The 35th annual KFYR TV Bowling Classic took place this past weekend at Midway Lanes in Mandan, ND. Another full field of 120 bowlers entered for a shot at the $2000 top prize. The normal qualifying shift was divided into 2 groups of 60 bowlers due to the ongoing pandemic. Once the second shift was complete, the top 30 bowlers overall would advance to the match play round on Sunday.
Leading the qualifying round was Jerad Schmitt. Schmitt finished with a 1792 (224 ave) 8 game total and was one of 5 bowlers to reach 100 over. Rounding out the top 30 was a tie between Casey Kuntz and Duane Sandvick at 1573 (196 ave). Kuntz advanced to the match play round via tiebreaker (high game in qualifying).
Sunday’s match play round featured a new mix of bowlers. Of the 30, only 3 had previously won an NDBowling.com Major Title (Travis Hersrud, Ryan Sandvick, and Wade Scott). Bowlers were separated into 3 groups of 10 for round robin match play. The lead changed hands a few times throughout the day, but it was Ryan Selk who settled into the top spot following position round. Joining Selk on the Live TV Finals on KFYR were Justin Schiffler, Harold Holt, Jeremiah Smith, and 2014 KFYR Champion Ryan Sandvick.
Day 2 Results
Stepladder Results:
Smith def. Sandvick 203-181
Smith def. Holt 214-193
Smith def. Schiffler 216-212
Smith def. Selk 213-193
It was a model of consistency for Jeremiah Smith who used exceptional spare shooting and timely doubles to run the ladder. The win gives Smith his first NDBowling.com Major title. Smith’s victory also marks the second consecutive Major where the winner came from the first match of the stepladder finals.
Special thanks to Jim Mellon, Bryan Goehring, Jack Nelson and the entire staff at Midway Lanes for making this event happen this year. While it was a different KFYR Tournament than most are used to, it was still a great tournament and all bowlers appreciate the effort made to make this event happen.
Congratulations to Jeremiah Smith, champion of the 2021 KFYR TV Bowling Classic!