February 27, 2024 Nolan Hughes

Mid County Lanes hosts first televised finals

The PBA Tour season marches on as the PBA Delaware Classic begins Tuesday at Mid County Lanes & Entertainment in Middletown, Del.

Last season, Mid County Lanes & Entertainment hosted its first national tour stop since 2019. This week, the center will host its first televised finals, airing Sunday, March 3 at noon Eastern on FS1.

There will be plenty of action leading up to the championship round. Rounds 9-10 of the PBA Elite League presented by Snickers begin Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

Qualifying for the title event begins at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday and continues through Friday. All qualifying and match play rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

Storylines

The Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year race is starting to take shape.

Five players — Bill O’Neill, Kyle Troup, Anthony Simonsen, EJ Tackett and Marshall Kent — have separated themselves from the pack in the points. The quintet has combined to win all five titles this season.

Coming off his Just Bare PBA Indiana Classic victory, Troup will look for back-to-back titles this week. A third title through six events, despite his three missed cuts, would likely distance Troup from even this elite crop.

Kent, coming off a third place finish in Indiana, won the PBA Illinois Classic earlier this month, which featured the same elimination match play format as this week’s event.

Simonsen, as Simonsen often does, made a furious comeback to nearly make the show in Indiana. While came up 89 pins shy, the two-handed virtuoso already has one title under his belt in Missouri. 

In 2018, Simonsen won the PBA Xtra Frame Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic by throwing a back-up ball in the title match.

Tackett, the lone member of the group without a title this season, has made four consecutive championship rounds.

O’Neill, leading the tour in points, is coming off his worst finish of the season: 33rd place, missing the cut after losing a one-game roll-off to Mitch Hupé.

Players to Watch

Speaking of Hupé, he won’t be in the field this week at the site of his first PBA Tour title. The Canadian needed to return to the motherland for a Tim Hortons restock… or something like that.

Last season, Hupé and Packy Hanrahan teamed up to win the Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship presented by Bally’s Dover Casino Resort.

The Wichita State alums demonstrated consistency in making cuts this season, but have not been able to put themselves in title contention.

Tom Daugherty has four consecutive top-14 finishes to his credit. Although Daugherty has yet to finish higher than seventh, he continues to put himself in the hunt week-in and week-out.

Dom Barrett notched his second top-10 finish of the season last week. He and Simonsen brought home a third place finish in the Roth/Holman Doubles Championship a year ago.

Format

Competition begins on Wednesday with two six-game qualifying rounds on the 39-foot Don Carter oil pattern. Following a third six-game qualifying round on Thursday morning, the top 24 players will advance to elimination match play.

All matches will be the best of seven games. The four winners following Friday’s Round of 8 will advance to the championship round. The fifth seed for the stepladder finals will be the highest qualifier among players who lost in the Round of 8.

The PBA Delaware Classic finals will be held Sunday, March 3 at noon ET on FS1. Tickets are available here.

All qualifying and match play rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

More information on the PBA Delaware Classic is available here.

PBA Delaware Classic Schedule

Mid County Lanes & Entertainment | Middletown, DE

All times Eastern

Tuesday, Feb. 27
8:30 a.m. — Pre-tournament qualifier (seven games)
3 p.m. — Practice session
6 pm. — PBA Elite League presented by Snickers, Rounds 9-10

Wednesday, Feb. 28
10 a.m. — Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
6 p.m. — Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Thursday, Feb. 29
10 a.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games)
6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play, Round of 24 (best-of-seven games)

Friday, March 1
10 a.m. — Elimination Match Play, Round of 16 (best-of-seven games)
6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play, Round of 8 (best-of-seven games)

Sunday, March 3
Noon ET — PBA Delaware Classic finals on FS1
Tickets