2017 Roller Of The Year Presented By Friction Gloves

It's time to get down!

Ultiworld Disc Golf’s 2017 Shot of the Year voting is presented by Friction Gloves; all opinions are those of the author. Check out our review of Friction’s DG Gloves here.

2017 was another tremendous year filled with tremendous shots. And there were so many, really, that we figured we’d enlist Ultiworld Disc Golf readers to help us decide on the season’s best.

With that in mind, we are proud to present the first of four bracket challenges to close out the year. We’ve culled highlights from the sport’s best media providers and broken them down into four categories: Roller of the Year, Air Shot of the Year, Putt of the Year, and Ace of the Year. After each bracket is decided, the winners will battle in a four-way, College Football Playoff-style bracket that will determine the 2017 Shot of the Year.

Before we get up for the votes, we’ve got to get down with the Rollers of the Year. Pick your favorite from each matchup below, then come back on Thursday for the next round. And if you’re having fun with this, feel free to share the love on social media.

A special thanks to Jomez Productions, Central Coast Disc Golf, The SpinTV, and the Disc Golf Guy for capturing these clips. And we’re off!

1) Sexton vs. Allen

Roller aficionado and United States Disc Golf Champion Nate Sexton kicks off the bracket with this smash during the first Jomez Productions Basket Dash at Moraine State Park. Sure, this wasn’t during sanctioned play, but it gets our top seed for its pure monstrosity. Bonus points for Jeremy Koling’s little shuffle step as this one just. Won’t. Stop.

Sexton Basket Dash GIF

Catrina Allen gets in on the action with this second shot roller during the first round of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open. She landed the eagle, then rolled to a dominant victory.

Catrina Allen PFDO GIF

2) Barsby vs. Koling

Two of the game’s best go head-to-head in our second matchup. First, Gregg Barsby hatches a plan to escape from trouble during his surprise second place showing at the European Open:

Barsby European Open GIF

Next, Jeremy Koling carves a line through the hazards and juuuuuust sneaks back in bounds on hole 11 at Winthrop Gold during round two of the USDGC:

Koling USDGC Roller GIF

3) Bennett vs. Barsby

Veteran pro Geoff Bennett was back on the scene at the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open, working his way up to the lead card on the back of some unconventional lines. Check out this standstill-to-layout 470-foot forehand roller during the final round, where he ultimately finished in seventh place:

Bennett PFDO Roller

It’s Barsby time again, as he unleashes another big shot during his EO run:

Barsby EO GIF 2

4) Sexton vs. Koling

This one is going to be tough for the fans, as the vaunted “Big Sexy” commentary duo battle it out to make it to the next round. First up, Sexton eschews the air and also rolls through the hazard at USDGC:

Sexton USDGC Hazard GIF

Koling, meanwhile, performs a scooby roller to get through the clown’s mouth on hole 7 at Winthrop:

Koling Scooby Roller GIF

5) Sexton vs. Johansen

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Sexton is here again, notching his third appearance on the list with not one, but TWO forehand rollers on the way to an eagle at the Nantucket Open:

Sexton Eagles GIF

Michael Johansen, meanwhile, parks hole 9 during the opening round of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open, where he landed in second place.

Johansen PFDO GIF

6) McMahon vs. Wysocki

It may have taken awhile for two of the game’s brightest stars to finally crack the bracket, but it was worth the wait. First, Eagle McMahon goes way up before laying down a 750-footer during the final round of the Gentlemen’s Club Challenge. Is this even fair?

McMahon GCC GIF

PDGA World Champion Ricky Wysocki answers by throwing down a cutter during his 1104-rated second round at the Aussie Open. Oh, then he bangs the putt for eagle.

Wysocki Aussie Open GIF

7) Barsby vs. Owens

We’ve got a couple more USDGC rollers as we head down the stretch. First, it’s no room, no problem for Barsby on hole 11 during round three, as he masterfully escapes this tricky lie:

Barsby USDGC Escape GIF

Devan Owens is undaunted by the righty-friendly shape of hole 15, taking the triple mando out of the equation with this beast:

Owens USDGC Triple Mando GIF

8) McBeth vs. McMahon

With Johansen and James Conrad still giving chase at the PFDO, Paul McBeth effectively sealed the deal with this Roadrunner roll that led to an easy birdie. He shot 1057 for the round and made his brother run out of the way of the shot.

McBeth PFDO Roller

And McMahon closes out the festivities with another huge roller, this time at the Beaver State Fling, where he finished in third place after taking a midseason break. Did you see that exit velocity?

McMahon BSF GIF