Jason Belmonte sweeps end-of-year stats, sets PBA Average record

09 January, 2018

PBA National Tour

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Australia’s Jason Belmonte put an exclamation mark on another sensational year in Professional Bowlers Association competition by sweeping the PBA Tour’s two most defining statistical categories for 2017 – official earnings and scoring average, which included a record scoring pace.

Belmonte (pictured right and above) concluded his 2017 season with a victory in the PBA World Championship in Reno, Nev., to become the first player in PBA history to win three major championships in a single season.

The finishing touches to his four-title season included a Tour-best $238,912 in total earnings, and a third George Young Memorial High Average Award after posting a record 229.39 average for 380 games bowled.

Belmonte, who previously won George Young High Average Awards for the 2012-13 and 2014 seasons, broke his own scoring record of 228.81 set during the 2012-13 season.

He won the average contest by 2.5 pins-per-game over fellow two-handed competitor Jesper Svensson (above left) of Sweden, who scored at a 226.88 pace for 308 games in 2017. Svensson was the 2016 George Young Award winner with a 226.07 average.

Belmonte, who also led the PBA in earnings in 2012-13 and 2014, finished that race more than $7,000 ahead of runner-up EJ Tackett (right) of Huntington, Ind., who took $220,708 to the bank last season.

2017 PBA Tour Schedule & Champions

Combined PBA Earnings (all PBA events)

Top 10 with position, country/hometown, PBA titles in parenthesis and earnings total

1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, (4) $238,912
2, EJ Tackett, Huntington, Ind., (4) $220,708
3, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, (2) $128,816
4, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., (2) $112,480
5, Dom Barrett, England, (1) $84,300
6, Anthony Simonsen, Austin, Texas, (1) $81,534
7, Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., (2) $80,990
8, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C. (0) $76,630
9, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., (0) $76,020
10, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., (1) $74,787

2017 PBA Tour Averages (Min. 200 Games)

Top 10 with position, country/hometown, games and average

1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 380, 229.39*
2, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 308, 226.88
3, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 328, 224.46
4, EJ Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 457, 223.34
5, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 266, 222.42
6, Dom Barrett, England, 466, 222.39
7, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 242, 221.77
8, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 396, 221.65
9, Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., 370, 221.60
10, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 372, 221.59
*PBA record; old record 228.81 by Jason Belmonte, 2012-13 season.

Herbert Bickel