October 11, 2020 jlaufer

 

Two Hall of Famers Eliminated Early

 

Centreville, Va. —In the opening match of the 2020 PBA Tour Playoffs, seven-time PBA Tour champion Jakob Butturff rolled all three strikes in the 10th frame to defeat 20-time champion and Hall of Famer Tommy Jones by a single pin, 215-214.

“We all know TJ is notorious for clutch moments in his career,” said Butturff, “and I knew he was going to throw those four strikes at the end of the game. I figure it was finally time for me to go out there and get a clutch moment.”

Jones rolled the final four strikes to put the pressure on Butturff to strike out in the 10th frame, which was a new experience for the 26-year-old Butturff.

“This was my first time on television needing a big 10th frame to lock it up,” said Butturff, whose final shot struck despite pulling the shot a bit. “I definitely was feeling the nerves. I was very fortunate to get away with the last hit.”

Another Hall of Famer, Norm Duke, was sent home early when four-time PBA Tour champion François Lavoie trounced Duke, 256-193, on the strength of seven consecutive strikes following an open frame in the third.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game I’ve bowled, but I got away with one,” said ninth-seeded Lavoie. “It kind of got weird in the middle for both of us, but I did my best to keep moving forward.”

Both players missed single-pin spare attempts during the one-game match, but Lavoie recovered and wasn’t intimidated by the legendary Duke.

“When we’re in the Playoffs, it’s the top 24 players from the season, so there’s not going to be an easy matchup,” Lavoie said. “I tried to forget all about that and not take myself off my game plan.”

Dick Allen, a seven-time PBA Tour champion, knocked out eight-time winner Dom Barrett, 227-190, after some early struggles with the left lane.

“The left lane was a little trickier (than the right),” Allen said. “You make the adjustment and you move on. At around the seventh and eighth frames, I saw I had the advantage and just had to finish strong.”

In the final match of the night, Marshall Kent struck on his first shot in the 10th frame to eliminate Chris Via, 218-212, after a close game in which neither player built a huge lead at any point.

“I felt pretty comfortable,” said Kent. “I had a pretty decent look and I felt like I was going to strike every time I got it there.”

Kent admitted his winning strike in the final frame wasn’t his best shot of the game, but it was good enough to seal the victory.

“I was thinking of my dad,” said Kent of his late father, Jim, who recently passed away. “He was with me on that one.”

The Round of 16 begins this Saturday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX with Jason Belmonte and the tournament’s defending champion Kris Prather heading to the lanes.

The competition’s remaining Round of 24 and 16 matches will air on FS1 Sunday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. ET and Sunday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET respectively. The PBA Playoffs will conclude with the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championship Match airing Sunday, Nov. 8 beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.

The final event of the 2020 PBA Tour season, the winner of the PBA Playoffs will receive a PBA Tour title, $100,000 and an official WWE championship title.

Viewers can live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. International fans can watch live on FloBowling.com.

PBA Playoffs Round of 24 Results (Saturday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m. ET on FOX)
Bowlero Centreville, Centreville, Virginia
No. 18 Jakob Butturff def. No. 16 Tommy Jones, 215-214
No. 9 François Lavoie def. No. 24 Norm Duke, 256-193
No. 20 Dick Allen def. No. 13 Dom Barrett, 227-190
No. 12 Marshall Kent def. No. 21 Chris Via, 218-212

Round of 16 (Saturday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX)
No. 18 Jakob Butturff vs. No. 1 Jason Belmonte
No. 9 Francois Lavoie vs. No. 8 Sean Rash
No. 20 Dick Allen vs. No. 4 Anthony Simonsen
No. 12 Marshall Kent vs. No. 5 Kris Prather

Remaining Round of 24 Matches (Sunday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1)
No. 15 Kyle Sherman vs. No. 18 AJ Johnson
No. 10 Darren Tang vs. No. 23 Nick Pate
No. 14 Tom Smallwood vs. No. 19 Chris Barnes
No. 11 Brad Miller vs. No. 22 Tom Daugherty

Round of 16 (Sunday, Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1)
Sherman/Johnson vs. No. 2 Bill O’Neill
Tang/Pate vs. No. 7 Kyle Troup
Smallwood/Barnes vs. No. 3 EJ Tackett
Miller/Daugherty vs. No. 6 Jesper Svensson

Quarterfinals (Sunday, Nov. 8, 2 p.m. ET on FS1)
Matches to be determined following the Round of 16

Semifinals and Finals (Sunday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1)
Matches to be determined following the quarterfinals

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the Go Bowling! PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2019, the PBA was acquired by Bowlero Corporation, the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling entertainment centers with more than 300 locations throughout North America. For more information, please visit PBA.com.

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