Osku Palermaa, who recently switched ball companies to Columbia 300, is the top qualifier at the 2019 PBA World Bowling Tour Thailand event in Bangkok.

Five days of qualifying wrapped up Thursday as the qualifying results were finalized. When the dust settled, Palermaa was on top with a 251.44 average for nine games, posting three-game blocks of 794, 763 and 706 for 2,263.

All players had numerous chances to put up the best three-game blocks they could. Their three best blocks counted toward their nine-game total. The eventual winner of the event will earn one million Thai Baht, the equivalent of $32,258.06 in U.S. dollars. If the winner is a PBA member, they will also earn a PBA Tour title.

The top seven players in the field plus the highest local bowler earned a two-round bye into the fourth round of the event. Joining Palermaa in earning byes were Ryan Ciminelli, Darren Tang, Dom Barrett, Jesper Svensson, Danielle McEwan and Liz Johnson. Yannaphon Larpapharat was the highest local bowler.

Ciminelli had a nine-game qualifying total of 2,198, while Tang finished with 2,185. Barrett had 2,180, Svensson shot 2,166, McEwan had 2,153 and Johnson fired 2,133. Larpapharat used a 2,110 total to earn the local spot, reserved for Thai bowlers.

Many PBA Tour regulars made the trip to Thailand to compete in the event and a vast majority of them made the cut past qualifying, including Chris Barnes, Wes Malott, Anthony Simonsen and others.

Among those who made the trip but failed to advance past qualifying were Nathan Bohr, Chris Via, Marshall Kent, Fran Louw, Christopher Sloan and Pontus Andersson.

The 18 bowlers ranked No. 25-42 in the qualifying standings will bowl six games in the second round. The top 10 bowlers will advance.

In Round 3, players ranked No. 9-24 after qualifying will join the 10 advancing players from Round 2 for a six-game round with the top 12 scores advancing.

The top eight players from qualifying will rejoin the tournament in Round 4 along with the 12 advancing bowlers from Round 3. The 20-player field will bowl six games with the top six scores guaranteed a spot in the finals. At least one woman and one Thai bowler will earn spots in the eight-player final.

The modified eight-player stepladder will feature players seeded sixth, seventh and eighth bowling a one-game match with the winner advancing to face the fourth and fifth seeds in an identical match. From there, it’s heads-up bowling but the top seed must be defeated twice in the final match.

Rounds 2 and 3 will take place Friday, while Round 4 and the final round will take place Saturday. For the full schedule, click here.

Qualifying Results

Results courtesy ABF-Online.org