2020 PBA Tournament of Champions

Simonsen Top Qualifier As TOC Heads To Match Play

Simonsen Top Qualifier As TOC Heads To Match Play

Anthony Simonsen earned top qualifier honors Thursday afternoon as the field was narrowed at the 2020 PBA Tournament of Champions.

Feb 6, 2020 by Lucas Wiseman
Simonsen Top Qualifier As TOC Heads To Match Play
FAIRLAWN, Ohio – Anthony Simonsen earned top qualifier honors Thursday afternoon as the field was narrowed at the 2020 PBA Tournament of Champions.

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FAIRLAWN, Ohio – Anthony Simonsen earned top qualifier honors Thursday afternoon as the field was narrowed at the 2020 PBA Tournament of Champions.

Simonsen holds the lead after three rounds of qualifying with an 18-game total of 4,011 (+411) at AMF Riviera Lanes. The top 24 players advanced into match play, which will get underway today at 6 p.m. Eastern live on FloBowling.

Simonsen, who also led after the second round, managed to stay in the top spot despite closing qualifying with games of 188 and 176. He finished the third round with a six-game total of 1,296.

RESULTS: PBA Tournament of Champions Qualifying Round 3

Cristian Azcona sits in second place with 3,954 (+354) and is 57 pins off the lead with 24 games remaining until the cut is made to the top five players for Sunday’s stepladder finals.

AJ Johnson made a big move Thursday, shooting the highest block total in the third round as he jumped into third place with 3,951 (+351). Powered by a 300 game, Johnson totaled 1,416 in the final round of qualifying.

EJ Tackett jumped from ninth place to fourth place with 3,932 (+332), while Bill O’Neill moved from 16th place to fifth with 3,922 (+322).

Other players advancing into match play included Brad Angelo, Kyle Sherman, Tom Daugherty, Sean Rash, Tommy Jones, Andrew Anderson, Kris Prather, Stu Williams, Richard Teece, Kyle Troup, Marshall Kent, Dick Allen, AJ Chapman, Mitch Hupe, Connor Pickford, Patrick Dombrowski, Dom Barrett, Josh Blanchard and Jason Belmonte.

Belmonte, the event’s defending champion, made the cut by just one pin with 3,753 (+153) after finishing with a 236 game. Jon Van Hees finished 25th with 3,752 (+152).

No left-handers made the cut into match play as Rhino Page, who made his 2020 PBA Tour debut this week, was the high lefty in 39th place with a 200.89 average.

Many of the tour’s top lefties finished near the bottom of the standings with Ryan Ciminelli ending up 56th and Jakob Butturff finishing 57th.

The final squad of qualifying ended with a fitting tribute to PBA legend Carmen Salvino as the 86-year-old threw his last ball in TOC competition.

Salvino, who bowled in the very first PBA event, competed in the TOC 30 times and had an emotional send off as he tossed the final ball of qualifying. FloBowling will have a complete recap of the ceremonies later this afternoon.

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