Another Two-Hander in Tomorrow's Eliminator Finals

Jason Belmonte is nursing a hamstring injury he sustained in last week's U.S. Open tournament and didn't bowl this week. But that didn't stop the other best two-hander in the world from making tomorrow's telecast. That's right, the extremely talented Osku Palermaa sliced and diced rack after rack this week to earn his way into tomorrow's final along with Mike Scroggins, Wes Malott, and Brian Kretzer. As you may recall, Osku was the first two-hander to make a PBA telecast, doing it as a 20-year-old in no less than the U.S. Open in 2004, and he performed very respectably on it even though he didn't win the title. He's an amazing bowler, and I'd like to see him do well.

Tomorrow's "eliminator" format is unusual in that it will begin with all four players bowling the first game together. The lowest scorer will exit, leaving the other three to bowl the second game. The lowest scorer that game will be finished, and the remaining two players will bowl for the championship.

It should be fun to watch, even if it looks like sole lefty Mike Scroggins may have the advantage of being able to "groom" the pair for himself in practice and, if he advances, in competition.