Bill O’Neill defends King of the Swing title

18 May, 2015

Special Events

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In what could be considered the all-star event of the 2015 Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing, Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., beat Tommy Jones (right) of Simpsonville, S.C., 191-164, to successfully defend his Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing title at the Grand Event Center.

Pictured above is O’Neill with Grand Casino Marketing Director Chad Mathews, left, and FireLake bowling center manager Chris Skillings, right.

The concluding event of the Summer Swing, provided a unique challenge, requiring the finalists to compete on a dramatically different lane condition on each lane.

The special two-lane arena installation in the Grand Event Center featured the 32-foot Wolf lane condition on the left lane and the 52-foot Badger lane condition on the right lane, putting a premium on adjustments, shot-making and equipment selections for the players.

“I enjoy dueling lane conditions,” said O’Neill, who won the Oklahoma Open to earn his spot in the special event, a non-PBA title finale to the Summer Swing. “You have to use all the tricks in the bag. In this case it turned out to be a grind out, but I enjoyed the test.” In winning last year’s King of the Swing, O’Neill defeated Sean Rash, 254-181, for the title.

“The trophies will make good bookends,” said O’Neill, who also finished third in the Bear and Wolf Opens earlier in the Summer Swing. “I might have let a couple opportunities get away from me this year but in the end I can go to sleep happy after winning the Oklahoma Open and the King of the Swing.”

Leading up to the title match, two-time defending PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia defeated Wolf Open winner Kyle Troup (right) of Taylorsville, N.C., 201-182, in a battle between a pair of two-handers to start the finals.

Belmonte, who earned the wild card spot in the King of the Swing as the top point-getter in the Summer Swing without a title, then lost to Badger Open winner Ronnie Russell (left) of Marion, Ind., in the second match, 233-211.

Jones, the Bear Open winner, then defeated Russell, 208-178, to meet O’Neill in the title match.

Xtra Frame, the PBA’s on-line video subscription service, features a preview and post-game show for all CBS Sports Network telecasts of Summer Swing events.

Bill O’Neill bowls ‘angry’ to win PBA Oklahoma Open
Ronnie Russell surprises himself by winning PBA Badger Open
Tommy Jones wins PBA Bear Open, ends seven-year winless streak on U.S. soil
Kyle Troup wins PBA Wolf Open for first PBA Tour title
PBA Tour season hits full stride with Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort Summer Swing
PBA bowlers ready for return to Oklahoma for PBA Summer Swing
2015 PBA Tour Schedule & Champions

Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer King of the Swing

Grand Casino Resort Events Center in Shawnee, Okla. (May 17, 2015)

Championship Round:
1, Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 191 (1 games), $10,000
2, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 372 (2 games), $5,000
3, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 411 (2 games), $4,000
4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 412 (2 games), $3,000
5, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 182 (1 game), $2,000

Playoff Results:
First Match: Belmonte def. Troup, 201-182
Second Match: Russell def. Belmonte, 233-211
Third Match: Jones def. Russell, 208-178
Championship: No. 1 O’Neill def. Jones, 191-164.

Herbert Bickel