September 2016 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Liz Johnson Claims Fifth U.S.
Women’s Open Title
By Terry Bigham
ADDISON, Ill. –
For the third consecutive time, and
fifth overall, United States
Bowling Congress Hall of
Famer Liz Johnson will be
taking home the U.S.
Women‟s Open trophy, and
she will savor every moment.
Johnson, of Cheektowaga,
New York, won four consecu-
tive matches Sunday at Star-
dust Bowl, including a 208-
143 victory over Shannon
Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio,
in the title match, to capture
her fifth U.S. Women‟s Open
title. Her first one came 20
years ago, and she also won
in 2007, 2013, and 2015
(tournament was not held in
2014).
Only fellow USBC Hall of
Famer Marion Ladewig owns more U.S. Women‟s
Open titles with eight, five of which she won consecu-
tively.
“You never know when the next title is going to hap-
pen, especially another major,” said Johnson, who
became a little emotional in the final frame of the title
match. “To be in the category of having five U.S.
Opens, it just kind of hit me. I'm just so thankful I‟m still
able to do this at a high level. I‟m just incredibly happy
and proud that I got a fifth U.S. Open title.”
Pluhowsky, who qualified 24th for match play and
made the run all the way to the top seed, was attempt-
ing to become first player to go from the No. 24 spot to
a Professional Women‟s Bowling Association Tour title
since Jeanne Naccarato accomplished the feat in
1988.
“I came out today, and the lanes didn‟t play anything
similar to what they had all week,” Pluhowsky said.
“You just take the good with the bad, I guess, and
move on.”
Johnson said she didn‟t feel great going into the tour-
nament, especially coming off what she said was a
“horrible” performance at the PBA/PWBA Striking
Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles tournament.
But, she quietly stayed near the leaders throughout
the week, and then needed to strike out in the final
frame against her last opponent in match play to reach
the show.
“This was one of the biggest grinding U.S. Opens I‟ve
been a part of,” Johnson said. “I like the low scoring. I
would rather have the low scoring and the grind, that‟s
what it‟s about. That‟s what makes it a major.”
That final match-play victory would earn her the No. 4
seed, meaning Johnson would lead off the TV show
after not bowling well on the fresh 39-foot Sport condi-
tion, on which the average to make match play was
199.06.
“The higher the pressure, the better I focus,” Johnson
said. “I started feeling more and more comfortable
today than I have in the last couple of days. When you
are in an uncomfortable area, and have to play your C
and D game and try to place
it, I think I was a little more in
my comfort zone today. I tried
a different ball, played with
the conditions a little bit, and
it was pretty good.”
Johnson started off her run
to the title with a 207-168
victory over Kelly Kulick of
Union, New Jersey. In the
first four frames, Johnson
struck, while Kulick had two
open frames.
Against Singapore‟s New
Hui Fen in the second match,
Johnson was looking to close
out the match in the 10th but
fouled on her first shot. She
would spare, and then get a
nine-count, but New couldn‟t take advantage of the
break, losing 215-200.
New‟s Team Singapore teammate Shayna Ng also
struggled early in her match against Johnson, failing to
mark in three consecutive frames, as Johnson earned
a 209-180 victory to advance to the title match.
Competitors at the 2016 U.S. Women‟s Open bowled
24 qualifying games over three days before the field
was cut to the top 47 for an additional eight games.
After 32 games, the top 24 advanced to three rounds
of match play to determine the five finalists for Sun-
day‟s stepladder, based on the 56-game pinfall totals,
including 30 bonus pins for each match-play win.
All qualifying and match-play rounds of the 2016 U.S.
Women‟s Open were broadcast live on Xtra Frame.
For subscription information, visit XtraFrame.TV.
Visit BOWL.com/USWomensOpen or PWBA.com for
more information on the U.S. Women‟s Open.
2016 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN
At Stardust Bowl, Addison, Ill.
Final standings
1, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 839
$20,000
2, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 143
$10,000
3, Shayna Ng, Singapore, 180 (1 game),
$7,000
4, New Hui Fen, Singapore, 210 (1 game),
$6,000
5, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 168 (1 game),
$5,000
Stepladder results
Match One – Johnson def. Kulick, 207-168
Match Two – Johnson def. New, 215-200
Semifinal – Johnson def. Ng, 209-180
Championship – Johnson def. Pluhowsky, 208-143
Pluhowsky’s Incredible Day Nets
Top Seed For U.S. Women’s Open
By Terry Bigham
ADDISON, Ill. –
Shannon Pluhowsky finished her 32nd
and final qualifying game at the 2016 U.S. Women‟s
Open with three strikes for a 172 total and then had to
wait to see if she would be among the top 24 to advance
to match play.
She made it, and as the No. 24 qualifier, Pluhowsky, of
Dayton, Ohio, then made a remarkable run at Stardust
Bowl to earn the top seed for Sunday‟s stepladder finals.
CBS Sports Network will have live coverage of the finals
starting at noon Eastern.
In the opening match, three-time winner Kelly Kulick of
Union, New Jersey, will take on two-time defending
champion Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, New York, who
is looking for her fifth U.S. Women‟s Open title, with the
winner to face No. 3 seed New Hui Fen of Singapore.
The winner of the second match will advance to meet
Singapore‟s Shayna Ng, the No. 2 seed, for the right to
meet Pluhowsky in the title match.
That Pluhowsky made the TV show, much less
grabbed the No. 1 seed Saturday, is remarkable to even
her. “It was a long 20 minutes, or however long it was, to
find out if I made the cut,” Pluhowsky said. “After that, it
was like I had nothing to lose – I already was at the bot-
tom. So, it was time to work my way back toward the
top.”
After moving up a few spots in the standings Friday
during the first eight games of round-robin match play,
Pluhowsky made the big push Saturday morning. Her
1,774 total for eight games, 101 pins more than the sec-
ond-place total for the block, moved her into third overall.
She then added a 1,702 final block.
The lone left-hander in the match-play field, she was
the only bowler to crack the 1,700-mark on Saturday,
and she did it twice to average 217.25 for the day on the
tough 39-foot Sport condition..
“Being such a grind, this probably was the best 16
games I‟ve bowled,” Pluhowsky said. “Obviously not
playing my comfort zone, playing completely out of it, but
I had some really good ball choices. They kept me in the
same zone, and that was the key. We knew we were
going to play in and ride it until then end. That‟s not my
„A‟ game at all, but I felt I did a pretty good job at it.”
In the position round, the final game Saturday, local
amateur Jodi Gawlik of Schaumburg, Illinois, was sitting
in sixth place. She would have to beat Johnson, the
United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer, by six
pins to make the TV show.
Gawlik had a chance to strike out in the final frame for
the win but missed on her second shot. Johnson then
doubled and got nine on her final shot to remain ahead
of Gawlik, despite a tie at 232.
“I tried to do what I could,” Gawlik said. “I can‟t believe I
even got this far. I bowled with Hui and she was killing it
all week, and I really was not expecting to come this
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