Who says bowling belong for two-handers? The season-opening PBA Delaware Classic featured five one-handed bowlers in the stepladder finals, with Canada’s Graham Fach taking it all after defeating Michael Davidson, Nick Pate, and then Jakob Butturff in the title match to end his nine-year title drought.
The first stepladder finals match picked up right where the Round of 8 left off—a battle between Michael Davidson and AJ Johnson. Seeking redemption against his fellow Motiv brand staffer after Thursday’s loss, Michael Davidson started the match with a new Motiv Lethal Venom reactive ball. However, he struggled to find the pocket on the right lane, managing only three spares and two strikes before the commercial break. Meanwhile, AJ Johnson came out strong, using a Motiv Rampage Pearl urethane bowling ball to strike five times in his first six frames, securing an early lead in the first half of the match.
After the break, Davidson rallied with four consecutive strikes, putting pressure on his competitor. Despite Johnson striking twice in the tenth frame, his final shot went high, only nocking down five pins. He finished with a total score of 232, leaving Davidson needing just a mark and five pins to advance. Davidson successfully converted a ten-pin spare and followed up with a nine count, scoring 237 total and earning his redemption and advancing to to meet the 2016 PBA Players Championship champion Graham Fach.
In stepladder match two, 33-year-old Graham Fach opened with a strike using the Hammer Black Pearl Urethane, showing no signs of stress. Michael Davidson responded with a double. Both bowlers exchanged flush strikes, raising the crowd’s hopes of witnessing the 14th and 15th perfect games of the PBA Delaware Classic. However, in the fifth frame, Davidson sent a shot too far outside, nearly landing it in the gutter. Miraculously, the ball hooked back to knock down nine pins.
After the break, Fach struck in the sixth frame but missed in the seventh, bringing the game back to a tie. As the match entered its final stages, both players struggled to find the right pocket for strikes. Both missed in the eighth frame, and Fach also faltered in the foundation frame, giving Davidson an opportunity to strike out and force a tie. Davidson made two strikes but unfortunately missed his second shot in the tenth frame, leaving a 4-6-10 split and finishing with a score of 242. That error gave Fach the opening he needed. The Canadian capitalized, delivering three clutch strikes to finish with a score of 256 and advance to the next match against Nick Pate.
In stepladder match three, Pate started with four consecutive strikes, immediately putting pressure on his opponent. His ball of choice—the Brunswick Vaporize—was performing exceptionally well, creating more shape and allowing him to play much farther left than the bowlers before him. This adjustment enabled Pate to effectively navigate the lane transition caused by previous players on the right side. Meanwhile, Fach stuck to his strategy of using a urethane ball, scoring two strikes before the break to stay within striking distance of Pate.
After a break, both bowlers made strikes until the eight frame, when Fach missed a little, leaving the third pin, wile Pate missed high leaving fourth pin. they both strook in the ninth, bringing Fach down by nine pins into the final frame. Nevertheless, Fach did the best he could, making three strikes again in the tenth, while Pate missed with his first ball, meaning that Fach advance to the title match for a chance to finish his nine-year title drought.
In an all-lefty title match between Fach and Jakob Butturff, both players opened with a strike. However, Butturff struggled to strike in the second and fifth frames and left an open frame in the fourth. Meanwhile, Fach took an early lead and never looked back, delivering strike after strike and leaving no chance for his opponent. Eventually, the game was called in the ninth frame when Fach delivered a strike, effectively shutting down Butturff.
Title at the PBA Delaware Classic marked Fach's first title win after 2016 PBA Players Championship.
The PBA Tour action continues at the U.S. Open presented by GoBowling at the Royal Pin Woodland, Indianapolis, starting with the PTQ today.
Stepladder Finals Scores:
Match 1: No. 5 Michael Davidson def. No. 4 AJ Johnson, 237-232
Match 2: No. 3 Graham Fach def. No. 5 Michael Davidson, 256-242
Match 3: No. 3 Graham Fach def. No. 2 Nick Pate, 249-226
Match 4: No. 3 Graham Fach def. No. 1 Jakob Butturff, 277-200
