The 2021 NDBowling.com Classic will be held February 27-28, 2021 at Sunset Lanes in Moorhead. While the tournament will look a little bit different in its 28th season, here are some of the storylines heading into the Season’s Final Major.
Lane Pattern Analysis
The lane pattern for the 2021 NDBowling.com Classic will be a 39 foot pattern featuring 24.72 mls of oil and a ratio of 3.53-1. While fairly flat in the middle portion of the lane, I expect multiple angles to be in play with a moderate scoring pace. Look for the cut to be in the +35 to +60 range.
More Shift Work
Much like the KFYR TV Bowling Classic, the NDBowling.com Classic has decided to split the Saturday Qualifying shift into 2 groups of 48 due to the ongoing pandemic. The first shift will be at 10 am with the second shift starting at 3 pm. The top 5 from each shift are guaranteed to advance to match play with the rest of the match play field being determined with scores combined from both shifts. The amount of players advancing to match play will depend on entries. Re-entry is allowed on the 3pm shift if spots are available. With only 4 players per pair, how will the breakdown effect each shift? Will we see a different combination of bowlers in the match play round as a result?
Major Mills
Fresh off a win at the CMA Memorial Shootout, Andy Mills enters the NDBowling.com Classic looking to win the 3rd consecutive Major he has entered. Mills will attempt to become the first back to back winner of the Classic since Mike Morris did it in 2008 & 2009. A win would give Mills 6 NDBowling.com Major titles putting him one away from the all time record of 7 held by Michael Schmidt. Mills has made the NDBowlTV Finals every year since 2017, and captured the Glen Hains Memorial Trophy in 2017 & 2020.
2019 NDBowling.com Classic Champion, Kayla Pashina, will also be making her return to Sunset Lanes after missing last seasons tournament due to injury.
Conclusion to the 2020-2021 NDBowling.com Player of the Year Race
The NDBowling.com Classic is the final event in the 2020-2021 NDBowling.com Player of the Year Race. Here are the top 10 players going into the Season’s Final Major. Top 5 will be named to the NDBowling.com Team of the Year. 
1 – Jeremiah Smith 99.85
2 – Thomas Wolf 91.25
3 – Ryan Selk 78.35
4 – Jon Breckel 75.65
5 – Randy Peterson 72.15
6 – Justin Schiffler 71.20
7 – Mike Larson 64.55
8 – Wade Scott 63.00
9 – Travis Hersrud 56.15
10 – Ryan Sandvick 54.60
Bold Predictions
Without knowing the confirmed roster, here are my bold predictions for the final 5 of the 2021 NDBowling.com Classic
– Andy Mills
– Jerad Schmitt
– Chad Nelson
– Ryan Selk
– Jeremiah Smith
If you are interested in bowling, please call Sunset Lanes (218-233-6153) to sign up for either the 10am or 3pm shift. Each shift is limited to 48 players.
Tune in to NDBowlTV on Sunday afternoon at approximately 1:30 pm for live coverage of the finals. (www.YouTube.com/NDBowling)