has burst on to the scene and risen up the ranks faster than just about any other player in recent memory. On sheer potential alone she earns a spot in the Top 3.

4. Shyanne Feucht. The Flathead's best FPO player comes in at the four spot, just edged out by Gannon. Sure and steady at every turn, [That's Not How You Pronounce That Last Name] is a tough competitor in any Montana field.

5. Ali Pistora. Edging out Montana legend Karen Brown and up-and-comer Quinn Drennan for the last spot in this edition is this tall drink of water and Billings native, who's actually the highest-rated player in the State at 923 after a dominant Swards win. We'd love to see her at more events in 2023!

12/24/2022

Where we left off: the 2020 Year-End Rankings.

T1 MCCOY CONNOR, RAYCE COMPTON
3 KEVIN SHEEHAN JR
T4 SHANE ANDERSON, SETH WHITE
T6 TUCKER STRATTON, ERIKA STINCHCOMB
T8 GREG BUSH, CONOR DANNIS, JACK SCOTT, DAMIEN HOFFMAN, DAVID TRUSSELL
HM: DAVID LACKEY, ERIC MANIDOK, AUSTIN FONK

2020's covid-shortened season had only a few sanctioned events. McCoy's second-place finishes at Queen City and States earned him a tie with State Champ Compton at the top, knocking Kevin Sheehan Jr. out of the #1 spot. John Willis and Christian Dietrich were out of the rankings with Willis fully on tour and out-of-state and Dietrich not playing any events. Erika Stinchcomb's status as Montana's only real touring pro was reflected with a top-6 finish. Thankfully, the MTDGPR algorithm has been modified and updated for 2023 and now will include a separate FPO Top 5 to better reflect and serve the growing women's game.

New faces in both MPO and FPO have come on strong in 2021 and 2022, and Kai Kim surely would have been in the top few spots before moving back out of state. At least one new name looks likely to break the Top 5 in MPO...

12/24/2022

The MTDGPR is BACK and preseason 2023 power rankings will be dropping soon...

10/29/2020

2020 YEAR-END POWER RANKINGS 2/3: A tweak in the MTDG algorithm to favor media exposure and prize money causes a shake-up in the top 6, and a young gun's rise up the ranks is slowed by a tumble at States.

T4 WEE SHANE ANDERSON (4/2)
It's a sign of the strength of the modern Montana field that a golfer who turns in 990+ rated events just about every time he sets foot on the course isn't the clear-cut #1 or #2 in the state. Shane only made a few events this year and missed out on States, but still earns himself a share of the top 4 based on a strong, 1005-rated showing at the Queen City Classic, where he beat most of the rest of this list by multiple strokes. While he doesn't have the top-level power of Compton or Big Kev, and we're nearing the arrival of TWO Elder Shane Andersons in Missoula, the 985-rated pro is just too good to fade very far out of the top end of these rankings.

T4 SETH WHITE (2/T5)
Montana's only 1000-rated pro with a current rating is Billings' long-time best disc golfer, tattoo artist, and board game connoisseur Seth White. He'll be eligible soon for Masters but is doing his best young gun impression by tackling a heavy academic load in pursuit of a nursing degree. White didn't make another event besides his 1000+-rated showing earlier this year at Swards, but he remains a threat to anyone on this list every time he straps on the Pound.

T6 ERIKA STINCHCOMB (NR/NR)
An updated MTDGPR algorithm puts Stinchcomb in mix at 6th. It's no secret that Missoula's Westside Discs-sponsored star is at or near the top of any Montana list in terms of media exposure and proximity to the very best in the game. Stinchcomb has broken a host of Montana DG all-time records, the latest her status as the first 920+ rated woman in Montana history. She closed out the year by cashing at a DGPT event before back-to-back Montana B-tier wins on cruise control. She was second overall in money won across all Montana divisions for the second year in a row, and holds the best-ever finish by a Montanan in an Open division at a Major (to MTDGPR's knowledge) with her 12th-place finish at the World Championships last year. (Obligatory shout out to Montana's sole ever World Champion, 2018 MP70 champ Jon Graff).

T6 TUCKER STRATTON (6/T10)
Stratton stumbled to a disappointing finish out of the cash at States, but before that, he appeared to be rounding the corner towards the top half of these rankings. A scorching 1038-rated leadoff round in an out-of-state B-tier led to a finish ahead of Sheehan and Compton, and then a solid finish at QCC capped four straight events in the money for the big arm currently holding the title of Bozeman's top golfer. With an offseason of focus he has the tools to challenge for the state title belt.

See part one for the rest of the top ten:
T8 GREG BUSH (7/NR)--CONOR DANNIS (T10/NR)--JACK SCOTT (NR/NR)--DAMIEN HOFFMAN (T10/T5)--DAVID TRUSSELL (NR/NR)

Top 3 coming soon!

10/19/2020

2020 YEAR-END POWER RANKINGS 1/3: A five-way tie for 8TH and the rest of the top 15. (Past two ranks in parentheses).

T8 GREG BUSH (7/NR)--CONOR DANNIS (T10/NR)--JACK SCOTT (NR/NR)--DAMIEN HOFFMAN (T10/T5)--DAVID TRUSSELL (NR/NR)

A five-way logjam at eighth starts off our 2020 year-end rankings as each of these competitors can't be left out but have work to do to catch the rest of the top 10.

Bush has managed to lock down the new Ms. Bush, who appears to be WAY out of his league, and so we can't discount the possibility he will rise to the top five in 2021 through sheer force of will. He'll need to put practice time in to have a real shot at the top half, but he still has a rare combination of power and versatility and still has plenty of prime years left.

Nova-throwing mad scientist Dannis, and Northwest Montana's top golfer in 2021 Trussell, both impressed with a tie for 4th place at States. Will Dannis' strong showing be the start of a rise toward more consistent finishes on or near the podium? Will Trussell continue to emerge as a real threat to the Missoula crew a few hours south? We're looking forward to seeing if they can build on their positive 2020 results in 2021.

The formerly-1000-rated Hoffman blasted back on to the scene this year, and while the results weren't quite what they could have been, he's got nowhere to go but up next year despite being on the wrong side of the MP40-eligibility line. By the eye test and skill set alone, he'd be higher than a tie for eighth, but the proprietary algorithm needs better tournament scoring inputs to arrive at better outputs. Hoffman may be a top-five pick going in to 2021.

Someone forgot to tell Jack Scott he hasn't been playing for the past decade and shouldn't be anywhere near as in-form as he is already, with strong finishes at both QCC and States. Rumor has it the Rat-loving former Spring Fling champ is in heavy training with Montana legend Regis Womack and is making a real push for a late-prime splash. Like Hoffman, Scott is a tremendous athlete who looks to be a sure bet to improve next year. He already looks to be a threat for the podium at any Montana event.

TOP 15 AND JUST MISSING THE CUT:
DAVID LACKEY (T10/NR)--ERIC MANIDOK (NR/NR)--AUSTIN FONK (T10/T10).
Lackey stumbled out of the gate this year and back out of the top 10, but has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the MTDG scene. Manidok impressed with a 990+-rated Queen City and looks to be a rising threat to Tucker Stratton for the current top dog (and biggest arm) in Bozeman. Fonk's results at the tail end of the year weren't quite where they needed to be to hang on to a top 10 spot, but his routine 1000+-rated dominance of Helena-area league play demonstrates plenty of potential heading into Year Two as a pro.

NOT QUALIFYING DUE TO CHANGE IN RESIDENCE OR FAILURE TO COMPETE IN A 2020 EVENT:
JOHN WILLIS (5/4)--CHRISTIAN DIETRICH (9/T7)--ANGELO LAFORGE (T10/9)
Shout out to John Willis for ripping it the hell up and making his adopted Montana golf home proud, is all. If you're reading these power rankings, you know John Willis has been crushing it and (more importantly) committing to the process of becoming a professional disc golfer. He'd have been a strong contender for the very top of these rankings. Dietrich opted out of tournament play this year but the longtime Innova pro looks to return in 2021 for his last year prior to Masters eligibility (although we are hearing rumors that his ego will not permit him to play MP40 until Hoffman does). LaForge's passion for the game may not have successfully survived the move to his new haunts in the Bitterroot Valley but we hope it can be rekindled.

10/07/2020

New power rankings dropping later this week...predictions, anyone?! :)

06/22/2020

JUNE POWER RANKINGS UPDATE!

(Preseason rank in parentheses)

1. KEVIN Sheehan Jr. (1). Big Kev is undefeated against the rest of the list and snagged a B-tier podium spot and $300 out of state in his first event of the year. It's just about impossible to see him falling out of the top two or three, which is a testament to his consistency, professionalism, and ability to stay even-keeled during competition. Oh yeah, and the top-shelf skill set. He may even separate from the rest of the pack.

2. SETH White (T5). While he came up just short of the win at Swards, the Magic City's evergreen superstar has exactly zero sub-1005 rated tournaments this year, hasn't had a sub-970 event in his last eight times out, and looks to be heading back up over the four digit mark. White has never lacked for consistency and is a threat for 1030+ on any course at any time. Here's hoping we see at least four or five events this year so disc golf's best graphic artist can continue to be ranked where he belongs.

3. RAYCE Compton (3). After a 1020-rated romp at the site of his big States win last year, the Missoula up-and-comer stays in the top three despite a disappointing stumble out of the cash in Idaho Falls. Next up: winning PDGA events not held at Swards, which we are certain won't take long. No way to do it besides getting out there and taking some lumps at unfamiliar courses every now and again. Rumor has it Compton is seriously looking at touring full-time in 2021 (potential sponsors, take note).

4. SHANE Anderson (2). Anderson had a slow start to the season in Idaho Falls, but looked to be rounding into form at the finish. The 1000-rated Missoula veteran still stays in the top four and there's no reason to push the panic button after one event.

5. JOHN Willis (4). The skill set is there, as evidenced by a best-ever 1015+ rated event at Swards, where only a red-hot Compton kept Willis from MTPS Open win number 2. The consistency will follow. Don't bet against him to make a serious move this year, but we'd like to start seeing more "bad" rounds and tournaments still end up on the right side of 960.

6. TUCKER Stratton (T-10). Besides his very first round of the season down in Idaho, Bozeman's big gun is showing solid improvement, and landed on another MTPS Sunday lead card at Swards.

7. GREG Bush (NR). Bush slots back into the top ten with a strong Swards performance. A 1010-rated round one and rumor of multiple eagle looks to finish shows the 2016 Swards champ has all the tools. Could he finally be here to stay in the top ten?

8. MCCOY Connor (T7). It was a Swards to forget for the Bomber, but we're expecting Flipper's gripper-and-ripper to stop the bleeding soon with some optimizing hyzer bombs, and to mount a strong defense of his MTPS title while clawing his way back up the power rankings.

9. CHRISTIAN Dietrich (T7). No events yet, and still no word on whether the former #1 will have much, if any, disc golf season to speak of. It's now been ten years since his signature NT win, but the wily veteran is likely still a threat if he returns to action, especially if he can continue waging effective head game warfare against Sheehan Jr., for whom yet another defeat to Dietrich (when Sheehan is now the overwhelming favorite) would be a major disappointment, and Sheehan's family would probably be really disappointed in him to boot. Rumors that Dietrich is counting down the 558 days until his Masters eligibility by making an X every day with a sharpie on a calendar are FALSE and DEFAMATORY.

T10. DAMIEN Hoffman (T5), AUSTIN Fonk (T10), ANGELO LaForge (9), CONOR Dannis (NR), DAVID Lackey (NR). Hoffman has yet to play an event and won't move up until he does, but the Minnewaska Area Schools Athletic Hall of Famer has been turning heads again at GCF league play. Fonk continues to impress with preparation and putting prowess, and finished ahead of four of the other five MTDGPR-ranked players who competed in Idaho. LaForge hasn't been seen at an event yet this year but still can't be left off any Montana top ten list on the basis of his multiple-event winning 2019 and his sponsored-pro-quality skill set, and may get the chance for more routine high-level competition after an upcoming move to the Bitterroot Valley. Dannis impressed with a solid 980+ showing at Swards to crack the top ten for the first time in a number of updates, and threatens to continue moving up the board if he can repeat his nearly 1000-rated, in-the-money ZTO performance. Lackey dropped a 1000-rated final round at Swards and finished off last year with another 1000-rated round while cashing at an out-of-state A-tier, so we are excited to see where he takes it from here.

(REMINDER: this is all a bunch of nonsense just for fun)

05/28/2020

2020 MTDG PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS

The 2020 MTDG Preseason Power Rankings are based on a worldwide survey of disc golf fans, coaches, and commentators, taking into account the MTDGPR proprietary algorithm, off-season workout regimen, youthful resilience to Covid-19, results of preseason competitions, the fact that the goddamn D TRAIN is apparently back at it, injury status, and likely participation in upcoming events.
2019 Year-End Rank in parentheses.

1--KEVIN SHEEHAN JR. (2)

2--WEE SHANE ANDERSON (3)

3--RAYCE COMPTON (4)

4--JOHN WILLIS (9)

5 TIE: DAMIEN HOFFMAN (NR) -- SETH WHITE (6)

7 TIE: MCCOY CONNOR (5) -- CHRISTIAN DIETRICH (1)

9--ANGELO LAFORGE (7)

10 TIE: TUCKER STRATTON (NR) -- AUSTIN FONK (NR)

Receiving no actual votes: Anyone else, and also, the guys above

01/28/2020

And finishing what may be his last year at the top of the Montana field is Montana's aging disc golf supernerd, Christian Dietrich

01/28/2020

Winning the head-to-head tiebreaker with Wee Shane after an exact tie on points and landing in the second spot is Kevin Sheehan Jr.!

01/28/2020

Barely losing a tiebreaker and ending up in third, well clear of the rest of the pack, is Wee Shane Anderson!

01/28/2020

Coming in fourth, edging out McCoy by ONE-HALF of a ratings point, is this year's state champ.

The Montana Disc Golf Power Rankings

12/26/2022

12/24/2022

12/24/2022

10/29/2020

10/19/2020

10/07/2020

06/22/2020

05/28/2020

01/28/2020

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01/28/2020

01/28/2020

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