FEBRUARY 2015 -
3
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TOURNAMENTS
2015 USBC
Masters
By Lucas Wiseman
Australia's Jason Belmonte became the first bowler in the
64-year history of the United States Bowling Con-
gress
o win the event three consecutive times on
Sunday, defeating collegiate bowler AJ Johnson of Oswego,
Illinois, 202-157.
Belmonte, the two-time reigning Professional Bowlers As-
sociation Player of the Year, pulled away down the stretch at
The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley to claim the Masters for
the third straight year live on ESPN.
Utilizing his unique two-handed delivery, Belmonte has
amassed 11 career PBA Tour titles, including four major
victories. He earned $50,000 for winning the Masters.
"I just think the Masters is just a brutal tournament to not
just win, but just to make it to the TV show," said Belmonte,
who joined USBC Hall of Famer Mike Aulby (1989, 1995
and 1998) as the event's second three-time winner. "This
means more to me than anyone can possibly imagine - that
a kid from Australia who bowls different than everyone else
is now in the history books."
The title match was a low-scoring affair as Belmonte and
the top-seeded Johnson both got off to shaky starts. After
four frames, both players were working on opens with Bel-
monte leading by just four pins.
Strikes in the fifth and sixth frames helped Belmonte build
more of a lead before he converted the 3-4-10 split in the
seventh frame to stay ahead. Johnson had a chance to put
pressure on Belmonte in the final two frames but closed with
a pair of open frames.
"I feel a little disappointed because I wish I would have
bowled a better game in the finals," said Johnson, a two-
time Team USA member and senior at McKendree Univer-
sity. "The lanes got tough and it went by so fast that by the
time I could settle down the game was almost over."
In the semifinal, Belmonte won a tense match against
USBC Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Missouri, 232-
210. Weber had an opportunity to strike out in the final
frame to force a tie, but left the 3-10 split on his first shot in
the final frame.
Weber entered the stepladder finals as the No. 4 seed,
taking down Martin Larsen of Sweden in the opening match,
237-223, and then defeating No. 3 seed Mike DeVaney of
Winchester, California, in the second match, 211-204.
The Masters, which featured a total prize fund of $253,000,
is part of the World Bowling Tour and a major event on the
PBA Tour. A sold-out field of 336 of the top bowlers in the
world competed in the event.
2015 USBC MASTERS
The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Sunday's results
Final standings
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 434 (two games), $50,000
2, AJ Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 157 (one game), $25,000
3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 658 (three games), $15,000
4, Mike DeVaney, Winchester, Calif., 204 (one game)
$10,000
5, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 223 (one game), $8,000
Stepladder results
Match One - Weber def. Larsen, 237-223
Match Two - Weber def. DeVaney, 211-204
Match Three - Belmonte def. Weber, 232-210
Championship - Belmonte def. Johnson, 202-157
More standings continued on page 10
AJ Johnson Top Seed
By Lucas Wiseman
Collegiate bowler AJ Johnson of Oswego, Illinois, went un-
defeated in the double-elimination match-play bracket to
earn the top seed for Sunday's televised finals of the 2015
United States Bowling Congress Masters.
The two-time Team USA member defeated Australia's Ja-
son Belmonte, 665-664, in a three-game match to determine
the top seed for the stepladder finals.
Johnson, who is in his senior year at McKendree, was col-
lege bowling's most valuable player last season. He sur-
vived six matches this week without a loss at The Ash-
waubenon Bowling Alley to claim the top seed.
"This is unreal because I grew up watching this tournament
every year on TV and kept saying that I'd be there one day,"
said Johnson, who is looking to become the first amateur
bowler since 2002 to win the Masters. "To be here and not
only be the No. 1 seed but just make it to the finals is abso-
lutely unreal."
Belmonte will look to make history from the No. 2 seed as
he will try to become the first player in the 64-year history of
the Masters to win the tournament three consecutive years.
"I'm very ecstatic to be able to have the opportunity to win
this tournament three times in a row," said Belmonte, who
won five matches before dropping the top-seed match to
Johnson. "I've won as the top seed and as the No. 5 seed,
so I'm OK if I have to go through all the other numbers to
win."
Rounding out the TV finals will be Mike DeVaney of Win-
chester, California, Pete Weber of St. Ann, Missouri, and
Martin Larsen, Sweden.
DeVaney won the four-player final elimination match with a
632 series to earn the No. 3 seed for the finals. Weber was
second with 611 to take the fourth seed, and Larsen was
third with 610 to take the No. 5 seed. Canada's Francois
Lavoie shot 580 and was eliminated..
Weber survived the elimination bracket to give himself a
chance for his first career Masters title. Weber, who has 37
career Professional Bowlers Association titles including 10
majors, would win the PBA's Grand Slam with a victory this
week and become just the third player in history to accom-
plish the feat, joining Mike Aulby and Norm Duke.
