Nolan Hughes– PBA Tour
Jesper Svensson saved his best for last this season.
The Swedish star captured the final title event of the 2024 PBA Tour, winning the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters in his home country of Sweden.
Then in Sunday afternoon’s Go Bowling PBA Elite League Strike Derby, the final show of 2024, Svensson hoisted yet another trophy — to his own surprise.
“I’m not really the best at this thing,” Svensson said after heaving a last-second strike to defeat Andrew Anderson in the final match. “I feel like I’m not fast enough. I don’t get enough shots in. But I got better as we went.”
“I gained more and more confidence all throughout the season,” Svensson added. “After that little break we had, I felt like things just started to fall into place for me and some fortune came my way. Getting a dub at home was huge, and I just kept on rolling here.”
Svensson, representing the Akron Atom Splitters of the PBA Elite League presented by Snickers, was voted by PBA fans to compete in the event.
New Jersey’s Packy Hanrahan, Lucky Strike L.A. X’s Jason Belmonte, Las Vegas’ Andrew Anderson, Motown’s EJ Tackett and Portland’s Kyle Troup were also tabbed to compete by the fans.
Akron’s Chris Via, who won the event in 2023 champion, and Portland’s Arturo Quintero were selected to compete as commissioner wild cards.
In each match, both players had two minutes to throw as many strikes as possible across two lanes at Portland, Maine’s Bayside Bowl. The player with the most strikes advanced to the next match. All ties were broken by a one-ball roll-off, which could only be won with a strike.
The top-seeded Via knocked out Quintero, chosen to participate by the host center, in the opening round of the event.
The second match may have been the best of the afternoon as Anderson fired all 13 of his strikes consecutively. Tackett then matched Anderson’s baker’s dozen — tying the best round of any player totaled in the entire event — before Anderson knocked out Tackett on the first shot of the roll-off.
Belmonte and Svensson also advanced through the first round as their opponents, Troup and Hanrahan, respectively, struggled immensely.
Anderson, who was named MVP of the PBA Elite League regular season and playoffs, dethroned Via in the semifinals, winning 10-8.
Svensson dispatched Belmonte with a last-second strike in the other semifinal.
In the finals, Anderson elected to bowl his two-minute round first, which gave Svensson 120 seconds and change to catch his breath — and the Iceman needed each and every one of them.
“I guess Andrew was just too nice of a guy to have me go back to back,” Svensson said.
With 30 seconds remaining, Svensson trailed Anderson 11-7. Svensson then threw five consecutive strikes, including a miraculous tripped 3-pin with six seconds left, to win the event.
The last person to learn of Svensson’s victory? Svensson himself, who lost track of how many strikes he had thrown.
“If the crowd got excited for a strike down the stretch, I kind of knew I might be close,” Svensson said. “I always bowled second, so I always knew what I had to do. But if I’m losing count of my own strikes, I still don’t really know what’s going on. At that point, it’s just more about trying to get as many shots off and trying to throw them somewhat decently and have a chance to strike.”
The Strike Derby marked the final event of the 2024 PBA season.
More information on the PBA Elite League presented by Snickers is available here.
Strike Derby Results
Round 1
No. 1 Chris Via def. No. 8 Arturo Quintero, 12-6
No. 4 Andrew Anderson def. No. 5 EJ Tackett, 13-13, X-9
No. 3 Jason Belmonte def. No. 6 Kyle Troup, 10-6
No. 7 Jesper Svensson def. No. 2 Packy Hanrahan, 6-4
Semifinals
No. 4 Andrew Anderson def. No. 1 Chris Via, 10-8
No. 7 Jesper Svensson def. No. 3 Jason Belmonte, 10-9
Finals
No. 7 Jesper Svensson def. No. 4 Andrew Anderson, 12-11