Myrtle Beach didn’t care how your season started.
It cared how much you could carry when the weekend stopped being polite.
The first Pro National of the year always has a way of stripping things down. Fewer excuses. Sharper matchups. Longer days. The bracket doesn’t ask how close you’ve been — it asks how long you can stay clean when everyone else is just as capable.
For some, Myrtle Beach confirmed momentum.
For others, it exposed exactly where the ceiling still is.
The Ones Who Pushed the Weekend
Richard Nyberg looked every bit like someone ready for this level. A strong blind draw and steady crew cup set the tone early, but Saturday is where things sharpened. An eighth-place finish in Pro Singles while averaging over a 10.3 PPR against elite competition isn’t luck — it’s control. On Sunday, Nyberg and Collin Powers shot their way to the Pro Doubles finals, finishing second against a team that never cooled off. That’s not falling short. That’s arriving.
Nyberg also left Myrtle with confirmation beyond the boards, drafted to the Kentucky Kernels for the Pro Teams season. That kind of opportunity doesn’t show up unless people are watching — and they were.
Spencer Fabionar and Tony Forbes delivered the loudest statement of the weekend. Spencer’s singles run wasn’t spotless, but it didn’t need to be. When doubles started, the noise stopped. They went undefeated, knocked off the best team in the world when it mattered, and pushed the finals to the last bag. Second place at the first Pro National isn’t a moral victory. It’s a warning.
Colin Hodet continues to look exactly like someone who belongs late into Sundays. Fourth in Pro Singles. Fifth in Pro Doubles with Gage Landis. Calm when things went right, honest about what slipped. His singles run showed patience. His doubles showed ceiling. Myrtle didn’t crown him — it confirmed him.
Gage Landis quietly stacked another professional weekend. A Tier 1 blind draw win, seventh in Pro Singles, fifth in Pro Doubles. No theatrics. No mess. That’s how momentum actually builds.
The Ones Still Building
Hunter Thorne came into Myrtle needing traction, not trophies. Crew cup was solid. Doubles with Hunter Thorson showed flashes before fading late. Singles didn’t reward the improvement yet, but the throw looked better than the results. That’s a necessary step, even if it doesn’t come with hardware.
Hunter Thorson threw well — statistically — which made the results sting more. Crew cup, singles, and doubles all hovered just short of where they could’ve been. A 10-plus PPR across events doesn’t guarantee advancement when timing slips. Myrtle didn’t punish him — it challenged him.
Connor Heiser lived right on the line all weekend. Competitive singles. Strong doubles moments with Owen Krick. Missed opportunities that mattered. Myrtle Beach is unforgiving that way — it shows you the gap without exaggerating it.
Perspective and Experience
Donald Cupp had the kind of weekend that only makes sense if you’ve been around long enough to adjust on the fly. Seniors singles didn’t cooperate early. Seniors doubles did. Hardware matters. Qualifying matters. He did both. Experience doesn’t guarantee success — but it shortens the recovery.
Growth That Doesn’t Ask for Applause
Mailyn Dela Cruz Gigante didn’t come to Myrtle Beach looking for comfort. She came to measure herself — and the weekend answered honestly.
Her Open Women’s events showed steady footing: fourth in singles, ninth in doubles. Competitive, controlled, and moving in the right direction. Then the Pro side arrived, and the margin tightened fast.
Fifth in Pro Women’s Rounders. Ninth in the qualifier final bracket. Thirty-fifth in Pro Singles. Twenty-third in Pro Doubles. Results that don’t scream breakthrough — but tell a more important story. She stayed present. She adjusted. She didn’t disappear when the division sharpened.
Early in the event, Mailyn threw the Brotherhood Cornhole Code 3R. As board conditions changed, she switched to the Mach 3 — not out of frustration, but awareness. That kind of decision-making matters at this level. The board doesn’t reward stubbornness. It rewards adaptability.
Higher divisions don’t flatter you. They expose timing, patience, and mindset. Mailyn left with all three sharper than when she arrived — and that’s the kind of progress that shows up before the podium does.
The Bigger Picture
Myrtle Beach didn’t hand out season narratives.
It corrected a few.
Some players proved they’re ready to live in the deep end. Some proved they’re close. And some learned — again — that Pro Nationals don’t care about potential unless it shows up on command.
This was the first time the season spoke back.
Not kindly. Not cruelly.
Just honestly.
Memphis is coming.
And it won’t be quieter.