Belmonte, Duke, Butturff and Simonsen Nominated for

2019 ESPY Best Bowler Award; Voting Now Open

CHICAGO – Four-time PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte, PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke, and rising stars Jakob Butturff and Anthony Simonsen – four players who have already put together milestone seasons on the GoBowling! PBA Tour season in 2019 – have been selected by ESPN as nominees for the 2019 ESPY Best Bowler Award.

Fans have the opportunity to select the winners by voting online at ESPN.com/ESPYS and social media platforms. Visit this link to vote: https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/page/voting48/best-athlete-sport 

Hosted by actor/comedian Tracy Morgan, the awards will be announced Wednesday, July 10 during the ESPYs telecast from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Voting will remain open until the start of the ESPYs telecast.

Belmonte, a four-time winner in 2019, has won four previous ESPYs. During the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season, he has won the PBA Tournament of Champions and a second consecutive PBA World Championship for his 10th and 11th PBA Tour major titles, surpassing Earl Anthony and Pete Weber for first on the all-time majors titles list.

Just shy of his 55th birthday, Duke, a four-time ESPY winner, won the Go Bowling! PBA Indianapolis Open and the Go Bowling! PBA Jonesboro Open for his 39th and 40th tour titles, becoming the oldest player to win back-to-back tour titles. He joins all-time PBA Tour titles record-holder Walter Ray Williams Jr. (47) and Earl Anthony (43) as the third player ever to win 40 PBA Tour titles.

Butturff, a two-time winner so far in 2019, is looking for his first ESPY. He won the USBC Masters for his first PBA Tour major. He also was runner-up to Belmonte in the PBA World Championship.

Simonsen, who became the youngest player ever to win a major when he won the 2016 USBC Masters at age 19, became the youngest to win two majors when he captured the 2019 PBA Players Championship at age 22. He also is hoping for his first ESPY.

The ESPYS and related events benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research in memory of the late Jim Valvano. You can help raise awareness of Jimmy V’s dream by sharing/retweeting his powerful speech, which will be shared by @ESPN (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) as well as @ESPYS (Twitter) on July 10.

HISTORY OF BEST BOWLER ESPY AWARD WINNERS

2018 – Rhino Page

2017 – Jason Belmonte

2016 – Jason Belmonte

2015 – Jason Belmonte

2014 – Pete Weber

2013 – Pete Weber

2012 – Sean Rash

2011 – Jason Belmonte

2010 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2009 – Norm Duke

2008 – Norm Duke

2007 – Norm Duke

2006 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2005 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2004 – Pete Weber

2003 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2002 – Pete Weber

2001 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

2000 – Parker Bohn III

1999 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

1998 – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

1997 – Bob Learn Jr.

1996 – Mike Aulby

1995 – Norm Duke