Danny Huneycutt (Lexington, NC) had his first exposure to world’s best croquet players at the 2005 Solomon Trophy match, where he squared off against the likes of perennial world champion Robert Fulford. Huneycutt won two of his doubles matches at that tournament, and used that experience as a springboard to winning his first national singles title later that year.

Now Huneycutt has solidified his credentials by posting a solid performance in his first extended challenge against a truly world-class field. He was one of two American players invited to play in the elite Resort at the Mountain invitational in Welches, Oregon. The nine-player field included current British Open champion David Maugham, current world champion Reg Bamford, and former world and British Open champion Chris Clarke. Huneycutt compiled an overall record of nine wins and seven losses, including wins over Maugham and Bamford. He also twice beat second-place finisher Pete Landrebe. He narrowly missed out on the third-place playoff match, having won enough games to qualify but falling short in the net points tiebreak.

With his fifth-place finish at the Resort invitational, Huneycutt will climb from #82 to #60 on the official world ranking list. By ranking index, a more volatile measure of performance, he has reached #36 in the world.