Kenosha, Wisconsin’s AJ Johnson averaged an impressive 221.38 to finish tops in the afternoon flight, just ten pins ahead of Nick Pate’s 220.13. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
On day one of qualifying Coldwater’s Plamor Lanes more than lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest venues to score in on the PBA tour.
Coldwater, OH – For years now bowlers on the PBA tour have left Coldwater’s Plamor Lanes claiming that they have been ‘Coldwatered’.
Simply put, every one of the 93 bowlers in this weekend’s 16th Annual Bowlerstore.com classic – presented by Moxy’s Extra Pair – was convinced of it Saturday on day 1 of qualifying for Sunday’s championship round.
Parma, Ohio’s Pat Dombrowski finished first in the morning qualifying round with an average of 214.
Strikes came hard as one pocket hit after another left solid 7 and 10 pins.
Bowlers tried to adjust, figuring out one pair of lanes only to move to another pair and have their adjustment thrown out like last night’s dishwater.
“Every pair of lanes is like bowling in a completely different bowling center,” said Parma Ohio’s Pat Dombrowski, who led after the morning qualifying flight.
“It’s a tough house,” he added, with a wry smile. Wry, because Dombrowski, one of the most consistent players on tour to not own a national title, managed to average 218.63 over eight games to claim a 70-pin advantage over second place finisher, Kevin Bienko.
Spares came even tougher, and there were a lot of tough spares – splits galore, forcing the tour’s best to dig deep to score. Only ten of the 32 bowlers in the morning flight managed to average 200 or better.
Frustrating? The same tour’s best missed single pin spares, trying to adapt shots to the oil pattern…hook it or throw it straight…softer, harder…Plamor threw the kitchen sink at them.
Bowlerstore.com, of Versailles, is the presenting sponsor of the 16th Annual Bowlerstore.com Classic, presented by Moxy’s Extra Pair.
Devin Burtze, of Elyria, turned in the lowest score, averaging just 129.25, while finished -566 pins behind Dombrowski.
The afternoon flight had many of the same results, including the world’s top-ranked E.J. Tackett, who struggled over his first four games to master the kind of ball carry that would produce strikes. One pocket hit after another turned into a solid ten pin spare conversion. Visibly frustrated, when he adjusted for the ten pin he left the four, or the seven.
Minnesota native Nick Pate finished runner-up in the afternoon flight with a 220 average.
At one point Tackett was -20 behind the leaders, an impressive scoring duel between tour veterans Nick Pate, from Inver Grove, Minnesota, and A.J. Johnson, from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
But Tackett finally found something that worked to climb back into the picture to make the cut, finishing with an average of 204.13, and +33 pins for the eight games. With the evening flight still be completed Saturday night, his making the Sunday championship round was anything but certain.
In the meantime the duel between Johnson and Pate captured the attention of a capacity crowd at Plamor, and actually competed with the Olympic basketball final between France and the United States playing on TVs about the bowling center.
With one PBA national title to his credit (2023), the popular Johnson owns ten PBA regional titles and is an eight-time member of Team USA.
Pate has never won a PBA national title, but has two regional titles to his name, and is a five-time member of Team USA.
Speedway Lanes, in New Bremen, is proud to support bowling on Press Pros Magazine.com.
EJ Tackett, by the way, has eighteen national titles, including five Majors (including the PBA World Championship in 2016, the 2017 Tournament of Champions, the 2023 U.S. Open, and the 2024 PBA World Championship)…and is a former winner of the Coldwater tournament, in 2014.
Looming in the evening flight is three-time winner in the past three regional events, Ryan Liederbach, who just this week captured the Kremer Roofing Classic at Community Lanes, in Minster. Liederbach is playing for his fourth consecutive win, an extreme rarity on the PBA tour.
Northfield, Ohio’s Ryan Liederbach bowled in the Satuday evening flight, shooting for his fourth consecutive PBA regional title.
Sunday qualifying starts at 11 am at Plamor, admission is free, and the competition among the world’s best is one of the highlights of the west-central Ohio sports season. It’s a grueling day of bowling, capped by the traditional step ladder finale, with first place prize money being $10,000.
The building never relents, the tournament is one of the toughest on tour. And players you question say they wouldn’t have any other way.
‘Coldwatered’.
Tournament Notes:
Crowds for the weekend tournament were the best of any recent Bowlerstore.com Classic. The event has earned the reputation over the years of not only being a highly-sought after title to earn, but every bowler you question say the crowds, and the people, that come to the Coldater tournament make it one of the most enjoyable stops of the year.
The Bermudan bowler who drives a cab as his day job is probably going to be back in that cab come next week. David Maycock bowled in the afternoon flight and averaged 184.88, -121 pins behind the flight leader, AJ Johnson.
Pla-Mor lanes proudly sponsors coverage of bowling on Press Pros Magazine.com.