Simonsen Retains Lead While Belmonte Makes Run in PBA Tournament of Champions After First Round of Match Play

by Jerry Schneider  |  Thursday, February 06, 7:56 PM

FAIRLAWN, Ohio – Despite a 4-4 record, seven-time PBA Tour titlist Anthony Simonsen was able to retain his lead in the PBA Tournament of Champions after the first round of match play at AMF Riviera Lanes Thursday but defending champion and fellow two-hander Jason Belmonte made a run to finish the day in eighth.

After earning top qualifier honors earlier in the day to lead 24 players advancing to match play, Simonsen ended the day with a 5,869 26-game pinfall total including 30 bonus pins for each match win. He won matches with games of 226, 235, 238 and 213 and lost with games of 202, 182, 207 and 235.

“It seemed like the lanes just played difficult in general and adjusting pair to pair was tricky,” said the 23-year-old Simonsen. “I felt like I had the pocket under control but it seemed like if I wasn’t striking I was getting splits which made it hard to keep any momentum going.”

Simonsen became the youngest player to win two majors when he defeated Belmonte 232-212 in the title match of the 2019 PBA Players Championship at age 22. He won the 2016 USBC Masters at age 19 to become the youngest to win a major.

In pursuit of a record fourth Tournament of Champions title, Belmonte narrowly made it into match play taking the 24th and final spot by just one pin earlier in the day. After losing his first two matches with games of 197 and 191, he won the next six matches with games of 232, 214, 255, 222, 242 and 247 posting a 6-2 record and finishing the day with a 5,733 pinfall.

It was reminiscent of 2018, when Belmonte took the last match play spot with a seven-pin cushion and proceeded to make a steady climb through the standings to qualify third for the stepladder finals finishing fourth after losing the second stepladder match to eventual winner Matt O’Grady 229-225.

“You just have to remember that once qualifying ends you’re not even halfway through the tournament so there’s time to make a move,” said the five-time and reigning PBA Player of the Year. “I started using a urethane ball to start the round but that wasn’t working so we tried some things and a couple different balls. Fortunately, I found one that I felt comfortable with and started striking.”

Belmonte’s win in the 2019 Tournament of Champions was his 10th major title which tied Pete Weber and Earl Anthony for first on the all-time list. He won the PBA World Championship for his 11th major win a few weeks later to take sole possession of first on the all-time majors win list.

Rounding out the top five after Thursday’s first match play round were Andrew Anderson, 5,861 (6-2); Bill O’Neill, 5,850 (6-2); Tom Daugherty, 5,786 (4-4) and Dom Barrett, 5,763 (6-1-1).

After the final two rounds of match play Friday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET, the top five will be determined for Sunday’s stepladder finals which will be televised live at 5 p.m. ET on FOX. The winner will earn a $100,000 first prize and a $1 million bonus will be paid if the winner bowls a 300 game in the title match.

Friday’s match play rounds will be streamed live by FloBowling which is also livestreaming the finals to international subscribers.



PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

(a 2020 Go Bowling PBA Tour Tier 1 event)

AMF Riviera Lanes, Fairlawn, Ohio, Thursday

Fourth Round Standings (Includes total pinfall for 26 games including match play bonus pins. All 24 players return for the second round of match play Friday morning at 11 a.m. ET)



1, Anthony Simonsen, Little Elm, Texas, 4-4, 5,869.
2, Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich., 6-2, 5,861.
3, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 6-2, 5,850.
4, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 4-4, 5,786.
5, Dom Barrett, England, 6-1-1, 5,763.
6, EJ Tackett, Bluffton, Ind., 4-4, 5,751.
7, Kristopher Prather, Plainfield, Ill., 5-3, 5,735.
8, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 6-2, 5,733.
9, Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz., 4-4, 5,727.
10, AJ Chapman, Manchester, Iowa, 5-3, 5,721.
11, Stuart Williams, England, 4-4, 5,715.
12, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3-5, 5,705.
13, AJ Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 4-4, 5,697.
14, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3-5, 5,696.
15, Kyle Sherman, O'Fallon, Mo., 2-6, 5,685.
16, Cristian Azcona, Puerto Rico, 3-5, 5,660.
17, Mitch Hupe, Canada, 4-4, 5,640.
18, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 5-3, 5,627.
19, Dick Allen, Lexington, S.C., 5-3, 5,597.
20, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 2-6, 5,564.
21, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 5-3, 5,558.
22, Richard Teece, England, 3-4-1, 5,513.
23, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2-6, 5,465.
24, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 0-8, 5,188.

Third Round Standings (after 18 games. Top 24 players advanced to first round of match play)

1, Anthony Simonsen, Little Elm, Texas, 4,011.
2, Cristian Azcona, Puerto Rico, 3,954.
3, AJ Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 3,951.
4, EJ Tackett, Bluffton, Ind., 3,932.
5, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,922.
6, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,908.
7, Kyle Sherman, O'Fallon, Mo., 3,904.
8, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 3,898.
9, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3,885.
10, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,870.
11, Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich., 3,864.
12, Kristopher Prather, Plainfield, Ill., 3,848.
13, Stuart Williams, England, 3,831.
14, Richard Teece, England, 3,825.
15, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 3,823.
16, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 3,822.
17, Dick Allen, Lexington, S.C., 3,819.
18, AJ Chapman, Manchester, Iowa, 3,785.
19, Mitch Hupe, Canada, 3,784.
20, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 3,782.
21, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 3,776.
22, Dom Barrett, England, 3,766.
23, Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz., 3,764.
24, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,753.

Failed to advance:
25, Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., 3,752, $2,500.
26, Tom Hess, Granger, Iowa, 3,721.
27, DJ Archer, Spring, Texas, 3,715.
28, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,710.
29, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3,696.
30, Jake Peters, Henderson, Nev., 3,692.
31, Darren Tang, Las Vegas, 3,689.
32, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,686.
33, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 3,674.
34, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 3,663.
35, BJ Moore, Greensburg, Pa., 3,653.
36, (tie) Matthew Ogle, Louisville, Ky., and Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,644.
38, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,624.
39, Rhino Page, Spokane, Wash., 3,616.
40, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,614.
41, Chris Collins, Myrlte Beach, S.C., 3,606.
41, Francois Lavoie, Canada, 3,606.
43, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 3,591.
44, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,573.
45, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,550.
46, (tie) Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn., and Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,535.
48, Jason Sterner, Rochester, N.Y., 3,511.
49, Matt Sanders, Evansville, Ind., 3,502.
50, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 3,495.
51, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 3,484.
52, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,482.
53, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 3,481.
54, Anthony Pepe, Long Island City, N.Y., 3,473.
55, Matt O'Grady, Rahway, N.J., 3,466.
56, Ryan Ciminelli, Lancaster, S.C., 3,454.
57, Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz., 3,404.
58, Graham Fach, Canada, 3,338.
59, Carmen Salvino, Schaumburg, Ill., 2,714.

Two Tour Winners and Two Players Making Their First PBA Tour Telecast Advance to PBA Shark Championship Final

by JSchneider  |  Wednesday, November 15, 9:04 PM

RENO, Nev. – Two PBA Tour champions and two players making their first PBA Tour telecasts won best-of-three Round of 8 matches Wednesday evening to advance to the PBA Shark Championship presented by Xtra Frame finals which will be taped Saturday by ESPN at 2:30 p.m. PST and live streamed on ESPN3.

Four-time PBA Tour winner Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., and two-time winner Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Fla., both swept their best-of-three matches. Kent defeated PBA World Championship top qualifier Jesper Svensson of Sweden, 2-0 (233-215, 248-226), while Daugherty beat Thomas Larsen of Denmark, 2-0 (234-225, 216-215).



Charlie Brown Jr., a 36-year-old rookie bowling in his first PBA Tour event, swept Shota Kawazoe of Japan, 2-0, to make his first PBA Tour telecast. Brown, of Grandville, Mich., had to win a three-frame roll-off, 29-27, in the first game after a 257-257 tie and then in the second game narrowly beat Kawazoe 248-244.

Bowling in his fourth World Series of Bowling, England’s Richie Teece finally broke through to make his first Tour telecast by beating Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., 2-1 (212-243, 257-215, 226-212).

The finals telecasts will use a format where the four finalists simultaneously bowl one game on the same pair of lanes with the top two scorers advancing to a head-to-head final match. The Shark finals will air on ESPN Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. ET.

The Shark Championship is part of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IX, presented by Eldorado Reno Resorts Properties and the 2017-18 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule.

Kent, the 2014 PBA Rookie of the Year, will be trying for his third win of the season having won the Oklahoma Open and Xtra Frame Lubbock Sports Open last summer.

Daugherty, who will be trying for his first win of the season, has a seventh and three ninth-place finishes this season. His last PBA Tour win came in the 2016 Wolf Open.

Elimination Rounds for the PBA Cheetah Championship presented by PBA Challenge Mobile Game and Pepsi PBA Scorpion Championship presented by Go Bowling! continue Thursday beginning at 11 a.m. PST. All competition will be covered by PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame.

Daugherty Leads Champions Field at PBA Tournament of Champions

Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL, who set one of the most infamous records in Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) history during the nationally-televised finals of the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, led the advance from the Champions Field to the Elite Field of the Tournament of Champions (TOC) Monday at Red Rock Lanes.

Daugherty, who bowled the lowest televised game in PBA history – a 100 game in a 299-100 loss to eventual champion Mika Koivuniemi in the 2011 semifinal match – averaged 244.07 for 14 games Monday finishing with a total of 3,417 pins to lead the 21 players who advanced to the start of Elite Field qualifying Tuesday. Daugherty, who throws the ball without using his thumb, won the Champions Field round by 179 pins over fellow “thumbless” player Jim Pratt of Glendale, AZ.

The Champions Field consisted of players who have won a PBA Regional, Senior Tour or Women’s Series title. Daugherty qualified for the TOC as a PBA South Region title winner. Players in the Elite Field include PBA Tour title winners and 2011-12 PBA Tour exempt players.

Still ahead of Daugherty if he hopes to return to the championship round are 20 games of Elite Field qualifying and the “Round of 36” games which will decide the four players who will compete for $80,000 and the PBA Tour’s most prestigious title live on ESPN Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

“I’m doing fine as long as there are no TV lights,” Daugherty said with a smile.

In order to return to Sunday’s television stage, Daugherty will have to duplicate a similar path he took last year when he worked his way through a 74-game gauntlet to reach the television stage for the first time in his career. This year, he’ll have to battle through 70 games.

“This center has nothing to do with the way I’m bowling,” Daugherty said. “It’s the lane condition. My ball reads this pattern right. I bowled on the same pattern back home and won two regionals.

“The number of games catches up as the week goes by,” he continued. “I finished third last year – that’s pretty good. I’d take third again this year.”

Daugherty said the last thing he thinks about is the 100 game he bowled in last year’s finals.

“That 100 game was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have no problem with it,” he said. “No one would remember me if I hadn’t bowled that game. No one remembers Tom Smallwood and he finished second last year.”

The 21-player Champions Field survivors will be joined by 56 PBA Tour title winners and exempt players for the start of Elite Field qualifying Tuesday. All Elite Field players will bowl two five-game qualifying rounds Tuesday and another pair of five-game rounds Wednesday, with the top 25 advancing to the Round of 36 along with 11 current season title winners.

PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Monday

CHAMPIONS FIELD STANDINGS 

(after 14 games; top 21 advance to Elite Field):

1, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,417.
2, Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 3,238.
3, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 3,219.
4, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 3,202.
5, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,106.
6, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,102.
7, D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, 3,091.
8, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,086.
9, Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 3,084.
10, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 3,057.
11, Mike Bailey, Frisco, Texas, 3,049.
12, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 3,042.
13, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,041.
14, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 3,031.
15, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,021.
16, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 3,018.
17, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 3,007.
18, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 2,966.
19, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 2,963.
20, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 2,946.
21, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 2,919.
Did not advance:

22, Tony Rodriguez Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 2,914.
23, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., 2,909.
24, David O'Sullivan, Sanford, Fla., 2,905.
25, John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., 2,894.
26, Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif., 2,878.
27, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 2,835.
28, Mark London, Gonzales, Texas, 2,769.
29, Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 2,768.
30, Corey Husted, Milwaukie, Ore., 2,763.
31, Thomas Patton Jr., Olathe, Kan., 2,730.
32, Joseph Greco, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., 2,693.

300 Game: Mike Bailey.