ANOTHER MISSION COMPLETE
Fagan finds success with Ebonite’s New Mission

A little bit of superstition and a great ball reaction led Ebonite International PBA staff player Michael Fagan to win the PBA One A Day Dick Weber Open, his first singles title.

“It’s a great feeling to finally win a singles title,” said Fagan. “It is a big weight off of my shoulders and I am glad to get over the hump and hope I can do it again soon!”

Fagan qualified in first place for the finals, and had to face PBA Tour legend Walter Ray Williams, Jr., the winningest player in PBA history.

“Walter Ray is always going to give you a tough match and whenever you beat him you know you earned it,” admitted Fagan.

Fagan had a bit of help in the superstition department, as he refused to shave his beard before competition. The superstition served more as a confidence-builder than anything.

“Bowling is such a mental game,” explained Fagan. “Anything I can do to make myself feel comfortable and confident I will do it! I wanted to have fun with this show and not put any pressure on myself.”

His strategy worked, especially after a rough start to the week, when Fagan was hit with a stomach virus. He actually skipped the practice session on Tuesday to rest and get well before returning for the first qualifying session.

While the lanes were not as tough as they had been in previous weeks, Fagan did face a 39 foot oil pattern, named after famed PBA bowler Dick Weber, and designed to maximize creativity and performance from the bowlers. The oil is buffed so that there is less oil placed at the end of the pattern. The structure of the pattern forces bowlers to make continual adjustments to keep up with the transitions from lane to lane, something Dick Weber mastered.

True to the pattern, Fagan was forced to use a variety of equipment throughout the week, but depended on Ebonite’s new Mission ball when he needed help getting through the backend part of the lane.

“The Mission was the right choice because it has an extremely clean cover and also slows down perfectly by the break point,” said Fagan. “It is really a special bowling ball. When the lanes carried down and I did get to use it, it was the perfect ball. The 241 I shot in the finals was my low game of the week with that ball (my High Game of the week was 290).”

“Mike did a spectacular job with the Mission,” said Ed Gallagher, Ebonite Brand Manager. “I’m glad he was successful in completing his Mission to win a PBA title, and I’m really glad Ebonite could be there with him.”

Ebonite’s Mission will be available worldwide beginning February 2, 2010, and looks to be the ‘must-have’ ball in every bowler’s bag.

Fagan’s next challenge will be the USBC Masters, where he hopes to take home his first major. The Masters begins February 9, with the finals to be televised February 14 at 3 p.m. EST on ESPN. Meanwhile, Fagan will have a week off to prepare, and possibly spend some time with his other love, fulltiltpoker.net.

“Although I haven't played much lately due to my bowling schedule, I have always been an avid poker player,” explained Fagan. “It’s a great fit because many bowlers are also poker players.”

Fagan isn’t saying when he will shave again, but there’s a good chance we’ll see more beards on tour after this event.