Simonsen Earns Top Seed for Tournament of Champions TV Finals
BY JEF GOODGER
François Lavoie defeats Tom Smallwood in a roll-off for the fifth spot
Jupiter, Fla.—Seven-time PBA Tour champion Anthony Simonsen will bowl for the 2021 Kia PBA Tournament of Champions title Sunday, Feb. 28, live at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Channel. With a 239 average over 48 games, Simonsen earned the top seed for the stepladder finals and will have a chance to win his third career major title.
Jason Belmonte, the PBA Tour record holder with 13 major titles, earned the second seed with a 16-8 record in match play and will attempt to become the first player in history to win the Tournament of Champions four times.
Jesper Svensson, the youngest player ever to win the Tournament of Champions when he took the title in 2016, qualified 35 pins behind Belmonte in third.
2012 Tournament of Champions winner Sean Rash, with a 14-8-2 record in match play, holds the fourth spot in the stepladder finals and looks to win his 17th career PBA Tour title.
François Lavoie claimed the fifth seed in a one-game roll-off over Tom Smallwood, 218-163. In position round, Smallwood erased a 91-pin deficit in a win over Lavoie, leaving the players tied and forcing the extra game. Lavoie, who finished third in last week’s Players Championship, will be attempting to win his fifth career title and third major.
The top five players will compete for the title Sunday, Feb. 28, live at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Channel.
KIA PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS STEPLADDER FINALISTS
Bowlero Jupiter – Jupiter, Fla.
Sunday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX
- Anthony Simonsen
- Jason Belmonte
- Jesper Svensson
- Sean Rash
- François Lavoie