Three champions crowned in PBA Fall Swing

11 September, 2016

PBA National Tour

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Spoiler Alert: These scores may not have been broadcast on television yet.

Three PBA champions were crowned in the stepladder finals of the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens Saturday, Sept. 10, in the famous Thunderbowl Arena in Allen Park, Mich. The tournaments are part of the PBA Fall Swing which also features the Detroit Open plus a Fall King of the Swing special event.

The champions of the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens, which were conducted on lane conditioning patterns that bear those animal names, were determined in five-player stepladder finals for delayed broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Fla., seeded fourth in the PBA Wolf Open, won four consecutive matches to capture his second career PBA title after the 2012-13 Scorpion Open. In the title match, Daugherty defeated top seeded, Francois Lavoie of Canada, 212-192.

The championship match of the PBA Bear Open featured two Rookie of the Year winners. 2012-13 award winner E.J. Tackett of Huntington, Ind., seeded second, claimed his third career PBA title with a 212-199 victory over 2015 award winner and No. 1 seed, Jesper Svensson of Sweden. At the age of 21, the two-handed lefty has already won five PBA titles.

Two PBA veterans and former PBA Player of the Year battled it out for the title in the PBA Badger Open. Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., won his 10th PBA title, a milestone in his career as he is now became eligible for induction into the PBA Hall of Fame. The 2011-12 PBA Player of the Year flew past top seeded Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, 259-195, to tie the 2008-09 Player of the Year at 10 career titles.

The stepladder finals of the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens as well as the Detroit Open and the Fall King of the Swing will be televised by CBS Sports Network on five consecutive Wednesday nights beginning Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. ET.

The Fall Swing included competition on three diverse lane conditions – the 32-foot Wolf pattern, the shortest lane oiling pattern in PBA competition; the 52-foot Badger pattern, the longest application of oil in PBA competition, and the 40-foot, flat, U.S. Open-style Bear pattern, one of the most difficult lane conditions in the sport.

Cumulative qualifying pinfall totals for all three diverse animal pattern events determined the 24 match play finalists for the Detroit Open.

The King of the Swing special event is unique to the Fall Swing, featuring a made-for-TV showdown including the winners of the four Fall Swing tournaments plus the player with the highest points total in the four events without a title.

In addition to Wolf, Badger, Bear and Detroit Open titles, PBA members were competing for invitations to participate in the 2017 Japan Invitational. The top 10 based on total earnings for the Fall Swing will be invited to participate in Japan along with defending champion Amleto Monacelli, one PWBA-PBA Women’s member, three players selected by tournament sponsor DHC, one Korea PBA member, and 16 Japan PBA representatives.

PBA Wolf Open – Stepladder Results

Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., USA (Sept. 5-10, 2016)

Championship Round:
1, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 858 (4 games), $10,000
2, Francois Lavoie, Canada, 192 (1 game), $5,000
3, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 225 (1 game), $4,000
4, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 169 (1 game), $3,500
5, Anthony Simonsen, Princeton, Texas, 183 (1 game), $3,000

From left to right, Francois Lavoie, Jason Belmonte, Chris Barnes, Tom Daugherty and Anthony Simonsen.

Playoff Results:
First Match: No. 4 Daugherty def. No. 5 Simonsen, 198-183
Second Match: Daugherty def. No. 3 Barnes, 193-169
Semi-final Match: Daugherty def. No. 2 Belmonte, 255-225
Championship: Daugherty def. No. 1 Lavoie, 212-192.

PBA Bear Open – Stepladder Results

Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., USA (Sept. 6-10, 2016)

Championship Round:
1, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 405 (2 games), $10,000
2, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 199 (1 game), $5,000
3, John Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y., 622 (3 games), $4,000
4, Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz., 184 (1 game), $3,500
5, Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., 183 (1 game), $3,000

From left to right, Jesper Svensson, E.J. Tackett, Josh Blanchard, John Szczerbinski and Jon Van Hees.

Playoff Results:
First Match: No. 4 Szczerbinski def. No. 5 Van Hees, 207-183
Second Match: Szczerbinski def. No. 3 Blanchard, 232-184
Semi-final Match: No. 2 Tackett def. Szczerbinski, 193-183
Championship: Tackett def. No. 1 Svensson, 212-199.

PBA Badger Open – Stepladder Results

Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., USA (Sept. 7-10, 2016)

Championship Round:
1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 483 (2 games), $10,000
2, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 195 (1 game), $5,000
3, Graham Fach, Canada, 454 (2 games), $4,000
4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 387 (2 games), $3,500
5, Francois Lavoie, Canada, 225 (1 game), $3,000

From left, Wes Malott, Sean Rash, Graham Fach, Francois Lavoie and Jason Belmonte.

Playoff Results:
First Match: No. 5 Belmonte def. No. 4 Lavoie, 226-225
Second Match: No. 3 Fach def. Belmonte, 249-161
Semi-final Match: No. 2 Rash def. Fach, 224-205
Championship: Rash def. No. 1 Malott, 259-195.

Australia’s Jason Belmonte tops PBA Detroit Open field
Wes Malott earns No. 1 berth for PBA Badger Open Finals
Sweden’s Jesper Svensson tops PBA Bear Open Qualifying
Canadian Francois Lavoie tops PBA Wolf Open Qualifying
PBA Fall Swing returns to Detroit’s historic Thunderbowl Lanes
2016 PBA Tour Schedule & Champions