6
- March 2017
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Belmonte Wins Record Fourth
USBC Masters Title
By
LAS VEGAS -
Australia's Jason Belmonte has been a trailblazer in the sport of
bowling his entire career, and he added another milestone to his growing list of ac-
complishments by becoming the first bowler to win the United States Bowling Con-
four times.
The 33-year-old entered the event's stepladder finals Sunday as the No. 1 seed
and started the championship match at The Orleans Bowling Center with seven
consecutive strikes, before a 7 pin ended his run at the first perfect game in a USBC
Masters final.
The 279-212 win over amateur Michael Tang of San Francisco gave Belmonte his
eighth major title, and second in three events, tying him with USBC and Professional
Bowlers Association Hall of Famers Mike Aulby and Walter Ray Williams Jr. for sec-
ond all-time behind fellow hall of famers Earl Anthony and Pete Weber, who have 10
apiece.
Belmonte earned $30,000 and the coveted Masters trophy for the win, while Tang
took home $22,500 as the runner-up.
"Honestly, it hasn't sunken in yet, and I'm really speechless," Belmonte said. "I love
this tournament and think it really brings out the best in me. To have my name
etched on this trophy four times and be the only person to do that is unbelievable. It
doesn't seem real."
Belmonte, who won the recent Barbasol PBA Players Championship, now has 14
PBA Tour titles in nine seasons. He won the Masters three consecutive times in
2013, 2014 and 2015.
Heading into Sunday, Belmonte knew his game plan would be dependent on who
else made the show and how they attacked the lanes in the games leading up to the
final. Even as practice ended before the title match, Belmonte was uncertain about
his look and made an educated guess.
"I struck once in practice and nothing looked like I was going to have that kind of
game," said Belmonte, a three-time PBA Player of the Year. "With two shots left,
Tim Mack hit the surface with 1,000 grit, and it looked OK. I hadn't thrown it on the
other lane, so I had to make a guess on that lane. I told myself just to hit that spot.
With urethane, the game Michael bowled easily could have been the game I had.
He bowled a great game and didn't give anything away. He's an amazing talent."
Tang, the No. 4 seed for Sunday's championship round, was looking to become
the first amateur since 2002 to win the Masters. He also would've been the first
bowler to win from the fourth spot. Only two times since the Masters went to a step-
ladder format in 1980 has anyone lower than the second seed won the event.
Tang's ticket to the final came with a 227-217 win over amateur Alex Hoskins of
Brigham City, Utah.
The two were even through five frames, with neither player throwing a double, but
both rallying with late strings of three strikes.
Tang finished first, giving Hoskins the opportunity to win the game with a strike and
nine-spare in his final frame, but Hoskins went light and left a 2 pin on his first offer-
ing. Hoskins, who made his first appearance at the Masters, finished third.
"The right lane got a little tight downlane," said Tang, the 2015 Intercollegiate Sin-
gles champion. "In the match against Hoskins, I rang a couple of 10s, which were
worrisome, but I thought I had something figured out. The lanes kind of transitioned
differently than through the week, so I had to make some different moves. Belmo is
Belmo. It's hard to beat him when he has that kind of look. I feel like I bowled well,
so there's nothing to be mad about."
In two wins on the way to the semifinal matchup with Hoskins, Tang tossed 18
strikes to get past his brother, Darren, and Sweden's Martin Larsen.
Tang's nine-strike performance against Darren ended in a 248-212 victory. The
two were separated by just two pins after four frames, but four consecutive strikes
from Michael in frames five through eight allowed him to pull away for good. Darren
Tang finished fourth.
It was the first TV meeting between
brothers since the 1994 PBA National
Championship, when David Traber
defeated his brother Dale in the title
match.
The last time two brothers met in the
stepladder at the Masters was 1980
when Neil Burton defeated his
brother, Nelson (Bo), in the semifinal,
before topping hall of famer Mark
Roth for the title.
"It was fun," Michael Tang said. "I
think he was trying to keep things a
little looser, while I tried to stay in my
zone and treat it like any other match. But it will be fun to watch back home."
In the opening match Sunday, Tang also struck nine times, including the first five
frames, to defeat Larsen, 264-229. Larsen, who's still searching for his first PBA
Tour title, finished fifth.
Competitors in the 395-player field this week bowled 15 games of qualifying, be-
fore a cut was made to the top 63, who joined defending champion Anthony Simon-
sen of Austin, Texas, in the double-elimination match-play bracket.
2017 USBC MASTERS
At The Orleans Bowling Center,
Las Vegas
Saturday's Results
MATCH PLAY
Double elimination, three-game matches
decided by total pinfall
ROUND 4 - WINNERS BRACKET
(Winners remain in winners bracket. Los-
ers move to elimination bracket).
(25) Alex Hoskins, Brigham City, Utah, def.
(17) Pete Weber, St. Ann., Mo., 708-670
(12) Martin Larsen, Sweden, def. (20) Craig
Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 713-629
(30) Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., def. (27)
Darren Tang, San Francisco, 669-587
(2) Jason Belmonte, Australia, def. (7) Dom
Barrett, United Kingdom, 722-603
ROUND 6 - ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $3,750)
(36) Mike Dole, Loves Park, Ill., def. (22)
Ronnie Sparks, Redford, Mich., 682-599
(24) Lucas Legnani, Argentina, def. (33)
Cotie Holbek, Burlington, Wis., 627-549
(8) EJ Tackett, Huntington, Ind., def. (6) Tom
Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 676-616
(4) Michael Tang, San Francisco, def. (54)
Jalen Mosely, Indianapolis, 650-596
ROUND 5 - WINNERS BRACKET
Hoskins def. Larsen, 718-608
Belmonte def. O'Neill, 711-638
ROUND 7 - ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $4,300)
Barrett def. Dole, 741-657
D. Tang def. Legnani, 643-618
Nidiffer def. Tackett, 661-589
M. Tang def. Weber, 625-605
ROUND 6 - WINNERS BRACKET
(Winner earns No. 1 seed for Sunday's
ESPN finals; loser is No. 2 seed)
Belmonte def. Hoskins, 722-672
ROUND 8 - ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Losers eliminated, earn $5,200)
D. Tang def. Barrett, 761-731
M. Tang def. Nidiffer, 748-628
ROUND 9 - ELIMINATION BRACKET
(Three highest scores advance to ESPN
finals, high score is No. 3 seed, second
high is No. 4, third high is No. 5, lowest
score is eliminated, earns $6,700).
D. Tang 742, M. Tang 716, Larsen 652,
O'Neill 559
2017 USBC MASTERS
At The Orleans Bowling Center, Las Vegas,
Sunday's Results
Final standings
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 279
(one game), $30,000
2, Michael Tang (a), San Francisco, 951 (four
games), $22,500
3, Alex Hoskins (a), Brigham City, Utah, 217
(one game), $15,000
4, Darren Tang, San Francisco, 212 (one
game), $11,500
5, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 229 (one game),
$9,000
Stepladder results
Match One -
M. Tang def. Larsen, 264-229
Match Two -
M. Tang def. D. Tang, 248-212
Semifinal -
M. Tang def. Hoskins, 227-217
Championship -
Belmonte def. M. Tang,
279-212
