The Finale's 100 Player field was another maxed out event for the Lucky Monkey Tour 2012. Of the Eleven PDGA events held this year, over half (six) were full or over flowing. The Lucky 13, Jared Hilton Memorial, Monkey Trap Open, Pitt Open, 4 States Open, and the Finale were the other events that had 90 plus in attendance! To say the sport is growing in the area is an under statement. What is even more incredible is that the attendance to these events is starting to be filled with both old and new players. It is no longer the same crowd/competition. Events in Marshall, Springdale, Jeff City and Rolla were packed with first time Monkey tournament players. This year the Lucky Monkey Tour averaged 88 players per PDGA event. That is a huge leap from the previous years. What will 2013 bring? What ever it may be you can be a part. Check back to see the 2013 Tour schedule... coming soon!

The Finale in Rolla was a true showcase event. What made the Finale special was a combination of things; the obvious season ending tournament, playing on a difficult course, hosting a huge maxed out field, dealing with relentless winds, and watching the day light disappear ever so so quickly. All of these made for a tournament to remember. Rolla's Club, area sponsors, tour sponsors, and one hundred of the coolest players on the planet teamed with DGM to put on a top notch event that all can be proud of. There were 9 Divisions that included the following; Junior, Wn Rec, Wn Int, Wn Adv, ADV Grand Master, Rec, Int, Adv, and Open. Seeing 100 players was incredible, and having eleven women and a junior was icing on the cake.

Unfortunately the 2 holes added were not enough to accommodate the few who did not Pre Register. With day light being a huge issue, the discussion with local Andy Roden to only add two holes was a good decision. Several groups (mine included) did run out of light before their round was finished. “I guess next year you could call it the Flash Light Open”, was said by one comedian...that does have a good ring to it. The darkness definitely made it tough toward the end, but the wind was the main factor that kept many scores much higher than expected. Thankfully for November, the temperatures were in the 70's which was a true blessing.

This year's Finale: Scott Moore-JR, Kara Stauffer-Rec Wn, Kevin Robison-Rec Men, Alana Fawcett Int-Wn, Tyler Foreman-Int Men, Jon Parsons-Adv Gr Mast, Rebekah Kersey-Adv Wn, Dereck Green-Adv Men, George Smith- Open Men. All of these players deserve a big Congratulations as they were able to hang tough through the conditions. Great Job!

There were three Monkey Traps given away that night. Many of you who were unable to attend were probably hoping I would call that night to congratulate you on winning a Monkey Trap, but all the winners were in attendance. The three contests were; The Vibram CTP/Ace contest, the Tour T- Shirt Raffle Basket, and the Finale Raffle all offered a Monkey Trap. Jake Stehr, from Bolivar, MO took home the Black and YellowVibram Monkey Trap (several Mizzou fans were jealous), Brian Lansford, of Jeff City, took home the loud orange Monkey Trap, and local boy Noah Rienks took home the Black and Blue Monkey Trap. Congratulations to all of you. I am excited that there are two more companies that are interested in the ace/ctp basket challenge for next year's tour...I will keep you posted!

The last event that DGM will be holding is the Winter Blast. Details are currently being worked on. It is set for December 15, and will be at Grubaugh Park in Ozark to benefit the Christian County Family Crisis Center. Check back soon for a flier and more details on this event. Until then, I want to thank all of you for your continued support and moving this sport in the right direction! Happy Thanks Giving to all of you!!