Kris Prather sits one game from another TOC title
Prather earned the top-seed for the PBA Tournament of Champions show on Sunday.
Of the five players I predicted to make the PBA Tournament of Champions show, only one came through. Kris Prather not only proved me correct, but he led the entire field at the TOC, averaging over 233 for 42 games.
Three of my four predicted finalists — Anthony Simonsen (6th), EJ Tackett (9th) and Jason Belmonte (10th — finished inside the top-ten, so at least I was close.
Chris Via, however, did not make the cut. By the powers vested in this newsletter I do in my free time, I declare thee: cancelled.
Prather surged into the lead during the second round of match play and never relinquished it, becoming the first player to hold a lead for multiple rounds all week.
Dom Barrett, Sean Rash, Tommy Jones and Shawn Maldonado round out the top-five for Sunday’s 1 p.m. telecast on FOX. (I’m working with FOX Sports in one of my classes at SU, so you best believe I’m getting those plugs in.)
A sizeable gap between Maldonado and the rest of the field widen as the final block progressed. Maldonado’s 141-pin advantage entering the position round stifled any suspense as to who would make the show.
Prather will look to win his second TOC in three years. Jones and Rash will also looking for their second; neither player has won a major since their TOC wins in 2007 and 2012, respectively.
No player has won multiple TOCs since Belmonte in 2014-15; Jason Couch’s three-peat in the early ‘00s was the last before Belmonte.
Barrett will be looking for his third major, and first since the 2013 US Open. Maldonado won his first two PBA titles last season, but this would represent his first major victory.
I’ll save my final prediction for a later time, but my gut reaction says Prather’s going to win.