At age 22, Anthony Simonsen of Little Elm, Texas, has already established himself as one of the PBA’s premier stars. But his youthful journey to the top levels of competitive bowling hasn’t been easy. A documentary that made its debut on FloBowling.com Wednesday, "Simonsen: Leave It Behind," tells his story.
FloBowling’s first documentary interviews Simonsen and the people close to him as it delves into how he overcame some difficult personal obstacles in his formative years to become one of bowling’s biggest stars.
“With this first FloSports bowling presentation, I hope you enjoy a glimpse into one of our young star bowler’s life,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark. “Anthony's origin story, like every person in the PBA family, deserves to be told because when you get to know our players, when you really care about them and they feel like part of your family, the drama PBA bowling provides is unmatched.”
Simonsen has already won enough PBA Tour titles to qualify for election to the PBA Hall of Fame, but also must complete 20 years of PBA membership before he’ll be eligible for election. With seven standard PBA Tour titles and two majors, he is the youngest player ever to complete the title-eligibility requirement.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR PBA CLASH AT KEGEL TRAINING CENTER
General admission and VIP tickets are now on sale for the second PBA Clash which will take place on Monday, Oct. 21, at Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla. The Clash will include the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour’s top eight money-winners in a special elimination-format telecast that will air on FOX on Sunday, Nov. 3.
VIP tickets for the 2019 PBA Clash are available for $50, and include:
• 4:30 p.m. early access to TV seating;
• An interactive Q&A session with the PBA pros during official practice session between 5-5:45 p.m.;
• Buffet dinner from 5:45-6:30 p.m.;
• Kegel gift bag.
General admission tickets are available for $20, with seating beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets can be ordered online at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Seven of the eight Clash participants have already locked up spots. Australia’s Jason Belmonte leads the PBA Tour with $275,290 in official earnings for 2019. He is followed by Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz., $185,780; Kris Prather, Plainfield, Ill., $173,990; EJ Tackett, Bluffton, Ind., $166,695; Anthony Simonsen, Little Elm, Texas, $155,690; Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., $152,148, and Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., $119,170, in seventh place.
PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., is currently in eighth place with $97,415, and could be knocked out of the top eight by Kyle Sherman of O’Fallon, Mo., if Sherman wins the $25,000 top prize in the PBA FloBowling ATX Invite on Sept. 21 at Dart Bowl in Austin, Texas. Sherman is in ninth place on the earnings list with $78,968.
Fans can follow the Lucky Larsen Masters, which ends Sunday, at this link: http://luckylarsenmasters.
HOLLIMAN CONTINUES TO PACE GO BOWLING! PBA TOUR ROOKIES IN POINTS
Former Junior Team USA member and three-time Teen Masters titlist Greg Young Jr. of Viera, Fla., was the top rookie performer in the FloBowling PBA Summer Tour, finishing third in the Harry O’Neale Chesapeake Open and fourth in the PBA Wolf Open as part of the FloBowling PBA Summer Swing presented by the Brands of Ebonite International in Aurora, Ill., but a slow start earlier in the year prevented him from gaining much ground on Mykel Holliman of Collierville, Tenn., in the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour’s rookie competition points race.
Holliman, the runner-up in the Tier 3 USBC Masters earlier in 2019, ranks 36th overall on the 2019 PBA points list with 8,390 points, but he’s still comfortably ahead of five other players on the 2019 Bowl4life PBA Rookie Watch list. Kenneth Ryan of Farmingdale, N.J., is 57th (4,760) on the points list followed by Wichita’s Patrick Hanrahan (59th, 4,410); Greg Young (up from 78th to 65th, 3,940); Jake Rollins of Glen Rock, N.J. (75th, 3,148) and Mike Coffey of Melbourne, Fla. (80th, 2,990). Status in competition points is one of several factors voters will consider in selection of the 2019 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.
The 2019 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year will receive a $2,500 bonus from Chuck Gardner’s Bowl4Life Foundation and the foundation will donate an additional $2,500 to a youth bowler scholarship in the ROY’s name.
PBA Hall of Famer Tom Baker of King, N.C.; Ron Profitt of Brookville, Ohio; Sam Ventura of Syracuse, N.Y., and Jerry Horn of Lexington, S.C., won titles in the PBA South Region’s annual extended Labor Day tournament series for PBA50 and PBA60 competitors that ended Monday with the PBA50 Mooresville South Open presented by Columbia 300 at Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C.
Baker kicked off the series by defeating fellow Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla., 239-219, in the final of the PBA50 Sky Lanes South Open in Asheville, N.C., on Aug. 25.
Three days later in Kingsport, Tenn., Profitt came out striking with a perfect game to defeat Greg McMahan of Dandridge, Tenn., 300-279, to win the third annual PBA60 Kingsport South Open at Warpath Lanes.
Ventura was next, winning the PBA60 Wilson & Sons Termite and Pest Control Southern Open at Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C., where he defeated Jeff Bellinger of Columbia, S.C., 201-195, for the title.
In the series finale, Horn put together three strikes in the 10th frame to claim the victory over Craig Auerbach of Sunrise, Fla., 222-215, for the win in the PBA50 Mooresville South Open in Mooresville.
Along with his 36th regional title, Baker earned $1,800. Profitt earned $1,800 and his third PBA Regional win in the PBA60 Kingsport event. Ventura picked up his 10th regional title along with $2,000. Horn also took home $2,000 and his first PBA50 Regional title for the Mooresville win.
PBA50 tournaments are open to players ages 50 and older; PBA60 events are for players ages 60 and older.
• Bruce Hall of Westborough, Mass. defeated Jay Davis of Silver Spring, Md., 261-231, to win the PBA50 Hammer/Strike Zone Open at the Strike Zone Alleys in Pottsville, Pa., Sunday for his second PBA Regional title – 37 years after winning his first title.
Hall, who collected $1,500, won his previous title in a doubles event in Paramus, N.J. in 1982.
Hall dominated qualifying as well as going undefeated in the bracket elimination round. He averaged 252.8 for the event. A split in the middle of the championship game gave Davis a chance to win, but consecutive nine-count spares late in the game and three strikes in the 10th allowed Hall to clinch the win.
Hall defeated non-PBA member Troy Lint of Blandon, Pa., 236-215, and Davis edged Darryl Bower of Middletown, Pa., 216-215, in the semifinal round.
• Jerry Marrs of Lake in the Hills, Ill. defeated Steve Taylor of Tremont, Ill. 228-199, to win the $2,000 first prize and his second PBA Regional title in the Illinois Valley Midwest Open at Illinois Valley Super Bowl in Peru, Ill., Sunday.
Taylor defeated Nick Pate of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., 258-197, to advance to the championship match after downing Charlie Brown of Granville, Mich., 191-189, in the first stepladder match.
• The PBA Regional calendar moves into fall with a pair of events over the Sept. 6-8 weekend: the Boss Snow Plows/Ebonite Central/Midwest Open at PinHeads in Fishers, Ind., and the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort Southwest Invitational at FireLake Bowling Center in Shawnee, Okla.
• The Sept. 13-15 PBA Regional schedule features the PBA50 King Pin Lanes Eastern Open in Rome, N.Y.; the Sturgis/Storm Central/Midwest Open at Sturgis Bowl in Sturgis, Mich.; the Fayetteville South Open at Lafayette Lanes in Fayetteville, N.C.; the Liberal Kansas Southwest Open Ayr Lanes, and a doubleheader at AMF Mardi Gras Lanes in Sacramento, Calif. – the PBA and PBA50 West/Northwest Capital City Opens presented by DV8 and Genesis.
• PBA Regional activity scheduled for the Sept. 20-22 weekend include the PBA/PBA50 Over/Under Doubles at Millsboro Lanes in Millsboro, Del.; the EZ Bowl Central Open in Bluffton, Ind.; the Odessa Southwest Super Regional at Diamond Lanes in Odessa, Texas, and a tripleheader including the PBA Paradise Lanes Northwest/West Open, PBA50 Paradise Lanes Gary Mage Northwest/West Senior Open (both presented by 900 Global) plus the Jeanne Naccarato Women’s Open in Tacoma, Wash. On Saturday, Sept. 21, Ten Pin Alley in Fitchburg, Wis., also will host the Ten Pin Alley Midwest Open.
• September’s busy calendar of PBA Regional events will conclude over the Sept. 27-29 weekend with the Bowlers Discount Pro Shop East Open presented by Radical at Terrace Lanes in Frederick, Md.; the PBA50 Mel Westrich Memorial Central/Midwest Open at Delphos Recreation in Delphos, Ohio; the PBA50 J&L Sports South Open at Paradise Lanes in Spartanburg, S.C.; the back-to-back PBA50 Junction City Bowl Southwest/Midwest Open I and II one-day events in Junction City, Kan.; and the 17th annual Double Decker Lanes West/Northwest Open presented by Roto Grip in Rohnert Park, Calif.
• PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III and family conducted Bohn’s 20th anniversary youth scholarship tournament over the Labor Day weekend, notching a record 267 entries and paying out a record $31,000 in scholarship prize money. In its previous 19 years, the event has paid out more than $88,000 in scholarships. This year, the event was expanded to three days…and included livestreaming orchestrated by one of Bohn’s sons, Justin.
• Reminder: PBA Hall of Famer Danny Wiseman will host his eighth annual Youth Scholarship Tournament Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12-13, at AMF Country Club Lanes in Baltimore. For complete information about the event, including how to enter, visit: https://pjbtbowlingseries.com/
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