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Four GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling PBA Tour ESPN Finals Set After Round of 8 Competition

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RENO, Nev . – As the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VIII presented by the Silver Legacy Resort and Casino heads down the homestretch, the finalists for four ESPN telecasts were determined Thursday at the National Bowling Stadium. The finals will be taped on Saturday and will air beginning Saturday, Dec. 18.

All four 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 title match.

In a match that showcased one of PBA’s all-time greats, and one of its youngest stars, Player of the Year contender 19-year-old Anthony Simonsen of Austin, Texas swept PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla., in the PBA Cheetah Championship presented by PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Game best-of-five-game single-elimination Round of 8, 3-1 (224-213, 206-224, 256-203, 279-207).

Also advancing was four-time Tour winner Mike Wolfe of  New Albany, Ind., who defeated 18-time Tour winner Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, 3-2 (256-211, 223-201, 216-269, 179-225, 227-205). Wolfe is making his first Tour television appearance in four seasons.

Making his first PBA television appearance, 23-year-old Darren Tang of San Francisco, advanced by winning his match 3-2 (239-170, 195-214, 208-225, 224-171, 223-201) against 12-time Tour winner Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill.

Rounding out the top four was BJ Moore III of Greensburg, Pa., who swept four-time Tour winner Dom Barrett of England, 3-0 (214-211, 248-232, 280-187). Moore is hoping to improve on a Tour best sixth-place finish which he has accomplished three times.

The Cheetah Championship finals will be taped Saturday at noon and will air Sunday, Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. ET.

For the Chameleon Championship presented by HotelPlanner.com, two-time Tour winner Thomas Larsen of Sweden, the lone international player in the finals field, won his match 3-1 (225-224, 262-246, 215-256, 259-250) over PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber. It was Larsen’s second consecutive Chameleon Championship television appearance after finishing third in 2015.

Three players trying for their first Tour title also made the Chameleon finals. A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Ill., who finished second in the 2015 USBC Masters, won his best-of-five match 3-0 (290-222, 222-195, 234-228) over Brandon Novak of Chillicothe, Ohio.

Mitch Beasley of Clarksville, Tenn., the 2016 FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions runner-up, beat four-time Tour winner E.J. Tackett of Huntington, Ind., 3-1 (215-232, 264-247, 242-233, 239-219).

Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, advanced to the Chameleon finals with a 3-1 (238-199, 180-226, 205-158, 203-161) victory over two-time Tour winner Mike DeVaney of Winchester, Calif.

The Chameleon Championship finals will be taped Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT and will air Saturday, Dec. 24 at 1 p.m. ET.

In the third animal pattern lane condition event of the World Series, Moore made his second World Series final in the PBA Scorpion Championship presented by Reno Tahoe USA by sweeping Beasley, 3-0 (224-197, 243-213, 256-165).

Five-time Tour winner Jesper Svensson of Sweden made his first 2016 World Series telecast with a 3-2 (258-257, 160-188, 190-246, 248-201, 238-230) win over Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Fla. Svensson, the 2016 FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions winner and Player of the Year contender, will be trying for his fourth win of the season.

Former PBA Player of the Year and 17-time Tour winner Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C. made his first television appearance of the 2016 World Series with a 3-1 (246-199, 211-227, 224-217, 212-199) win over Tackett.

Rounding out the Scorpion field will be Novak who notched a 3-2 (184-227, 218-195, 277-256, 193-218, 242-180) win over Kris Prather of Milton, Fla., to make his first Tour television appearance.

The Scorpion Championship finals will be taped Saturday at 4:15 p.m. PT and will air Sunday, Dec. 25 at 2:30 p.m.

In the Shark Championship Round of 8, Williams advanced to the finals after beating Tackett, 3-1 (236-222, 178-243, 248-219, 223-184).

Williams, who is tied with Weber with 99 combined titles in PBA Tour, PBA50 Tour, PBA Regional and PBA50 Regional competition, kept his hopes alive to be the first to reach the 100-title mark. The PBA’s all-time Tour titles leader also will be trying for his 48th Tour title.

Canadian Francois Lavoie, the winner of the 2016 U.S. Open, advanced to the Shark final four by beating Sam Cooley of Australia, 3-0 (236-202, 221-171, 234-157).

Shark qualifying leader Andrew Cain of Phoenix advanced by beating Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., 3-0 (193-191, 278-211, 204-157). Rounding out the top four was Matthew O’Grady of South Amboy, N.J., making his first Tour television appearance by sweeping Markus Jansson of Sweden, 3-0 (238-200, 205-174, 200-191). The Shark Championship will be taped this Saturday at 6 p.m. PT and will air Sunday, Dec. 25 at 3:30 p.m.

Bowling fans will also be able to watch the finals of the animal pattern events live via ESPN’s livestreaming service ESPN3.

The crown jewel of the GEICO PBA World of Series VIII will be Sunday’s live ESPN telecast of the PBA World Championship from the National Bowling Stadium at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT).  Tackett, who is the top qualifier for the second consecutive year, will be joined by Barrett, Jason Belmonte, Smallwood and Simonsen in the stepladder finals.

PBA CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY PBA BOWLING CHALLENGE MOBILE GAME

National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev., Thursday

Round of 8 (best-of-five-games, winners advance to ESPN-taped finals Saturday at noon PT. ESPN telecast Sunday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. ET; losers earn $2,000)

Darren Tang, San Francisco, Calif., def. Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3-2 (239-170, 195-214, 208-225, 224-171, 223-201). B.J. Moore III, Greensburg, Pa., def. Dom Barrett, England, 3-0 (214-211, 248-232, 280-187). Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., def. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3-2 (256-211, 223-201, 216-269, 179-225, 227-205). Anthony Simonsen, Austin, Texas, def. Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 3-1 (224-213, 206-224, 256-203, 279-207).

PBA CHAMELEON CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY HOTELPLANNER.COM

Round of 8 (best-of-five-games, winners advance to ESPN-taped finals Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT. ESPN telecast Saturday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m. ET ; losers earn $2,000)

A.J. Johnson, Oswego, Ill., def. Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, 3-0 (290-222, 222-195, 234-228). Thomas Larsen, Denmark, def. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3-1 (225-224, 262-246, 215-256, 259-250). Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., def. E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 3-1 (215-232, 264-247, 242-233, 239-219). Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, def. Mike DeVaney, Winchester, Calif., 3-1 (238-199, 180-226, 205-158, 203-161).

PBA SCORPION CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY RENO TAHOE USA

Round of 8 (best-of-five-games, winners advance to ESPN-taped finals Saturday at 4:15 p.m. PT. ESPN telecast Sunday, Dec. 25, 2:30 p.m.; losers earn $2,000)

Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., def. E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 3-1 (246-199, 211-227, 224-217, 212-199). B.J. Moore III, Greensburg, Pa., def. Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 3-0 (224-197, 243-213, 256-165). Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, def. Kristopher Prather, Milton, Fla., 3-2 (184-227, 218-195, 277-256, 193-218, 242-180). Jesper Svensson, Sweden, def. Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 3-2 (258-257, 160-188, 190-246, 248-201, 238-230).

PBA SHARK CHAMPIONSHIP

Round of 8 (best-of-five-games, winners advance to ESPN-taped finals Saturday at 6 p.m. PT. ESPN telecast, Sunday, Dec. 25, 3:30 p.m.; losers earn $2,000) 

Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., def. Markus Jansson, Sweden, 3-0 (238-200, 205-174, 200-191). Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., def. E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 3-1 (236-222, 178-243, 248-219, 223-184). Francois Lavoie, Canada, def. Sam Cooley, Australia, 3-0 (236-202, 221-171, 234-157). Andrew Cain, Phoenix, def. Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3-0 (193-191, 278-211, 204-157).

Belmonte Concludes Historic Season With Win At 2022 PBA Tour Finals

Jason belmonte capped one of his finest seasons in style, rolling the second televised 300 of his career on the way to a win at the 2022 pba tour finals..

When Jason Belmonte declared "I'm back!" after his Professional Bowlers Association Players Championship victory in January, he meant it. 

He racked up four more titles in 2022, culminating his historic campaign with a PBA Tour Finals victory Sunday at Strikerz Bowling at Angel of the Winds Casino in Arlington, Washington.

The 38-year-old Australian capped off one of his finest seasons in style, rolling the second televised 300 game of his career in the championship match. 

Belmonte defeated Dom Barrett 2-0, earning $30,000 for the win and a $10,000 bonus for the perfect game. The win marks his 30th career title, making him the eighth player in PBA history to eclipse that threshold.

"To have 30 titles, 14 majors, maybe seven Player of the Years," Belmonte said to Randy Pederson, "Mate, there's no way as a kid you ever thought this was gonna happen. There's no way!"

With five titles in 2022, Belmonte almost assuredly will earn his seventh PBA Player of the Year award. That would tie the record set by Walter Ray Williams Jr., whose seven honors spanned from 1986 to 2010. Belmonte needed just 10 years to match Deadeye's career mark.

"Walter Ray, the man is a living legend and someone who I see as the best player that I've ever seen," Belmonte said. "To equal him is a huge accomplishment and something I'm very, very proud of. But, it also motivates me to get just one more, just one more and have that title all to myself."

Belmonte stands among those names as one of the greatest athletes in recent memory. His dominance rivals that of Tiger Woods and Serena Williams. While Belmonte doesn't compare himself to anyone else, he understands the work ethic required to be successful at the highest level.

Of the preeminent American professional sports, only Wayne Gretzky, Barry Bonds, Novak Djokovic, Woods, Williams and Williams Jr. have won at least seven equivalent honors in their respective sports.

However, the 2022 PBA Player of the Year race was far from over entering the Tour Finals. 

With two majors and five championship-round appearances, Anthony Simonsen needed one more title to put the cherry on top of a potential first career player-of-the-year campaign. Barrett, who had two titles to his name, could have snuck into the conversation himself with a win.

In the Group 2 stepladder finals, Barrett emerged victorious over Simonsen. Both players struck a ton in their two-game match, but the rabbit's foot in Barrett's backpack appeared to be the difference. He tripped roughly a half dozen 4-pins en route to a sweep of the 25-year-old two-hander.

After Barrett fired 279 in Game 1, he opened the door for Simonsen in Game 2. Simonsen squandered his early lead by missing a 7 pin in the seventh frame. He then could only watch as Barrett snow-plowed a match-clinching strike in the ninth frame.

Barrett's brilliant decision to start with reactive on the 46-foot Johnny Petraglia oil pattern, learning from his ill-fated use of urethane during qualifying, paid off handsomely as he defeated Jakob Butturff and EJ Tackett to set up a match between the two PBA Player of the Year hopefuls.

Earlier in the afternoon, top-seeded Belmonte took on the Group 1 stepladder finalists. 

In the first match, Kris Prather overcame a last-minute impairment to his urethane ball to defeat Tom Daugherty. Prather's craftiness proved futile in the next match, as Kyle Troup mounted strike after strike after strike.

In fact, Troup struck on all 12 of his shots to achieve the 33rd televised perfect game in PBA history. Belmonte's 300 in the championship match later made it the first televised event in PBA history with two perfect games.

Though Troup earned a $10,000 bonus in return for perfection, he may have traded a few hits against Prather for a couple against Belmonte in the Group 1 final match. A flurry of 9 pins cost Troup in the opening game of the race to two wins. 

Belmonte said he knew defeating Troup would not be easy, considering his tremendous ball motion and familiarity with the event's format. He refused to allow Troup any breathing room, completing the sweep to advance to the Tour Finals championship match.

After watching Barrett stampede through Group 2, Belmonte knew the championship match wouldn't be any easier.

"Watching Dom play against Anthony, I actually really liked Dom's ball motion," Belmonte said. "I thought this could be a pretty high-scoring match, too, if we both like what we see."

After shooting 300 in the first game, Belmonte didn't allow himself to celebrate the moment too much. He wanted to keep his focus sharp and avoid the roll-off at all costs. 

The lanes transitioned quicker for Barrett than Belmonte, and the Australian's strike in the 10th frame locked up his 30th career title, and fifth of the season. 

While he appreciates the privilege of competing on tour, Belmonte doesn't allow contentment to drift into his consciousness, even as the accolades continue to mount.

"I've never been complacent with where I am in the game," Belmonte said. "I'm always pushing to get more, to learn more, to practice more. Plus, my just absolute hunger to be one of the greatest to ever throw a ball down the lane. It definitely motivates and pushes me to wake up early, or to stay up late and get those extra games in."

As Belmonte chases the ghosts of PBA lore on the career titles list, he must stave off the game's rising stars. He wants to raise the bar to new heights and leave behind an indelible legacy as one of the game's greatest athletes.

• Professional
• Jakob Butturff
• Jason Belmonte
• Anthony Simonsen
• Kris Prather
• Dom Barrett
• Tom Daugherty
• Walter Ray Williams Jr.

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2024 PBA Playoffs: Schedule, bracket, results, how to watch PBA Finals

T he 2024 PBA champion will be crowned this weekend in Kissimmee, FL. Two-time defending champion Kyle Troup looks to three-peat against a tough group of semifinalists. Check out everything you need to know about the PBA Finals including schedule, how to watch and who has a chance to win it all.

PBA Final Four

• Bill O'Neill
• Jesper Svensson
• David "Boog" Krol

PBA Playoff Schedule and Bracket

Quarterfinals.

• No. 9 David Krol def. No. 1 EJ Tackett (257-213)
• No. 4 Bill O’Neill def. No. 5 Jason Belmonte (238-206)
• No. 10 Jesper Svensson def. No. 2 Marshall Kent (289-224)
• No. 6 Kyle Troup def. No. 3 Anthony Simonsen (234-225)

Sunday, May 19

• No. 9 David Krol vs. No. 4 Bill O’Neill
• No. 10 Jesper Svensson vs. No. 6 Kyle Troup

Championship

• Winner of O’Neill/Krol vs. Winner of Troup/Svensson

How to watch the PBA Playoffs and Finals

The 2024 PBA Finals will air on FOX at 2 p.m. ET.

PBA Playoff Prize Money

The total prize fund for the PBA Playoffs is $300,000. Here's how the prize money breaks down for the top 4:

Snier on Bowling

PBA Tour Finals: Belmonte concludes historic season with victory

By NOLAN HUGHES

PBA Communications

ARLINGTON, Wash. — When Jason Belmonte declared “I’m back!” after his January PBA Players Championship victory, he meant it. 

He racked up four more titles in 2022, culminating his historic campaign with a PBA Tour Finals victory at Strikerz Bowling at Angel of the Winds Casino.

The 38-year-old Australian capped off one of his finest seasons in style, rolling the second televised 300 game of his career in the championship match. Belmonte defeated Dom Barrett 2-0, earning $30,000 and a $10,000 perfect game bonus. This win marks his 30th career title, making him the eighth player in PBA history to eclipse that threshold.

“To have 30 titles, 14 majors, maybe seven Player of the Years,” Belmonte said to Randy Pederson, “Mate, there’s no way as a kid you ever thought this was gonna happen. There’s no way!”

With five titles in 2022, Belmonte will almost assuredly earn his seventh PBA Player of the Year award. That would tie the all-time record set by Walter Ray Williams Jr., whose seven honors spanned from 1986 to 2010. Belmonte needed just 10 years to match Deadeye’s career mark.

“Walter Ray, the man is a living legend and someone who I see as the best player that I’ve ever seen,” Belmonte said. “To equal him is a huge accomplishment and something I’m very, very proud of. But it also motivates me to get just one more, just one more and and have that title all to myself.”

Belmonte stands among those names as one of the greatest athletes in recent memory. His dominance rivals that of Tiger Woods and Serena Williams. While Belmonte doesn’t compare himself to anyone else, he understands the work ethic required to be successful at the highest level.

Of the preeminent American professional sports, only Wayne Gretzky, Barry Bonds, Novak Djokovic, Woods, Williams and Williams Jr. have won at least seven equivalent honors in the respective sports.

However, the Player of the Year race was far from over entering the Tour Finals. With two majors and five championship round appearances, Anthony Simonsen needed one more title to put the cherry on top of a potential first career Player of the Year campaign. Barrett, who had two titles to his name, could have snuck into the conversation himself with a win.

In the Group 2 stepladder finals, Barrett emerged victorious over Simonsen. Both players struck a ton in their two-game match, but the rabbit’s foot in Barrett’s backpack appeared to be the difference. He tripped roughly a half dozen 4-pins en route to a sweep of the 25-year-old two-hander.

After Barrett fired 279 in Game 1, he opened the door for Simonsen in Game 2. Simonsen squandered his early lead by missing a 7-pin in the 7th frame, then could only watch as Barrett snow-plowed a match-clinching strike in the 9th frame.

Barrett’s brilliant decision to start with reactive on the 46-foot Johnny Petraglia pattern, learning from his ill-fated use of urethane during qualifying, paid off handsomely as he defeated Jakob Butturff and EJ Tackett to set up a match between the two Player of the Year hopefuls.

Earlier in the afternoon, top-seeded Belmonte took on the Group 1 stepladder finalists. In the first match, Kris Prather overcame a last-minute impairment to his urethane ball to defeat Tom Daughtery. Prather’s craftiness proved futile in the next match, as Kyle Troup mounted strike after strike after strike.

In fact, Troup struck on all 12 of his shots to achieve the 33rd televised perfect game in PBA history. Belmonte’s 300 in the championship match later made this the first televised event in PBA history with two perfect games.

Though Troup earned a $10,000 bonus in return for perfection, he may have traded a few hits against Prather for a couple against Belmonte in the Group 1 final match. A flurry of 9-pins cost Troup in the opening game of the Race to Two. 

Belmonte said he knew defeating Troup would not be easy, considering his tremendous ball motion and familiarity with the event’s format. He refused to allow Troup any breathing room, completing the sweep to advance to the Tour Finals championship match.

After watching Barrett stampede through Group 2, Belmonte knew the championship match wouldn’t be any easier.

“Watching Dom play against Anthony, I actually really liked Dom’s ball motion,” Belmonte said. “I thought this could be a pretty high scoring match, too, if we both like what we see.”

After shooting 300 in the first game, Belmonte didn’t allow himself to celebrate the moment too much. He wanted to keep his focus sharp and avoid the roll-off at all costs. The lanes transitioned quicker for Barrett than Belmonte, and the Australian’s strike in the 10th frame locked up his 30th career title, and fifth of the season. 

While he appreciates the privilege of competing on tour, Belmonte doesn’t allow contentment to drift into his consciousness, even as the accolades continue to mount.

“I’ve never been complacent with where I am in the game,” he said. “I’m always pushing to get morem to learn more, to practice more. Plus, my just absolute hunger to be one of the greatest to ever throw a ball down the lane. It definitely motivates and pushes me to wake up early, or to stay up late and get those extra games in.”

As Belmonte chases the ghosts of PBA lore on the career titles list, he must stave off the game’s rising stars. He wants to raise the bar to new heights, and leave behind an indelible legacy as one of the game’s greatest athletes.

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Made-for-TV PBA Playoffs come to Central Florida

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One local bowling enthusiast will be in the same television booth he’s manned for more than 25 years.

Orlando resident Randy Pedersen was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2011 after winning 13 national titles, including the 1987 PBA National Championship.

This year, his 26th as TV analyst on multiple networks that have aired the PBA, sets the record for most years for a PBA analyst, surpassing the mark of Nelson Burton Jr. , another Hall of Famer and Florida resident.

Pedersen has been the face of the sport on TV almost as long as he was a regular player on tour. He began his bowling career in 1981 and stopped competing full-time in 2008, the last 10 years overlapping with analyst duties.

“It’s been an honor to represent our players and the sport,” said Pedersen, who moved to Orlando from Clermont where two other PBA Hall of Fame members, Jason Couch and Norm Duke , reside.

There have been sporadic PBA events in the region, including this week’s made-for-TV event that coincided with the PBA’s partnership with Fox Sports and Bowlero Corporation. The latter became the PBA’s parent company/owner in 2019 a year after Fox became the new TV home to the PBA.

Bowlero also owns more than 300 bowling centers that were previously owned by AMF, including Sunday’s host venue.

The PBA Playoffs began in 2019. The first two years featured a 24-player bracket. It switched to 16 players for ’21 and ’22 and there were no playoffs last season.

The top 16 players in the PBA points standings earn spots in the playoffs. The first two rounds of this year’s playoffs took place in Arlington, Wash., just outside Seattle.

“It’s a little different this year going from Seattle to Kissimmee, but I’ll take it since it’s a home game for me with just a 30-minute drive,” Pedersen said. “I’m hoping there’s enough support to hold more events here [in Central Florida].”

Each year the playoffs have taken place in a different location. In ’22 it was hosted by two different bowling centers in Florida: Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales and Bowlero Jupiter.

Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando also hosted the ’17 PBA Tour Finals and multiple Professional Women’s Bowling Association events, the last coming in ’19 (BowlerX.com PWBA Orlando Open).

“The Playoffs were a big selling point as a television event and a big part of our relationship with Fox,” PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said. “It’s a win-or-go-home bracket, which works in other sports, and a way to end the season while rewarding the top points players.”

Clark said last weekend’s telecast of the PBA Playoffs quarterfinals was the highest-rated broadcast on FS1, and it was taped the week before.

Sunday’s finals give the city of Kissimmee and Central Florida more exposure to host more events in the future.

“They are getting a big bang for their buck with a million viewers on Fox,” Clark said.

This four-player field lends itself to higher viewership.

The two-time defending Playoffs champ, Kyle Troup, is shooting for his second PBA Player of the Year award after winning the U.S. Open earlier this year.

Troup will face his best friend on tour, Jesper Svensson, in one of the semifinal matches. They have paired together for the annual Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship that they won in ’17 and ’20.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Troup said after his quarterfinal win.

The other semifinal has another Player of the Year contender, Bill O’Neill, facing Cinderella story David Krol, who had to earn spots into tournaments during the first half of the season through seven-game Pro Tournament Qualifiers until he won the PBA Delaware Classic to earn an exemption.

Despite having to work harder just to get into field, Krol occupies the ninth spot in the points standings.

“It’s crazy to say that I [made it],” Krol said after his upset of No. 1 seed E.J. Tackett, reigning player of the year. “It’s insane. I still don’t believe it.”

O’Neill, who won the 2020 PBA Playoffs, also has his eyes on Player of the Year after he won the PBA Players Championship to open the season in January.

Tickets are sold out for the event, which will air on Fox at 2 p.m.

PBA Playoffs

When: Sunday at AMF Kissimmee Lanes, 2 p.m. (tickets are sold out)

How to watch: Fox

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Wayne County native is one of the greatest professional bowlers of all time

When Doug Kent joined the Professional Bowlers Association Tour in 1988, there was just one thing that surprised the Macedon native.

“I thought it would be a little tougher,” he told a Rochester reporter that August.

More likely he was just a better bowler than he’d realized.

Kent was holding his own with the world’s top bowlers right from the get-go. His first tournament win came at the USBC Masters in Toledo in 1991. It was the first of four majors he would win in a career that spanned more than 20 seasons on the PBA Tour .

Kent was probably at his best during the 2006-07 season, when he captured the USBC Masters  and PBA World Championship — becoming just the ninth player in history to win two majors in a season. He established career highs for average (222.43) and earnings ($200,530) and was voted PBA Player of the Year.

Although he had some impressive peaks, the hallmark of his career was his consistency from week-to-week. Over his final seven full seasons, he cashed in an astonishing 130 of 133 events.

"I worked on my game for years and years so I always had a chance to win on different lane conditions," Kent said in a 2013 interview. "I can't say I was a master at any one but very competitive on all of them. I never wanted to be one dimensional, just versatile."

His career totals are undeniably impressive: Kent won 10 tournaments; cashed in 344 out of 455 events (75 percent); made 37 televised finals; rolled 31 perfect games; and earned approximately $1.51 million in prize money.

Those numbers made him worthy of the sport’s highest accolades. Kent was named  one of the PBA's 50 greatest players of all-time  in 2008, and he was  inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2013 .

Although he retired from full-time play in 2010, Kent continued to appear in PBA Tour events occasionally through 2019.

Kent lettered in golf and baseball at Palmyra-Macedon High School, which didn’t have a bowling team. Instead, he competed in men’s leagues, averaging close to 200.

He has been the owner/operator of  Doug Kent's Rose Bowl Lanes in Newark  since 1999. He lives in Newark with his wife and two children.

Sean Lahman is a former investigative reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle and served as an editor of a number of best-selling sports encyclopedias — including Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball and The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia.

This story was originally published in July 2016.

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John Janawicz Wins 2024 PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open

Clearwater, Florida –  John Janawicz was simply on fire Wednesday at the 2024 PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open. The reigning PBA50 Rookie of the Year averaged nearly 250 over 16 games to win his third career PBA50 title.

He was in 58th place after Monday’s first seven games of qualifying before climbing into 23rd place after day two. On Wednesday, he averaged 251.25 during the advancers round to move into ninth place. He needed 14 more pins to earn a first-round bye, but instead he took a longer path to the winner’s circle.

All three of his best two-out-of-three game matches went to game three, including his Round of 8 match against No. 1 seed Tom Hess. Hess took Game 1 237-226, but Janawicz responded with 279 and 239 to get the win and the No. 3 seed in the stepladder finals. Hess got the No. 5 seed.

“Tom Hess has been bowling unbelievably well,” Janawicz said, about the victory. “To actually be able to beat him like I did in my match felt like a Herculean accomplishment there.”

Janawicz continued to put on a show rolling 28 strikes in his 35 frames over three matches in the stepladder to raise the bowling ball trophy, defeating No. 1 seed Chris Warren in the title match 268-246.

“I knew I was striking a lot, but I didn’t realize how much. That is really cool,” he said. “I knew I was in a pretty good zone. To be able to get a win feels great.”

Janawicz, who won the 2023 PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Tournament of Champions, would like to see more tournaments featuring the 46-foot Petraglia oil pattern, which he felt matched up perfectly with his game. His key after day one was getting slower and using equipment that was cleaner and weaker.

“Everything worked out amazingly,” he said. “I got into a pretty good rhythm with my timing. I knew I was hitting the line, and I was able to stick the finish really well.”

His confidence on the lanes was running high. In the third frame he raised his right leg up after his delivery looking to almost kick down the 5 pin that stood for a few seconds. His next time up on the left lane, again he raised up his right leg with authority showing the pins who was in control. Janawicz began the championship match with seven consecutive strikes earning a 33-pin lead over Warren. Three straight spares from Warren in frames sixth through eight kept him in catch-up mode. Warren finished with four straight strikes but came up short in his attempt to win his second PBA50 title.

In the opening match, Hess squared off against last year’s PBA50 Player of the Year Troy Lint. The powerful left-hander and Hess battled each other frame-for-frame. Lint, who returned this season after having knee surgery, put together six straight strikes starting in the fifth frame, while Hess had a key open in the sixth to fall behind. Lint earned the win 267-226. Janawicz came on in match two and he was basically lights out. He took an early 23 pin lead in the fourth frame before reeling off eight straight strikes for the 269-159 win over Lint.

Janawicz started his semifinal match against Brad Angelo with three strikes and two single-pin spares through five frames before he was back on the strike train closing out the match with six strikes and an 8 count for the 257-224 win.

Prior to the start of the stepladder, the five players agreed to donate 5% of their individual winnings to BVL, the official charity of the PBA. Petraglia, who is an ambassador for Bowlers to Veterans Link, told Janawicz during the trophy presentation “I love watching talent and your talent is exceptional.”

“Any tournament with Johnny’s name on it is going to be a very prestigious event,” Janawicz said. “It makes it even more special to win knowing that you are bowling for a great cause and the people that helped fight to give us the freedom to be able to bowl these events is very special.”

Janawicz enjoyed leftover Key Lime Pie after his win. He also received the green light from his full-time employer at Kegel Training Center to bowl the whole season.

"I wanted to thank Chris Chartrand, Don Agent, Doug Dukes and all the staff at Kegel for giving me the time to pursue this dream and covering me while I'm away."

“Hopefully I can build on this and try to make a good run at defending my USBC Senior Masters title,” he added.

Championship Round Scores

Match 1: No. 4 Troy Lint def. No. 5 Tom Hess, 267-226 Match 2: No. 3 John Janawicz def. No. 4 Troy Lint, 269-159 Match 3: No. 3 John Janawicz def. No. 2 Brad Angelo, 257-224 Championship match: No. 3 John Janawicz def. No. 1 Chris Warren, 268-246

PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open Standings: 

• John Janawicz ,  $7,500
• Chris Warren, $4,000
• Brad Angelo, $3,300
• Troy Lint, $2,700
• Tom Hess, $2,200

Final standings - PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open

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