FAIRLAWN — Despite shooting 197 during his final game of the day, EJ Tackett could not be stopped on Day 1 of the PBA Tournament of Champions.
Averaging 235.67 over his first 12 games — after averaging 243 for his first six during the early qualifying round — Tackett holds a 32-pin lead heading in Wednesday’s final six-game qualifying round at AMF Riviera Lanes.
“He’s on another level right now,” said Frank Snodgrass, one of 63 other players chasing Tackett, who has three titles already this season including one major.
Tackett finished with 2,828 total pinfall as his final game was the lone one under 212 on the day for the Bluffton, Ind., right-hander.
“Typically in this building, (playing) the slow loop has been good,” Tackett said. “It’s touchy. You’ve got to make some good shots. But if you get your ball to do the right thing, I feel they’re very scoreable.”
Swedish left-hander Jesper Svensson is second with 2,796, followed by Stuart Williams (2,751), Dick Allen (2,745) and Snodgrass (2,725).
Snodgrass, a 29-year-old Center Line, Mich., right-hander, stood 43rd after the morning session with just 1,239 (a 206.5 average), but raced up the leaderboard by averaging an evening session high 247.66 over his final six games.
“I got a couple of hits. I just felt the lanes played a little better for me tonight,” said Snodgrass, who got into the field after finishing fifth during Monday’s pre-tournament qualifier. “I thought I bowled good in the morning, but I could never string any strikes.
“So once I got a few strikes in a row, I was able to loosen up. The guys on my pair I was able to joke around with them. If just felt light this squad.
“But it’s always easier to be in a better mood when you’re throwing a lot of strikes.”
Snodgrass, who crossed with Tom Smallwood, Tom Hess and Francois Lavoie, climaxed his climb in the standings with the tourney’s only 300 during Game 4 of the second shift. It was his second 300 this season on the PBA Tour and third as a pro.
That game was part of a stretch that saw Snodgrass throw 276, 255 and then the 300.
“I threw the same ball (Ebonite One Remix) tonight, but the only difference was I was able to stay in it for all six games,” Snodgrass said. “There was more urethane thrown during the morning, and pair to pair it was more choppy and inconsistent.
“This morning, I chased it a certain way and I just couldn’t get as much scoring out of it.”
Tackett came out of the gate with a 248 in the morning and also added 255, 248 and 242 during one stretch in the evening to maintain his lead.
Svensson, who was third after the morning session, put together a stretch of 243, 258 and 268 to jump into second, while a 276 by Stuart Williams in Game 5 of the night shift moved him up to third.
The remainder of the top 10 includes Jake Peters 2,722; Osaka Palermaa 2,689; Patrick Hanrahan 2,689; Kyle Troup 2,673; and Marshall Kent 2,673.
As for Snodgrass, he returned to a house with his friends to unwind and “hopefully, do it all again in the morning.”
“This is just a huge thing for me. It probably hasn’t even set in with as much as I struck tonight,” Snodgrass said. “I just have to keep throwing good shots, stay in the moment, and don’t make the moment too big. Just take it one frame at a time.
“If you try to bowl Game 48 in Game 23, it’s not going to go well for you.”
The full field of 64 players returns for six more games at 11 a.m. Wednesday. After 18 games, the field then will be cut to the top 24 for the first round of match play, which follows at 5 p.m.
NOTEBOOK
PRO-AM RESULTS: Carson Keenan topped the adult division of the TOC pro-am standings Sunday with an 804 series, including handicap, to win $500. Nine people cashed in the adult division, with low to cash being 763. In the youth division, Steven Villagomez topped the standings with 891, including handicap, to earn $400 in scholarship money. Low to cash in the youth division was 787.
SCHEDULE: Two more rounds of match play are set for 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday before the field is cut to the top 17 for the first of four stepladder finals that air on FS1 at 10 p.m. Friday. Taping of the show. begins at 6 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 per shift for Wednesday and Thursday and $25 for an all-day pass. Ticket prices vary for the stepladder finals, with Friday’s shift ranging from $5 to $20. Tickets are available at pba.com.
NOTEBOOK: Keven Williams, who led after the first four games of the morning shift, shot 181 and 160 during his final two games to tumble to 24th heading into the second round of qualifying. By the end of the second round, he had tumbled to 41st. … AJ Chapman, the PTQ leader, and left-hander Graham Fach had the high games of the morning shift with 279 in Games 4 and 7, respectively. … Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III was the lone player to not shoot a 200 game during either shift on the Don Johnson 40 oil pattern. He is last in the field, averaging 176.83. … There are seven PBA50 and three PBA60 players in the field. Eugene McCune is the high senior player, standing 30th with 2,570. Brad Angelo, who won at Strike Zone Lanes in Canton two weeks ago, is 44th (2,474). … Carsten Hansen is the cut line after two rounds, averaging 217 for 12 games. He has a two-pin lead on Jason Sterner. … Among Ohio players, Springfield right-hander Chris Via (13th, 2,661), Urbana left-hander Graham Fach (31st, 2,568) and Chillicothe right-hander Brandon Novak (34th, 2,559) are competing for spots in the top 24.
For a complete scoring list, go to: