O'Neill Beats Defending Champ To Win US Open

Bill O’Neill of Southampton, PA, who earned a “can’t miss” tag after his 2005-06 Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Rookie of the Year season, cruised

past defending champion Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, TX, 267-207, to win his first
major title in the 67th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open at Woodland Bowl Sunday.

O’Neill, who won his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title earlier in the
season in Detroit, had a spare in the first frame, failed to convert the 2-10 split
in the second, and then threw 10 strikes in a row to race away to victory. Along
with his title, he earned $60,000 and a three-year PBA Tour exemption.

“This title means everything to me. I can’t begin to explain it,” he said. “It’s the
most difficult title on tour to win. To have my name up there will the guys who
have won it is amazing.

“I can’t believe I bowled a game like that on this lane condition,” the 28-year-old
O’Neill said. “I found a little hold area and that’s all I needed. It was just a
matter of bearing down and making good shots.

“It was the most relaxed I’ve ever been on TV,” he continued. “I don’t know why,
but from the time I got up this morning and came into the center, everything felt
great. Even after throwing that split in the second frame, I knew I was going to
throw the ball great.

“Scroggins has beaten me, like, the last 34 times I’ve bowled him, so it was nice
to get some payback.”

Scroggins never found a solid line to the pocket, failing to put two strikes
together until the 10th frame. But it was a pocket 7-10 split in the eighth frame
that clinched the win for O’Neill.

“At start of the match, my thumb shrunk just a bit and I was afraid to add a piece
of tape because I didn’t want to hang up in the ball,” Scroggins said. “I was losing
it just enough, so when I put the tape in the ball in the seventh frame, I got back
to the pocket.

“But Bill bowled well. All of the strikes looked the same, so you know he was
throwing the ball well,” Scroggins added. “It’s hard to beat 267 on an easy
condition, let alone the U.S. Open oil pattern.”

With his victory, O’Neill also jumped into the thick of the PBA Player of the Year
race with only four tournaments remaining in the season.

“I picked up a couple of points on Walter Ray (Williams Jr.), but you know he’ll
make a couple of more TV shows before the season is over,” O’Neill said. “I’ll just
have to try to win another one.”

O’Neill earned his berth in the title match by defeating Tommy Jones of
Simpsonville, SC, 203-152, after Jones romped past Jason Couch of Clermont,
FL, 245-192, in the opening match. In the first game, Jones threw seven strikes in
the first eight frames to win easily, but when the oil began to move, he got lost
against O’Neill, leaving and failing to convert four splits.

The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour’s next event is the Etonic Don Johnson  Eliminator which gets underway with preliminary qualifying rounds Monday at
Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.

67TH LUMBER LIQUIDATORS U.S. OPEN
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Sunday, Feb. 28

FINAL STANDINGS
1, Bill O’Neill, Southampton, Pa., $60,000.
2, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, $30,000.
3, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., $20,000.
4, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., $15,000.