Posted by Prodigy Disc
on January 27, 2025
Prodigy Disc proudly announces the Core and Tournament team rosters as we enter the 2025 season. Tournament play is an essential part of the game; we strive to recruit and equip players across a range of experience levels who will represent themselves and the Prodigy name with excellence on and off the course.
Prodigy's Core Team is the highest level of support and sponsorship we offer. This talented roster boasts faces both new and familiar to the team. The 2025 Core Team will feature 14 players representing five countries spread across three continents. Combined, the group has won 527 events dating back to 2004.
We're thrilled to welcome back Chantel Budinsky, Luke Humphries, and Manabu Kajiyama to the 2025 roster. With the recruitment and guidance of Luke Humphries and Will Schusterick, we're also proud to welcome four incredible talents to the team: Gavin Rathbun, Jake Hebenheimer, AJ Carey, and Deann Carey.
With the guidance of Team Manager Drew Runfeldt and Will Schusterick, we are excited to announce promotions from our Tournament team. Young phenoms Harper Thompson and Brandon Brown join veteran talents Nick Newton and Matt Hammersten as players to receive the call-up.
We're also excited to welcome three players from our European team: Kaidi Allsalu, Kristian Kuoksa, and Rachel Turton.
Meet the Prodigy Core Team
Luke Humphries
Core Team Captain
Luke Humphries is no stranger to big wins, having won the PDGA Amateur World Championship in 2018 and Rookie of the Year honors the following season in his first year on tour. An international trip in 2023 netted him his best professional victory with a win at the famed Järva Open European Pro Tour stop in Sweden.
Luke joined Prodigy in 2020 and has been on the Core Team since 2021. He also hosts the popular YouTube series OTB Tour Skins on the GoThrow channel and has been a strong advocate for the growth of the sport for years.
AJ Carey
Prodigy Disc is thrilled to welcome AJ Carey to the 2025 Core Team. AJ has been playing disc golf since high school, boasting 21 career wins, including the prestigious title of PDGA Amateur World Champion in 2017. He turned professional in 2018 and has become a consistent presence on the Tour.
AJ's life revolves around his passion for the sport and his family. He and his wife, Deann, who is also a member of the Prodigy Core Team, are actively involved in organizing events and disc golf clinics in their hometown of Shelby, NC and wherever the tour leads them next.
Brandon Brown
Brandon Brown has been a long-time Prodigy team member and joins the Core Team for the first time. The Knoxville native has played in 200 events, winning 35 since 2016. His biggest victories to date include taking down Hotlana, the Augusta Classic, and the Charlie Vettiner Open all in 2023. He's a well-respected member of the Knoxville, TN disc golf scene and a relentless competitor on the course.
Chantel Budinsky
Ontario’s Chantel Budinsky only began playing professionally in 2021 but has quickly established herself as a force on the course. She has 26 career wins and 50 podiums in 94 career events, highlighted by a victory at the 2023 DGPT American Flying Disc Open and top-5 finish at the 2024 PDGA Pro World Championships. Her consistent play has solidified her place as one of the best players in the division.
Chantel joined Prodigy in 2022 and earned a promotion to the Core Team for 2024. She is a must-follow on YouTube and Instagram.
Deann Carey
Prodigy Disc is proud to welcome Deann Carey to the 2025 Core Team. Deann has been a constant presence in the FPO touring scene since turning professional in 2018. Her 40 career wins include victories in the DGPT Silver Series and Q-Tour, most recently in May 2024 at the Cascade Challenge. She boasts a career average finishing position of 10th in over 250 sanctioned events, which includes 175 top-10 finishes and 99 podium finishes. Her consistent performance has secured her a spot among the top 35 ranked players in the StatMandos FPO player rankings.
Deann's passion for the sport and her family is evident in the efforts she and her husband, AJ, a fellow Prodigy Core Team member, have made both on and off the course. From hosting events and disc golf clinics in their hometown of Shelby, NC, to traveling wherever the tour leads them next, the Careys are always working to promote the game.
Harper Thompson
Harper Thompson joins the 2025 Prodigy Core Team following a multi-year journey on the Prodigy Tournament team. Thompson enters his 8th year as a professional with a 1023 rating, 165 events, and 29 wins under his belt. Last year was his strongest campaign to date with 8 wins, including 3 A-tier titles. He participated in 6 touring events, highlighted by a top-25 at Idlewild and a top-30 at the 2024 USDGC.
Jake Hebenheimer
Prodigy Disc is proud to welcome Jake Hebenheimer to the 2025 Core Team. The Missouri native has competed in tournament play since 2010, compiling 25 wins over 291 events. He's a consistent presence in DGPT tour events, with 10 top-30 finishes highlighted by a 6th place finish at Des Moines in 2024. Going into the 2025 season, Jake was a top-40 player on StatMando's Official MPO Rankings.
Kaidi Allsalu
Kaidi Allsalu has continued to grow as a player throughout her career, but in the past two years, she has truly taken her game to new heights. You might have seen her competing on the European Open lead card on the final day, winning the Estonian Championships, or celebrating victory at the Team World Championships alongside her fellow Estonian players. Keep an eye on Allsalu as she aims to elevate her game even further in 2025.
Kristian Kuoksa
Kristian Kuoksa is perhaps best known for his ability to throw a disc farther than almost anyone else. This impressive skill comes from his silky-smooth technique, combined with countless hours of dedication in the gym and on the practice field. At just 22 years old, Kristian carries himself with the wisdom and poise of a seasoned disc golfer. Outside of disc golf, he enjoys hunting with his father, adding another dimension to his well-rounded character.
Manabu Kajiyama
A legend in Japan, Manabu Kajiyama reached a milestone few have ever achieved when his PDGA Player Rating crested the 1050 mark in December 2022. He was the highest-rated player in the world in August 2023 with a rating of 1056.
Manabu first joined Prodigy in 2014.
Matt Hammersten
Virginia's own Matt Hammersten joins the 2025 Prodigy Core after joining the Tournament Team in 2022. Hammersten, or "Hammer" as he's known on the course, has been a steady presence on the DMV disc golf scene since 2014 with 55 wins in 151 tournaments. His most recent wins include The Warwick Disc Golf Championships in Warwick, NY. Hammer's go-to's on the course are an M4 and PA-3.
Nick Newton
Nick Newton joins the Prodigy Disc Core team for the first time as a Prodigy veteran of the tour life. The Arizona native has shown strong in any event he plays, with an average finish of 16th and finding the top-10 in 64% of his career 248 career events.
Rachel Turton
Rachel Turton has been a part of the disc sports world for quite some time. Interestingly, her first disc sport wasn’t disc golf but Ultimate. If you watch closely, you can still catch a hint of her Ultimate roots in her throwing technique. Rachel has successfully transitioned to disc golf, achieving remarkable results over the years. She has won multiple British National Championships and boasts an impressive record of 35 career wins out of 75 events she has competed in.
Meet the Prodigy Tournament Team
The Prodigy Tournament Team features a deep roster of players who compete locally and regionally. Each member of the team has an accomplished resume to receive an elevated level of support from Prodigy as they compete throughout the year. This season, the Tournament team features 49 players from 27 states and provinces.
Tournament Team
Adam Osborn
Adrian Reedyk
Alex Faulkner
Ashley Phelps
Blake Waldron
Brent Waters
Brooks McGill
Bryce Kraushar
Daniel Vazquez
Dayne Zimmerman
Dillion Gassaway
Drew Runnfeldt
Dylan Capaccioli
Eli Webb
Elijah Bickel
Eric Giesbrecht
Guthrie Collins
Hayden Frederiksen
Hyundo Jang
J.C. Rohe
Jacob Cutshall
Jason Day
Jeffery McCormick
Jesse Longenecker
JJ Campbell
Jonathan Fletcher
Jordan Davidson
Josh Miller
Kathryn Gassaway
Lance Brown
Leah Jennings
Mac Givens
Markus Fjørtoft
Matt Spina
Michael Kirschner
Noah Higgins
Noah Smith
Owen McCall
Peyton Marshall
Robert Centalla
Sam Shiley
Seppo Paju
Tait Morgan
Thomas Canfield
Tinja Väisänen
Tom Hums
Will Parris
Will Schusterick
Yutaro Sakai
Zak Kemmer
Masters Tournament Team
Billy Osborn
Bobby Jones
Daniel Polk
Deona Werth
Eric Mullaly
Jason Waite
Jeremy Watts
John Biscoe
Martin Young
Mike Brown
Ricky Snapp
Ron Turner
Sam Castiglione
Join the Team
We are proud to have several teams within our network of over 300 players globally. The goal is to provide a home and community for disc golfers of all ages and talent levels to find a home and community of fellow players. From our Street Team, the veteran-led Batallion team, our ASL Team, the Protege program, or our Ambassadors, there's a home for you to play the game you love with equipment you can trust.
Leadership
- Will Schusterick, PDGA #29064 - CEO of Prodigy Disc
- Drew Runnfeldt, PDGA #68232 - Team Manager, Captain of the Tournament, Ambassador, Master, Protege Teams
- Luke Humphries, PDGA #69424 - Captain of the Core Team
- Seppo Paju, PDGA #36744 - Captain of the European Team
- Thomas Canfield, PDGA #103148 - Captain of Street Team East and Canada Teams
- Michael Kirchner, PDGA #115721 - Captain of the Battalion Team
- Melissa Montgomery, PDGA #49654 - Captain of the ASL Team
Updated September 10, 2025