Belmonte Wins PBA Tournament of Champions

Jason Belmonte, with a strike on his final ball, defeated Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, to win the Barbasol Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions.  Belmonte, a 30-year-old two-handed player, defeated Malott, 219-218, after earning the top berth in the stepladder finals by 363 pins over Dom Barrett, but he escaped with his one-pin victory when Malott left an 8 pin on his first shot in the 10th frame.

 

The win marked the fifth 'Major' in a row for Storm and Roto Grip staffers.

Belmonte collected his eighth career victory and second PBA major title just a week after being named 2012-13 PBA Player of the Year. He also earned $40,000 and a celebratory Barbasol shaving cream pie-in-the-fame from close friend and fellow competitor Bill O’Neill.

 

“I got extremely lucky,” Belmonte said. “When it really counted, I didn’t throw a good shot and gave Wes a chance. I was pretty sure he was going to win. I couldn’t believe it when I looked up and saw the 8 pin standing.”

 

The victory avenged Belmonte’s 214-156 loss to Malott in the 2013 U.S. Open title match, another tournament Belmonte had dominated until the final game.

"Other than the U.S. Open, this was one of my best start-to-finish performances ever,” Belmonte said. “I’m extremely proud to put my name on this trophy.

 

 "To win a major championship and player of the year in the same week? That’s pretty tough to beat,” he grinned.

 

Malott advanced to the title match with a 205-202 victory over Barrett, the 2013 PBA World Champion, in a contest where strikes were hard to come by late in the game. Barrett failed to convert the 2-8-10 split in the seventh frame, giving Malott the edge. But Malott was unable to take advantage, leaving four consecutive 10 pins to keep Barrett in the match. Needing a strike on his first shot in the 10th frame to win, Barrett also left a 10 pin.

 

In the second match, Dan MacLelland made a fatal mistake when he left the 4-6-7-10 split in the fourth frame and failed to convert. Malott struck on eight of his final nine shots to race away with a 248-199 win to end MacLelland’s hopes of becoming the first Canadian to win a PBA Tour title.

 

In the opening match, MacLelland, a fifth-year PBA player making his seventh career television appearance, eliminated defending Tournament of Champions winner Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, 259-211. Weber, a 37-time PBA champion who was making his 133rd television appearance, made two uncharacteristic mistakes – failing to convert the 3-10 split in the first frame and missing the 3-6-10 in the fifth – and MacLelland answered with a string of eight strikes to end the 51-year-old Weber’s bid for a record 11th PBA major title.

 

PBA coverage continues on ESPN next Sunday at 4 p.m. ET with the PBA Super Clash featuring a showdown match between 2011-12 PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., vs. newly-named 2012-13 PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia followed by a CP3 PBA Remix at 5:30 p.m. Coverage of the 2014 PBA League season begins on ESPN on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 3 p.m. ET.

 

BARBASOL PROFESSIONAL BOWLERS ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich., Sunday

Final Standings
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, $40,000.
2, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, $20,000.
3, Dom Barrett, England, $14,000.
4, Dan MacLelland, Canada, $12,000.
5, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., $10,000.

Stepladder Results
Match One: MacLelland def. Weber, 259-211.
Match Two: Malott def. MacLelland, 248-199.
Semifinal Match: Malott def. Barrett, 205-202
Championship: Belmonte def. Malott, 219-218.

PBA Tournament of Champions Rescheduled

The 2014 Professional Bowlers Association Barbasol Tournament of Champions will move to Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, MI, beginning Jan. 18 and concluding with a live ESPN telecast at noon ET on Sunday, Jan. 26, the PBA announced.

 

The change in venue and dates for the 49th TOC from previously announced April in Indianapolis is accompanied by a revised PBA League competition and ESPN air-date schedule. 

 

The 2014 PBA Tournament of Champions will be open to any PBA member who has ever won a PBA Tour, International Tour, PBA50, PBA Women’s Series or PBA Regional title. The PBA champions will compete in a 49-game qualifying and match play format with the top five players advancing to the stepladder finals.

 

The Tournament of Champions was first held in 1962 in Indianapolis as a showcase tournament for the elite players who had won PBA national titles. In April 2013, in its return to Indianapolis, PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, at age 50, became the oldest TOC winner when he defeated Australia’s Jason Belmonte, 224-179, to win the title for the second time. With his win, Weber also tied bowling legend Earl Anthony for most PBA major titles (10) and he became the first player ever to complete the PBA Triple Crown (TOC, U.S. Open and PBA World Championship) twice.

 

All 2014 TOC qualifying and match play rounds Jan. 18-21 will be covered live on PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. For Xtra Frame subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.

The PBA League season on ESPN kicks off with the Chris Paul PBA League All-Stars on Sunday, Feb. 2, with the first week of quarterfinal action in the eight-team bracket airing Feb. 9. Each match in the eight-team bracket seen on ESPN will feature singles, doubles, trios and five-player Baker-format games. The final two teams will advance to the PBA League Elias Cup Finals which will be held in North Brunswick, NJ. The final will air on ESPN on April 13.

 

The PBA League, in its second year, features eight teams of five PBA stars each, representing different cities and prominent team owners from the sports and entertainment worlds. The New York City WTT KingPins, owned by tennis legend Billie Jean King, are defending champions. Other teams include the Motown Muscle (owner Jerome Bettis), Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits (owner LaMarr Woodley), Silver Lake Atom Splitters (owner Chris Hardwick), Philadelphia Hitmen (owner Kevin Hart), L.A. X (owner Chris Paul), BROOKLYN STyLES (owner Jesse Williams) and Dallas Strikers (owner Terrell Owens).