Radiance Rising

The Radiance Ignites at Alton Baker ⚡

adjusts visor Four contenders, one Willamette River corridor, and 84°F of clear-sky heat pressing down on Alton Baker for the Radiance Rising premiere. Three players took the RPA card, one flew solo in RAH, and the wind stayed polite at 6 mph — nobody's blaming the elements today. This is the origin story: the Canopy Cannon hole waits to hand out its first badges, and a season-long climb toward the Radiance Badge starts with whoever can survive eighteen holes of Oregon parkland without losing their nerve. Coming next: the rivalry brewing here turns into a full grudge match, so enjoy the calm before that storm.

RPA's Game of Thrones, Hole Edition 🐍

The lead changed hands twice before anyone had a chance to get comfortable. Joshua Greene grabbed it after hole 4 with the sole birdie in the pool on a 310-foot par 3, only for DE'ANTHONY THOMAS — fresh off a six-hole par train from 1 through 6 — to seize it after hole 5. That reign lasted exactly one hole longer than it should have; a bogey on 7 knocked Thomas out of the driver's seat for good. Greene closed at -3 for a 947-rated round, good for first, while Thomas settled for -1 and 927 rated, agonizingly parked on the wrong side of the cash bubble. Myron Clements provided the middle-round fireworks nobody asked for but everyone enjoyed, stringing together a three-birdie run on holes 13 through 15 — sole birdies on 13 and 15 included — before cooling to finish +1 at 907 rated. Thomas got his own late-round redemption arc with sole birdies on 17 and 18 to lock down second. Three first-timers, zero prior history, and already a hierarchy worth watching.

Front Nine Hero, Back Nine Zero

Aaron Burke turned in the day's most dramatic single-card story, and he did it alone in RAH. His front nine ran six strokes better than his back nine — the kind of split that writes its own cautionary tale. He even snagged the pool's only birdie on hole 16, the course's gentlest tee shot at a mere +0.02 average over par, proof there was real touch in the tank early. But leading through 18 and finishing 4th overall tells you where the wheels came off; Burke's 897-rated final was 26 points below his 923 rating, a fade steep enough to make the back nine feel like a different course entirely.

Somebody Rewrote History Today

Let's make it official: Greene's -3, 947-rated round is now the inaugural course record at ORDGC Gold hole 4 and beyond — history with nobody's name on the wall to erase. The rating swings told two very different stories on the same card. Thomas soared 47 points above an 880 rating for that 927-rated finish, while across divisions Burke sank 26 points below his own number. Sole birdies scattered across holes 4, 13, 15, 16, 17, and 18 — six isolated flashes of red ink on a layout that mostly punished ambition. With all four competitors debuting in the league this week, every rating logged today is baseline data for the season to come.

The Pot Grows, The Ace Waits 💰

No aces fell into the chains today, but the Super Ace Pot didn't sit still — it climbed from $252 to $256 after two contributors chipped in $4.00 combined. Every quiet week just sweetens the eventual jackpot, so keep those buy-ins coming; the pot doesn't care how patient it has to be.

Hole 13 Was a Robbery 🎒

One skins card, four players, $18.00 changing hands by the time the dust settled. Greene opened the action on hole 4 with a birdie for the first skin, then things went cold for eight straight holes until Clements finally broke the drought on hole 13 with a birdie that scooped up a nine-skin carryover worth $9.00 in one swing. Thomas answered late, taking hole 17 and closing out hole 18 with back-to-back birdies. Final tallies: Clements walked with 11 skins for $11, Greene banked 4 for $4, Thomas collected 2 for $2, and Burke took home a lone $1 skin. Check the skins playbook if you want the full mechanics behind that hole 13 heist.

A Throne With No Prior King 🐍

There was no #1 bag tag to defend or dethrone this week — just an empty throne waiting for its first claimant. Greene's course-record -3 round earns him the inaugural bearer status, crowned not just for the number but for the competitive fire it took to set the bar on day one. No challenge history exists yet, which means every future week starts the countdown on how long he can hold it.

The Rivalry Charges Up ⚡

Week 1 is in the books: a course record on the wall, early badges claimed, and four fresh faces already sketching the season's pecking order. The emerging tension between this RPA card's leaders is set to sharpen into a genuine grudge match next week, and Alton Baker isn't done testing anyone yet. The Radiance Rumble finale is still nine weeks out, but the charge has officially begun.