Tomas Käyhkö bowled the best Finnish achievement in a long time in the US Open, the opening competition of the PBA professional tour. In the end, the Finn was third, and netted a nice prize pool for his achievement.
Pertti Lappalainen,
Timo Uusitalo
Tomas Käyhkö25, finished third in the professional bowling tour PBA major tournament, the season-opening US Open.
The final place was not far behind the Finns, but the American one Kyle Troup turned out to be better in the semifinals of the ladder games in a high-quality match with a score of 229–215.
– You can’t complain about your own bowling, but now the pins didn’t fall from my side. There were a couple of slightly worse throws, but they were in the pocket too.
– I bowled pretty well, even though there was a lot of tension there (in the TV final). There’s nothing you can do, there are so many good bowlers here, and the guy got more points now, Kyähkö said calmly in an interview with .
The third place brought Käyhkö’s reward bag $25,000. He was satisfied with his performance throughout the bowling week, but noted that there were also a couple of weaker moments.
– Great (overall) performance, even if I do say so myself. However, it was my first time at the US Open and in these conditions. It’s so hard to get to that final, so of course it’s a bit sad that I didn’t win now, even though I bowled so well.
Won the competition EJ Tackettwho defeated Troup in the finals 221–208.
A harder achievement than a World Cup medal
At the end of last season, Käyhkö took part in four pro tour competitions, which were his first on the tour. The results in these were mixed.
The US Open featured the absolute best man in the sport and all the world’s bowling championships.
– If you also look at the game format and four challenging, different and extremely difficult conditions, then this US Open third place is perhaps a tougher thing than my 2021 World Cup silver, said Käyhkö.
By conditions, Käyhkö refers to the oil spread on the tracks. Generally, the oil is spread in such a way that there is more of it in the middle of the track than on the edges. At the US Open, however, the oil is spread practically evenly, so the bowler has almost no chance to make a mistake in his performance.
The 2021 World Championships, which ended in silver, were Käyhkö’s first at the adult level, just like this time’s US Open. The man himself believes that concentration plays a key role in successful debuts at major competitions.
– I concentrate so hard on each throw that there won’t be many bad throws. I can probably keep my focus in the game a little better than average, especially when there are long games, Käyhkö estimates.
The new goals are clear
The professional tour season lasts until mid-May. After that, those with the most points can be selected for the PBA league, so there may still be competitions in the United States even after May. Regarding the continuation of the season, the goal is clear.
– The next goal is to win a competition.
In addition to the competitions of the professional tour, Käyhkö is aiming for, among other things, the EC competitions in June and the World Championships in the fall. The last few years have been successful for Käyhkö, as he has made a rise towards the top of the world. The Finn’s longer-term goal is justifiably tough.
– It would be a dream if you could be player of the year here in the USA. The selection is usually based on who wins the most races here, says Käyhkö directly.
The Finns are just legends Mika Koivuniemi has reached the achievement in 2004 and 2011.
The PBA tour continues next week with the Springfield Classic in Missouri. In addition to Käyhkö, they are included Hit Palermo and Santtu Tahvanainen.