A field of 36 players is set to compete tomorrow for the prestigious Kosta Boda trophy and the PBA Tour title in Helsingborg. With so much at stake, the tension is palpable as each competitor has a dream to rise above the rest. However, by the end of the tournament, only one will be victorious.
The journey toward this momentous event intensified on Saturday, with the last three qualification squads of the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters 2024 unfolding at Olympia Bowling in Helsingborg, Sweden. After that, a Final Step 1 with 30 players who took from 23rd to 52nd place in the qualifiers took off with only 14 advancers to the Final Step 1.
The day kicked off with Squad 24, where Germany’s Dennis Grünheid bowled a perfect game, the tournament's eighth 300. His impressive score of 1454 secured him the squad win and elevated him to eleventh place in the overall qualification standings.
Excitement peaked during Squad 25 as Jesper Svensson delivered a stellar performance, scoring 1541 to set a new tournament high. This achievement propelled him past Viktor Albihn to claim the top position in the overall standings.
In the final qualification squad, Sweden's Alex Joki scored 1420, securing 20th place overall and earning a direct entry into Final Step 2.
As the dust settled, the top 22 bowlers from the qualification rounds were awarded direct entry into Final Step 2, allowing them to bypass the initial elimination round and move straight to Sunday’s competition. Meanwhile, the 30 players ranked between 23rd and 52nd had to compete in six intense games, each striving to secure one of the 14 remaining spots for Sunday’s action.
After six games in Final Step 1, Sweden’s James Blomgren emerged on top with a total score of 1458. Nathan Bohr from the United States clinched the final spot with a score of 1326.
Notably, no previous SLLM winners made it to Final Step 2. Defending champion AJ Johnson finished 58th, Denmark’s Carsten Hansen, the 2019 SLLM winner, ended in 134th place, while 2019 champion Kyle Troup and 2022 winner Mathias Grønne Ankerdal from Denmark saw their runs end in Final Step 1.
Several other top contenders, including Anthony Simonsen and Marshall Kent, who were among the favorites to win the PBA Tour title in Helsingborg, also fell short of reaching the finals.
As the competition moves into Sunday, 36 players will vie for a spot among the top 16 in a six-game scratch round. Those who advance to Final Step 3 will engage in three-game total match plays, with the top 8 players proceeding to yet another round of three-game match plays to determine the semifinalists. The excitement will culminate tomorrow evening, with the finals being livestreamed on lanetalk.tv, featuring live commentary from Randy Pedersen and Dave Ryan.
Live-stream of the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters can be found here. Full results can be found here. Full picture gallery of each squad can be found here.
Storm Lucky Larsen Masters is the sole Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour event outside the U.S. Participants has a chance to win not only a signature Kosta Boda crystal trophy, but a PBA Tour title as well.
Over 300-player field, including dozens of bowling idols from the PBA Tour such as EJ Tackett, Kyle Troup, or Anthony Simonsen, will fill the Olympia Bowling venue from August 23rd to September 1st.
Enjoy the excitement of the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters by joining the BowlingLife Discord community and following all the on the lanes and off the lanes action from your device!
