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As top seed of 2019 USBC Masters, Jakob Butturff in position to make PBA Player of the Year race a true 2-man battle; Mykel Holliman, Jake Peters, Mitch Hupe, Christopher Sloan also make stepladder finals

JEFF RICHGELS | Posted: Sunday, March 31, 2019 11:00 pm
As top seed of 2019 USBC Masters, Jakob Butturff in position to make PBA Player of the Year race a true 2-man battle; Mykel Holliman, Jake Peters, Mitch Hupe, Christopher Sloan also make stepladder finals
The stepladder finalists for the 2019 USBC Masters, left to right and in order from first to fifth: Jakob Butturff, Mykel Holliman, Jake Peters, Mitch Hupe and Christopher Sloan. Photo by United States Bowling Congress.
Jakob Butturff has repeatedly shown incredible mental toughness, battling back from some crushing defeats that have at times been self-inflicted. The lefty with the quirky corkscrew release and devastating strike ball has led the last two U.S. Opens by 617 and 522 pins only to lose both titles matches on TV. Butturff earned the top seed for the season-opening PBA Hall of Fame Classic, then whiffed two spares — a 7-pin and a 4-7 — but responded by striking out in the 10th after the...