Michael Davidson came from more than 70 pins behind in the final game to win the standard division of the PBA ELITE Central Regional 1 at EZ Bowl in Bluffton, Indiana. Mika Koivuniemi of Finland won the senior division after leading for almost the entire weekend.
The PBA ELITE Regional Tour is the PBA's new top tier of regional events, launched this fall with 21 tournaments across seven regions. The Bluffton stop was held at EZ Bowl, the centre owned by four-time PBA Player of the Year EJ Tackett and Zac Tackett, and it was bowled on string pins.
Davidson pulls off the comeback
After seven games of qualifying on Saturday and a four-game advancers round on Sunday, the top eight in each division bowled round-robin match play. The title went to the highest pinfall total, with no stepladder final.
Each match play win was worth 30 bonus pins, and Davidson collected 210 of them with a 7-1 record. He still went into the last game more than 70 pins off the lead, then turned it around to finish on 4,531, a 227 average over 19 games. Even the broadcast team admitted they were in a little bit of shock.
The host finished right behind him. Tackett had the highest average in the field, 230, but went 4-4 in match play and ended second with 4,492, 39 pins back. Graham Fach was third with 4,336, ahead of Zach Weidman (4,310) and Sean Rash (4,264).
"That was a good shot, and then I was like, all right, just stay focused, keep doing what you've been doing all day," Davidson said on the broadcast. "Fortunately, they fell my way."
The 30-year-old from Versailles, Ohio, led qualifying at the U.S. Open in March and is still chasing his first PBA Tour title. The win at EZ Bowl is his first regional title since 2019.
Standard Division
Final standings after 19 games, including match play bonus pins:
Koivuniemi keeps it simple
On the senior side, Koivuniemi controlled the event from start to finish. He averaged 219 over 19 games, went 5-3 in match play and won with 4,325, 282 pins ahead of Jason Lundquist (4,043). Dan Higgins Jr. edged Dave Wodka by one pin for third, 3,940 to 3,939.
The 59-year-old Hall of Famer said his plan was built around the conditions on the long, 48-foot oil pattern.
"I try to keep my game pretty simple, control the pocket, and try to stay clean," Koivuniemi said. "I knew the scoring pace wouldn't be that high, so [I wanted to] keep my ball close to the pocket most of the time and make my spares. That was my plan."
He also adjusted his loft and release to play a straighter line. "I did my own tweaks with my loft and release to be able to play more of a straight line and not try to open up my angles too much," he said.
Koivuniemi has 14 PBA Tour titles, including three majors: the 2000 ABC Masters, the 2001 U.S. Open and the 2011 Tournament of Champions. He was the first European inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame and has won two PBA50 titles since returning to competition in 2018.
Senior Division
Final standings after 19 games, including match play bonus pins:
Next stop: Jackson
The PBA ELITE Central Regional Tour continues next weekend in Jackson, and Koivuniemi confirmed he plans to bowl, giving him a chance to win back to back.
The top five finishers without PBA Tour priority status at each ELITE event earn a spot in the Regional Players Invitational in December, where three priority status places for the 2027 PBA Tour are awarded.
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