CLAWSON, MICHIGAN – Bee stings. Broken toes. Aggravated knee injury. Heat exhaustion. Heartbreak.

The 2025 LEG Singles Tournament was anything but easy – players battled all the above while suffering through unbelievable heat and humidity.

Despite the excruciating heat and marathon of a day (sorry again for that, but I do blame the heat triggering so many breaks/pauses/delays), this was one of the toughest, most fun Singles tournaments in history. The format change to segregate players into an A Bracket and B Bracket leveled the playing field, while also creating a format where A players had no “easier” matches (this is a good thing). Also, guys had some of their best stuff in this tournament, even in losing efforts.

 B BRACKET BREAKDOWN

Steve-O (#2 seed) quickly established dominance in this bracket, cruising to wins over Mike V. (21-12) and Erik (21-13) before making quick work of the #1 seed, JV, in the winners’ bracket finals (21-10). The guy hasn’t played in months yet starts the tournament on a mission to show he’s capable of winning a bracket.

Unfortunately for Steve-O, his three quick wins earned him a long break that dragged on, as the rest of the B Bracket players fought their way through the losers’ and double losers’ brackets to earn another shot at him.

An epic losers’ bracket match developed between loving rivals, JV and Erik, with an opportunity to face Steve-O on the line. JV appeared headed for an easy victory, building a 15-9 lead. But when Erik slammed a 10-2 round down JV’s throat in the 11th round, he jumped into the lead, 17-15.

Erik added three more points in the 12th round, 20-15. From there, Erik crumbled. Sitting on 20 points, he threw rounds of 3 points, 1 point, and 1 point in the subsequent three rounds, squandering an opportunity to close JV out. In the 15th round, JV hit a final bag airmail to win the round 5-1 and the game, 21-20.

JV cruised in the rematch with Steve-O, 21-12, setting up one more match between the two to earn a spot in the B Bracket championship.

Steve-O found his rhythm again, racing out to leads of 15-7 and 17-10. However, JV remained poised and fought off the ropes one more time. Steve-O, like Erik, learned the difficulty of putting JV away and the pain associated with failing to do so. JV stormed back, once again draining a cornhole on his final bag for a walk-off win – this time 21-18 over Steve-O.

Early on this bracket looked like a three-horse race among Steve-O, JV and Erik, taking turns slapping each other around and handing each other losses while the other seven players in this bracket could not compete.

Yet, there was a buzzsaw ripping through the double losers’ bracket with little fanfare, his confidence growing with every victory. After losing his first two matches of the day, Mike V. stumbled upon his Cinderella slipper and roared past JG, Grandpa Dan, Mike F., and Mike R. – consecutively, all in elimination games – before announcing himself among the final four players in this bracket.

Erik was the next victim, getting trounced 21-4. Shortly thereafter, Mike V. pounded Steve-O, 21-12, sending Steve-O home and elevating Mike’s win streak to six games.

The B Bracket Finals were set – JV, who climbed out of several holes despite looking buried, versus Mike V., who was thrown on the trash heap after losing his first two matches, only to rally with six consecutive wins in elimination games.

JV had one loss, while Mike V. owned two losses. The significance of that is JV only had to beat Mike once, while Mike had to find a way to beat JV twice in a row (remember, triple elimination).

Game 1 of the B Bracket Finals looked awfully familiar, with Mike V. continuing to surge while JV struggled to find footing. While walking to the other end after taking a 15-6 lead upon completion of a round, Mike V. casually mumbled, “Looks like I’ll have to beat you again.” Mike is one of the nicest, most genuine guys in this league. But that comment likely cost him a chance to win the B Bracket.

Guys, I’ll say this one more time, so please listen closely. DO NOT. POKE. THE. F*CKING. BEAR.

Before Mike could finish that sentence, JV suddenly boiled with motivation, looking like Rocky in the late rounds against Ivan Drago. This guy should’ve been done seven ways to Sunday. Yet here he was, the Michael Myers of the B Bracket – everyone’s nightmare.

JV finished Game 1 on a 15-1 run, winning the game 21-16. There would be no Game 2 – JV was the B Bracket Champion and punched his ticket to the overall finals.

B BRACKET DISAPPOINTMENTS

This isn’t intended to be harsh, though it reads that way. However, inevitably there will be guys who don’t last long in any given tournament. This list is more about the guys who had longer staying power, but didn’t deliver.

• JG – he battled vision issues after taking a LEGO to the eye days before the tournament, so his 0-3 performance is excusable. That said, for a guy who has won multiple LEG titles, this performance was underwhelming
• Grandpa Dan – entered the tournament as the #4 seed in the B Bracket and reasonably high expectations. He had his good stuff early on yet still lost a hard-fought first round match against Big Mike (21-17). Though he bounced back with a win against Matt Winkler, Grandpa Dan never found his rhythm consistently and exited the tournament with losses to Erik (21-10) and Mike V. (21-13)
• Flowers – the conditions hurt everyone but arguably hurt Flowers the most. The heat took its toll while walking back-and-forth on uneven ground with a strained groin. He’s better than his 1-3 finish, the most painful of which was in the first round against Matt Winkler because it cost Flowers a chance at JV right out of the gates. The bright spot? He did beat Mike V., 21-16.

HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH

The following players should feel good about their tournament, even if they’re left wanting more.

• Matt Winkler – he pulled an upset in the first round, beating Flowers (21-12). Shit got real when the reward was a date with JV, but he played his ass off while taking a 14-12 lead over JV before struggling to deliver a knock-out punch – like everyone else who played JV. He lost that match, 21-14, followed by losses to Grandpa Dan (21-1) and Flowers in a grudge match (21-12). His 1-3 finish feels positive considering Matt just started playing with us about one year ago and only joins for tournaments. Bonus points – he’s not nearly the cocksucker that his brother is.
• Big Mike (Mike R.) – finishing 2-3 is respectable, particularly when the three losses were to JV (first place), Mike V. (second place) and Erik (fourth place). The only blemish is surely Big Mike wishes he would’ve played better in the 21-3 loss to Erik. However, this is excellent progress when a year ago Big Mike went 0-3 in the 2024 Singles Tournament.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

• Steve-O – where to begin? Steve-O looked like the cream of the crop through his first three games, romping to easy victories. But a LONG delay might have cost him a legitimate shot to win this bracket. His 3-3 finish with two losses to JV and one to Mike V. is nothing to be ashamed of. However, dropping three consecutive games after taking early control of the bracket is a tough pill to swallow.
• Erik – if only Erik had found a way to close when he held the 20-15 lead over JV. I’m sure he wants the three rounds back following the moment he took that lead – missed opportunities to win that match and likely was the difference between winning and losing the bracket for Erik. That said, a fourth-place finish and 3-3 record is a nice day for Erik.
• Mike V. – think about this for a moment – Mike V. single-handedly eliminated six of the nine players not named Mike V. That is absurd. His run of six consecutive wins in elimination games is arguably one of the most impressive moments in LEG tournament history. The only thing that could’ve made Mike’s day better is pulling off the double-dip of JV in the bracket finals…and he just might have done it, if not for one silly, motivating comment.

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

• JV – enough said. He finished with a bracket title and 6-1 record, showing incredible poise and resilience along the way. JV didn’t have his best stuff, but he’s a dawg who doesn’t shy away from big deficits or big shots. He relishes those moments, evidenced by the multiple times he fought back to win games that looked like they were going the other way.

A BRACKET BREAKDOWN

The big question now – who will be JV’s prom date? The A Bracket followed many of the same themes as the B bracket. KP (#1 seed) beat Scott G., 21-7, in a game that was closer than the scoreboard suggests. KP and Scott partnered to win the 2023 Postseason Tournament, so there is tremendous respect toward Scott and the type of player he is. That victory advanced KP to face Nick, the reigning Singles Champion.

Nick certainly looked every bit the better player early in this match, racing out to leads of 10-4 and 11-8. However, KP finally calmed his nerves and trusted the confidence he felt with the bag in his hands. He rode those intangibles to a 13-0 run to secure a big, emotional victory (21-11).

On the other “side” of the bracket, Austin looked great out of the gates. That should not surprise anyone, given how well Austin has played this year and his penchant for throwing 8+ ppr games (anyone recall a few months ago when he arrived at Roger’s house and threw a 10+ ppr before he could finish saying hi to everyone?).

Austin set the tone with a 21-12 victory over Paul G., no easy feat. The reward was a date with #2 seed Barker, winner of the 2022 and 2023 Singles Tournament. Austin and Barker had never played each other, mostly because Barker refuses to play on Thursday nights.

That lack of familiarity was an interesting dynamic in the match. Barker is fully capable of “running bags” (keeping the board clean by burying bag after bag in the hole rather than muddying the board with blocks) but also thrives on dirtying the board and forcing his opponent to make difficult shots. That’s exactly the strategy he deployed in this match before quickly learning Austin is one of the best two airmail throwers in this league (flip a coin between JV and him – fuck it, I’ll poke the bear…Austin is a touch better) and forcing Austin into airmails is not a winning game plan.

Austin drained airmail after airmail while building a 19-9 lead, rattling Barker in the process.

The other dynamic at play? Austin had no idea how difficult it is to put Barker away. He’s a champion, a grinder, and refuses to quit until someone arrives at 21 points…he damned sure wasn’t about to let a young buck shake up the Singles Tournament pecking order. Barker ham-and-egged his way to a 12-0 run stunning Austin, 21-19.

Barker quickly disposed of another member of the youth movement; this time Jake felt the difficulty of playing Barker (21-9 to the veteran).

The winners’ side of the A Bracket came down to Barker and KP, another significant match within this bracket, but also within KP’s heart. After winning back-to-back Singles Tournaments in 2020 and 2021, KP has come up short the last three Singles Tournaments because he couldn’t beat Nick and Barker. This was another litmus test for KP. Another name on his hit list, akin to Steve Buscemi’s “People to Kill” list in Billy Madison.

Barker was acing this exam early and often, claiming leads of 6-1, 12-6 and 17-6. After jumping to a 17-6 lead, the 27-foot walk to the other end took a little longer than normal for KP – not because of demoralization, rather, because another sense of calm and confidence flowed through his body. Its as if he wanted this game (and the game against Nick) too badly, which interfered with settling down and just throwing the bag.

KP immediately answered with a 12-9 advantage, the score now 17-9. Barker crept closer to victory with two more points from a 10-8 round (19-9). KP followed that up with rounds of 12-7, 10-5, and 8-3 – the latter, with the score tied at 19-19, included an incredible, intentional final bag short airmail drag that peeled one of KP’s bags off a pile in front of the hole; KP took off in a weird sprinting gallop (this is where the aggravated knee injury occurred) knowing there was nothing Barker could do with his final bag to prevent KP’s victory.

After another emotional victory, KP now held the same position as Steve-O did in the B Bracket. Three great wins, and now a break while the rest of the bracket sorted itself out. Steve-O didn’t need or want the break. Meanwhile, KP needed to calm down and reset.

Austin rebounded nicely after his painful loss to Barker, winning his next two matches to earn a shot at Nick. The reality of how difficult it is to beat one of the O.G.s hit Austin again, this time when Nick used a 14-0 run to blow open a close game and coast to a 21-8 victory.

Jake, who had flown under the radar for much of the tournament, finally made a statement when he beat Nick, 21-12, knocking him to the double losers’ bracket. Unfortunately, Jake didn’t have any magic left, losing to Barker in the next match (21-9) before facing Nick in a rematch elimination game, this time Nick made the statement with a 21-0 victory.

The final three were set, Barker vs. KP for a trip to the finals – KP needed one win, while Barker had to beat KP twice. In the double losers’ bracket, Nick waited for one of those two guys to fall to him.

For as close as the first match between KP and Barker was, the audience expected another thriller. However, KP used the final five rounds of this game to pull away: 9-8, 7-5, 7-5, 8-3, and 10-1 to earn a 21-8 victory and spot in the A Bracket final.

A berth in the championship was on the line between Nick and Barker, but the match did not live up to the hype. Barker was leaking oil, and Nick beat the brakes off him, 21-4.

The A Bracket Championship featured KP against Nick, which is about as good as it gets. The downfall? Nick had to beat KP three consecutive times, while KP just had to find one win before Nick could do such a thing.

Game 1 was truly a classic, potentially the best match of the day. Nick held leads of 16-8, 17-11, and 19-15; yet KP battled back to tie the game, 20-20. In the final round Nick applied tons of pressure with a 10-point round. KP had to get a bag in the hole to extend the game, but there were two blockers preventing a clean look at the hole. Roll bag was the choice with the game on the line. Unfortunately for KP the roll bag hopped the blockers and sat on the back of the hole, refusing the fall. 21-20, Nick.

Nick surged back from a 14-9 deficit in Game 2 to claim a 21-14 victory, his 12-0 run consisting of the following rounds: 10-8, 7-6, 10-8, 10-6, 7-5, and 6-4 (an 8.3 ppr during that run).

Somehow, the A Bracket Championship was down to a winner-takes-all game. Once again, Nick battled back from a mid-game deficit (this time 15-9) with another clutch performance. He won Game 3, 21-19 and claimed the A Bracket.

Nick became the first player or team in LEG history to enter a championship match unable to lose while needing three consecutive wins to claim a title. LEG is 10 years old, and this is the first time anyone has pulled that off – another log in the record books for Nick.

On the flip side, this marked the EIGHTH TIME the word “runner-up” is listed next to KP’s name. And it might be the most painful of all considering how badly he wanted this tournament and the way he squandered such a great opportunity. The sting and heartbreak from this choke might last forever. At the same time, Nick played incredibly in the biggest moments and undoubtedly earned the A Bracket Championship.

A BRACKET DISAPPOINTMENTS

• KP – simply put, you can’t have a seat in the title match and lose when you only need one win out of three possible matches. Disappointment might not be a strong enough description.
• Matt H. – he’s had such a breakout 2025 campaign that many expected a solid run in this tournament. Instead, he finished 0-3. To his credit, he hung out and partied for hours after elimination.
• Dibble – he started the day 0-2, disappointing given he was the #3 seed. Dibble did rally for two wins in elimination games before losing to Paul, finishing with a 2-3 record. This has been a tough season for Dibble, and this day summed that up.
• Scott G. – another guy with loads of potential and ability to ruin the bracket yet finished with an 0-3 day. Scott will be back in championship contention soon, but this was not his best day.
• Joe S. – ending with a 1-3 record is not good enough for a player like Joe. He’s ultra-talented, capable of winning this thing. Joe is a rhythm player, and the long, hot day caused a migraine that was too much to handle. The silver lining is that Joe still possesses a 2025 Preseason Kick-Off title, so he’s unlikely to lose any sleep over this slip-up.

HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH

• Jake – this was a helluva tournament for Jake. It’s hard to top a resume with big wins over Dibble, Paul and Nick en route to a fourth-place finish. Considering Jake was the #6 seed entering the tournament, he outperformed his seed by finishing in fourth place. This is the type of experience he can use as foundation for a future championship run.
• Paul G. – entering as the #10 seed, Paul’s run to finish in fifth place represents an incredible day. His run also is not surprising, considering Paul has the potential to throw games with 8+ ppr, especially if Goo Goo Dolls are playing. Paul may have placed higher if KP hadn’t totally screwed him over, eliminating him from the tournament before he officially had three losses. Nobody will ever know how that’s possible, other than incompetence. Paul paced back-and-forth between his chair and the brackets, wondering when his elimination match with Joe would be played. KP had already assumed it was played (with Joe winning), requiring a rewind of the double losers’ bracket so the game between Paul and Joe could ACTUALLY happen. Paul won and proceeded to win again before bowing out of the tournament with a 4-3 record.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

• Austin – what if he closes that early match against Barker? The entire tenor of the A Bracket could have changed had Austin won that match. That said, his 3-3 finish with wins over Paul, Matt H. and Dibble is an exceptional inaugural Singles Tournament for Austin.
• Barker – nobody doubts Barker’s ceiling. He’s a title threat every time he steps on the court. The “what could have been” focuses on Barker’s fuel tank – had he not run out of gas, he could have won this thing. Unfortunately, Barker’s day got worse when he slipped on the stairs and broke his big toe.

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

• Nick – they call him Mr. Cocksucker for a reason. As if overcoming all odds to win this bracket wasn’t enough, he used his usual “aww-shucks” routine after the match with KP. “You didn’t let me win that, did you?” You serious, Clark??? With all due respect, go f*ck yourself (hey, you can say anything as long as you say, “with all due respect”, first).

THE CHAMPIONSHIP

While conducting his pregame routine (consisting of a vodka and diet tonic shot…or two) before the biggest match of his life, JV’s wife came home from a long road trip with their infant. She was understandably frazzled, looking to unload her frustration as the perfect target came into focus…her husband. She unleashed more four-letter words than any of us knew existed, throwing JV into a less than stellar mindset for his title match against Nick.

This best-of-three series did not last long. Nick, a heavy favorite, has zero empathy for anyone and didn’t care one bit what JV just experienced. Instead, he pounced on JV like any cocksucker would.

Nick won Game 1 easily. Game 2 was more of a fight, JV keeping it close into the late stages (down just 15-14), before giving up too big of a round to Mr. Cocksucker.

The 16 guys still in attendance gave the quietest golf clap imaginable, doing everything they could to avoid honoring Nick for his back-to-back Singles Championships. Of course, Nick snatched the belt and paraded around the yard like an asshole, rubbing everyone’s nose in his victory.

Honestly, Nick played fantastic cornhole after finding himself in the double losers’ bracket with no more margin for error. He’s a humble champion and excellent standard for all of us to chase. Enjoy that belt, bitch, because we’re all coming for it in 2026.