“I’ve had some atrocious tournaments toward the end of the year, so this was nice,” the Springfield bowler said.
Haggitt, 55, was in 20th place after the first block of qualifying but jumped to 10th after the next set. A few games later, Haggitt climbed to the top of the leaderboard as the top seed heading into matchplay.
The left-hander continued his dominance in head-to-head play as he didn’t drop a game in his first two matches, setting up the championship match against defending champion Randy Weiss. Haggitt maintained his momentum in the title match, edging out Weiss, 231-217, for the win and finishing with a tournament-high 226 average.
While the tournament win alone would ordinarily be cause for celebration, it was just the icing on the cake for Haggitt. Just a few days earlier he claimed the Central Region Senior Player of the Year title for the second time in as many seasons. The top PBA and PBA50 player, as well as the top first-year player, in each region were recognized based on their performance during the 2025 PBA Regional Tour season.
“This one means a lot, especially when you look at our region with as many great bowlers as there are,” Haggitt said.
The back-to-back win was significant for Haggitt who struggled a bit during the 2025 season. After adding finger grips last year, he ended up removing them this season after disappointing performances on both the regional and national tours. A win at the PBA50 Liberty Lanes Midwest/Central Open in Illinois plus three top five tournament finishes, however, helped boost Haggitt’s point total past second-place finisher Michael Clark Jr.
“You go through phases, you have your ups and downs,” Haggitt said. “You just try to bring yourself out of it when you’re down.”
Both the tournament title and player-of-the-year recognition were welcome for the 55-year-old.
“You start having self-doubt when you’re struggling and as you get older,” Haggitt said.
While Haggitt doesn’t have any tournaments over the holidays, he will still be putting in the work.
“My main goal is to lose some weight,” he said. “It’s time to get healthy again.”
2025 PBA Regional Tour Central Region Award Winners
Player of the Year: Graham Fach, Urbana, Ohio
Rookie of the Year: Gage Blackford, Elwood, Ind.
Senior Player of the Year: Michael Haggitt, Springfield, Ohio
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