Creek Runs Black

The Creek Finally Went Full Goth 😑

sighs in haunted frontier Welcome back to the Deadlands, where the water feature has decided to cosplay as industrial runoff and I'm contractually obligated to call it "thematic depth." Twenty souls braved Art Dye's wooded corridors Friday, greeted by a pleasant 70.1°F deception and clouds that did nothing to mask the stench rising from the creek. The ground rejects life, the sludge rejects cleanliness, and somehow we're still rolling tape on Week 3 of this Bad Ending timeline.

New Sheriff, Same Haunted Town 🤠

The biggest story in RPA wasn't the leaderboard—it was the leaderboard's complete rewrite. Kenneth Oetker stepped off the range and onto the throne with a scorching -6, posting a 987 rating that sat 27 points above his player rating. The man dragged the Dust Reaper from #22 to #1 in a single round because apparently the Deadlands don't believe in gradual ascension. Meanwhile, Bobby Schneck's coronation went full tumbleweed—a +4 round (874 rated, 70 points below his rating) that sent him sliding down the standings. The battle behind Kenneth was fierce: Chris Fox and Kaden Mecham both shot -4 (964 rated, Personal Bests for both) while PJ Lenz lurked close, but Kenneth's consistency through the back nine slammed the door on any comeback narrative.

From Disaster To Masterpiece 🎨

Over in RAD, Craig Bennett decided his Week 2 fade was merely setup for a redemption arc the scriptwriters didn't earn. A -5 (975 rated, Personal Best) erased the memory of that 898-rated slog, with Craig navigating the sludge-stained fairways like a man who'd finally read the course map. Taylor Thilo matched the intensity with an even-par E (919 rated, also a Personal Best), good for 2nd place—but the real story was the lead card volatility. Holes 5 through 9 saw three different players hold the top spot before Craig's birdie on 10 broke the deadlock. The Deadlands give, the Deadlands take, and tonight it gave Bennett back his game.

Charity Begins At Winning 💰

Bill Johnson achieved what I can only describe as a triple-crown in the wasteland. He won RAE with a +3 (885 rated, Personal Best), claimed the Pool B #1 Hollow Verdict tag, and then—get this—donated his winnings to charity. The man showed up, dominated, and paid it forward, which is either genuine frontier kindness or a tax write-off. I'm legally required to say it's the former. Down in RAF, Dave Mecham salvaged a Personal Best of his own with an +8 (829 rated), taking 3rd despite Trevin Sheppard's strong front-nine start that evaporated somewhere around the black sludge on Hole 12. The environment wants you erased, but apparently not all of you.

Personal Bests For Everyone Except Bobby 📊

The "Personal Best plague" swept Art Dye like a supernatural fever. Craig Bennett, Taylor Thilo, Tyler Ivie, Dave Mecham, Jayden Jamison, and Chris Fox all set new records for this layout, turning the leaderboard into a trophy case of shattered ceilings. Then there's the other side of the Deadlands' coin: Bobby Schneck's 70-point rating crash and Andrew Mortensen's -72 point dive (818 rated, oof). The course rewards the precise and punishes the hesitant, and Friday night, the void collected its dues alongside the accolades.

Still No Ace, Just Richer Hopes 🎯

The Super Ace Pot remains unclaimed, which means it's also growing. Sixteen contributors chipped in $32.00, bringing the running total to a hefty $3,206.00. No chains were blessed this week, but the pot's sitting pretty for whoever dares to test fate on a course where even the creek has given up on being water. adjusts headset The sponsors want me to call this suspense. I call it a very expensive game of "maybe next week."

Taylor Thilo's Skins Heist 🃏

The skins game belonged to Taylor Thilo, who executed what I can only describe as a daylight robbery in the Deadlands. He scooped a massive 7-skin carryover on Hole 8 and finished with 7 skins total ($14), leaving the rest of the card wondering what hit them. Kaden Mecham put up a respectable fight with 6 skins ($12), and Craig Bennett grabbed 5 skins ($10) with a birdie on the final hole to close out the card's action. If you need the full skins playbook, it's available—but Taylor already read it and memorized the cheat codes.

The Dust Reaper Has A New Master 🏆

The All-In reshuffle hit like a sandstorm. In Pool A, Kenneth Oetker claimed the #1 Dust Reaper tag, jumping 22 spots in a single round to sit atop the leaderboard. The tag—a weathered wanted poster come to life, its edges fraying like old parchment in a desert wind—now belongs to a man who shot 27 points above his rating. The ledger collects, the curse claims, and the Weathered become the Iron-Willed. In Pool B, Bill Johnson seized the #1 Hollow Verdict tag, completing his triple-crown evening with a trophy he can actually hang on his wall.

The Void Isn't Done With Us 🌪️

Another week in the books, another layer of corruption settling into the soil. The creek runs black, personal bests coexist with rating collapses, and the Deadlands are becoming less a course and more a character study in survival. The Brine Storm is next on the horizon, and if the environment's escalation pattern holds, we're about to find out just how hostile this frontier can get. tips digital hat The frontier's harsh, but this leaderboard? Downright cruel. See you in Week 4—try not to get buried.