Sellout Scheme

Two Aces, Zero Dollars, Maximum Pain

adjusts headset while reviewing the Week 5 carnage Welcome to "Sellout Scheme," where 14 players showed up to Dragonfly on January 2nd despite knowing Mojo Steele's betrayal had gone public—and promptly delivered the most ironically perfect performance of the season. 🎯 Pleasant 41-42°F conditions with gentle winds created ideal scoring weather, which the field exploited with ruthless efficiency. Clayton Strayer demolished the course record with a -5 (976-rated) wire-to-wire masterpiece. Chris Fox continued his hot streak with -3. Bobby Schneck eagled a par 4. And—here's the punchline—Thomas Sautel aced hole 10 while Alex Collings aced hole 16, neither of whom bought into the ace pot. Maximum drama. Zero payout. The pot grows fatter on their regret. This is disc golf's version of a Greek tragedy, except the chorus is just chains laughing at human hubris.

One Division, One Demolition

Clayton Strayer didn't just win RAD—he obliterated it, shooting 42 points above his 934 rating with a clean front nine and a par train through holes 13-17 that felt like a metronome keeping time while everyone else scrambled. 🔥 His -5 (58) earned him the Trailblazer achievement for setting a new course record, the kind of performance that makes the arena's verdict impossible to dispute. Chris Fox kept his Week 4 momentum alive with -3 (55, 956-rated), stringing together three straight birdies on holes 9-11 and finishing 32 points above his baseline—this is two weeks in a row above rating, which means the hot streak is real and the competition should be nervous. Thomas Sautel posted -2 (56, 946-rated) with that H10 ace that bought nothing but heartbreak, while Tyler Romney and Zack White rounded out the field. Zack led through hole 3 before fading to 5th—sometimes the course just decides you've had enough spotlight.

The Tie Goes to the Closer 🎤

Austin Lott and Ethan Walker tied at -2 (946-rated) after 18 holes of lead-change chaos, but Austin's clutch birdie on H18 broke the deadlock and claimed the outright RPA victory. 📊 This division saw six different lead changes involving four players: Tongia Vakaafi opened with a birdie on H1, Jared Lang tied it up on H2, Austin grabbed it on H6, Ethan took it on H8, Tongia reclaimed it on H9, Ethan seized it again on H13, and Austin's finishing birdie wrote the final script. Austin's back nine ran four strokes better than his front nine—the kind of momentum shift that turns ties into trophies. Bobby Schneck eagled the par-4 H12 (350ft) because apparently everyone decided Week 5 was "do something spectacular and make the recap writer's job harder" night. Tongia finished 3rd at -1 (936-rated), landing on the bubble just outside the money despite shooting 28 points below his 964 rating—sometimes excellence still doesn't pay.

The Ace That Bought Nothing

Corry Johnson won RAE wire-to-wire with a +4 (62, 887-rated) performance that ran 41 points above his 846 baseline—solid execution in a three-player field where only first place pays. 🎯 Alex Collings finished 2nd at +5 (63, 877-rated), which would be a respectable showing in any other context except he aced hole 16 without buying into the pot, then landed on the bubble where second place earns nothing but the knowledge that he was one stroke away from cash. That's a double tragedy wrapped in a single scorecard. Michael Rivera rounded out the division at +8 (66, 847-rated), shooting 44 points above his 803 rating for a personal best—everyone in RAE outperformed their baseline, which means Dragonfly was either playing easy or these three brought their A-games. Probably both.

Eagles, Aces, and Empty Pockets

Five players shot 25+ points above their PDGA ratings: Clayton Strayer (+42), Michael Rivera (+44), Corry Johnson (+41), Chris Fox (+32), and Thomas Sautel (+25)—the kind of collective overperformance that suggests either the course was generous or everyone remembered to eat breakfast. 🔥 Clean nine highlights went to Chris Fox and Clayton (front nine), plus Thomas Sautel and Brandon Reesor (back nine). Austin Lott closed with three straight birdies on holes 16-18, because apparently finishing strong is his signature move now. Multiple sole birdie heroes emerged across the layout, while Zack White and Jared Lang led early before fading—sometimes the course gives you hope just to take it away later. Bobby Schneck's eagle on H12 deserves its own monument. And those two aces? Still sitting in the pot, unpaid, mocking the players who forgot to buy in.

Competence Gets the Final Word

Clayton Strayer reclaimed the #1 Royal Rumble tag with his course-record -5, embodying the tag's lore of competitive chaos distilled into decisive execution. 👑 Forged in the aftermath of a legendary multi-round showdown, the Royal Rumble manifests as a shimmering heat-haze distortion—obsidian shards etched with crowd noise waveforms distributed to those who enter its sphere. Clayton's 976-rated performance, 42 points above his 934 baseline, is the kind of wire-to-wire dominance that makes the arena's verdict impossible to dispute. The tag's history notes this is Week 5 of 9, and Clayton just proved that "when the music stops and the storm clears, competence still gets the final word." Previous holder? Also Clayton. He defended nothing—he simply took back what was his, crushing the field by 4.2 strokes and vaulting from #12 to #1 in a single week. The Royal Rumble thrums with a low, resonant frequency that vibrates in the chest, a subliminal drumroll heralding conflict—and right now, it's humming Clayton's name.

Buy In or Cry In

Thomas Sautel aced hole 10 (Par 3, 250ft). Alex Collings aced hole 16 (Par 3, 311ft). Neither bought into the ace pot. 💸 This is the disc golf equivalent of finding a winning lottery ticket in your pocket after throwing away your pants—except you never bought the ticket in the first place, so technically you didn't lose anything, but emotionally you're devastated because you could have won. The pot remains unclaimed, growing fatter for Week 6, a monument to the importance of reading registration forms. Someone check on Thomas and Alex. They're not okay. They're going to see those chains in their nightmares, whispering "you could've been paid" every time they close their eyes. The lesson here is simple: buy in, or cry in. There is no third option.

Nine Skins Is Just Hoarding

Austin Lott dominated the lone skins card with 9 skins for $20.25, including a 4-skin carryover scoop on hole 17 that felt like robbing a bank except it was legal and encouraged. 💰 Brandon Reesor took 6 skins ($13.50), while Tongia Vakaafi grabbed 3 ($6.75)—$40.50 total exchanged across 18 holes of birdie chaos. Tongia opened with a birdie on H1 for 1 skin, then watched a 3-hole push redistribute the tension before Austin's H17 birdie collected four carryover skins in one swing. Austin closed H18 with another birdie for one more skin, because apparently he decided to make the skins card his personal highlight reel. The card ran at 11:40 AM, which means they finished before most people had lunch, and Austin walked away with half the pot. Any card can enable skins—learn how to set up skins and bring this chaos to your group.

Betrayal Doesn't Cancel League Night

Mojo Steele's scheme is now public knowledge—he's been working with Fairway Futures LLC the entire time, sent to sabotage the fundraising from within—but 14 players showed up to Dragonfly anyway and delivered one of the season's best performances. 🎭 Clayton Strayer's course record, the double aces, the skins chaos—all of it happened while the developers' betrayal was exposed. The community isn't backing down. The Dragonfly Course Fund raised $15.50 this event (including $14 in automatic $1/player contributions plus $1.50 additional), pushing the total to $714.34—71% of the $1,000 goal. This isn't just about saving Art Dye anymore; it's about building something permanent at Dragonfly while fighting for the course that started it all. Every dollar is another tee pad, another sign, another bridge across the wetlands that will outlast whatever drama the season throws at us. Four weeks remain. The fight continues.

The Rehearsal Begins Next Week 🎬

Week 6 brings "Glow Rehearsal," where the community doubles down on planning the biggest glow round concert Art Dye has ever seen: synchronized LED basket displays, a 70-player putting choir, and rain contingency plans that definitely won't be needed. ⛈️ (Narrator: They will absolutely be needed.) Weather forecasts show a massive storm system approaching for finale weekend, which means the next four weeks are about preparation, escalation, and hoping someone remembered to waterproof the speakers. The Royal Rumble tag sits in Clayton Strayer's hands, a throne he reclaimed with ruthless efficiency. The ace pot remains unclaimed, growing fatter on the tears of Thomas Sautel and Alex Collings, waiting for someone who actually bought in to collect. Mojo Steele's betrayal is public, but the show must go on—and if the developers think a little corporate sabotage will stop a community that plays disc golf in 41°F weather for fun, they've severely underestimated what we're willing to endure for the chains we love.