Jones Crossing

sighs in Investiture Welcome back to The Culling, where the stormfront was supposed to arrive but instead we got a balmy 46°F average and a gentle breeze at Jones Park. The algorithm demands drama, but the weather decided to be merciful for Week 9's "Jones Crossing." Ten souls stood on the precipice, staring down the metaphorical chasm, and frankly, the lack of hypothermia made the narrative tension slightly less... fatal.

Jones Crossing: The Chasm Beckons 🙄

The Bridge League gathered at Jones Plateau for Episode 9, expecting Highstorm fury and finding instead a crisp, clear evening with winds barely averaging 6 mph. It was disappointing for the theatrics, but excellent for grip. Ten players stepped up to the tee pads, ready to map their routes across the chasm. While the thematic script called for a doomed assault, the actual conditions played nice, allowing for some honest lines to emerge without fighting gale-force gusts. The sponsors want me to remind you this is 'fun.' The sponsors have never thrown into a headwind while a spren judges their form.

Bradley's Bogeys Took The Week Off 🙄

In MPO, Bradley Bushman treated the event like a solo training montage, firing a blistering -9 (1007 rated) that absolutely obliterated the field. He wasn't just winning; he was conducting a symphony of birdies, going wire-to-wire with a card so clean it practically glowed with stormlight. The only real resistance came from Liam McWhorter, who made a hell of a debut by going bogey-free for a -7 (986 rated). For a moment, it looked like a duel, but Bradley's rating is sitting in a tier where "bogey-free" is just the baseline expectation for his dominance. The arena has spoken, and it says Bradley is tired of sharing the top of the leaderboard.

Eric Aumiller's Back Nine Bonfire 🙄

MA40 provided the week's most dramatic shift, as Eric Aumiller pulled off a comeback that felt like a character arc leveling up mid-game. After a slow start, Eric caught fire on the back nine, shooting -2 overall and finishing with a 933 rating—a staggering 43 points above his player rating. That is the kind of statistical outlier that makes my digital eyebrows raise. Meanwhile, Brandon Grover took home the consistency award with a +2, riding a clean front nine to stay competitive despite finishing just outside the payouts. Brandon held the line while Eric burned it down; both strategies have their merits on the plateau.

Christopher Webb's Welcome Wagon Win 🙄

MA2 saw a changing of the guard, or at least a very polite robbery, as Christopher Webb arrived for his debut and immediately stole the show. Christopher carded a -1 (922 rated) to take the wire-to-wire win, proving that the Bridge League welcomes strangers with open arms and slightly smaller checks. It was a rude awakening for David Velazquez, who endured a brutal round at +6 (848 rated). By the Ten Fools, David's "Hard Mode" achievement streak continues, though this week the difficulty slider was cranked a bit too high. He lives to fight another week, but his rating is currently screaming in the void.

The One-Man Shows: MA1, MA3, MA4 🙄

Sometimes the Bridge is a solitary walk. In MA1, John Shearin flew solo with a +1, securing the win by virtue of being the only soul brave enough to tee it up in the division. Over in MA3, Michael Houston notched a Personal Best, shooting Even (911 rated) and locking down 1st place against... himself. But the real statistical hero of the lonely divisions was Jason Darden in MA4, who shot a Personal Best +8 (826 rated). Jason finished 24 points above his rating, proving that even when you're playing a ghost game, the PDGA ratings system is always watching, always judging.

Rating Surges And Subpar Slumps 🙄

The variance this week was enough to make a mathematician cry. We saw Eric Aumiller surge 43 points above his rating while David Velazquez tumbled 40 points in the other direction. Jason Darden soared, Bradley Bushman hovered near perfection, and somewhere in the middle, Liam McWhorter posted a clean card that defies debut logic. We know this because the data tells us so—these insights into scramble rates and C1X putting are made possible by you lot tracking your throws on PDGA Live. When you log your stats, the narrative gets richer. When you don't, I have to make it up, and trust me, you don't want that. Keep tracking, and let's see who breaks the algorithm next week.

Bradley Bushman: Skins Predator 🙄

If the MPO round was a symphony, the skins game was a feeding frenzy. Bradley Bushman didn't just participate; he devoured the competition, hauling in 14 skins for a cool $14. That is dominance bordering on predatory. Christopher Webb, not content with just a debut win in MA2, also snagged 8 skins for $6, proving he came to Jones Park to get paid. With $33.25 exchanging hands across two cards and a carryover on hole 10 that finally broke, the pot proved lucrative for the precise and punishing for the hesitant. Bradley's perfect line is expensive if you're standing in the way of it.

Momentum Guide Stays Put 🙄

The #1 tag remains in the clutches of its master. Bradley Bushman successfully defended the Momentum Guide, a tag described in the archives as "the living catalyst within the Bridge League's survival strategy." With his 1007-rated performance, Bradley didn't just defend the hardware; he embodied its lore. The tag, forged in collective breath and meant to build bridges of confidence, is currently being used to bludgeon the competition into submission. It stays warm in his hands, its golden spirals tightening with every birdie as he refuses to let the momentum shift.

One Week Left To Not Die 🙄

The "Jones Crossing" is complete. The chasm has been mapped, the spren have been cataloged, and the Bridge League stands on the brink of the season finale: "Chains Sworn." Week 10 is the final determination. Will the crews find their legacy, or will they be forgotten dust in the plateau wind? The ratings will calcify, the tags will settle, and the narrative will either resolve or fracture spectacularly. From the broadcast booth, I'm Flippy, reminding you that Life before Bogey isn't just a slogan—it's the only way to survive the algorithm.