The Ledgestone Open attracts the best of the best to Central Illinois every summer.
This year, 148 MPO and 53 FPO players will take to the courses to compete for one of the most coveted trophies in disc golf. Each year a select few rise to the top in each division and establish themselves as contenders. Who will those contenders be this year?
Predictions can be tough, but we’ve analyzed the stats, examined the skill sets, and reviewed past performances to project who you can expect to see at the top of the leaderboards come Sunday. We use all of our research to break down for you the reasons why a select few players stand out as potential winners of the 2022 Ledgestone Open.
FPO
Kristin Tattar (DNP in 2021) - Tattar, who stands as the highest-rated player on the planet, has not finished outside the top 3 on the Disc Golf Pro Tour in 2022, and has been resting for over a month since COVID and an elbow injury put a temporary pause on her season. She ranks second in Circle 1 in regulation (39%) and second in birdie percentage (33%). It’s hard not to consider Kristin one of the favorites to take home the Ledgestone FPO trophy.
Paige Pierce (1st in 2021) - Pierce ranks in the top 10 in Circle 1 putts, Circle 2 putts, scramble rate, birdie percentage and Circle 1 in regulation. The woman is a high-performance machine and the defending champion. At the 2021 Ledgestone event, she hit the fairway 75% of the time, and with her power, it’s no surprise she was in Circle 2 looking at a birdie 61% of the time. She smashed the 2021 field by 11 strokes and is in position to do it again.
Missy Gannon (2nd in 2021) - Gannon was the 2021 Ledgestone runner-up. She finished at the top of the field in both fairway hits (81%) and OB rate (.028), which is a recipe for success at Sunset Hills and Northwood Black. She has placed inside the top 10 for 10 out of 13 tour events this year and ranks sixth in fairway hits (73%) for the season. She throws consistent enough to repeat last year’s Ledgestone performance and put herself in the mix.
Catrina Allen (7th in 2021) - Allen is a 5-time Ledgestone champion, most recently in 2020. Her weapon is Sunset Hills. In the 12 rounds she has played since 2019 at Sunset, Allen has averaged 5.83-under-par with a hot round of 11-under-par. If she holds even a remote shot at the win heading into the third round, her dominance at Sunset Hills should put her on the lead card for the final round.
Valerie Mandujano (4th in 2021) - Mandujano has proven she can win on tour, with two DGPT titles in 2022 already. This year she sits in the top 5 in both Circle 1X and Circle 2 putting which will keep her in the hunt regardless. The most important stat for this weekend though is her scramble percentage. Currently sitting at 55% (2nd), her ability to save par after being out of position is her X-factor at Northwood Black. Mandujano has been hitting fairways at a 72% clip (9th), so her scrambling ability gives her the chance to save par from the punishing rough.
Honorable Mentions - Hailey King is the current US Women's champion and is hitting fairways at a 72% rate. She shot even par over two rounds in her first look at Northwood Black, a mark only bested by Paige Pierce.
