Smallwood Surges to the Top Spot at The TOC

Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, who captured 
the hearts of thousands of unemployed American workers a year ago, re-lived his 
fairytale journey Friday by advancing to the finals of the $1 million 
Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes.

Just over a year ago, Smallwood was one of thousands of Michigan auto workers 
who were laid off by General Motors. He decided to try his luck in professional 
bowling, earned an exemption to bowl the full season on the Lumber Liquidators 
PBA Tour, and converted that opportunity into a victory in the 2009 PBA World 
Championship.

Smallwood’s first PBA Tour title earned him a $50,000 prize and a guarantee of 
two more years as a full-time professional bowler, but the 32-year-old 
right-hander’s remarkable performance in Friday’s match play rounds gave him an 
opportunity to dwarf last year’s accomplishment.

Smallwood is one win away from a PBA-record $250,000 first prize in Saturday’s 
live stepladder finals on ABC at 2:30 p.m. Eastern (11:30 a.m. Pacific).

Also advancing to Saturday’s finals are Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL; 
Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, MI, and Andres Gomez, a Colombian citizen who 
lives in Weston, FL. Daugherty is a four-time PBA Regional title winner. 
Koivuniemi, a native of Finland, owns eight PBA Tour titles including two major 
championships. Gomez is trying for his first PBA Tour title.

Smallwood finished the 58-game qualifying portion of the tournament with a 19-5 
match play record and 13,606 total pins, including match play bonus pins, to top 
Daugherty’s 13,545 total by 61 pins. Koivuniemi finished with 13,424 pins and 
Gomez with a 13,376 total to claim the fourth position by 18 pins over Chris 
Barnes of Double Oak, TX, who won last Sunday’s PBA World Championship.

In addition to the $250,000 first prize, Saturday’s other prizes are $100,000 
for second place, $50,000 for third and $40,000 for fourth.

After entering match play Thursday night in 16th place, 435 pins behind 
qualifying leader Dan MacLelland, Smallwood lost his first two matches, won the 
next five and lost his final first-round match to move up to 13th place. Friday 
afternoon, he swept all eight opponents to advance to sixth place, seven pins 
out of the stepladder field.

“The breaks started going my way today,” Smallwood said. “It seemed like when my 
opponent stepped up in the 10th needing a strike, he missed. Or I’d get the 
strike I needed.”

Smallwood’s run of good fortune continued into the final round. He won his ninth 
straight match when Daugherty failed to double in the 10th frame, and No. 10 
when Parker Bohn III opened in his 10th frame. He made it 11 in a row by 
throwing a 298 game at Norm Duke, taking the tournament lead for the first time.

Smallwood won his 12th straight match thanks in part to Bill O’Neill’s three 
consecutive splits, and he threw strikes on nine of his first 10 shots to cruise 
to victory No. 13 in a row over Mike Edwards. Australian two-handed star Jason 
Belmonte finally ended Smallwood’s streak, 249-224, but he came right back, 
securing his position in Saturday’s finals by defeating Finland’s Osku Palermaa, 
264-214. Smallwood finished the night with a 258-236 loss to Daugherty that 
didn’t impact his standing.

While Smallwood hasn’t won a title since his PBA World Championship, “I’m not 
disappointed with the way things have been going,” he said. “You just try to 
make the show every week and give yourself a chance.”

Nor has Smallwood thought much about the magnitude of winning the Tournament of 
Champions. “I’ve never thrown a ball in the first frame of a tournament worrying 
about whether first prize is $10,000 or $250,000,” he said. “It doesn’t make any 
difference. The thing I’ve learned over the past year is that great bowlers know 
they are going to throw a great shot when they need one. A good bowler has 
doubts. I’m still a good bowler, not a great one.”

Saturday’s PBA Tournament of Champions finals will return to ABC Television for 
the first time in 14 years. The PBA Tour has been televised live on ESPN since 
1980. 

46TH PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Nev., Friday, Jan. 21

FINAL MATCH PLAY STANDINGS (after 58 games, including won-lost records and match 
play bonus pins; top four advance to stepladder finals live on ABC Saturday at 
2:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30 a.m. Pacific)
1, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 19-5, 13,606.
2, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 16-8, 13,545.
3, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 13-11, 13,424.
4, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 15-9, 13,376.
5, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 14-10, 13,358, $35,000.
6, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., 11-13, 13,347, $30,000.
7, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 11-13, 13,314, $26,000.
8, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 14-10, 13,212, $24,000.
9, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 11-13, 13,175, $23,000.
10, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 10-14, 13,144, $22,000.
11, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 12-12, 13,140, $21,000.
12, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 10-14, 13,092, $20,100.
13, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 11-12-1, 13,053, $19,000.
14, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 12-12, 12,969, $18,000.
15, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 14-10, 12,949, $17,000.
16, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 10-14, 12,879, $16,000.
17, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 15-9, 12,855, $15,100.
18, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 11-12-1, 12,854, $14,000.
19, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 7-17, 12,748, $13,000.
20, Robert Smith, Hong Kong, 12-12, 12,686, $12,000.
21, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 10-14, 12,614, $11,000.
22, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 10-14, 12,543, $10,000.
23, Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 8-16, 12,535, $9,000.
24, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 11-13, 12,483, $8,000.

300 Game: Doug Kent