BELMONTE WINS FOR 7TH MAJOR

Belmonte Wins Barbasol PBA Players Championship

for Seventh Major Title

Australian defeats Anthony Simonsen 221-204 in championship match to end two-year winless streak

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Feb. 12, 2017) – Three-time Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia captured his seventh major title and ended a two-year streak without a Tour win by winning the Barbasol PBA Players Championship Sunday at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl.

In a championship match between two players who use the unique two-handed delivery, the top seeded Belmonte defeated Anthony Simonsen of Austin, Texas, 221-204, to notch his second Players Championship win and 13th PBA Tour title overall.

Belmonte’s win broke a dry spell that started after he won his record third straight USBC Masters and his second consecutive PBA Tournament of Champions back-to-back in February of 2015. Going into the Players Championship he had a string of 16 tournaments in which he made the top five but failed to win. He finished second in five of those events.

“It’s a brand new start,” Belmonte said of the new season.  “I was successful staying focused the whole tournament from start to finish. I’ve learned that if you look ahead or behind you’re not staying in the moment.”

In the title match, Belmonte held a commanding 37-pin lead in the fifth frame that was too much for Simonsen to overcome.

“It feels fantastic,” said the 33-year-old Belmonte, who won his first major in the 2011 Players Championship. “Two years is a long time to wait (for a win), especially considering all the times I had made TV.

“I’ve always believed in myself but I’ll admit there’s a lot of weight off of my shoulders now after all that time because believe me, people will remind you,” he added.

The 20-year-old Simonsen, who qualified second for the finals, was trying to become the youngest player to win two PBA Tour majors. He won the 2016 USBC Masters at 19 to become the youngest to win a PBA major.

“I didn’t make my best shots in that match,” said Simonsen. “There were probably a couple of shots where I should have reset myself. I’ll just use it as a learning experience.”

In the semifinal match, Simonsen beat Connor Pickford of Plano, Texas, 204-191, to advance to the title match. Pickford, who was trying for his first Tour singles title, teamed with Simonsen to win the 2016 Roth/Holman PBA Doubles for his first title.

In the opening stepladder match, Pickford defeated Team USA member and former Wichita State bowling star AJ Chapman, 243-154. Chapman was trying to become only the third player to win a Tour title in his first tournament as a PBA member.

In the second match, Pickford defeated Martin Larsen of Sweden 266-182 to advance to the semifinal. With four career runner-up finishes, Larsen was trying for his first Tour win.

The PBA Tour travels to Shawnee, Okla., for the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions Feb. 13-19, the second major of the season.

PBA’s Big February on ESPN continues with live finals telecasts of the Tournament of Champions on Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. ET and back-to-back telecasts of the USBC Masters finals and World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals presented by the PBA Feb. 26 beginning at 1 p.m. 

In addition to the lineup of live telecasts, the State Farm CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational, which was taped on Jan. 17 at Lucky Strike L.A. Live in Los Angeles, will air on Friday, Feb. 17, at 9 p.m. ET as part of the NBA All-Star weekend.

BARBASOL PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Sunday

Final Standings

1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, $40,000.

2, Anthony Simonsen, Austin, Texas, $20,000.

3, Connor Pickford, Plano, Texas, $12,000.

4, Martin Larsen, Sweden, $11,000.

5, AJ Chapman, Wichita, Kan., $10,000.

Stepladder Results

Match One – Pickford def. Chapman, 243-154.

Match Two – Pickford def. Larsen, 266-182.

Semifinal Match – Simonsen def. Pickford, 204-191.

Championship Match – Belmonte def. Simonsen, 221-204.

About the PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is an organization of more than 3,200 of the best bowlers from 27 countries who compete in PBA Tour, PBA International Tour, QubicaAMF PBA Regional Tour, PBA Women’s Regional and PBA50 Tour events. The PBA is in its 58th consecutive year of nationally-televised competition, reaching bowling fans around the world who follow PBA activities through the PBA Network which includes Xtra Frame, the PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, ESPN and CBS Sports Network, and the PBA on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. PBA sponsors include Barbasol, Brunswick, Ebonite International, GEICO, Grand Casino Hotel and Resort, HotelPlanner.com, MOTIV, 900 Global, PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Game, QubicaAMF, South Point Hotel Casino and Spa, Storm Products and the United States Bowling Congress, among others. For more information, log on to www.pba.com.