Page 12 - bwapr2013

12www.bowlingworld.com– APRIL 2013
Two-handed players lead field of 24 into Thurs-
day night’s opening round robin of match play
INDIANAPOLIS – Finland’s Osku Palermaa
and Australia’s Jason Belmonte, the top two-
handed bowlers in the world, led the field of 24
finalists into the opening round of match play in
the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions
Thursday at Woodland Bowl.
Palermaa, a three-time PBA Tour champion
and winner of the 2011 PBA World Champion-
ship, averaged 244.88 for his 24 qualifying
games, finishing with a total of 5,877 pins to
lead Belmonte by 146 pins. Belmonte, who
entered the final qualifying round in eighth
place, averaged 265.87 for his first seven
games in round three before finishing with a 169
game, but he held onto second place with a
5,731 total, 15 pins ahead of Pete Weber of St.
Ann, Mo.
“I felt tired this morning, but I started well
anyway,” Palermaa said. “I left a 7-10 split in my
first frame and converted it, and that’s the way it
started. To be honest, I’ve probably converted
the 7-10 more times than I have bowled 300
games - and I have a few of those – but it was a
good way to start the day.
“Scores were high today, but I made the right
guesses,” Palermaa continued. “I felt like I
bowled better physically yesterday, but I scored
better today. Yesterday I made the right moves,
but I didn’t make big enough moves. Today the
moves were smaller, but I made them pair to
pair and I stayed right on top of things.”
Weber, who is trying for a record-tying 10th
major championship, had 5,716 pins for third
place. He was followed by reigning PBA Player
of the Year Sean Rash in fourth with a 5,599
total and Stuart Williams of England with 5,570
pins.
All-time PBA titles leader Walter Ray Williams
Jr. of Ocala, Fla., kept his hopes for a 48th title
alive, advancing to match play in 19th place.
Williams needs to win the Tournament of Cham-
pions to become the eighth player to complete
the PBA Triple Crown (Tournament of Champi-
ons, U.S. Open and PBA World Championship)
and the third to complete the Grand Slam (Triple
Crown plus USBC Masters).
BARBASOL PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPI-
ONS
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Thursday
Round Three (after 24 qualifying games; top 24
advance to round robin match play)
1, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 5,877.
2, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 5,731.
3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 5,716.
4, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 5,599.
5, Stuart Williams, England, 5,570.
6, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 5,556.
7, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 5,552.
8, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 5,522.
9, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 5,493.
10, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 5,478.
11, Dom Barrett, England, 5,449.
12, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 5,446.
13, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 5,443.
14, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 5,424.
15, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 5,403.
16, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 5,401.
17, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 5,394.
18, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 5,393.
19, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 5,368.
20, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 5,344.
21, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 5,334.
22, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 5,322.
23, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 5,320.
24, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 5,317.
Other Cashers (after 24 games):
25, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 5,315,
$2,800.
26, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 5,313, $2,700.
27, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 5,299, $2,600.
28, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 5,291,
$2,500.
29, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 5,290, $2,400.
30, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 5,268,
$2,350.
31, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 5,262, $2,300.
32, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 5,260, $2,250.
(Continued on page 15)
INDIANAPOLIS - Australian two-handed star
Jason Belmonte, with a 279 final game, jumped
into the lead as the Barbasol PBA Tournament
of Champions field headed into the final round
of match play Friday at Woodland Bowl.
Belmonte, who won his sixth career title and
first major title in the United States Bowling
Congress Masters in February, spent the fifth
round in either second or third place before
overtaking Professional Bowlers Association
Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., by
seven pins in the final game of the fifth round.
Belmonte averaged 238.05 for 40 games, post-
ing a modest 8-7-1 match play record and a
9,777 pinfall total.
"It's such a long format, I find myself slowing
down in the middle, missing a few spares that
I'm not proud of," Belmonte said, "but I refo-
cused and went back to my basics, made good
shots and I was proud of the way I finished the
round.
"I'm finishing every round strong, which gives
me a lot of confidence heading into the final
eight games," he added. "I feel like I'll be able to
throw that big game if I need it."
Weber, who is trying for a record-tying 10th
major title and a chance to complete the PBA's
Triple Crown for an unprecedented second time,
had a 10-6 match play record and 9,770 pins.
Weber ranks fourth on the all-time PBA Tour
titles list with 36, and his nine major titles is
second only to the late Earl Anthony's 10 major
wins. He has won the U.S. Open a record five
times and the PBA World Championship twice;
those events are the other two legs in the PBA
Triple Crown.
Finland's Osku Palermaa, who led after four
rounds, fell to third place with a 9,643 total
followed by reigning PBA Player of the Year
Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., at 9,585 and
Colombia's Andres Gomez at 9,495.
BARBASOL PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPI-
ONS
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Friday
Round Five (after 40 games, including match
play bonus pins) 1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 8
-7-1, 9,777.
2, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 10-6, 9,770.
3, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 8-7-1, 9,643.
4, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 8-8, 9,585.
5, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 10-6, 9,495.
6, Dom Barrett, England, 9-7, 9,448.
7, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 11-4-1,
9,415.
8, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 9-7, 9,385.
9, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 7-9, 9,363.
10, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 8-7-1, 9,350.
11, Stuart Williams, England, 8-8, 9,347.
12, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 8-8, 9,314.
13, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 8-8, 9,255.
14, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 7-9, 9,199.
15, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 10-6, 9,174.
16, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 8-8,
9,150.
17, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 7-9,
9,135.
18, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 8-8, 9,129.
19, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 7-9,
9,088.
20, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 7-9, 9,045.
21, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 6-9-1, 8,958.
22, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 5-11,
8,948.
23, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6-9-1,
8,863.
24, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 6-10, 8,836.
300 Game: Andres Gomez.
More PBA News
On Page 15
Completes PBA “Triple Crown” for second time, ties Earl Anthony
for most PBA major titles
INDIANAPOLIS – Professional Bowlers Association Hall of
Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., wrote another chapter in
bowling history Sunday when he defeated Australian two-handed
star Jason Belmonte, 224-179, to win the Barbasol PBA Tourna-
ment of Champions at Woodland Bowl.
The victory made Weber the first player to complete the PBA
Triple Crown for a second time and tied bowling legend Earl An-
thony for most major PBA titles with 10.
Weber, who was considered one of the professional tour’s
power players when he won his first PBA Tournament of Champi-
ons with his unique high back swing back in 1978, is now 50 – the
oldest player ever to win the Tournament of Champions – and
affectionately called “Gramps” by his younger opponents.
He won his second TOC title to go along with five U.S. Open
titles and two PBA World Championships to complete the PBA’s
Triple Crown a second time, a feat no other bowler has accom-
plished. He also owns a PBA Touring Players Championship for
his other major. His win Sunday was his 37th, tying him for third
place on the PBA all-time titles list with Norm Duke, behind Walter
Ray Williams Jr. (47) and Anthony (43).
“I don’t know what it is,” Weber said. “I get up for the majors,
but there’s one eluding me and the Weber family – the USBC
Masters. I really want that one, and I’m not done yet. I’m not slow-
ing down. I have no plans to retire.”
Weber won Sunday with three doubles, four spares and help
from Belmonte, who left the 4-10 split three times – failing to
convert it twice.
“I woke up today and said my dream would be to bowl Pete
and win by a pin,” Belmonte said. “I got half of it right. I bowled
Pete, but I lost by 60.
“Pete is the most talented bowler the world has ever seen, and
may ever see,” Belmonte added. “To bowl him in the finals and
see him break records like he has broken is really special. If I
could achieve half of what he has done by the time my career is
over, I’ll be ecstatic.”
Belmonte eliminated defending champion Sean Rash of Mont-
gomery, Ill., 229-171, in the semifinal match. Belmonte started
with five strikes while Rash threw only one strike in his first six
frames. When Belmonte left the 1-2-4-6-10 in the eighth frame
and failed to convert, he gave Rash a glimmer of hope, but Rash
was unable to close the gap.
In the second match, Rash followed a first-frame spare with
five strikes to build a 34-pin lead over Tommy Jones of Simpson-
ville, S.C., after Jones left and failed to convert the 3-4-6-7-10
split in his second frame. Despite striking on eight of his last nine
shot, Jones was unable to overcome his early mistake against
Rash’s error-free game.
Jones started the stepladder finals with a 217-189 victory over
Finland’s two-handed star, Osku Palermaa. Jones had a double in
the second and third frames which gave him the lead and Paler-
maa, unable to double the entire game, couldn’t catch up.
BARBASOL PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Sunday
Final Standings
1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., $50,000.
2, Jason Belmonte, Australia, $25,000.
3, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., $15,000.
4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., $12,000.
5, Osku Palermaa, Finland, $10,000.
Stepladder Results
Match One: Jones def. Palermaa, 217-189.
Match Two: Rash def. Jones, 247-233.
Semifinal Match: Belmonte def. Rash, 229-171.
Championship: Weber def. Belmonte, 224-179.
Cover Photo: Kelly Wilkinson / The Star
Weber Wins Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions, Adds To History
Belmonte Takes PBA Tournament Of
Champions Lead Into Final Round
Weber Needs TOC Win For Record-Tying 10th Major, Second "Triple Crown"
Palermaa, Belmonte Advance In
PBA Tournament of Champions