Tom Daugherty, Kyle Sherman Lead Round 1 of Surfside PBA New York Classic
After the opening eight games of the Surfside PBA New York Classic, Tom Daugherty leads the 132-player field.
Daugherty netted a total pinfall of 1,920 (+320) on the 38-foot Bear oil pattern to seize the early pole position at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester, N.Y.
New York native Ethan Crouse, who led B-squad, sits in second place. He recovered from a slow start with games of 280 and 289 to jump into contention.
The YouTube stars Kyle Sherman, Chris Via, and Darren Tang round out the top five.
Kyle Troup, Nate Garcia and Arnar Jonsson, sitting sixth through eighth, respectively, each sit in position to earn a first-round bye through the elimination match play bracket.
Graham Fach holds the current cut position of 24th with a pinfall of 1,768 (+168).
Rochester native Jason Sterner sits just outside the cut in 26th position.
Daugherty averaged 240 on A-squad to pace the field during the first round of qualifying.
The scoring pace proved to be lower this week than last week’s blistering Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic, which Daugherty said plays into his favor.
“I came in with a little different mindset,” Daugherty said. “I thought the scoring pace was going to be lower, which I kind of like. I wasn't too worried about making a couple mistakes early, knowing that we didn't have to bowl 250 every game to keep up.”
“It's nice to get up there,” Daugherty continued, “because if you do get hot and win a match or two, it helps for the seeding for the TV show. That's more important than the actual bye, I think.”
Sherman will be on the TV show whether he bowls well or not, as the running joke goes.
Sherman became the new color analyst for PBA broadcasts on The CW at the start of this season.
He said adjusting to the longer work week has been a challenge, but he understands he is not the only person on the tour navigating the hectic travel life.
“I basically just have EJ (Tackett)’s schedule,” Sherman joked. “When you're a competitor, you look at bowling from a certain lens. I get to take a little break from being a competitor. It’s been nice to shift gears and enjoy the game.”
Sherman finished 10th last week in Columbus and placed third after the first round in New York, crediting a fit change to the improved performances.
Qualifying continues on Wednesday with B-squad taking to the lanes at 11 a.m. ET followed by A-squad at 6 p.m. ET.
The top 44 players following Wednesday's competition will move on to Thursday’s Advancers Round.
Those six games will determine the 24 players who will advance to elimination match play, starting on Thursday night. Each match will be the best of seven games.
Match play continues on Friday with rounds at 11 a.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET. The winners of each bracket, as well as the highest-seeded loser in the Round of 8, will advance to the stepladder finals.
The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, April 12 at a special time of 1 p.m. ET on The CW.
All qualifying rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.
Round 1 Leaders
- Tom Daugherty, 1,920 pinfall, 240.00 average
- Ethan Crouse, 1,895, 236.88
- Kyle Sherman, 1,888, 236.00
- Chris Via, 1,875, 234.38
- Darren Tang, 1,861, 232.63
- Kyle Troup, 1,857, 232.13
- Nate Garcia, 1,850, 231.25
- Arnar Jonsson, 1,849, 231.13
- Alex Horton, 1,834, 229.25
- Alec Keplinger, 1,824, 228.00
Complete standings are available here.
Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, April 8 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — B-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (eight games)
6 p.m. — A-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (eight games)
Thursday, April 9 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Advancer Round (six games)
6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 24 (best-of-seven games)
Friday, April 10 — BowlTV
11 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, April 12 — The CW
1 p.m. — Surfside PBA New York Classic finals
More information on the Surfside PBA New York Classic is available here.