The stage is set for the PBA Delaware Classic stepladder finals at Mid County Lanes and Entertainment in Middletown, Delaware. The finals will be broadcast live on FS1 at 11 PM Central European Time on Saturday, January 25.
30-year-old Jakob Butturff claimed the top seed after an impressive performance on the high-scoring, 35-foot Cheetah oil pattern. He qualified fourth with a 244.11 average after 18 games and advanced through match play by defeating EJ Tackett and Ryan Barnes in best-of-seven bracket matches. The eight-time PBA Tour champion and six-time member of Team USA is aiming to start the new season strong after a challenging 2024.
Nicholas Pate earned the No. 2 seed and is now just two wins away from capturing his first PBA Tour title. Pate’s journey to the finals began in the pre-tournament qualifier on Monday, where he advanced to the main field by a narrow margin of just one pin. The 30-year-old right-hander finished 11th in the qualifiers with a 239.33 average. In bracket matches, Pate defeated Marshall Kent, Kyle Troup, and Trevor Roberts to secure his spot in the stepladder finals.
No. 3 seed Graham Fach finished 18th in the qualifiers with a 236.33 average. He defeated BJ Moore in the Round of 24 on Wednesday and followed up with victories over Cam Crowe and Justin Knowles in the Round of 16 and Round of 8, respectively.
32-year-old AJ Johnson had perhaps the most dramatic journey to the stepladder finals. The No. 4 seed barely advanced to the advancers round, securing the final spot with a 233.22 average in the qualifiers. In the Round of 24, Johnson swept Chris Via 4-0. He then defeated Andrew Anderson in a thrilling seven-game match, clinching the final game with a 289-279 victory, and then rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Michael Davidson in the Round of 8 to earn his place in the finals.
Michael Davidson made history during the qualifying rounds by breaking Mike Aulby’s 12-game scoring record. His outstanding performance earned him the top seed for bracket play. Although he lost to AJ Johnson in the Round of 8, Davidson claimed the No. 5 seed for the stepladder finals as the highest eliminated qualifier.
The stepladder finals will begin with a one-game match between No. 4 seed AJ Johnson and No. 5 seed Michael Davidson.
Catch the action live on FS1 at 11 PM Central European Time on Saturday, January 25.
