The 6th annual NDBowlTV Masters was contested this past weekend at North Hill Bowl in Minot. Bowlers from all over the state traveled to the Magic City for a marathon weekend on some of the toughest conditions bowlers will see all season long. The prize? A spot in the 2025 USBC Masters.
Saturday’s qualifying round featured 8 games on the 2024 USBC Masters Pattern. The 44 foot pattern featured over 33 mls of oil and a ratio of 1.74 to 1 on the right and 1.41 to 1 on the left. The pattern played as you would expect. Many struggled to find a decent ball reaction and the scores reflected that.
Reigning NDBowling.com Player of the Year, Thomas Wolf, paced the field with a 1667 qualifying score. Wolf and Mike Green were the only two players to average over 200 on Saturday with the cut to the top 16 coming in at 1459.
On Sunday, the top 16 were placed into a bracket for 3-game total pin matches. Following two rounds, the final 4 undefeated players would be seeded 1-4 in the stepladder based on their 6-game totals. Of the 4 players defeated in round 2, the highest 6-game total would stay alive as the 5th and final seed on NDBowlTV.
Entering the finals, it was once again Thomas Wolf making it look easy. Wolf won both of his matches and claimed the top seed on NDBowlTV with a 1323 6-game total. His 6-game total was more than 100 pins better than the field. Josh Kragh, Michael Neibauer, Jon Breckel and Peyton Sumners would join Wolf on NDBowlTV.
NDBowlTV Finals:
Breckel def. Sumners 178-172
Breckel def. Neibauer 202-189
Kragh def. Breckel 257-223
Wolf def. Kragh 164-160
You can watch the NDBowlTV Show HERE. Please note that due to technical difficulties, the stream started in the middle of the first match.
An exciting NDBowlTV stepladder final featured multiple close matches. A late open by Josh Kragh in the championship match gave Wolf a chance at the title. Much like his victory in 2020, Wolf stepped up in the tenth and threw a double to win his second NDBowlTV Masters title. For his efforts, Wolf took home the $1000 top prize and a paid entry into the 2025 USBC Masters being held in Detroit, MI next Spring. Great bowling, Thomas!
Thank you to the folks at North Hill Bowl for once again contributing $2500 to the prize fund and hosting the event. This tournament has a reputation of being the ultimate grind, and this season’s tournament provided that once again. Would also like to thank everyone who continues to support The High Plains Bowling Network.
See you all in a couple weeks at the State Scratch Singles and Doubles tournaments at Midway Lanes in Mandan, ND. Singles will be live streamed on NDBowlTV starting at 1pm on Saturday the 9th. Be sure to tune in!