Now that the pro disc golf season has come to a close, we're taking the time again to find out which of the year's performances went above and beyond.
In some cases, we look at which rounds and tournaments were simply the greatest. In others, we find out which players truly outdid themselves. We can do this thanks to all of the world's premier pro disc golf tours being on UDisc Live and truly amazing tools created by UDisc's data science team.
Jump to the topics you're most interested in using the navigation below:
Best Rounds & Tournaments in Pro Disc Golf: 2023
Understand the Rankings
- Rankings use UDisc's Win Probability model: What does that mean?
- Explanation of terms used in rankings
- How did you calculate what performances were best? or Why are Tattar and McMahon's names at the top of all 'best' tables?
- How the overachievement rankings were calculated
2023's Best Disc Golf Rounds
2023's Best Disc Golf Tournaments
2023's Most Overachieving Disc Golf Rounds
2023's Most Overachieving Disc Golf Tournaments
If you'd like to see more of the most interesting stats from the 2023 disc golf season, check out these posts:
- Pro Disc Golf Stats (FPO): Who Was Best In 2023?
- Pro Disc Golf Stats (MPO): Who Was Best In 2023
- Hardest & Easiest Holes In Disc Golf 2023: FPO
- Hardest & Easiest Holes In Disc Golf 2023: MPO
Understanding the Best Rounds & Tournament Performances of 2023
We figured out which pro disc golf rounds and tournaments from 2023 were most impressive by seeing who most exceeded the expectations of UDisc's Win Probability model based on 2023 tournaments.
The model accounts for differences in player skill and course difficulty. Any time a pro with a UDisc Live history competes at an event scored on the platform, the model assesses that player's past performance on holes that are similar in length and difficulty to the course(s) at hand as well as how previous fields of competitors did on the course(s). It then predicts a player's likeliest score, which is used to inform winning percentages.
The model also suggests a range over and under the predicted score that's fairly likely for that player on that course.
The pros who most defied our model's expectations (in a good way) got the nod for best rounds and tournaments of 2023.
Terms Explained
You'll see some lingo and logic in the ranking tables that are probably unfamiliar. Here's some clarification:
- Expected Score
The score our Win Probability model projected for a player (see "Understanding the Best Rounds..." for how that works). Up until now, these numbers have not been published. - Expected Deviation
The number of strokes a player could shoot over or under their Expected Score that our model would consider fairly normal for that player on that course. This is what the math world calls a standard deviation.
Generally, the more consistently players score within a certain range, the lower their Expected Deviation will be. Players who have a history of high highs and low lows will have higher Expected Deviation. The history of score deviations at particular courses can also alter Expected Deviation. - Z Score
The higher the Z Score, the more impressive a performance is. Note that the Z Scores in the "Best" sections are not comparable to those in "Overachievers" sections. The intros to those sections make it clear why.
In technical terms, the Z Score is the number of Expected Deviations a player's Actual Score is from an Expected Score. If you want to do the math, subtract Expected Score from Actual Score, divide that sum by Expected Deviation, and you'll get Z Score. - Why does Z Score trump the difference in Expected and Actual Score?
Z Score is a better measure of how unusually well a player did. An amateur shooting 12-under on the local pitch-and-putt isn't the same as a pro shooting 12-under on an already hard course jacked to the max for tournament time, right? Though the differences among courses and players are smaller at the sport's upper echelons, they're still significant. Z Score is a fairer way to judge how impressive performances were than simply "Who was most under par?" - Why do some rounds/tournaments have the same Z Score but different ranks?
Excluding Actual Score, no values used to create these rankings were whole numbers. In the interest of readability, we rounded these values to a single decimal point in the tables you'll see below. However, the rankings are still based on the more precise stats produced by our model.
The Best Rounds in Pro Disc Golf: 2023
For some sports, it's easy to tell which performances were most outstanding in any given year. In indoor swimming, for example, everyone is measured against the clock. Conditions are consistent enough that it's not outrageous to compare the time someone swam a 100-meter freestyle in Australia versus someone in Mexico or France.
No matter where they were, whoever did it fastest did it best.
We all know disc golf is different. To identify the best rounds from pro disc golf this year, we needed our version of indoor swimming's clock – a single benchmark of quality that we could measure all players against.
So we looked to the highest standard we could think of: The predicted performances of the world's current #1 disc golfers in FPO and MPO, Kristin Tattar and Eagle McMahon.
This means that, for FPO, we pretended that we expected world-leading, Tattar-level performances out of every player during every round and found out who most outperformed that lofty standard.
In MPO we looked at how everyone fared when asked to live up to our sky-high predictions for McMahon.
No matter who they were, if they most outperformed our expectations of Tattar or McMahon, they did it best.
Brief Notes About Best Rounds Rankings
Rounds were ranked by Z Score (see last column in any table).
(Player Actual Score - Division #1 Expected Score) / Division #1 Expected Deviation = Z Score
As we mentioned earlier, though some Z Scores are the same, the rounds are ranked according to more exact numbers not shown in the tables.
See 'Terms Explained' for further explanation.
The Five Best FPO Rounds in Pro Disc Golf: 2023
| Rank | Player | Event | Round | Player Actual Score | Tattar Expected Score | Tattar Expected Deviation | Z Score |
| 1 | Kristin Tattar | European Disc Golf Championship | 2 | -11 | -2.8 | ±2.9 | 2.8 |
| 2 | Kristin Tattar | Portland Open | 2 | -9 | -3.7 | ±2.6 | 2.1 |
| 3 | Kristin Tattar | Champions Cup | 1 | -9 | -3.6 | ±2.6 | 2.1 |
| 4 | Paige Pierce | OTB Open | 2 | -12 | -6.8 | ±2.6 | 2.0 |
| 5 | Jennifer Allen | Beaver State Fling | 2 | -10 | -5.0 | ±2.6 | 2.0 |
Kristin Tattar continued the streak of dominance she started in 2022 throughout last season. She defended her World title, remained the world's #1-ranked FPO disc golfer throughout the season, became the first woman to win every PDGA Major in a single year (in a year with more than two), and set the single-season earning record from competition for all pro disc golfers regardless of division with $116,247 in winnings.
Unlike last year when Paige Pierce snagged the "year's best round," Tattar not only fills the #1 slot for the season's most impressive FPO rounds but the entire top three.
Take a look at Tattar parking a hole early on in the best FPO round from 2023, her second round performance at the European Disc Golf Championship in her native Estonia:
The Five Best MPO Rounds in Pro Disc Golf: 2023
| Rank | Player | Event |
Round |
Player Actual Score |
McMahon Expected Score |
McMahon Expected Deviation | Z Score |
| 1 | James Conrad | Jonesboro Open | 2 | -17 | -8.2 | ±2.6 | 3.4 |
| 2 | James Proctor | Skellefteå Open | 3 | -11 | -3.3 | ±3.0 | 2.6 |
| 3 | Isaac Robinson | Järva Open | 3 | -13 | -6.2 | ±2.7 | 2.6 |
| 4 | Elias Luukkonen | Pro Forester | 3 | -12 | -5.1 | ±2.7 | 2.6 |
| 5 | Paul McBeth | Konopiště Open | 2 | -14 | -7.3 | ±2.6 | 2.5 |
The round of the year was James Conrad's 17-under par performance (on 18 holes) during the second round of the Jonesboro Open. He carded 15 birdies, one eagle, and two pars while making 100% of his putts from inside Circle 1 (within 10 meters or roughly 33 feet) and nailing four of five attempts from Circle 2 (everything past Circle 1 up to 20 meters/66 feet).
Unfortunately, the year's best round didn't happen in front of the full camera teams that follow top cards as Conrad's 8-under from the first round hadn't landed him in the top 20. We do have some coverage from the Disc Golf Pro Tour, though, which sent over a camera once it was clear that the hirsute master of all backhand angles was cooking up something special.
The video below starts with Conrad's second drive on a par 5 that he goes on to eagle. Keep on watching for other Conrad highlights if you'd like to see them:
The Five Best Tournament Performances in Pro Disc Golf: 2023
Here we used the same math that went into determining 2023's best rounds to pinpoint the year's best full tournament showings. Read the intro to the section about the best rounds, sub in "tournament" for "round," and you'll understand the rankings in this section.
Best FPO Tournament Performances in Pro Disc Golf: 2023
| Rank | Player | Event | Player Actual Score | Tattar Expected Score | Tattar Expected Deviation | Z Score |
| 1 | Kristin Tattar | Champions Cup | -27 | -14.5 | ±5.2 | 2.4 |
| 2 | Jennifer Allen | Beaver State Fling | -23 | -15.1 | ±4.4 | 1.8 |
| 3 | Holyn Handley | Beaver State Fling | -21 | -15.1 | ±4.4 | 1.4 |
| 4 | Kristin Tattar | Blue Ridge Championships | -22 | -16.4 | ±4.4 | 1.3 |
| 5 | Kristin Tattar | European Open | -11 | -3.6 | ±5.9 | 1.3 |
The first Major win of Tattar's Grand Slam year resulted from the year's most impressive tournament performance by any FPO player: Tattar's 27-under showing at the Champions Cup. That score gave her a dominating 14 stroke edge over her next closest competitor at the end of the event.
Below are two clips that show Tattar filleting a par 5 to earn an eagle during the tournament's second round.
Throw 1:
Throw 2:
It's also interesting to see that Jennifer Allen had to turn in the year's second-most impressive tournament performance at BSF to keep Holyn Handley at bay as Handley's own performance there ranked third for the year.
Best MPO Tournament Performances in Pro Disc Golf: 2023
| Rank | Player | Event |
Player Actual Score |
McMahon Expected Score |
McMahon Expected Deviation |
Z Score |
| 1 | Paul McBeth | Pro Forester | -29 | -15.2 | ±4.7 | 2.9 |
| 2 | Niklas Anttila | Konopiště Open | -35 | -22.0 | ±4.6 | 2.9 |
| 3 | Cole Redalen | Ledgestone Open | -36 | -21.9 | ±6.0 | 2.3 |
| 4 | Eagle McMahon | Beaver State Fling | -31 | -21.1 | ±4.3 | 2.3 |
| 5 | Ezra Robinson | American Flying Disc Open | -31 | -21.2 | ±4.5 | 2.2 |
Two tournaments on the PDGA Euro Tour circuit produced the best showings of 2023. Both resulted in 8-stroke victories, one for Paul McBeth in Croatia during the Pro Forester and the other for Niklas Anttila at Konopiště in Czechia.
Young up-and-comer Cole Redalen's unexpectedly commanding 5-stroke win at Ledgestone was the best tournament performance stateside.
If you'd like to see a standout moment from the year's best tournament performance, you can watch McBeth nail a blind bid from Circle 2 at the Pro Forester below:
The Biggest Overachievers in Pro Disc Golf - Single Rounds & Full Tournaments: 2023
Whereas we needed a single standard to measure all players against to objectively say who played the best rounds and tournaments of 2023, figuring out the biggest overachievers was simpler.
All we had to do was check which players most outperformed our model's predictions for them.
For example, the biggest overachiever at a tournament in MPO outperformed our model's predicted score for him by about 26 strokes. He shot a 37-under when our model predicted he would finish around 10-under.
Again, we use Z Score and not the difference in Actual and Expected Score for the rankings here. If you haven't taken a look at what those terms mean yet, you can find explanations here.
Biggest FPO Overachievers in 2023 Pro Disc Golf - Single Rounds
| Rank | Name | Event | Round | Actual Score | Expected Score |
Expected Deviation | Z Score |
| 1 | Rebecca Cox | Music City Open | 3 | -7 | +5.7 | ±3.5 | 3.7 |
| 2 | Anniken K. Steen | Norwegian Disc Golf Championships | 3 | -8 | +2.5 | ±3.1 | 3.5 |
| 3 | Chantel Budinsky | American Flying Disc Open | 3 | -8 | +2.2 | ±3.0 | 3.4 |
| 4 | Jenny Larsson | Skellefteå Open | 3 | -4 | +7.0 | ±3.3 | 3.3 |
| 5 | Alexis Mandujano | Mid America Open | 1 | -9 | +0.9 | ±3.0 | 3.3 |
Currently ranked 42nd in the world, Rebecca Cox performed way over expectations by finishing fourth at the DGPT Elite event the Music City Open. Her 7-under third round was a whopping 14-stroke improvement over her 7-over par first round.
Biggest MPO Overachievers in 2023 Pro Disc Golf - Single Rounds
| Rank | Player | Event | Round | Actual Score | Expected Score | Expected Deviation | Z Score |
| 1 | James Conrad | Jonesboro Open | 2 | -17 | -5.8 | ±2.7 | 4.1 |
| 2 | Jordan Castro | Las Vegas Challenge | 3 | -10 | +1.9 | ±3.3 | 3.6 |
| 3 | John Willis | Music City Open | 3 | -11 | +1.8 | ±3.6 | 3.6 |
| 4 | Kalan Schat | Canadian Championships | 1 | -15 | -3.3 | ±3.3 | 3.6 |
| 5 | Elias Luukkonen | Pro Forester | 3 | -12 | -2.1 | ±2.8 | 3.5 |
James Conrad's 17-under showing was both the best and most unexpectedly great round of the year. He nearly tripled the under par score our model expected from him based on his typical 2023 performance.
Biggest FPO Overachievers in 2023 Pro Disc Golf - Full Tournaments
| Rank | Player | Event |
Actual Score |
Expected Score |
Expected Deviation |
Z Score |
| 1 | Jennifer Allen | Beaver State Fling | -23 | -6.0 | ±4.6 | 3.7 |
| 2 | Juliana Korver | Portland Open | -19 | +1.0 | ±5.7 | 3.5 |
| 3 | Anniken K. Steen | Norwegian Disc Golf Championships | -11 | +10.1 | ±6.1 | 3.5 |
| 4 | Catrina Allen | Preserve Championship | -20 | -1.9 | ±5.3 | 3.4 |
| 5 | Sai Ananda | Portland Open | -21 | -2.4 | ±5.9 | 3.2 |
Jennifer Allen also competes in the FP40 division but showed at the Beaver State Fling that she's far from a non-factor in FPO. Her performance there ranked as the #2 best tournament of the year generally for the division and tops the list of most overachieving event performances.
She also started off her final round in style by getting hole 1 in one. Check out her ace in the video below:
Biggest MPO Overachievers in 2023 Pro Disc Golf - Full Tournaments
| Rank | Player | Event |
Actual Score |
Expected Score |
Expected Deviation |
Z Score |
| 1 | Dennis Augustsson | European Disc Golf Championships | -37 | -9.7 | ±7.2 | 3.8 |
| 2 | Carter Ahrens | Beaver State Fling | -25 | -6.7 | ±5.1 | 3.6 |
| 3 | Cole Redalen | Ledgestone Open | -36 | -13.0 | ±6.6 | 3.5 |
| 4 | Niklas Anttila | Konopiště Open | -35 | -19.0 | ±4.7 | 3.4 |
| 5 | Silas Schultz | Champions Cup | -34 | -14.6 | ±5.8 | 3.4 |
The most unexpectedly excellent MPO tournament performance of the year came from Swede Dennis Augustsson, and his overachieving won him a European Disc Golf Championship (EDGC). Not to be confused with the PDGA Major the European Open, the EDGC happens every two years and is only open to players from European countries. In European disc golf circles, the title of European Champion is a coveted one.
Augustsson's win wasn't one many would have predicted. Currently ranked just outside the world top 100, he beat many players ranked inside the top 50 – including defending EDGC champ Niklas Anttila (14th) – to snag a very unexpected and meaningful victory.
Thanks to Everyone!
Nothing you see above would have been possible without all the amazing volunteers who scored and tracked stats for the pros throughout 2023, or UDisc Live's partners.
We want to extend a huge "Thank You" to them all.
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