By BILL SNIER
FAIRLAWN — Brad Miller calls this week “a whole lot of luck.”
That luck has become a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The 33-year-old Lees Summit, Mo., right-hander went from being one of 39 players missing the cut for the PBA Tournament of Champions during Monday’s pre-tournament qualifier to being in the 68-player field for the season’s final major.
From there, he has moved up the ladder from being last in Game 1 of qualifying to leading the tournament heading into Wednesday night’s first round of match play.
Miller is at 4,024 total pinfall (a 223.56 average), and holds a 27-pin lead over defending PBA Player of the Year EJ Tackett (3,997). Others in the top five include two-handed righty Matthew Ogle (3,994); right-hander Marshall Kent, who led the first two rounds of qualifying (3,992); and two-hander Anthony Simonsen (3,935).
“I shouldn’t have even been here,” said Miller, a four-time PBA regional champion who still is looking for his first PBA Tour title. “It’s just luck.”
Miller, whose notoriety comes from his YouTube channel show “Brad and Kyle” which he operates with fellow pro Kyle Sherman, finished 12th during Monday’s PTQ. He missed the cut to make the field by just 33 pins.
But after two extra players were added to the field from the PTQ to get the field to 68, two players — Connor Pickford and Ryan Ciminelli — withdrew to allow Sean Lavery-Spahr and Miller to also enter the field.
“They originally were going to take eight, then they needed four to fill out the field, so I’m in,” Miller said. “Those two guys weren’t going to bowl, but they didn’t realize it until after the PTQ.
“It was a downer (before he knew of his addition), not because I bowled badly. It was a downer because there were no more tournaments, no more events. I don’t mind bowling bad, because that’s part of the game. But what am I going to do the rest of the year? What am I going to promote.
“It was just gray for me. I can do ball reviews and stuff, but that’s not the magic. The magic is the best bowlers in the world bowling all day, every day. It’s just the greatest game, and that’s what I’m excited about.”
It didn’t start well during qualifying for Miller, who had 156 in Game 1 to stand dead last on a shot he had no practice on due to his late addition. But he managed to recover to stand 21st, averaging 211.83 after six games.
But during the evening shift, Miller found his stride, averaging 225 and moving up to ninth place.
“I really didn’t think about the fact I had no practice until now. I think I was in last after Game 1,” Miller said. “I came in (Wednesday) just needing a decent day, and right out of the gate I have the front 10 (strikes).”
Miller finished with 287 that game en route to shooting 1,406 on the day — the second highest block of the third round.
“Honestly, the first game was tricky for me. I hit a good pair and had the right ball in my hand,” Miller said. “I threw some pretty good shots, but I had a couple go left and a couple go right. But they got to the pocket and struck so I had the first 10.
“Then it never totally stopped. I was keeping up with the transition well, the balls were doing well and I’m doing well, so that’s cool. It was a good pattern for me and I was rolling it pretty well.”
Miller stands 80th on the PBA Points List. His only opportunity to make the all-exempt 43-player field for next season is a spot in the stepladder finals. If not, the PBA Tour Trials in August are a possibility.
“The money, the points, the title … that’s all cool, but I want the sport to grow,” Miller said. “It gives me two more days of videos,, promotion and attention and that’s cool.
“Once this tournament ends, it stops growing and that’s what kills me inside. Win or lose, it will still be in that position.”
And what if both he and video-mate Sherman, who stands seventh overall (3,948), reach the top five despite the latter’s hip and back injuries?
“That would just be insane,” Miller said. “Considering I haven’t made many of these and Kyle is half-broken right now. He’s only about 25 percent, but he’s still in the top 25.”
And what a promotion that would be on YouTube.