Week in Review: Powerball Cup money records fall—and the rack answers

The season finale delivered more than a trophy

The 2026 Disc Golf Pro Tour season did not drift quietly into the offseason. It ended at Ivy Hill with two $50,000 champions, the largest tournament purse in disc golf history and a career milestone that would have sounded impossible not long ago.

Gannon Buhr won MPO. Silva Saarinen won FPO. Ricky Wysocki finished second and, once the projected payout is added to the total on his PDGA profile, becomes the first player to pass $1 million in PDGA tournament earnings.

The money is the headline, but the golf underneath it was just as revealing: four rounds, no cuts and starting strokes that made the whole season part of the final scoreboard.

The PDGA event page still labeled the results and payouts unofficial at publication, so the numbers below reflect the live official event data available Sunday evening. That is worth saying plainly when records are involved.

Buhr turns a season-long advantage into the title

Buhr arrived at Ivy Hill as the top seed and began seven strokes under par. That advantage was earned across the entire DGPT season, but it did not finish the job for him.

He still had to protect it through four rounds on an 11,000-foot championship layout while Wysocki, Isaac Robinson and the rest of the field chased.

The official event table lists Buhr at 46 under once his starting advantage is included, nine strokes clear of Wysocki. His four scored rounds were 55, 55, 62 and 59.

The closing 59 was not the lowest round on the card, but it was enough to remove any final-round doubt and secure the richest win of the year.

The $50,000 victory also pushes his reported 2026 PDGA tournament earnings to $223,073, a new single-season high. Because the event remained unofficial Sunday evening, BlueJayDG will treat that figure as pending until the PDGA player total posts the final payout.

The larger point is already clear: Buhr's season combined elite consistency with the ability to finish when the biggest check was on the table.

Saarinen owns Sunday—and the biggest FPO payday

Saarinen started the championship at three under and finished at 25 under, nine strokes ahead of fellow Finn Eveliina Salonen. Her four scored rounds were 63, 60, 66 and 66.

That is the kind of week that makes the starting-stroke conversation disappear: Saarinen did not simply inherit a favorable position; she built a winning margin around it.

The $50,000 first prize matched the MPO payout and set the event's high-water mark for a single FPO payday. It also completed an exceptional 2026 season for a player who kept showing up in the center of the biggest events.

For newer fans, Saarinen's final -25 needs one quick explanation. The total includes her three season-earned starting strokes. Her four rounds produced the rest. The format rewards the full year, then asks every player to defend that reward for 72 holes.

Wysocki reaches seven figures

Wysocki's second-place finish carried a projected $25,000 payout. His PDGA profile showed $999,446.76 in career tournament earnings before the finale; adding the Powerball Cup check brings the running total to $1,024,446.76.

That makes him the first professional disc golfer to cross $1 million in PDGA tournament prize money. Sponsorships and other income are separate from that number.

This is prize money earned across sanctioned competition, built one finish at a time since he joined the PDGA in 2009.

It is a career marker, but it also says something about the sport. Wysocki needed years of winning to reach the first million. With purses like this one now available, the next generation will have a much shorter road.

This week at the Blue Jay rack

The pro season closed with big drives at Ivy Hill, and BlueJayDG shoppers brought some of that same energy to the rack. Distance drivers had the busiest week, while Prodigy led a seven-brand mix of discs headed to new bags.

Innova and Discraft were close behind, and the midrange shelf got plenty of love too. A Halo Star Roc3 and a Star Rollo both moved—two very different flights for two very different jobs.

The fun finds were an Eveliina Salonen 2024 World Champion Swirled Star Destroyer, a 2022 Ledgestone Z Metallic Avenger SS and a DGA Quake. That is a good week for throwers who like their plastic with a little story attached.

Brand of the week — Prodigy led the way, with Innova and Discraft right behind.

Big-flight energy — Distance drivers were the most popular part of the rack.

Midrange favorites — A Halo Star Roc3 and Star Rollo found new homes.

Collector-worthy throwers — The Salonen Destroyer and Ledgestone Avenger SS added some championship-week flavor.

The useful lesson is not “buy the fastest disc”

Watching the pros throw far can send the wrong message. Their distance comes from speed, timing, nose angle and years of repetition—not from the largest number printed on the rim.

A faster driver only helps when you can launch it fast enough to make its designed flight appear.

If your current fairway driver goes nearly as far as your distance driver, that is useful information, not a failure. A lighter or more understable driver may give you the extra turn and carry you are looking for.

A controllable fairway may still be the smarter choice when the landing zone matters more than the longest possible result.

That is why the BlueJayDG Disc Finder begins with how far you throw and the flight you need. It narrows the live rack to discs you can actually use, then lets you compare the exact photo, weight, condition and price before you leave for eBay.

Newer arm — Start with a neutral-to-understable fairway or a lighter driver that will show its flight without forcing it.

Developing distance — Add speed only when your current driver is flying on its intended line and you can control the finish.

Experienced player — Shop for a specific job: headwind stability, long turnover, controlled fade or a dependable skip.

One last chance to shop the season-ending sale

At publication, the BlueJayDG sale is scheduled to run through Tuesday, October 20, with savings of up to 42% across the rack. Inventory is made of individual discs, so a sold listing is gone rather than quietly replaced by a stock photo.

Start with the Disc Finder if you want a recommendation, or go straight to the rack if you already know the mold, weight or flight you need. Either way, check the exact disc page before buying.

The photo, condition and specs are there to help you make the same kind of deliberate bag decision the best players make all season.