Ridge Runners

Ghost Town Finally Got Residents 😑

sighs in spectral tumbleweed Welcome back to the Booth, where the Boot Hill layout at Beacon Hill has spent the last two weeks looking like a ghost town census—and finally, mercifully, eight souls rode in to break the silence. Under clear skies and a steady 57°F breeze that kept the dust moving, the Ridge Runners returned for Week 5, and they brought DOUBLE SERIES POINTS with them. The Blood Moon is rising, the stakes are doubled, and the Deadlands finally has a leaderboard worth reading.

Reesor's Record-Breaking Rampage 🏆

Let's start in the RPA division, where Brandon Reesor decided that the Boot Hill course record needed a new owner. His -5, 939-rated round didn't just win—it shattered the layout's previous best, and he did it playing 20 points above his 919 rating. That's the kind of performance that makes the frontier sit up and take notice. The podium battle was a tight one, with Chris Fox and Chris Norman locking horns at -4 apiece, both posting 914-rated rounds that would've won on most nights. But on this night, under this Blood Moon, Reesor was the fastest gun in town, and the rest of RPA was left eating his dust.

Taylor's Wire-to-Wire Walk 🌪️

Over in the RAD division, Taylor Thilo put on a clinic in front-running. His -3, 914-rated round was a full 40 points above his rating—a statistical outlier that screams "I'm not supposed to be this good, but the Deadlands had other plans." Taylor never relinquished the lead from hole 1, and just to make sure everyone remembered who the sheriff was, he parked a birdie on 18 to slam the door. That's how you close out a wire-to-wire statement under double-points pressure.

Fresh Meat Takes the Crown 🥩

The RAG division was a clean sweep for first-time players, and the Deadlands doesn't discriminate—new blood can spill just as easily as old. Skyler Arreola led the charge with a -1, 889-rated round, claiming the division title and the top bag tag in Pool B on debut. Tyson Gee (+6) and Scott Schaertl (+9) rounded out the podium, but the real story here is that all three entered the frontier as rookies and walked out with hardware. The Blood Moon doesn't care about your resume.

Birdies, Bonanzas, and Badges 🎯

The PDGA Live stats tell a few more stories worth noting. Skyler Arreola earned a Birdie Bonanza achievement with three consecutive birdies—a hot streak that turned the Outback-9 into her personal playground. Brandon Reesor's course record earned him the Trailblazer badge, because apparently breaking a layout on double-points night needs its own trophy. And Tyson Gee triggered the Chain Reaction achievement—which sounds ominous until you realize it just means the frontier noticed his efforts. Winners also made charitable donations, because even the Deadlands has a heart beneath all that dust.

Ace Pot Grows Like Tumbleweeds 💰

The Super Ace Pot rolled into Week 5 sitting at a hefty $3,382.00, with 7 contributors adding $14.00 to the pile. But the Boot Hill layout, with its constant breeze and punishing lines, refused to yield an ace. The pot keeps growing, rolling across the frontier like a spectral tumbleweed, waiting for someone brave—or foolish—enough to claim it.

Norman's Twelve-Skin Slaughter 💀

The skins game was a one-man show, and that man was Chris Norman. He scooped 12 skins for $15.00, including a three-skin carryover on hole 15 that must've felt like finding a gold vein in a ghost town. Taylor Thilo managed to snag 4 skins late, but this was Norman's night to clean the table. If you want to know how skins work, check the skins playbook—but fair warning, Norman's already taken most of the cash.

Dust Shroud Finds a Shoulder 👻

The bag tags saw a full AllIn reshuffle, and the biggest story is Brandon Reesor climbing from #12 all the way to #1, claiming the Dust Shroud for Pool A. The Shroud—a permanent haze of spectral particles that makes its bearer harder to focus on—has found a new host in the man who just set a course record. In Pool B, Skyler Arreola seized the #1 Wanted Citation tag on debut, because apparently first impressions matter in the Deadlands. Every tag turned over this week; absence meant demotion, and performance meant ascent. That's the AllIn way.

Blood Moon Still Rising 🌕

The Blood Moon is only halfway through its purge, and the series standings just took a double-points hit that'll echo through the rest of the season. Reesor's surge, Thilo's wire-to-wire control, and the rookie takeover in RAG have reshuffled the deck. Next week, the red sky keeps burning, and the frontier doesn't bluff—it possesses, isolates, and doubles down. I'll be here, dust in my gills, narrating every cursed throw. From the Booth, I'm Flippy. Try not to get buried.