Scott Newell Wins PBA Ricart Ford Open

Despite rolling a gutter ball on his first shot of the opening stepladder match, Scott Newell of Deland, FL, quickly regained his composure to win three consecutive matches for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 title Sunday at Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus, Ohio. 

The 28-year-old Newell won his first Tour title by defeating tournament leader and one-time Tour winner Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY, 247-245, in a title match that went down to the 10th frame. 

Leaving the tricky 2-8 on the first ball of the 10th frame, Newell was able to make the spare and then strike on the final ball for the victory. 

“I may have looked composed on the outside but I was shaking on the inside,” said Newell, who owns three regional Tour titles and a best previous Tour finish of 12th. “I just had to take a deep breath and remind myself to stay focused and do what I do best.” 

In the semi-final match, Newell survived another nail biter when he defeated three-time Tour titlist Rhino Page of Dade City, FL, 238-237. In that match he had to convert a 10-pin on the final shot to secure the win. 

“You try to prepare yourself the best you can for pressure situations but you never know how you’re going to perform until those situations present themselves,” Newell said. “A lot of people say you have the ability and you can get it done but it’s just a great relief when you finally do.” 

In the first frame of the opening stepladder match against Dom Barrett of England, Newell threw the gutter ball after it hit his ankle which he admitted was a sign of his nervousness. He regained his composure enough to then make the spare and went on to defeat Barrett 255-202. 

“It was just a matter of getting too quick with my feet and my timing was off,” Newell said. “It was probably good that I made that mistake right away because I could then put it behind me and get on with the rest of the match.” 

Barrett was looking for his second PBA Tour title after winning the PBA Scorpion Open which, ironically, was aired on an ESPN taped-delayed telecast earlier in the day. The Ricart Ford Open was the second PBA Tour event streamed live exclusively on pba.com’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. Two more Xtra Frame events are scheduled during the remainder of the season. 

The next stop for the PBA Tour will be the 69th U.S. Open—the third major of the season— from Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, NJ, Feb. 20-26. 

PBA RICART FORD OPEN PRESENTED BY COLUMBIA 300 Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Sunday 

FINAL STANDINGS: 

1, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., three games, 740 pins, $10,000 

2, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., one game, 245 pins, $5,000 

3, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., one game, 237 pins, $3,000 

4, Dom Barrett, England, one game, 202 pins, $2,500 

PLAYOFF RESULTS: Match One – Newell def. Barrett, 255-202 Semifinal match – Newell def. Page, 238-237 Championship match – Newell def. Ciminelli, 247-245.

MATCH PLAY RESULTS After 22 games, including match play records and total pinfall including bonus pins. Top four advanced to stepladder finals. 

1, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 7-6, 5,569. 

2, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 11-2, 5,527. 

3, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 10-3, 5,343. 

4, Dom Barrett, England, 8-5, 5,302. 

5, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 8-5, 5,260, $2,200. 

6, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 9-4, 5,215, $1,950. 

6, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 9-4, 5,215, $1,950. 

8, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 6-7, 5,196, $1,800. 

9, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 9-4, 5,152, $1,750. 

10, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 5-8, 5,145, $1,700. 

11, Jason Lundquist, Groveport, Ohio, 6-7, 5,105, $1,650. 

12, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 5-8, 5,089, $1,600. 

13, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 5-8, 5,054, $1,550. 

14, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 6-7, 5,051, $1,500. 

15, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 6-7, 5,040, $1,450. 

16, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 7-6, 5,038, $1,400. 

17, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 5-7-1, 5,018, $1,350. 

18, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 7-6, 5,012, $1,300. 

19, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 6-7, 4,939, $1,275. 

20, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 5-8, 4,936, $1,250. 

21, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 5-7-1, 4,794, $1,225. 

22, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 4-8-1, 4,793, $1,200. 

23, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3-9-1, 4,670, $1,175. 

24, Chuck Tompkins, New Albany, Ohio, 2-11, 4,406, $1,150.