Michael Davidson of Versailles, Ohio, maintained the lead after 18 games of qualifying at the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Delaware Classic. Davidson scored a total of 4,433 (246.28 average), holding a narrow 15-pin lead over his closest competitor, Cameron Crowe, who scored 4,418.
But finishing at the top of the qualifiers was just one highlight for Michael Davidson. After earning his spot in the PBA Delaware Classic through the PTQ, Davidson made history by breaking the PBA Tour 12-game block record. He scored an impressive 3,086, surpassing PBA Hall of Famer Mike Aulby’s previous record of 3,083 set in 1996. This record stood unchallenged for nearly 30 years.
"It feels amazing to see all of my hard work starting to pay off," Davidson said to Bowlinglife.eu after the qualification. "It's hard to see breaking a record that stood for so long coming. It's an honor to be able to break such a long record, but I didn't know until the morning after. I was just staying focused and throwing the best shots possible."
When asked if the game plan will change in the elimination round, Davidson said he’ll keep the focus on delivering quality shots, one at a time.
"I'm not sure who I'm bowling next round, but I like my ball reaction and the way I've been throwing it. Game plans can always change during the head to head matches, but for now I'm going to keep it the same and focus on making the best shot I can one at a time."
While Davidson was breaking records, Finland's Tomas Käyhkö, the sole European bowler in the top 24, quietly rounded out the top three with a total of 4,395. Last year, Käyhkö made the televised stepladder finals here at Mid County Lanes and still appears to thrive at this venue, demonstrating a keen ability to adapt to the lane conditions. The reigning Finnish Player of the Year improved his position after each qualification round, ultimately finishing high enough to skip the first elimination match play. Käyhkö and the other top eight qualifiers advanced directly to the Round of 16.
A total of 24 players advanced to the next round. AJ Johnson claimed the final spot in match play and will face Chris Via in the opening elimination round.
Each match in the elimination round will follow a best-of-seven format. Eight players—M. Davidson, C. Crowe, T. Käyhkö, A. Anderson, R. Barnes, J. Butturff, K. Troup, and J. Knowles—have already secured spots in the Round of 16. The remaining eight will emerge from the first elimination round. From there, the top eight players will advance to the Round of 8. Four winners from that round, along with the highest-seeded loser, will move on to the televised stepladder finals. In total, five players will compete in the finals.
The stepladder finals will air live on FS1 on Saturday, January 25th.
