Erin McCarthy will enter Monday’s match-play rounds as the top seed at the PWBA Lilac City Open after leading qualifying Sunday at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester.
The Elkhorn, Nebraska, bowler rolled a 12-game total of 2,688 pins to finish first among 87 competitors and secure one of eight first-round byes into the Round of 16. Cherie Tan of Singapore followed at 2,677, while Josie Barnes of Tennessee placed third with 2,663.
McCarthy said the lower-scoring conditions required patience and smart adjustments throughout the day, adding that every shot carried added importance. Despite leading the field, she said her focus remains on adapting to changing lane conditions and taking match play one round at a time.
The final bye positions went to Tan, Barnes, Canada’s Felicia Wong, Malaysia’s Sin Li Jane, Liz Johnson, Jordan Snodgrass and Sweden’s Nora Johansson, who won a one-game roll-off against Alexis Runk to break a tie for eighth. Olivia Farwell claimed the final match-play berth at 2,536 and will face Runk in the opening round.
One of the biggest moves of the day came from Brooke Roberts of Florida, who climbed from 57th place at the start of the second qualifying round to 17th after closing with games of 245, 257 and 298 for an 800 series over her final three games. The best-of-three match-play bracket begins at 9 a.m. Monday, with the stepladder finals scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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