David "Boog" Krol (born December 17, 1995) is an American professional ten-pin bowler from Nixa, Missouri. A member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), he is known for winning the 2024 PBA Playoffs. He has won two PBA Tour titles, both coming in the 2024 season,[1] in addition to three PBA Regional Tour titles.[2] He uses the two-handed shovel style delivery with a dominant right hand.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 17, 1995 Nixa, Missouri, U.S. |
| Bowling Information | |
| Affiliation | PBA |
| Dominant hand | Right (two-hand delivery) |
| Wins | 2 PBA Tour 3 PBA Regional Tour |
| Sponsors | Hammer, VISE Grips |
| Personal blog | www |
Krol is sponsored by Hammer Bowling and VISE grips.[3]
Early years
editKrol was a three-time Missouri high school bowling champion. He went on to compete in amateur tournaments after high school, eventually becoming a PBA member in 2016.[4]
Professional bowling career
editKrol attempted to bowl full-time on the PBA Tour for three seasons (2017 through 2019) with little success. He made it out of the pre-tournament qualifier (PTQ) round to cash eleven times over those three seasons with eight match play appearances, but he did not make any appearances in the championship round (the final round of a tournament which usually consists of the top five players from match play).[2] He cut back to mostly PBA Regional Tour play over the next three seasons, committing himself to a rigorous practice schedule beginning in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.[4]
In 2022, Krol finished fourth in the PBA Regional Players Invitational, earning $5,000 and some confidence to attempt bowling full-time again in the 2023 PBA Tour season. His season highlights included a match play appearance at the PBA Wichita Classic, during which he rolled 31 consecutive strikes in qualifying.[4] However, he again failed to make a championship round appearance and did not earn enough points to qualify for the priority field in 2024.
2024 found Krol again bowling in PTQ rounds, a seven-game qualifying round that non-priority players must bowl just for a chance to make the initial field. He finished 15th in the PBA Players Championship and just missed the championship round at the U.S. Open, finishing sixth. He finally broke through with his first championship round appearance in the PBA Delaware Classic, qualifying as the #2 seed for the March 3 telecast. He defeated 14-time PBA Tour titlist Bill O'Neill in the semifinal match, then defeated Finland’s Tomas Käyhkö in the final match to earn his first PBA Tour title.[5] Having a PBA Tour title gave Krol priority entry for the remainder of the season, meaning he no longer had to bowl in PTQ rounds.
On the strength of his first title and other high finishes, Krol qualified as the #9 seed for the PBA Playoffs, a post-season event featuring the top 16 players in points over the 14-event regular season. He knocked off top seed E. J. Tackett in the quarterfinal round and again victimized Bill O'Neill (the #4 seed) in the semifinal round. He went on to face #10 seed and 11-time PBA Tour titlist Jesper Sevnsson in the race-to-two-points final match on May 19. After splitting two games with Svensson, Krol earned the win with a 48–40 triumph in the ninth/tenth frame roll-off. For his victory, he earned his second PBA Tour title, $75,000 and a custom WWE belt (awarded because Fox network carries both WWE wrestling and PBA bowling).[1] He also locked up an exemption for the 2025 PBA Tour.[6] For the 2024 season, Krol finished 9th overall in Tour points and cashed $128,200.[7]
Krol has also won three PBA Regional Tour titles. On the way to one of these titles in September 2023, he averaged 259 over 16 games and rolled four perfect 300 games during the event.[4][6]
PBA Tour titles
edit- 2024: PBA Delaware Classic (Middletown, Delaware)
- 2024: PBA Playoffs (Arlington, Washington & Kissimmee, Florida)
Personal
editKrol says he got the nickname "Boog" from his mother, who "called me a cute little booger."[4] He is friends with Springfield, Missouri native and PBA Tour titlist Keven Williams, with whom he also rooms on tour.[4][6] He married Hazel Plaster-Krol in 2023.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Hughes, Nolan (May 19, 2024). "DAVID "BOOG" KROL WINS PBA PLAYOFFS". pba.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "David Krol – PBA Player Profile". pba.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Hammer Ambassadors - David Krol". hammerbowling.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Scranton, Lyndal (February 14, 2024). "Nixa's 'Boog' Krol is finally believing in himself. It's paying off on the PBA Tour". Springfield Daily Citizen. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Hughes, Nolan (March 3, 2024). "DAVID "BOOG" KROL WINS PBA DELAWARE CLASSIC FOR FIRST CAREER TITLE". pba.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c Hughes, Nolan (July 9, 2024). "NOTHING TO LOSE, EVERYTHING TO GAIN". pba.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ "Professional Bowlers Association Rankings - National Tour: 2024". PBA.com. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ "David Krol interview on Instagram". instagram.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.