With rosters having been submitted, we can now predict which Franchises are setup to make a final push at the year ends event. After an active free agency period, most newcomers will be suiting up while a number of high profile additions are being retained to rosters with a 2026 outlook. Most notably the Hollywood Hitters who apparently have an “embarrassment of riches”. Steve Marino, who has played in 14 major championships, is now on the active roster, but will be in street clothes for the GL Championship.

Again, something is brewing in the Hollywood Hills.

In today’s article, we’re looking at the Franchises at the bottom of the Season Long Points Race.

Franchises Ranked 8-10: 

#10 Dallas Horsemen:

GL Championship Roster:
Matt Kendrick | Davis Holman
Ryder Epson | Hunter Epson
Matthew Meneghetti | Nick Bienz
Alexis Miestowski | Marissa Wenzler

Storylines:

The Horsemen’s roster in 2025 has been a game of musical chairs. Alexis Mietowski and Marissa Wenzler will be the only two who have played together in the previous two events. In any sport, it’s tough to have high expectations without any real team chemistry and it’s part of the reason they find themselves sitting in dead last of the 2025 Season Long Points Race. The early season results compound the already existing narrative about YouTube golf. Of course, the Horsemen are owned by the famed YouTube group Good Good Golf. 

The season, in fact, started out hot. Brad Dalke and Sean Walsh led the entire field after Round 1 of the Grass Clippings Open, but even before they could put the ball in the air for Round 2, the Franchise began to leak oil. Michael Block no-showed his second-day tee time, leaving Ryder Epson solo to finish the task at hand, and for the Dalke-Walsh pairing, the day-turned-night didn’t go as planned. They shot a final-round (- 4) compared to their opening-round of (- 9),  finishing tied for 8th.  

The lone bright spot for the Horsemen Franchise would be the inspired play by brothers Ryder Epson and Hunter Epson at the Summer Grind. They carded a round of (-12) on the final day to finish tied second for the low 2-person team. Since the 2024 Grass Clippings Open, the narrative has been floated that Ryder Epson could one day be the face of the Franchise, and management has tried almost every possible pairing to get the young buck going. He’s played with a new partner in every Grass League event – Torey Edwards (now with the Hollywood Hitters), Brad Dalke, Michael Block, and most recently his brother Hunter Epson, where the horse finally left the stable. Who would’ve thought?  

Starting the GL Championship in 10th place and over 900 points behind the leading San Diego Munis is far from ideal, and it appears they’ll have to lean on the Epson brothers more then they planned coming into the season. It’s worth noting that Alexis Miestowski and Marissa Wenzler have played solid all year, and they will likely be playing inspired golf as they represent not only the Horsemen but their newly formed Good Good Girls golf group.

Todd’s Prediction: More of the same

#9 Tampa Bay Swamp Dawgs:

GL Championship Roster:
Ben Herman | Brock MacKenzie
Billy Hanes | Dan Buchner
Pete Ianello | Eric Hawerchuk
Dillon Board | Joshua Lee

Storylines:

The Swamp Dawgs entered the 2025 season with sky-high expectations following their dramatic 2024 GL Championship victory. They managed to retain the top two players in Par 3 Golf, Billy Hanes and Dan Buchner, and early chatter revolved around a potential dynasty, unfair advantages, and even rumors of a LIV Tour acquisition. But here we are – 9th place, key players in contract years,  and a whole lot of Swamp Dawg fans questioning the direction. Oh, how things can change. 

There’s good news though. Hanes and Buchner have quite the resume at Grass Clippings Rolling Hills and have a knack for the big moment. They’ll get their chance once more. It’s almost a certainty the Golf Channel will be covering their every move during the final round, but Tampa Bay fans would agree: it’s time for some of the other Dawgs to pick up the slack. 

Pete Ianello and Eric Hawerchuck – the number 1 overall picks in the GL Draft- found their stride late at the Summer Grind in Oceanside, firing a (-10) round that finally justified their top overall pick. If you spend anytime in Arizona golf circles, you’ve likely heard the sentiment that Ianello is arguably the best amateur in the state. Many will push back on that claim, but he now has a chance on one of golf’s biggest stages to prove his doubters wrong. 

The true wildcard here are Ben Herman and Brock MacKenzie. MacKenzie, a member of the 2018 University of Washington Hall of Fame class, enjoyed a lengthy professional career on the Korn Ferry Tour. One would think his transition to the Grass League would be seamless, but it’s been everything but. Herman, one of the few player-owners in the field, has also struggled, as his Grass League performances have been concerningly underwhelming. The Swamp Dawgs’ situation isn’t as dire as the Horsemen, and they still could win the season, but a lot will have to go their way.    

Todd’s Prediction: Pete Ianello and Eric Hawerchuk find themselves in the final group Saturday night.

#8 Minnesota Muskies:

GL Championship Roster:
Drew Stoltz | Drew Kittleson
Sam Engel | Brian Blanchard
Andrew Medley | Tony Bagneschi
Chris Kamin | Jeremy Defalco

Storylines:

A little over a year and a half ago, the Minnesota Muskies won the inaugural 2024 Grass Clippings Open on the back of a heroic Drew Kittleson performance. Not long after, they nearly knocked off a LIV Tour team in a head-to-head match at Grass Clippings Rolling Hills. In short, the Muskies franchise was on top of the golfing world, but today, sit in 8th place of the season-long standings, and people close to the Grass League are starting to worry that Muskies fans might show up to the GL Championship wearing brown paper bags.

It’s worth noting their top pair, Drew Stoltz and Drew Kittleson, didn’t play the Summer Grind, but it wasn’t as if they were blowing the doors off in the first two events. The Franchise has been somewhat silent in the face of steep criticism, and many are wondering where they go from here. 

They did break the silence recently when they signed former USGA Four-Ball Champions Sam Engel and Brian Blanchard to four-year contracts and announced that fan favorite Tony Bagneschi is back in the starting lineup, but beyond that the roster has remained largely status quo. Owner/player, Bryan Hoops, has decided to sit himself down for the first time in Grass League history even though he won the inaugural event with Kittleson and is the No. 2–ranked senior amateur in the United States. 

Regardless of the head-scratching moves, the focus remains on the top dogs. Little has materialized from the Stoltz-Kittleson pairing since they first teamed up at the last GL Championship. Some say the fanfare that came with their 2024 GCO victory distracted Kittleson and allowed him to take his foot off the gas, while others believe Stoltz hasn’t recommitted to competitive golf amid all the media success he continues to enjoy. All speculation surrounding the superstar duo and the Muskies organization can be washed away with a victory at this year’s pinnacle event. But if we see more of the same at the GL Championship, don’t be surprised if the entire roster finds itself in trade conversations immediately following.

Todd’s Prediction: Tony Bagneschi and Andrew Medley save the Muskies Franchise.

Next Up: #5 Phoenix United, #6 Scottsdale Strikers, and #7 Hollywood Hitters