Up Front
EVERYTHING BOWLING, ALL THE TIME
a do-or-die double to sneak into the fifth position. “If you give Dom that same shot 100
times, he’ll mark 98 times,” Belmonte conceded. “That said, considering the situation and the way the pair had broken down, that second shot may have been one of the best shots in my life.” Belmonte opened the finals with a 202-
Pie Eyed: Following Belmonte’s win at the Barbasol Tournament of Champions, Tour friend Bill O’Neill altered the new champ’s view with a shaving cream pie.
formance at Thunderbowl in Allen Park, Mich. He led qualifying by 363 pins, secur- ing the top seed, which, he later admitted can become a challenge mentally. “I’ve been on both sides of the coin
when leading by a lot,” Belmonte said. “Losing after leading by so much does drain you more than losing when you run the ladder. But expecting to win a title just because you led qualifying by so much will only cause you to lose focus on the issue at hand…the next 10 frames.” “The next 10 frames” proved to be
an exercise in nerves and frustration, as Belmonte struggled to find the pocket with any consistency. Still, with the match virtually even entering the final frame, Belmonte went nine-spare/strike, forcing Malott to strike on his first ball in the 10th. “I didn’t watch Wes bowl,” Belmonte admitted. “I listened. It felt like forever be-
fore the ball hit the pins, but when it did, I could tell it wasn’t a good shot. When I looked up and saw the 8 pin standing, relief was the first emotion that came through.” The second emotion likely was elation,
with a second major title and $40,000 the rewards for his effort. The USBC Masters, staged at Brunswick
Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J., presented a far different and significant- ly more perilous journey for Belmonte. After leading into the double-elimination match-play portion of the event, the de- fending champion found himself locked into a duel with reigning PBA World Championship winner, Dom Barrett, for the final stepladder spot. Needing only a spare to seal his spot on the show, Barrett left the big four, opening the door for Belmonte. The Australian responded with
173 win over Tom Smallwood, then need- ed to pick up back-to-back splits late in the match to hold off Ryan Ciminelli, 227- 214. Things would get even more treach- erous for Belmonte against second-seed- ed Michael Haugen. Needing spare/nine in the final frame to advance, Belmonte got just that, and not a pin more to win, 235-234. “I never got my angles right, and the
first shot was horrible,” Belmonte admit- ted. “Probably nerves, to be honest. Mike had much better ball reaction than me, and if he carries one of his 10-pins, he’s answering the questions right now.” Against top-seeded E.J. Tackett, Bel-
monte used four consecutive strikes in the middle of the match to gain a safe lead. Tackett, the 2012-13 PBA Rookie of the Year, struggled, and Belmonte’s spare/ strike in the 10th shut out the 21-year-old. “This is the most exhausted I’ve ever
been after a tournament,” said a clearly drained Belmonte. “I really had to focus on every single shot in every match.” The Masters title earned Belmonte an
additional $50,000, bumping his total to $104,000 (which includes earnings from his win over Sean Rash in the PBA Clash) in the first seven weeks of the year.
E.J. Tackett
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.
2014 USBC MASTERS Brunswick Zone Carolier, North Brunswick, N.J. Final Standings 1) Jason Belmonte, Australia, 885 (four games), $50,000 2) EJ Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 177 (one game), $25,000 3) Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 234 (one game), $15,000 4) Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 183 (one game) $10,000 5) Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 214 (one game), $8,000 Stepladder results Match One: Belmonte def. Ciminelli, 227-214 Match Two: Belmonte def. Smallwood, 202-173 Match Three: Belmonte def. Haugen, 235-234 Championship: Belmonte def. Tackett, 221-177
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