Charlie's Choice

Vegas Can Wait, Tuesday Can't

sighs in synthesized saxophone Week 8 of Chain Man @ Roots, and Charlie's tearing up Lenny's offer while eighteen players commit to 36°F disc golf because apparently Tuesday league waits for no one—not even hypothermia. This is "Charlie's Choice," the penultimate episode where Vegas looms large but Raymond's sacred routine looms larger, and the survival board just recorded five personal bests, five bogey-free rounds, and enough drama to fill a casino floor. The chains were counting, the players were committed, and the arena? The arena was freezing.

Eleven Under, Zero Doubts

Tongia Vakaafi didn't just win RPA—he dismantled it with a wire-to-wire -11 masterpiece rated at 993, a 29-point overperformance that says "I came here to write equations in birdie form." That six-hole hot streak from holes 2-7 went five-under and left the rest of the field doing the math on how to catch someone who'd already lapped them. Eleven birdies, zero bogeys, zero hesitation. Landon Adams brought his own bogey-free -10 (979-rated) and still dropped from first to second because sometimes the arena just picks a different protagonist. Chris Norman and Britain Best both carded -9 rounds, with Britain's back-nine surge (holes 15-17 went three-under) pushing him from 5th to 4th while Chris held steady at third. The leaderboard had a story to tell, and Tongia wrote every chapter.

Bogey-Free and Still Chasing 😤

Four players posted bogey-free rounds in RPA, and only one of them got to stand on top of the podium—that's the kind of mathematical injustice that makes you question whether the chains have favorites. Brian Hansen went -8 with zero mistakes (952-rated, 16 points above his rating) and finished tied for 4th. Ethan Walker matched that -8, also bogey-free, also tied for 4th. Meanwhile, Jared Lang experienced what can only be described as a rating catastrophe—his round came in 87 points below expectation, the kind of statistical freefall that makes you wonder if the course personally wronged him. Seven lead changes across the division meant nobody got comfortable, and Britain Best's climb from 5th through 4th proves that back-nine surges still matter when the front nine keeps you in striking distance.

The Fox Got Caught, Then Escaped

Eric Pearson executed a bogey-free clinic in RAD, going -8 with a 952 round rating that sat 39 points above his baseline—eight birdies, ten pars, and the kind of surgical precision that makes the rest of the division reconsider their disc selection. But let's talk about Chris Fox, who went OB on hole 8, immediately answered with a birdie on hole 9 (featuring a 49-foot Circle 2 conversion because apparently adversity just makes him angry), and still walked away with a personal best -6. That's not just scramble ability—that's spite in disc form. Skyler Kunz and Jonah Milner both held early leads before fading to 12th, proving that Roots giveth and Roots taketh away, often within the same round.

The Counting House Had One Customer

Brian Bowling went wire-to-wire in RAE with a -3 that rated 42 points above expectation—a personal best built on sole birdies on holes 3 and 13, where he was literally the only player in the division who could count those particular chains. When you're the exclusive customer at The Counting House, you set the prices. Rodrigo Ornelas held the final cash spot despite a 45-point rating drop, proving that sometimes survival is about showing up and outlasting the field. Kalen Adams led through hole 5 before finishing on the bubble, learning the hard way that early leads in small divisions mean the back nine becomes a very public stress test.

Personal Best in a Party of One

Bryant Adams posted a bogey-free -8 personal best in RAH, going 952-rated with eight birdies and zero company—because when you're the only player in your division, you can't celebrate a PB without acknowledging the irony that there was literally no one to beat. Still, the round was legitimate: three separate two-under stretches (holes 1-2, 6-7, 14-15) and the kind of consistency that says "I would've won this division even if it had competitors." Over in RAF, Kody Taylor carded a +6 with a front-nine-heavy scoring split (8 strokes better than his back nine) and a recovery birdie after a double on hole 9 that showed resilience even when the math wasn't cooperating.

The Personal Best Pandemic 📈

Five personal bests in one event is what happens when the temperature drops and the commitment level rises—Tongia, Bryant, Chris Fox, Brian Bowling, and Brandon Reesor all rewrote their own record books while the rest of the field watched the survival board light up. Five bogey-free rounds across the event (Eric, Bryant, Ethan, Brian Hansen, Landon) meant clean cards were contagious, and the rating overperformances tell the real story: Eric +39, Brian Bowling +42, Tongia +29. Hole 12 collected its dues from multiple players, but the resilience runs afterward (multiple birdie bouncebacks) proved that adversity at Roots just makes the survivors sharper.

The Statistician Counted the Chains

Britain Best unlocked the triple achievement jackpot: First Skin (his debut into the skins game), Fore Skin Club (four total skins earned), and Statistician (tracking every throw on PDGA Live like Raymond counting links in a basket). That Statistician achievement comes from actually logging your stats—approach percentages, scramble rates, C1X putting—and it's the kind of data that makes these recaps richer, more dramatic, and infinitely more entertaining. More players tracking stats means more stories to tell, so if you want your round to sound like a highlight reel instead of a box score, turn on PDGA Live tracking. The arena rewards those who count every chain.

The Hustler's Table Paid Out 💰

$148.50 changed hands across three skins cards, and Ethan Walker scooped the biggest pot of the day with a 15-skin haul worth $60—including a 12-skin carryover on hole 16 that turned one birdie into a payday that would make Charlie Babbitt nod in approval. Britain Best grabbed 11 skins in his debut performance ($24.75), proving that first-timers can absolutely crash the hustler's table and walk away with cash. Tongia Vakaafi added 12 skins ($24) to his wire-to-wire victory on the noon card, because apparently dominating the leaderboard wasn't enough—he needed the side action too. For more on how skins carryovers turn single birdies into jackpot moments, check the skins playbook.

The House Always Wins (So Far)

Brian Hansen held Tag #1—Stacked Deck—through Week 8 with one strike accumulated (1/3 as defender), and Kent Moos is still circling like a challenger who knows the deck isn't as stacked as advertised. The Stacked Deck represents Charlie's philosophy: true skill isn't overcoming obstacles, it's arranging for those obstacles to benefit you. Brian's bogey-free -8 this week says the house still knows how to deal, but that single strike means the foundation is starting to crack. Kent "The Bluff Caller" Moos keeps showing up, keeps calling the tell, and the tag's lore says this entity manifests when a hustler has arranged every variable in their favor before the first throw. The question heading into Week 9: can Brian keep the deck stacked through the Vegas finale, or will Kent finally prove the house was bluffing all along?

Definitely Next Tuesday

adjusts headset One week until "Definitely Champions"—the season finale where the Vegas Doubles Championship collides with Raymond's sacred routine and Charlie's ultimate choice. This week proved that commitment beats safety: five personal bests, five bogey-free rounds, Britain Best tracking every stat like it mattered (because it did), and eighteen players showing up in 36°F temps because Tuesday means Tuesday. The watch is counting down, the chains are waiting, and Week 9 looms with all the inevitability of Raymond insisting on pancakes at exactly 7:30. Definitely Tuesday. Definitely Roots. Definitely the conclusion we've been building toward since Charlie first discovered his brother could count every link in a basket. See you at the finale.