Last Saturday, the PDGA named Paige Pierce its 2022 Player of the Year in the FPO division. It’s the sixth time she’s taken home the award in her career – this time was different, though …
Virtually EVERY disc golf fan on Planet Earth couldn’t believe she’d won. And not the good kind of disbelief, either – the underdog, come-from-behind Hallmark movie flavor. Yeah, her 2022 season was respectable, but it paled in comparison with what Kristin Tattar put forth. Tattar’s 2022 campaign was arguably the best in the history of FPO disc golf …
That’s not an insane statement.
In fact, it’s for that reason Tattar took home the DGPT’s 2022 Player of the Year Award in what Ultiworld’s Charlie Eisenhood labeled a “landslide.” Last season, Tattar finished first in every scoring category en route to averaging a 1.33-place finish at the two majors in which she competed, as well as the DGPT Championship – she comfortably won the latter.
Most impressive of all, however, on the way to her first World Title, she finished on the podium in each of the 12 Elite Series- or major-level events for which she was registered. As a result, she was the unanimous No. 1 vote-getter amongst all disc golf media members – it was that obvious.
Meanwhile, one of Pierce’s more memorable moments of the season was THIS quote:
“I’m lacking the killer instinct right now, and I don’t care to get it back for some reason.”
So, yeah – you could say there was some backlash from fans …
Lots of it.
Granted, the PDGA’s not evil for recognizing Pierce’s 2022 accomplishments – she won two majors, bringing her career total to 17 titles. While Tour points, the media vote and average finishing position at majors and the Tour Championship determined the DGPT’s Player of the Year winner, on the PDGA’s side, it was a predetermined points rubric – that’s seriously it.
No opinion. No analysis. No subjectivity.
* Note: For a more in-depth understanding of the PDGA’s methods, click here.
Ultimately, Tattar’s undoing was a nagging elbow injury that saw her miss two majors and four Elite Series events. At those events alone, Pierce pounced, earning 295 points without having to account for Tattar’s superior play. In the end, those six events were more than enough to give Pierce the 65-point cushion she used to take home the PDGA’s end-of-season award.
So to recap, here’s what we saw last season:
- In 2022, one clear-cut FPO powerhouse.
- Two processes with the simple task of identifying her.
- One of ‘em got it right, while the other fell flat on its face.
That’s not to say the PDGA’s award is useless, though …
It’s just a giant misnomer.
Switch it up, Appling:
- New Name No. 1 – The PDGA Points Champion Award
- New Name No. 2 – The PDGA Dominance Index Award
- New Name No. 3 – The PDGA Consistency Counts Award
If you weren’t yet aware, Paul McBeth won the PDGA’s Player of the Year on the MPO side. And while Ricky Wysocki might have something to say (or tweet) about it, the argument can be made for McBeast taking home the hardware – and thankfully, it’s a strong one, too.
But if you think anybody OTHER than Tattar deserved the title in 2022 in the FPO division …
Paige Pierce will confirm it: You’re off your rocker
Just change the name, and nobody gets butt-hurt – it’s as simple as that.
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