INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Finland’s Osku Palermaa left a 7-10 split on his first shot of the day, converted the so-called impossible split and carried that momentum into the lead Thursday night in the PBA Tournament of Champions at Woodland Bowl.
Palermaa had a 29-pin lead over Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., when Weber left a 7-10 split in the 10th frame of his final match, which he was unable to convert, costing him a chance to overtake the Finnish two-handed star after four rounds in the major tournament.
Palermaa, a three-time PBA Tour champion and winner of the 2011 PBA World Championship, averaged 240.56 through his first 32 games, but struggled through the opening round of match play Thursday night, winning four of his eight matches to finish with a total of 7,818 pins.
Weber, who can tie the PBA record for most major championships if he wins his 10th title this week, had a 5-3 match-play record and finished with 7,789 pins.
