Marshall Kent is Rookie of Year; Brett Spangler wins Nagy Sportsmanship Award, Missy Parkin receives Reyes Community Service Award
With another outstanding record in 2014 PBA Tour major championships, Australian two-handed competitor Jason Belmonte picked up where he left off in 2012-13 to earn his second consecutive GEICO Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award. Belmonte, along 2014 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year Marshall Kent, Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner Brett Spangler and Tony Reyes PBA Community Service Award winner Missy Parkin, were recognized Monday.
The 2014 Professional Bowlers Association Tour concluded with the stepladder finals of the PBA World Championship Sunday, January 11, 2015 at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2014 PBA Tour consisted of 11 PBA National Tour events in the United States including three majors, the Japan Cup and 12 World Bowling Tour events in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, which counted as PBA titles if won by a PBA member.
In battle of Texans, No. 2 qualifier Fagan defeated top qualifier Wes Malott 252-212 in championship match
In a championship match battle between two players from Texas, Mike Fagan (pictured) of Fort Worth, prevailed to win the Professional Bowlers Association World Championship Sunday at the South Point Bowling Plaza for his fifth PBA Tour title. Fagan, who qualified second for the stepladder finals, defeated top qualifier Wes Malott from the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, 252-212, in the title match to also record his second major title after winning the USBC Masters in 2012.
Third major championship, final tournament of the season to be televised live at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN
After earning top qualifier honors for the season-ending PBA World Championship, Wes Malott is one game away from winning his 10th career PBA Tour title, his second PBA major and eligibility for the PBA Hall of Fame someday in his future. The 38-year-old Malott paced the 240-player field in October's GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI at South Point Bowling Center, averaging 229 over 52 games, to earn the top qualifying spot by 118 pins over Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas.
The unique PBA World Championship qualifying format, conducted during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI, could easily cause a player to lose focus. For four-time PBA Tour winner and No. 2 PBA World Championship qualifier Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas, combining a short- and long-term strategy throughout the World Series last October at the South Point Bowling Center made the 52-game trek to the finals a particularly difficult challenge.
Indiana veteran goes for first major title live on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. ET
It was a long time coming, but the perseverance of competing for more than a decade without a Professional Bowlers Association Tour title finally paid off for Tour veteran Ronnie Russell. Russell, who now has won two PBA Tour titles in the last two seasons, will compete for the biggest title of his professional career when he enters Sunday's stepladder finals (live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET) of the PBA World Championship in the No. 3 qualifying position.
Small business owner and part-time pro goes for biggest title of his career
Part-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour competitor Todd Book is living the dream. The 43-year-old flooring company owner from the small western Ohio town of Russells Point competes part-time on the PBA Tour. But on Sunday, Jan. 11, he will be trying to win the first title of his eight-year part-time career when he competes in the PBA World Championship stepladder finals live on ESPN from the South Point Bowling Plaza. The telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET.
Englishman makes dramatic surge to qualify for live ESPN Finals Sunday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. ET
The road to the stepladder finals of the 55th PBA World Championship is a long one, but it took a dramatic win in the final position round match to vault England's Stuart Williams into the finals. In that match, Williams advanced from seventh place to fifth with a
258-194 victory over fellow Englishman and defending World Championship
winner Dom Barrett. The stepladder finals for the PBA World Championship will be televised live on ESPN Sunday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. ET.
Eventual champ eliminates Loschetter, ends Williams' bid for history en route to title
South Korea's Park Kyung Shin (pictured) became his country's first Round1 Japan Cup winner Saturday when he defeated Japan's Akio Ishihara, 241-203, in the 28th edition of the international tournament. Park, who ended PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr.'s bid for history in the Round of 8 at Minami Suna Round1, earned $51,700 along with his title. Park also eliminated Chris Loschetter in the semifinal round, 244-166, ending the PBA's last hope for a title for the second straight year.
55-year-old PBA Hall of Famer seeks third title in Japan, 48th all-time PBA Tour title
A month after celebrating his 55th birthday, PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Florida, put himself into position to add to his stunning portfolio of PBA accomplishments, advancing to the Round of 8 finals in the 28th Round1 Japan Cup Friday at Minami Suna Round 1. Williams, the only player who has bowled in all 28 modern Japan Cups, will try for his third Japan Cup title and a 48th PBA Tour title – expanding upon his PBA titles record – when the eight finalists bowl for the $51,700 first prize on national television in Japan Saturday.
Defending champion Yuya Kato among players who failed to advance
Twenty-three PBA players who traveled to Tokyo to compete in the 28th Round1 Japan Cup have advanced to the field of 64 match play finalists at Minami Suna Round 1. After 10 qualifying games by the field of 176 players on Thursday, Japan's Shigenori Sakata led the 32 players who advanced out of A Squad with a 10-game total of 2,483 pins and a 248.3 average, while two-time PBA Tour titlist Tom Smallwood (pictured) of Saginaw, Michigan, paced the B squad qualifiers with a 2,437 total (243.7 average).
20 PBA invitees, nine PTQ hopefuls ready to begin competition Wednesday in Tokyo
A contingent of 29 Professional Bowlers Association competitors, including 20 invitees and nine PTQ hopefuls, are headed to Tokyo for the start of the 28th Round1 Japan Cup at Minami Suna Round 1 Bowling Center in Tokyo, hoping to return the prestigious Japan Cup to PBA hands. The Round1 Japan Cup field includes 16 PBA Tour players who qualified based upon competition points, four players invited by the hosts, and nine players who will bowl in a "pre tournament qualifier" on Wednesday in hopes of joining the 20 invited players in the tournament field.
Runner-up Ronnie Russell bowls the PBA's 24th nationally-televised 300 game in opening match
Two months after losing his mother to cardiac failure, D.J. Archer (l.) of Friendswood, Texas, bowled the biggest game of his life, winning his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour title in the PBA Chameleon Championship and stealing the spotlight from RonnieRussell (r.) of Marion, Indiana, who bowled the first nationally-televised 300 game in the new, $35 million South Point Bowling Plaza a game earlier.
Three consecutive splits late in title game cost top qualifier Dick Allen
Anthony Pepe (pictured) of Elmhurst, New York, in his national television debut, won the PBA Cheetah Championship presented by PBA Challenge Mobile Game at the new South Point Bowling Plaza with an emotional 224-206 come-from-behind victory over top qualifier Dick Allen of Columbia, South Carolina. The Cheetah finals, the first of five GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI title events, were contested November 1 for tape delay broadcast Sunday, December 14 on ESPN.
The sixth edition of the PBA World Series, scheduled for Oct. 25-Nov. 1 at South Point in Las Vegas, featured four animal pattern championships. The champions of the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion Championships, which were conducted on lane conditioning patterns that bear those animal names, were determined in Saturday's stepladder finals at the brand new state-of-the-art South Point Bowling Plaza for delayed broadcast on ESPN. Note: These scores not have not been broadcast on television yet.
England's Stuart Williams claims fifth position with strong finish
Wes Malott (l.) of Pflugerville, Texas, captured the top qualifying position for the PBA World Championship, a PBA "major", by 118 pins over Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday at South Point Bowling Center. Malott, Fagan, Ronnie Russell of Marion, Indiana; Todd Book of Russells Point, Ohio, and Stuart Williams (r.) of England will return to South Point's new 60-lane Bowling Plaza for the live ESPN stepladder finals on Sunday, Jan. 11.
Mike Fagan finishes strong to move into second place; top 5 after 52 games will return on Jan. 11 for the live ESPN finals
Wes Malott (l.) of Pflugerville, Texas, won 11 of his 16 matches Wednesday and will take a 125-pin lead into Thursday's final round of match play in the PBA World Championship at South Point Bowling Center. Malott led by more than 200 pins going into Wednesday night's final match against fellow Texan Mike Fagan (r.) of Fort Worth. Fagan, after rolling a 300 a game earlier, defeated Malott, 276-204, to cut Malott's lead in half.
England's Barrett heads field as 24 PBA World Championship qualifiers set for match play
Three-time PBA titlist Michael Haugen Jr. (l.) of Phoenix jumped from sixth to first in the final game Tuesday night to capture the top berth in the PBA Scorpion Championship in the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling Tuesday with 3,213 14-game total and an average of 229.50. In the ESPN finals on Saturday, Nov. 1, Haugen will be joined by Scott Newell of Daytona, Florida, Sweden's Martin Larsen (r.) and Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa.
England's Dom Barrett heads field as 24 PBA World Championship qualifiers set for match play
B.J. Moore III (l.) of Apex, North Carolina, was back on top of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling Tuesday at South Point Bowling Center as the first round leader in the PBA Scorpion Championship, but this time he is hoping for a better long-term outcome in Tuesday night's final qualifying session. England's Dom Barrett (r.) was top qualifier for the World Championship with a 6,430 pinfall total and an average of 229.64 for 28 games.
With another outstanding record in 2014 PBA Tour major championships, Australian two-handed competitor Jason Belmonte picked up where he left off in 2012-13 to earn his second consecutive GEICO Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award. Belmonte, along 2014 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year Marshall Kent, Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner Brett Spangler and Tony Reyes PBA Community Service Award winner Missy Parkin, were recognized Monday.
The 2014 Professional Bowlers Association Tour concluded with the stepladder finals of the PBA World Championship Sunday, January 11, 2015 at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2014 PBA Tour consisted of 11 PBA National Tour events in the United States including three majors, the Japan Cup and 12 World Bowling Tour events in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, which counted as PBA titles if won by a PBA member.
In a championship match battle between two players from Texas, Mike Fagan (pictured) of Fort Worth, prevailed to win the Professional Bowlers Association World Championship Sunday at the South Point Bowling Plaza for his fifth PBA Tour title. Fagan, who qualified second for the stepladder finals, defeated top qualifier Wes Malott from the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, 252-212, in the title match to also record his second major title after winning the USBC Masters in 2012.
After earning top qualifier honors for the season-ending PBA World Championship, Wes Malott is one game away from winning his 10th career PBA Tour title, his second PBA major and eligibility for the PBA Hall of Fame someday in his future. The 38-year-old Malott paced the 240-player field in October's GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI at South Point Bowling Center, averaging 229 over 52 games, to earn the top qualifying spot by 118 pins over Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas.
The unique PBA World Championship qualifying format, conducted during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI, could easily cause a player to lose focus. For four-time PBA Tour winner and No. 2 PBA World Championship qualifier Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas, combining a short- and long-term strategy throughout the World Series last October at the South Point Bowling Center made the 52-game trek to the finals a particularly difficult challenge.
It was a long time coming, but the perseverance of competing for more than a decade without a Professional Bowlers Association Tour title finally paid off for Tour veteran Ronnie Russell. Russell, who now has won two PBA Tour titles in the last two seasons, will compete for the biggest title of his professional career when he enters Sunday's stepladder finals (live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET) of the PBA World Championship in the No. 3 qualifying position.
Part-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour competitor Todd Book is living the dream. The 43-year-old flooring company owner from the small western Ohio town of Russells Point competes part-time on the PBA Tour. But on Sunday, Jan. 11, he will be trying to win the first title of his eight-year part-time career when he competes in the PBA World Championship stepladder finals live on ESPN from the South Point Bowling Plaza. The telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET.
The road to the stepladder finals of the 55th PBA World Championship is a long one, but it took a dramatic win in the final position round match to vault England's Stuart Williams into the finals. In that match, Williams advanced from seventh place to fifth with a
258-194 victory over fellow Englishman and defending World Championship
winner Dom Barrett. The stepladder finals for the PBA World Championship will be televised live on ESPN Sunday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. ET.
South Korea's Park Kyung Shin (pictured) became his country's first Round1 Japan Cup winner Saturday when he defeated Japan's Akio Ishihara, 241-203, in the 28th edition of the international tournament. Park, who ended PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr.'s bid for history in the Round of 8 at Minami Suna Round1, earned $51,700 along with his title. Park also eliminated Chris Loschetter in the semifinal round, 244-166, ending the PBA's last hope for a title for the second straight year.
A month after celebrating his 55th birthday, PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Florida, put himself into position to add to his stunning portfolio of PBA accomplishments, advancing to the Round of 8 finals in the 28th Round1 Japan Cup Friday at Minami Suna Round 1. Williams, the only player who has bowled in all 28 modern Japan Cups, will try for his third Japan Cup title and a 48th PBA Tour title – expanding upon his PBA titles record – when the eight finalists bowl for the $51,700 first prize on national television in Japan Saturday.
Twenty-three PBA players who traveled to Tokyo to compete in the 28th Round1 Japan Cup have advanced to the field of 64 match play finalists at Minami Suna Round 1. After 10 qualifying games by the field of 176 players on Thursday, Japan's Shigenori Sakata led the 32 players who advanced out of A Squad with a 10-game total of 2,483 pins and a 248.3 average, while two-time PBA Tour titlist Tom Smallwood (pictured) of Saginaw, Michigan, paced the B squad qualifiers with a 2,437 total (243.7 average).
A contingent of 29 Professional Bowlers Association competitors, including 20 invitees and nine PTQ hopefuls, are headed to Tokyo for the start of the 28th Round1 Japan Cup at Minami Suna Round 1 Bowling Center in Tokyo, hoping to return the prestigious Japan Cup to PBA hands. The Round1 Japan Cup field includes 16 PBA Tour players who qualified based upon competition points, four players invited by the hosts, and nine players who will bowl in a "pre tournament qualifier" on Wednesday in hopes of joining the 20 invited players in the tournament field.
Michael Haugen Jr. (r.) of Phoenix survived a 10th-frame mental error to win his fourth PBA Tour title in the PBA Scorpion Championship at the new South Point Bowling Plaza, and minutes after his 213-206 victory over Sweden's Martin Larsen, he got the girl of his dreams. In edging Larsen, Haugen, 47, overcame a self-imposed distraction when he prematurely started thinking about his plans to propose marriage to fiancée Phuong Truong (l.) right after he won.
Two months after losing his mother to cardiac failure, D.J. Archer (l.) of Friendswood, Texas, bowled the biggest game of his life, winning his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour title in the PBA Chameleon Championship and stealing the spotlight from Ronnie Russell (r.) of Marion, Indiana, who bowled the first nationally-televised 300 game in the new, $35 million South Point Bowling Plaza a game earlier.
Anthony Pepe (pictured) of Elmhurst, New York, in his national television debut, won the PBA Cheetah Championship presented by PBA Challenge Mobile Game at the new South Point Bowling Plaza with an emotional 224-206 come-from-behind victory over top qualifier Dick Allen of Columbia, South Carolina. The Cheetah finals, the first of five GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI title events, were contested November 1 for tape delay broadcast Sunday, December 14 on ESPN.
Wes Malott (l.) of Pflugerville, Texas, captured the top qualifying position for the PBA World Championship, a PBA "major", by 118 pins over Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday at South Point Bowling Center. Malott, Fagan, Ronnie Russell of Marion, Indiana; Todd Book of Russells Point, Ohio, and Stuart Williams (r.) of England will return to South Point's new 60-lane Bowling Plaza for the live ESPN stepladder finals on Sunday, Jan. 11.
Wes Malott (l.) of Pflugerville, Texas, won 11 of his 16 matches Wednesday and will take a 125-pin lead into Thursday's final round of match play in the PBA World Championship at South Point Bowling Center. Malott led by more than 200 pins going into Wednesday night's final match against fellow Texan Mike Fagan (r.) of Fort Worth. Fagan, after rolling a 300 a game earlier, defeated Malott, 276-204, to cut Malott's lead in half.
Three-time PBA titlist Michael Haugen Jr. (l.) of Phoenix jumped from sixth to first in the final game Tuesday night to capture the top berth in the PBA Scorpion Championship in the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling Tuesday with 3,213 14-game total and an average of 229.50. In the ESPN finals on Saturday, Nov. 1, Haugen will be joined by Scott Newell of Daytona, Florida, Sweden's Martin Larsen (r.) and Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa.
B.J. Moore III (l.) of Apex, North Carolina, was back on top of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling Tuesday at South Point Bowling Center as the first round leader in the PBA Scorpion Championship, but this time he is hoping for a better long-term outcome in Tuesday night's final qualifying session. England's Dom Barrett (r.) was top qualifier for the World Championship with a 6,430 pinfall total and an average of 229.64 for 28 games.