2024 Chess.com Invitational | R2 F9 | Rathbun, Buhr, Ford, Klein | Gatekeeper Media

Welcome to the first DGPT event of the 2024 season! We are at the Olympus DGC in Brooksville, FL for the 2024 Chess.com Invitation presented by Discraft. We are taking a different approach to our coverage this year by providing chase card coverage with a next week turnaround. Thank you DGN for providing the footage.

Round 2 Chase Card:
Gavin Rathbun
Gannon Buhr
Mason Ford
Kyle Klein

Commentary by:
Chris German & Nathan Johnson

Music by:
BirdieFest

Course: Olympus DGC | Brooksville, FL

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Greetings disc offers and welcome back to the 2024 chess.com Invitational presented by Discraft the first stop of the Season make sure you head over to disl network to catch all of your live coverage this year thank you to our patreon supporters my name is Chris German co-founder and co-owner of

Gatekeeper subbing in for Andrew we have Nathan Johnson as well subbing in for Nathan Queen we’re here for Chase Card round two how you doing not too bad yeah we had some hot scores in round one on our card so excited to see what these

Guys can do on the Chase card for round two yeah we saw that Gavin wrath one I mentioned at the end of round one that he actually had a bogey free five down um after we almost saw Bella uh he was sitting at 8 under took

The double there on 18 as we saw it was pretty Gusty yesterday the conditions look a little better today but still coming down to the stretch holes 17 and 18 really fun ones that can kind of ruin a good round for you yeah should be exciting to watch

Starting things off here on hole one a 357 ft Par 3 uphill the entire way got a bit of a low ceiling with that branch that hangs over the Fairway most players are going to opt for the flex forehand if you got it or just kind of a straight

Back hand playing for that long sort of too luck [Applause] Gavin rathbun’s going to lead us off new sponsor this year with an open bag I believe yeah unsponsored this year kind of coming off a bit of an injury from last season so great to see him

Starting off the a strong with a nice five down round one and Nice Shot here on whole one to get his round two started yeah looking at Circle Edge for his birdie putt and as we mentioned in round one theme of this course a lot of sloping greens especially right behind the basket

So prone to roll ways yep putting definitely interesting makes you think about those 40 50 Footers that usually our no-brainer runs for these guys sometimes can get a little bit squirly like that putt right there from Ganon coming in at about oh it’s rolling back down the hill but

Somewhere around 5050 feet is going to be a you know definitely a a difficult decision for [Applause] him and we have Mason Ford with Team mint disc uh I remember filming him I believe it was 2021 Worlds the year James won uh and that I just remember

Him being on Chase card for I think three of the five rounds and that was my first time filming him and was a very smooth game yeah that was kind of his breakout performance there yeah like you said super smooth game both forehand and backhand speaking of smooth games KY

Klein also super smooth player get got that signature win last year at the usdgc so we’ll see if he can back that up here uh this first event of 2024 that’s going to do it right there that’s a great start parked for birdie yeah pretty textbook just playing

It out wide something overstable to get that big flare skip back to the right at the end oh and gandon actually took a pretty big roll back down the hill so nothing nothing really to work with there uhoh and sits down yeah that could have been that

Could have been quite nasty that that that was teetering there wasn’t it yeah that hill on the back side of this green on hole one uhoh as Gavin with a Miss of his own can get uh you can roll literally all the way to the bottom and

Have like a 80 foot up shot after your uh initial putt if you’re unlucky so one of those holes it’s almost better to airball your putts than catch a little bit of metal and flip your disc on the wrong Edge we’re g to see a couple cleanups

This hole came in Just Around par barely over 70% of the field take in the par here so I think just a little uphill and like you said if you’re just like 50 ft or so it’s a hard way to start your round putting from Circle two with that type

Of a drop behind the basket yeah most players find to just kind of get that stressfree par and get their round underway here hold two another tricky par for 730 ft you’re looking to throw your t-shot pretty much dead straight with maybe a little bit of

Left finish if anything got OB on the whole right side on t-shot and then most players if you’ve got it is a spike Heiser forehand into the green uh or maybe a spike Heiser backhand depending on where you land can get a little bit tricky there is Obie on the right side

There we saw Dickerson find that in round one so if you pull something or turn it over can come in the play with basically an automatic bogey yeah definitely the Miss is to finish left but the ideal shot is what Gavin just did right there just something nice and straight little bit

Of left to right drift to kind of keep that disc pushing forward and then a nice stable finish pretty much textbook this is pulled from Ganon clip some of that Spanish moss on the right hand side keeps him in the Fairway though so should still be in

Position to take a a straightforward par Kyle still a little bit of work yeah the these upshots are tricky like even if you know if you’re if you’re not biting off the full the full drive length like Kyle did and Ganon is going to kind of end up in a similar

Spot these upshots into the green are tricky if you’re not perpendicular to the basket um you know the basket’s on a slope end and the the the Fairway takes such a drastic left to right angle that um it’s it’s tough to get that that speed control

Right moving into this green and and hit that distance perfectly Gavin finds himself on the top of the hill we’ll see what type of shrubber is going to be between him and the basket Kyle’s going up and over yeah that’s kind of what I was talking about just not a lot of options

You can see he kind of has a skinny Gap straight in front of him but it’s hard to play the out and around when you get pinched off there so kind of limits your options again and ended up in a pretty nice spot there just kind of has a nice

Pitch up the hill as does Mason pretty common result on this hole no bueno for Gavin with Ganon uh putting that close that means Kyle yeah that’s his disc right there actually he parked that that was an amazing up and overshot from him yeah probably just I don’t know if it

Was a grenade or just a super overstable disc but yeah basically just straight up straight down and that’s a yeah a really great scramble as Mason in in all there yeah as he should be as are we heading into hole three part four 531 ft another dog leg right this t-shot is

Really about placement anywhere on this road will put you in a good spot uh to play up the hill and into this another common theme sloped green definitely don’t want to come up short on this t-shot you can afford to go a little bit long and still have

Something but uh yeah like that spot for Kyle there is going to make things very tricky for a second shot good pull from Gavin center cut textbook right there yeah that’s just what you’re looking for most of these players probably just throwing a nice overstable mid-range or putter something that they can just

Trust to throw flat on a little bit of Hiser and just get that little bit of drift but it’s easy to underc commit like you saw both Ganon and Kyle do just not quite put enough on it this is a a blind shot into the landing zone so it’s really about

Trusting what you’ve done in practice and you know committing to that that angle Mason’s going to be putting from birdie Circle two and that’s a great roll for Kyle put some circle Edge to basically tap in and I would say Ganon had a decent uh

Roll out as well I mean still cut off angle but yeah for for where those guys t- shots landed they could have been in a much worse spot I mean Gavin Al obviously pretty much a textbook drive and textbook upshot but you know I’ve seen people in the shortle rough that

Basically have almost nothing so the fact that they’re able to get a long look out of it and uh is a is a is a pretty good feat that’s got to set luckily that did stay in yeah there is some some thick grass under that barb wire fence so Lu caught

The able to catch the disc before it rolled out of bounds but yeah that could have been a swing I wasn’t even thinking of that really as a danger but I mean it definitely comes into play yeah another Just Another Hill a basket on a slope that uh you know again

You catch a little bit of metal catch that cage disc likes to take off down the hill so you definitely a a danger to keep in the back of your mind I’m the best I’m the best I’m the I’m theing on my CH I’m the I’m best

I’m I’m the best I’m the best I’m the best hanging on my chest I’m the Best jumping in the whole four the hardest hole in the course par 4 664 ft you’ve got this downhill low ceiling t- shot looking to land you somewhere around that big tree we just flew past and then after that you’ve got two Fairways to choose from the Drone flying

The low right route you may also see some players go flex forehand over the top of the hill depending on where you lie after the first great shot from Kyle there yeah we saw AB go over the top on the t-shot in round one that’s definitely a possibility um especially

With a lot less win today compared to Friday but um looks like so far none of these players opting for that line decent shot there from Mason Ganon goes that right Gap and that was pretty scary yeah there’s two trees that just sit right next to that barb wire OB line

On the low side that uh oh as this disc just absolutely takes off out of bounds that’s a really tough break but yeah the these two discs or trees just are the a real danger to just kicking your disc straight OB so that’s just kind of where

The danger in the the low route comes this this higher route is a little safer as far as not bringing the OB into play but it just plays so much farther to go up and over that Hill into the green that you don’t see a lot of players take

It if they’re playing for birdie yeah and if you find yourself short that takes an unfortunate roll as well wow you find yourself a little short you can end up kind of pinch behind that bush up on the top side and you’re putting to a sloping green On The Backs

Side if you end up a little shorter so yeah great shot from Gavin he’s looking at a taing birdie or par I’m sorry yeah should be a par cuz he had that pitch up it’s just so hard to get into the a good position on the t-shot you know especially going

Oh as Mason just sends this one up a bit deep um just such a demanding line to put yourself in position to to throw that you know tight tunnel 380 ft um second shot and and and pick up that par so very demanding hole you can kind of

See why it plays as the hardest hole on the course yeah there was only one Birdie on the day shout out to Casey white for grabbing that yeah we’re seeing a pretty typical scorecard here couple pars couple bogeys actually might be three Bogies yeah you’re seeing why Olympus

Has teeth the teeth continue here on hole five with a 48 foot par three over the foo basket is a pretty good shot getting a little bit of ground play most t- shots are going to end up in that Gully you see about 40t of the basket

But if you hit the angle just right and push the backside of the Fairway you might be able to get yourself an inside the circle look little straight from Kyle there that could be trouble also on that side yeah yeah there’s also a pretty steep slope on the back side of that Fairway

If you do penetrate the rough any more than like 10 or 15 ft so hopefully he got caught up there on the edge or he could be in a bad spot uh so I believe the area Mason was playing from is a casual relief area so

He does have the option to go to a drop zone looks like he just chose to play it from his lie um because it probably gave him a little bit better angle but yeah that oh my gosh as Ganon goes roller that’s a sick shot yeah inside

The circle for birdie is it looked like he elected to take it from his lie as well yeah yeah the thing about the drop zone is it’s pretty pinched off with that hill so you’re throwing basically straight up hill so it almost is better to take it farther back from the hill

Where the these guys lies were but just makes the footing super tricky because it’s basically a a mud pit down there yeah assuming these putts are made I don’t want to jinx Canon nicely done yeah couple great par saves from the card um to be at the the bottom of the

Hill or off the Fairway on this hole can can get you into some trouble as we jump ahead to whole six par 4 790 ft big elevation drop off the tea you’re looking to throw a t- shot that gets as left as possible land you somewhere in

This Fairway and then most players going to if you’re a right hand backhand throw some sort of left or right turnover shot into the protected green you might see some players throw forehand just to kind of look for that Circle two putt depending on the wind it was very

Blustery as you can see kind of Gusty hard to predict and this was a pretty common result on this hole just kind of pushing the disc a little too straight and finding that backs side of the Fairway yeah puts you in a tough spot for your second shot and step out patent

P pending type golf yeah the ideal play on this hole is to really push the ceiling and get the disc as high and left through that Gap as possible um obviously that makes things a little scarier cuz you don’t want to hit that first tree but really

Gets you as left as possible and and doesn’t bring that backside into play yeah genon looked like he found himself in a pretty decent spot Mason’s going to match that yeah from these drives these guys are looking at probably somewhere in the 360 to 380t range into the the green

Just trying to throw some sort of turnover tough lie for Gavin probably maybe within 100 feet his Canon turned over a little too early he’s going to kind of be in the mess and the way the camera was moving there looks like it might have rolled a

Little yeah this this hole is tough on this second shot cuz you know one it is blind as Kyle does a pretty good job yeah going get himself a putt but if if you’re off left or right and pin high on this hole you can be 100 feet from the

Basket and have almost nothing like you see what Gavin’s looking at here like that is super a super tough Annie Jump putt that he’s got to work with um just not a lot of options in in that rough so you know it’s really important to get

That uh you know get that line right out of the out of the hand on the second shot or or your chances at birdie go far away but great pickup from Kyle through two textbook shots on the hole and um really showed us how it’s meant

To be played yeah it takes a stroke on everyone on the card ties them up with Gavin jumping into whole 7 350 ft par three pretty much just a dead straight tight t shot with a bit of a left to right slope the entire way some sort of

Fairway driver or mid-range for these guys that just pushes straight the entire way is what you’re looking for little early left for Kyle Gavin’s going to kind of turn his over to the right side there i’ would say that was a decent reaction after uh finding ceiling there for

Ganon yeah none of these guys able to hit the Gap so far let’s see if Mason can make the correction oh yeah oh all right that was all right yeah it could have been worse but just a perfect shot catches that last tree he’s going to leave him at

Circle’s Edge what could have been a a park job so unfortunate break but still a good shot Gavin finds a Lane Canon gives his a bid want to be careful oh with these long putts like that airball from Kyle is going to leave him a really tricky 12-footer coming

Back oh and Mason a bit high too so he’s going to have that same putt there you go happens quick out here here yeah these trees are just the limbs are so thick and just like you don’t really have the you know there’s a couple disc sized gaps that you’ll have

To work with but yeah if you’re more than 10et in there there’s a a good chance you’re really going to have to work for your and there you go another one just gets knocked down right out of the hand if you’re not used to those kind of

Stabby spin putts can make things really difficult back there tough break there for Mason going from parked to a bogey but that happens on this course with these tough greens heading into whole eight probably one of the least tough Greens on the course but one of

The most demanding t- shots 487 foot par three downhill looking to drift something from left to right the entire way through this Gap just a really fun hole but demanding shot on this course great shot there from Ganon wow so smooth just has to barely miss

This limb almost kind of goes through it honestly yeah it’s really the only thing in the way but gets gets lucky and uh is rewarded with the park jug looks like Kyle’s going to have himself maybe 40 feet the birdie look Mason this is turning too quick and yeah he’s going to

Catch that tree and then even put him in a tough spot for a second shot par it’s a little tougher yeah if you’re not right in the middle on this this hole it makes the scrambling pretty tough the rough is is very thick on either side of the Fairway

So you know I think this is Gavin pitching out from the left side and there you go going to leave himself a circle two luck to save his par do you see the the heavy rough as uh it being just a newer uh iteration of

The course or do you think it’s going to stay pretty rough as the years go on in this course kind of like Northwood is slowly kind of maturing um or do you think this course is already pretty I think it’s a combination of both I think it’s you

Know the Florida uh fauna is is fairly thick inherently but at the same time you know I think some of these kind of smaller twigs and and you know Limbs and stuff will kind of beat in as the course grows so I think it’s a combination of multiple factors but heading into whole

9 is 465t part three signature hole on the course in my opinion or one of many really but just an absolutely beautiful Fairway got to throw a driver with extreme control keeping the height the whole way to get this birdie Ganon was looking great there

Just barely Clips a limb at the end it’s going to send him off onto the left side just a super demanding t-shot and uh a true Pro level par 4 here Kyle’s going to be over there Circle two land stays up on that side is Mason kind of going to be on that

Hillside as well I think yeah I’m surprised all of these guys are going for that Hiser flip inside Gap I I saw a couple different you know some players like that heer flip line some players like to try to go to the right of those trees in the

Center of the Fairway with more of a Flex Shot um I think it’s more just kind that oh my goodness he throws it in from the bottom of the hill what a shot Gavin taking step put literal there wow a couple bars so Mason with the farthest out the only one to take

Birdie good way to finish these guys hover around Park Kyle putting a couple birdies on there sitting two under but yeah like you said Olympus plenty of teeth to show this course absolute Beauty so fun commentating with you Nathan and uh we’ll be back for the back

N so stay tuned and check it out