Chain Groove

The Script Called for Hypothermia 🎬

Adjusts neutral broadcaster glasses while scanning the Week 3 chaos

Nineteen players showed up to Dragonfly on December 19th expecting the 0°F apocalypse promised in registration—parkas ready, dignity questionable—and instead got a balmy 45-50°F with light clouds and gentle wind. The "Chain Groove" episode delivered on its theatrical promise despite the weather's refusal to cooperate with the doomsday script: Austin Lott aced Hole 7 to claim $105.46 and end the two-week pot drought, Houston Finch posted a 1019-rated wire-to-wire masterpiece to seize the #1 tag, and factions clashed across every division with lead changes, rating explosions, and the kind of chaos that makes you wonder if someone spiked the hydration station. Week 3 of 9, temporary home at Dragonfly while Art Dye's fate hangs in the balance, and the groove was real. 🎸

Hole 18 Wrote the Ending 🎬

Tyler Romney (-2, 937-rated, +26 above his 911 baseline) closed RAD with a clutch birdie on Hole 18, the kind of finishing move that makes highlight reels and forces everyone else to pretend they're happy for you. His back nine was 3 strokes better than his front—momentum building like a storm system that actually showed up—and he led wire-to-wire after Hole 11. Clayton Strayer (+2, 895) held the lead briefly after Hole 4 but couldn't sustain it, finishing second. Chris Fox (+6, 854) cratered 114 rating points from his Week 2 performance (968-rated, -5 with an eagle on 12), a stunning regression that proves gravity works on ratings too. His front nine was 7 strokes better than his back—a complete reversal of last week's eagle-powered surge. Tyler's birdie on 18 was the script's final edit, and it printed clean. 🎯

The Understudy Stole the Scene

Craig Bennett (-6, 978-rated, +79 above his 899 rating) delivered the only bogey-free round of the entire event and the week's most explosive rating performance across all divisions. He led wire-to-wire from Hole 10 onward after early jockeying with Zack Markarian (-2, 937) and Kaden Mecham (-4, 957). Kaden's 4-hole hot streak (Holes 4-7) kept him in contention, but a stumble on Hole 12 dropped him from the lead share. Joel Benavidez (+2, 895) bounced back with a birdie on Hole 2 after a rough +2 start on Hole 1—resilience on display even if the final score didn't reflect it. Craig's +79 rating explosion and flawless execution through Dragonfly's wetland corridors made him the week's breakout star, proving that underdogs don't need speaking lines to steal the show. 🔥

A Thousand-Nineteen Ways to Say Goodbye

Houston Finch (-10, 1019-rated, +26 above his 993 rating) posted the round of the day—and the season so far—with a wire-to-wire performance that seized the lead on Hole 2 and never looked back. He finished 7.6 strokes better than the field average, the kind of statistical dominance that makes everyone else's scorecards look like rough drafts. Austin Lott (-7, 988, personal best) aced Hole 7 for $105.46 and couldn't catch him. Kenneth Oetker (-4, 957) dropped from 1st to 3rd in his division—his two-week Cue Card reign ending with 21 rating points lost from last week's 978-rated performance. Bobby Schneck (-1, 926) rounded out the RPA podium. Houston's clean back nine and flawless execution through 18 holes vaulted him from tag #20 to #1 in a single act—the Final Reel found its editor, and the credits rolled on Kenneth's reign. 🎞️

Clinton's Bogey-Driven Plot Twists

Dave Mecham (+13, 783-rated) outlasted Clinton Atwater (+14, 772-rated, -44 below his 816 rating) in a two-player RAF division packed with chaotic lead swaps. Clinton led after Hole 1, but Dave's back nine was 4 strokes better than his front, powering a comeback that proved resilience beats early momentum. Clinton held or shared the lead at Holes 9, 16, and briefly at 17—but bogeys knocked him out each time, turning potential victories into narrative twists the script demanded. Dave's late push after a 3-hole cold streak (ending Hole 10) was decisive. Both players struggled relative to their ratings, but Dave's ability to grind through adversity earned the win in a division where every hole was a new chapter. 📖

Forty-Nine Points of Plot Armor

Corry Johnson (+2, 895-rated, +49 above his 846 rating) powered a wire-to-wire win in RAE after Hole 11, recovering from a bogey on Hole 5 with a birdie on Hole 7 that reset the narrative. Kelly Hall (+3, 885, +41 above rating) surged late—back nine was 6 strokes better than the front—climbing from 4th to 2nd with the kind of momentum that makes you wonder if someone unlocked a cheat code. Chris Howk (+4, 875) and Alex Collings (+6, 854) rounded out the podium; Alex led through Hole 10 but faded to 4th when the script flipped. Danny Smith (+10, 813) posted a 9-stroke back-nine improvement after a 5-hole cold streak but couldn't climb past 5th. Michael Rivera (+18, 731) endured the event's toughest round with a 72-point rating drop. Corry's +49 explosion and clutch birdie recovery gave him the kind of plot armor that makes underdogs look inevitable. 🛡️

The Ace Pot Ghost Has Been Exorcised

Austin Lott's ace on Hole 7 (Par 3, 256ft through Dragonfly's wetland corridors) claimed the $105.46 pot and ended the two-week drought that registration had been begging someone to resolve. The ghost is dead. Long live the chains. Craig Bennett's bogey-free personal best (-6, +79 rating explosion) headlined a week of extremes: seven players shot 20+ points above their ratings—Tyler Romney (+26), Houston Finch (+26), Austin Lott (+28), Kaden Mecham (+24), Kelly Hall (+41), Corry Johnson (+49), and Craig (+79). On the other end, Chris Fox (-70), Michael Rivera (-72), Clinton Atwater (-44), Danny Smith (-39), and Clayton Strayer (-39) cratered hard. Sole birdies on tough holes came from Craig (Hole 1), Danny (Hole 3), Chris Howk (Holes 4, 14), Alex Collings (Holes 5, 8), Corry (Hole 7), Kaden (Hole 9), and Kelly (Holes 13, 15)—players bucking trends and carving their own lines. The $731 Super Ace on Hole 1 remains unclaimed, growing more menacing by the week. 💰

Nineteen Positions in One Take

Houston Finch vaulted from tag #20 to the Final Reel (#1) in a single round—19 positions gained with a 1019-rated performance that finished 7.6 strokes better than the field average. The tag's lore—"the last word in any contest, the unedited take that defines the entire production"—fits perfectly: he seized the lead on Hole 2 and never looked back, his clean back nine the kind of flawless execution the artifact's low, resonant hum (like a projector spinning down after a perfect take) was designed to amplify. Kenneth Oetker's two-week Cue Card reign ended without ceremony; the credits rolled on the old order. The Final Reel now belongs to Houston, and the Chain Prince Collective has a new face at the top. The artifact thrums with approval, its obsidian surface banded with platinum sprockets gleaming under Dragonfly's cloud-filtered light. 🎞️

Kenneth's Hole 18 Heist

Kenneth Oetker scooped a 5-skin carryover on Hole 18 for $20, the biggest single swing in $108 of skins action across two cards. He finished with 7 skins for $28 on the 8:00 AM card ($4/skin), bookending the morning with Zack Markarian's opening birdie on Hole 2. Zack led the morning haul with 11 skins for $44. On the 2:00 PM card ($2/skin), Kaden Mecham proved that volume matters when the per-skin rate is lower—10 skins for $20 off a 7-birdie performance. Kenneth's Hole 18 birdie was the kind of clutch closing move that makes everyone else's carryover dreams evaporate, and the morning card's higher stakes made it sting even more for those left empty-handed. Want to add skins drama to your next card? Learn how to set up skins. ⛓️

The Script Advances, the Course Benefits

Week 3's "Chain Groove" episode delivered on its promise—factions clashed, theatrics exploded, and Houston Finch's Final Reel takeover gave the Chain Prince Collective a new face at the top. Kenneth Oetker's Cue Card reign ended, the rivalry escalated, and the season narrative advanced with the kind of momentum that makes you believe this absurd production might actually work. The event raised $19 for the Dragonfly Course Fund (automatic $1/player), pushing the total to $175.80 toward a $1,000 goal—18% progress funding the volunteer-built wetland course's ongoing improvements: tee signs, benches, and OB markers installed through community labor. Dragonfly's secluded, nature-immersive feel depends on continued support, and every dollar raised keeps the fairways playable and the chains singing. 🌿

The Groove Ends, the Heist Begins

Houston Finch holds the #1 tag. Kenneth Oetker's two-week reign is over. The ace pot drought is broken. Week 4 is "Spotlight Heist"—Mojo Steele books the same Friday night, two competing glow rounds happen simultaneously on different holes, and chaos ensues. Players will run between stages. Equipment will fail. The rivalry between Chain Prince and Mojo Steele factions escalates to peak absurdity. The stakes rise. The storm is building. When it pours, it roars. 🎭