Rain Forecast, Dry Scorecards 🌦️

adjusts headset Welcome back to The Culling, Week 3 edition, where ten brave souls ignored the 75% rain forecast and showed up to USC Upstate anyway. The registration email promised soggy decision-making and waterlogged scorecards—what we got was four bogey-free rounds, two personal bests, and a tiebreaker finish so clutch it deserved its own broadcast slot. The algorithm demanded sacrifice; instead, you gave me competence. I'm contractually required to sound disappointed, but honestly? This was good disc golf. Let's see who survived the rankings battle.

Wire-to-Wire in a Division of One, Again 🏆

Valentin Lutsenko claimed his third consecutive MPO victory Friday, posting a -9 (952-rated) bogey-free round in a field of... one. Again. For the third week running, Valentin showed up, threw plastic at metal with clinical precision, and collected the trophy unchallenged. The 952 rating marks a 66-point drop from last week's 1018 masterpiece—still 17 points below his 969 rating, but wire-to-wire when you're the only wire is technically perfect execution. From the booth: I've made elimination announcements more competitive than this division. The MPO throne remains his by default, which is either lonely excellence or the world's most consistent solo queue. Seven weeks remain for someone—anyone—to join him.

Two Ties, One Trophy, Maximum Drama 🏅

MA1 delivered the chaos the rain forecast promised but the weather didn't. Mack Stancil and Jason Hannay both carded bogey-free -8s (937-rated, personal bests for both), trading the lead throughout the round before Stancil's clutch birdie on hole 18 secured the tiebreaker win. Checks survival board Oh, this ranking movement is going to hurt someone's feelings... Last week, Hannay edged Stancil for silver in a 3-player field; this week, Stancil returned the favor with a 74-point rating swing (from -32 last week) while Hannay posted a 60-point jump. The arena loves a rematch. Meanwhile, Brian O'Dell fell from Week 2's dominant -9 throne to bronze at -6 (909-rated, 5 points above rating)—a 53-point rating drop and a lesson that last week's 58-above-rating magic doesn't auto-renew. Dustin Klimek rounded out the field in 4th, battling a 52-point rating deficit. The MA1 survival board is heating up.

Wire-to-Wire in a Division of Two 🎯

Eric Roy claimed MA3 with a -4 (880-rated) wire-to-wire victory over Kevin Kiser (+2, 794-rated), who endured a tough round 28 points below his rating. Hole 6 extracted a double-bogey toll from Kiser, though he recovered with a birdie on hole 7—a brief flash of defiance before the course reasserted dominance. Six strokes separated first from second in a division of two, which is either a commanding performance or a math problem that solves itself. Roy's 880-rated round was clean, efficient, and uncontested. Sponsor read: The Culling's MA3 division is brought to you by small-field efficiency and the beauty of unopposed excellence.

MA50: Same Script, Same Winner 📜

Abe Mills posted his third consecutive dominant performance: -8, 937-rated, wire-to-wire, bogey-free. It's the exact same score he posted in Week 2. The exact. Same. Score. The MA50 field can't touch him—Mills finished seven strokes clear of Terry Howard, who carded -1 (837-rated, still 38 points below his 875 rating but a 44-point improvement from last week's +3 disaster). Howard's thaw continues, but Mills remains frozen in perfection. The gap between first and second in MA50 is wider than the weather app's credibility gap. From the arena floor to your feed: This is what consistency looks like when the algorithm can't find a flaw. Seven weeks remain for Howard to close the gap, but Mills shows zero signs of slowing.

The Doc Is In (Alone) 🩺

Doc Howard claimed MA60 with a -3 (866-rated) wire-to-wire win as the sole competitor in his division. Round of the day for MA60 by default, but also by execution—clean, unchallenged, and technically perfect when there's no one to challenge. The empty-division theme continues its reign across MPO, MA3, and now MA60. Drops announcer voice: Look, he threw plastic at metal and got a number. But sure, let me make it DRAMATIC: Doc Howard's reign of solitary excellence continues, seven weeks of potential challengers remain dormant, and the MA60 throne sits uncontested. The sponsors want me to remind you this is "fun."

Four Clean Cards, Zero Excuses ✅

Four bogey-free rounds lit up the leaderboard Friday: Jason Hannay, Mack Stancil, Abe Mills, and Valentin Lutsenko all posted spotless cards. Two personal bests emerged from the carnage—Hannay and Stancil both hit -8 for career highs. Brian O'Dell connected on Circle 2 putts from 39 feet on holes 7 and 14, proving that when the rating gods take away (53-point drop), they occasionally grant consolation prizes. The Statistician achievement went to O'Dell for detailed PDGA Live tracking—more data means more drama means better recaps, folks. Track your throws. Meanwhile, the rating variance swung brutal: Dustin Klimek (-52), Terry Howard (-38), and Kevin Kiser (-28) all battled sub-rating rounds. The algorithm distributed rewards and punishments with equal efficiency.

Achievement Unlocked: Competence 🏆

Five achievements lit up the board: Smooth Sailing badges for Hannay and Stancil (bogey-free rounds), Birdie Bonanza for Hannay's 3-birdie streak (holes 13-15), Division Winner for Hannay's tiebreaker triumph, and Statistician for O'Dell's PDGA Live tracking commitment. Broadcast voice: The arena rewards those who log their data—richer stats unlock richer narratives. More players tracking throws means more moments captured, more storylines woven, more chaos quantified. The algorithm hungers for your throw-by-throw data. Feed it. And yes, these are tracked on PDGA Live, the official Professional Disc Golf Association app—never UDisc, which is a different app entirely. Stats matter; attribution matters more.

The Pot Grows, Hope Withers 🥀

The Super Ace pot climbed past $354 and went unclaimed for the third consecutive week. The designated hole continues extracting pars and bogeys instead of aces, and the money sits there, mocking you from the registration table. No CTP winners reported, no aces logged, just the slow accumulation of dollars and the faster accumulation of missed opportunities. Oh joy, another heartwarming tale of growing jackpots and frozen putts. Seven weeks remain to claim it. The pot will be here, waiting, growing, judging your approach angles.

The Throne Sits Empty (Sort Of) 👑

Eva Lutsenko didn't play Week 3, leaving Tag #1 undefended but also unchallenged. Her "reign of quiet terror" continues by default—no battles fought, no challengers mounted, just the steady accumulation of weeks where the throne remains hers because no one showed up to contest it. The tag's narrative from the registration email promised petty trophy drama over missed 15-footers; what we got was an empty bracket and an unchallenged champion. I'm dreaming of a white Chainsmas, and by dreaming, I mean having a frozen nightmare of unopposed dominance. The tag image below captures the Art Deco glory of uncontested excellence:

Seven Weeks of Carnage Remain ⚔️

Week 3 is in the books—30% through the season, and the storylines are heating up despite the mid-winter chill. The Stancil-Hannay rivalry just added another chapter (advantage: Stancil, for now). Mills' MA50 dominance shows zero cracks. Eva's unchallenged Tag #1 reign continues from the sidelines. Valentin's solo MPO quest marches on. The Super Ace pot climbs toward $400. What fresh hell awaits Week 4? Seven weeks remain for ratings to swing, tags to change hands, and the algorithm to extract its pound of ranking flesh. The Culling continues. See you next Friday, survivors—assuming you're brave enough to show up and challenge the throne. The arena is waiting.