We mentioned last week, that back in 2013, Daffodil Bowl hosted the largest 1-Day Tournament in Tour history (213 Entries).  Over the weekend, Daffodil again made history with a massive 191 Entries, the largest turnout since that 2013 Record was set (also the largest 2-Day turnout since 2011).  As with any great competition, we had a little of everything from the Heroes to the Heartbreaks and even a few 2nd Chances.  Willie Manning Jr & Eric Arkoncel (N.Vancouver, BC) got a second chance in the 1st Round of the Finals, when both thought they'd been eliminated, shoes changed and Willie chased down in the parking lot.  An error on a hdcp, opened one more spot, but they were tied, so a 9th-10th roll-off was needed... they tied again... but Willie prevailed in the do-over.  Numerous GREAT Head-to-Head Matches highlighted the Sweet 16 (details below), right down to theChampionship match, when the outcome wasn't decided till the 10th Frame (233-240).  A record was also set in the Scratch Pot with an amazing$730.00 paid out in the side Pot.   Dan Grassearned the Top Qualifier Jacket and his choice of a new Storm Ball for his awesome 1083 series, to go along with his 9th Place finish.

We questioned whether the 9-Tap Jackpot would survive the onslaught at Daffodil... it did, but just BARELY!!  FIVE bowlers hit the Front-5 Taps (B.Schaaf, J.Sherman, T.Strand, J.Truitt & C.Hufford), collecting a 2019 high of $1,875.00 from the Jackpot ($375.00 each).  We also had two near misses... on Saturday, Matt Carlson had EIGHT taps in the first 9 frames, including one 10th frame shot for $750.00 (7-Middle Taps), when a 10-Pin Strike ended his run (video below - fixed)... the other was Earl Kleist who loves to create history.  Similar to the heartbreak of tossing your first 300 game when it doesn't count, Earl became the first Member to hit the Front-7 Taps during a Finals Match, when the Jackpot is not in play.  OUCH!! 

 

Our 2019 3QC Champion is Jeff Armour, who's been a regular on the Tour since 2013, Winning his 2nd Career Title, with some 'clutch' shots& some big brakes.  Like a Champ, Jeff saved two of his best games for his Semi-Final 251 & Final Match 240.  In a very tight Final Match against Tong Nguyen, Jeff had a 'Heart Attack' shot in the 9th frame, that we thought might require a defibrillator... after a nice string of strikes, a 5-10 split looked like it would doom his game, until the 10-pin keeled over in slow motion that seemed to take forever.  That strike turned out to be HUGE, ultimately giving Jeff a 7-pin margin of victory.  Jeff's been on a bit of dry spell this year... previously he always got into the Progressive Pot... lately he hasn't.  This week, not getting in the Pot cost Jeff $1,155.00, which will remain in the Pot, creating THE LARGEST PRO. POT in 6 years, an unheard of $3,487.00.  Jeff used his Storm 'Code Black' drilled at the Paradise Pro Shop for his big Win, saying he may buy a new bag with some of his $1,200.00 winnings.  Jeff has been using his Sales Tax Credits for the last 4 weeks and said that he was determined to parlay those Credits into some Winnings... the 3QC was the last of his Credits... so nice Parlay Jeff!  He also wanted to thank fellow bowler Gary Woldt for his support and friendship. 

Two of the Final 4 are Tour Hall of Fame Members and 3 of the Top 4 Finishers (2nd-3rdT-3rdT) were 'Original' Tour Members all joining in 2002, with Membership #35, #100 & #163.  Tong Nguyen HOF(#100) added to his "Legend" with quite a weekend performance.  He qualified as the #2 Seed with a BIG 1075 series and in the Finals consistently tossed 5 straight game of 220 or better (scratch), winning one really tough match against Zac Clute 263/247.  The HUGE 2nd Place check for $1,062.00, pushes Tong's earnings to $55,015.00 for his Tour career.  In a 3rd Place tie, Bob Rouse HOF & Joe Fincher each took home $415.00 for their efforts.  Joe (#163) shot 5 solid games in the Finals, including an opening 278 (304), before getting caught by a Hot Tong.  Bob (#35) had his best showing of the year and he reached the Semi-Final Match after 3 straight games over 252 (w/hdcp), but his 214 wasn't enough to beat Jeff for the Finals berth.  Bob now has$37,587.00 in Career Earnings.