BELMONTE, O'NEILL SET PACE AT 2019 U.S. OPEN
MOORESVILLE, N.C. - Australia's Jason Belmonte and Bill O'Neill of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, are longtime friends and like to travel and stay together while competing on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour.
Both scored exceptionally well during the opening round of qualifying at the 2019 U.S. Open, but that's likely not what they talked about at their house Friday afternoon.
Despite being first and second in the first-round standings, they each missed a few spares during the eight-game block at Victory Lanes that left them teetering between satisfaction and frustration.
The two bowled on the first of the day's three squads, and O'Neill was the front-runner heading into the final game. He closed with a 180 game for a 1,771 total, while Belmonte's 192 was enough to land in the lead with 1,777, a 222.13 average.
Their scores were challenged late in the day by past Junior Gold Championships winner Zachary Doty of Nassau, New York, who tossed games of 257 and 265 late in the block, before finishing with 211 to fall just short.
Doty finished the day in third place with a 1,762 total, and he was followed by 2005 U.S. Open champion Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas (1,727), and Shawn Maldonado of Houston and Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington, who are tied with 1,722.
Doty finished the day in third place with a 1,762 total, and he was followed by 2005 U.S. Open champion Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas (1,727), and Shawn Maldonado of Houston and Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington, who are tied with 1,722.
Defending champion Dom Barrett of England is tied for 11th place with 1,669.
O'Neill and Belmonte both are happy with how they bowled overall on a challenging 45-foot oil pattern, but they're also both experienced enough to know you can't give away pins while competing against the best bowlers in the world, especially at an event like the U.S. Open, where strikes are much harder to come by.
"Getting off to a good start is really important at this tournament, but there is a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth for today to end the way it did," said O'Neill, who owns 11 PBA Tour titles, including the 2010 U.S. Open for his only major victory. "I missed way too many spares. I missed two 10 pins and a 3-6-10, and that's what I'm thinking about, not how I bowled overall. I'll definitely be shooting some spares on the practice range tomorrow."
The miscues are something they intend to address as they warm up Saturday for their second block of qualifying, but the roommates also know better than to linger too long on such a small piece of the marathon event.
"I'm really happy with a lot of the shots I threw today, but I'm also really frustrated making four really simple errors," said Belmonte, a 22-time PBA Tour champion, including a record 11 major titles. "I missed four spares, and those are the kinds of errors that when I turned up here, I didn't want to make. I was adamant in my practice and leading up to this event and worked really hard to make sure my spare game was sharp. In that regard, I'm a little disappointed in myself, but I'm focused on it not happening again."
All competitors must endure 24 games of qualifying over three days, with each day featuring a different lane condition. Round 2 will take place on a 41-foot oil pattern, and Sunday's third-round challenge will be 37 feet.
By the time O'Neill and Belmonte take the lanes Saturday night, they will have moved on from the things that went wrong Friday and aim to build on what went right.
"Physically, I bowled really, really well, and my picture of the lane was really clear," O'Neill said. "I just couldn't get my ball to go through the pins the right way the last two, and I couldn't really strike. There were a lot of 4 pins and 10 pins, but it was a good day overall and something to build off of."
Each round of the 2019 U.S. Open, leading up to the championship round, is being broadcast live on BowlTV.com and simulcast on FloBowling.
After 24 games, the field will be cut to the top 36 for an eight-game cashers' round on a fourth oil pattern, after which, the top 24 will advance to round-robin match play. The 56-game pinfall totals, including bonus pins for each win in match play, will determine the five finalists.
CBS Sports Network will have live coverage of the stepladder finals on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern. The winner will take home the coveted green jacket and a $30,000 top prize.
Having Belmonte as an ally and a few lanes away during qualifying are things O'Neill has learned to use to his advantage. They've found success as doubles partners and they have a friendly rivalry that pushes O'Neill just a little bit harder.
O'Neill is looking for his third Tour title in 2019, while Belmonte is eying a fifth win this season and fifth PBA Player of the Year Award. The U.S. Open is the one major that has eluded Belmonte.
"It really helps to be around someone like Jason, because if you're around someone who's constantly successful, it makes you bowl better and makes you push harder to be successful, too," O'Neill said. "It can work the opposite way, too, so that's something you want to be aware of. We have a good time together and have a great rivalry. He definitely pushes me, and I wouldn't want to travel with anyone else."
The U.S. Open is the final major championship on the 2019 PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors' Association of America.
For more information on the U.S. Open, visit BOWL.com/USOpen.
About International Bowling Campus
The International Bowling Campus (IBC) is the headquarters for the bowling industry and directly serves the more than 69 million bowlers in the United States. The IBC houses the resources of the United States Bowling Congress, the governing body and membership organization for the sport; the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America, representing the business interests of bowling centers; IBC Youth Development; Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm for the industry; the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame; the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association; the International Bowling Media Association; the Bowling News Network; the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America; and the International Training and Research Center.
The International Bowling Campus (IBC) is the headquarters for the bowling industry and directly serves the more than 69 million bowlers in the United States. The IBC houses the resources of the United States Bowling Congress, the governing body and membership organization for the sport; the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America, representing the business interests of bowling centers; IBC Youth Development; Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm for the industry; the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame; the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association; the International Bowling Media Association; the Bowling News Network; the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America; and the International Training and Research Center.
2019 U.S. Open
At Victory Lanes, Mooresville, N.C.
Friday's results
At Victory Lanes, Mooresville, N.C.
Friday's results
ROUND 1 QUALIFYING
(Eight games)
(Eight games)
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,777. 2, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,771. 3, Zachary Doty (a), Nassau, N.Y., 1,762. 4, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,727. 5(tie), Shawn Maldonado, Houston, and Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 1,722.
7, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 1,689. 8, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,684. 9, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,681. 10, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,673. 11(tie), Dominic Barrett, England, Patrick Hanrahan, Wichita, Kan., and Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,669.
14, Christian Azcona, Lake Wales, Fla., 1,667. 15, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,662. 16(tie), Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., Jason Sterner, Rockledge, Fla., and Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,659.
19, Kyle Sherman, O'Fallon, Mo., 1,651. 20, Andres Gomez, Hollywood, Fla., 1,649. 21, David Simard, Canada, 1,643. 22, Kenneth Ryan (a), Farmingdale, N.J., 1,638. 23, Nicholas Pate, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., 1,637. 24, Michael Martell (a), Brooklyn, N.Y., 1,633.
25, Matt O'Grady, S. Amboy, N.J., 1,632. 26(tie), Greg Ostrander (a), Freehold, N.J., and Ryan Burks (a), Hammond, Ind., 1,628. 28, Nathan Ruest-Lajoie (a), Canada, 1,621. 29, Kim Bolleby, Thailand, 1,619. 30, Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Little Elm, Texas, 1,618.
31, Alex Cavagnaro, North Massapequa, N.Y., 1,612. 32(tie), Verity Crawley, England, Francois Lavoie, Wichita, Kan., and Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., 1,611. 35, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,610. 36, Tim Pfeifer, Oakdale, Pa., 1,609.
37, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 1,606. 38, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 1,601. 39, Michael Davidson, Versailles, Ohio, 1,594. 40, Kristopher Prather, Milton, Fla., 1,593. 41, Ryan Ciminelli, Williamsville, N.Y., 1,590. 42, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 1,589.
43(tie), Brad Miller, Raytown, Mo., and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,588. 45, William Moore, Greensburg, Pa., 1,585. 46, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,583. 47, Ryan Winters (a), Livonia, Mich., 1,581. 48, Bryan Hahlen (a), Greenwood, S.C., 1,579.
49, Matt Russo (a), Millstone Township, N.J., 1,578. 50, Thomas Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,576. 51, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,574. 52, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 1,571. 53, AJ Chapman, South St. Paul, Minn., 1,569. 54, Anthony Simonsen, Princeton, Texas, 1,568.
55, Nicholas Christy, Fort Mill, S.C., 1,567. 56, Richard Teece, England, 1,565. 57, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,563. 58, Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich., 1,561. 59(tie), David Krol, Nixa, Mo., and Darren Tang, San Francisco, 1,559.
61, Michael Tang, San Francisco, 1,556. 62, Chris Via, Springfield, Ohio, 1,555. 63, AJ Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 1,553. 64, Timothy Foy Jr., Seaford, Del., 1,552. 65, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1,550. 66(tie), Jake Rollins, Glen Rock, N.J., and Tommy Tkacz (a), Barkhamsted, Conn., 1,537.
68(tie), Patrick Girard, Canada, Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, and David Hooper, Greenville, S.C., 1,534. 71, Matt Ogle, Louisville, Ky., 1,533. 72, Shawn Fitzpatrick (a), Claremont, N.H., 1,532.
73, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 1,531. 74, Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,530. 75, Zac Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 1,527. 76(tie), Zach Wilkins, Canada, and Brandon Curtis (a), Manson, N.C., 1,526. 78, Vince Biondo, Carpentersville, Ill., 1,523.
79, Cody Shoemaker, Hanover, Pa., 1,522. 80(tie), Nate Garcia, Riverview, Fla., Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, and Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 1,521. 83, Nathan Bohr, Austin, Texas, 1,520. 84, Dallas Leong (a), Las Vegas, 1,519.
85, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,518. 86(tie), Maria José Rodriguez, Colombia, and Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,517. 88, Johnathan Norman (a), Houston, 1,515. 89(tie), Mike Wolfe, Floyd Knobs, Ind., Justin Tuttle (a), King, N.C., and Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn., 1,510.
92, Roy Davis, Lumberton, N.C., 1,509. 93, Michael Williams II, Montgomery, Ala., 1,508. 94, Joshua Lewis, Weaverville, N.C., 1,507. 95, EJ Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 1,506. 96, Sean Daniels, Hillsboro, Ore., 1,505.
97, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,504. 98, Matthew Taylor, Youngsville, N.C., 1,502. 99, Jim Pratt, Avondale, Ariz., 1,500. 100, Michael Coffey, Melbourne, Fla., 1,499. 101, Graham Fach, Canada, 1,497. 102(tie), John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., and Matthew Sanders (a), Evansville, Ind., 1,489.
104, Mitch Hupé, Towanda, Kan., 1,483. 105, Anthony Pepe, East Elmhurst, N.Y., 1,480. 106, Wesley Low (a), Palmdale, Calif., 1,479. 107, Brent Boho (a), Colgate, Wis., 1,478. 108, Brandon Runk (a), Enola, Pa., 1,476.
109, Mykel Holliman, Collierville, Tenn., 1,473. 110, Alex Martin, Kennesaw, Ga., 1,467. 111, Kamron Doyle, Brentwood, Tenn., 1,466. 112, Kole Payne, Charlotte, N.C., 1,462. 113(tie), Bradley Ceraolo (a), Mooresville, N.C., and Greg Thomas (a), Irmo, S.C., 1,458.
115, Mike Conn (a), Crestwood, Ky., 1,452. 116(tie), Matthew T Kuba, Chicago Ridge, Ill., and Sean Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 1,451. 118, Chris Glaz, Huntersville, N.C., 1,447. 119, Adam Zimmerman (a), Deer Park, N.Y., 1,443. 120, William Hibbard (a), Mukwonago, Wis., 1,442.
121, Stuart Williams, Phoenix, 1,440. 122, Jean Perez, Greenwood, Ind., 1,434. 123, Hunter Kempton (a), Buzzards Bay, Mass., 1,429. 124, Gregory Young Jr. (a), Viera, Fla., 1,428. 125(tie), Connor Pickford, Charlotte, Texas, and Cameron Foster (a), Eagle Mountain, Utah, 1,426.
127, Nathaniel Potter (a), Whitesburg, Tenn., 1,412. 128, Caroline Thesier, Mooresville, N.C., 1,409. 129, Justin O'Shaughnessy (a), Jackson, Mich., 1,404. 130, Keven Williams (a), Springfield, Mo., 1,403. 131, Kurtis Stidd (a), Monroe, N.C., 1,385. 132, Anthony Neuer (a), Lewisburg, Pa., 1,384.
133(tie), Stephen Hahn, Ashburn, Va., and Alec Karr, Fremont, Neb., 1,382. 135, Alfred Wolfe III (a), Littleton, Colo., 1,365. 136, Carson Lineberger (a), Sherrills Ford, N.C., 1,359. 137, Michael Ruben (a), Selden, N.Y., 1,348. 138, Jim Price, Harrisburg, N.C., 1,342.
139, Andrew DeJaynes (a), Fayetteville, N.C., 1,326. 140, Tony Nicholson, Lexington, N.C., 1,321. 141, Andrew Suscreba, Clifton, N.J., 1,320. 142, Justin Wyman, Fairport, N.Y., 1,316. 143, Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz., 1,315. 144, Charles Bostic (a), Powder Springs, Ga., 1,258.
7, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 1,689. 8, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,684. 9, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,681. 10, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,673. 11(tie), Dominic Barrett, England, Patrick Hanrahan, Wichita, Kan., and Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,669.
14, Christian Azcona, Lake Wales, Fla., 1,667. 15, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,662. 16(tie), Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., Jason Sterner, Rockledge, Fla., and Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,659.
19, Kyle Sherman, O'Fallon, Mo., 1,651. 20, Andres Gomez, Hollywood, Fla., 1,649. 21, David Simard, Canada, 1,643. 22, Kenneth Ryan (a), Farmingdale, N.J., 1,638. 23, Nicholas Pate, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., 1,637. 24, Michael Martell (a), Brooklyn, N.Y., 1,633.
25, Matt O'Grady, S. Amboy, N.J., 1,632. 26(tie), Greg Ostrander (a), Freehold, N.J., and Ryan Burks (a), Hammond, Ind., 1,628. 28, Nathan Ruest-Lajoie (a), Canada, 1,621. 29, Kim Bolleby, Thailand, 1,619. 30, Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Little Elm, Texas, 1,618.
31, Alex Cavagnaro, North Massapequa, N.Y., 1,612. 32(tie), Verity Crawley, England, Francois Lavoie, Wichita, Kan., and Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., 1,611. 35, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,610. 36, Tim Pfeifer, Oakdale, Pa., 1,609.
37, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 1,606. 38, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 1,601. 39, Michael Davidson, Versailles, Ohio, 1,594. 40, Kristopher Prather, Milton, Fla., 1,593. 41, Ryan Ciminelli, Williamsville, N.Y., 1,590. 42, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 1,589.
43(tie), Brad Miller, Raytown, Mo., and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,588. 45, William Moore, Greensburg, Pa., 1,585. 46, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,583. 47, Ryan Winters (a), Livonia, Mich., 1,581. 48, Bryan Hahlen (a), Greenwood, S.C., 1,579.
49, Matt Russo (a), Millstone Township, N.J., 1,578. 50, Thomas Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,576. 51, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,574. 52, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 1,571. 53, AJ Chapman, South St. Paul, Minn., 1,569. 54, Anthony Simonsen, Princeton, Texas, 1,568.
55, Nicholas Christy, Fort Mill, S.C., 1,567. 56, Richard Teece, England, 1,565. 57, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,563. 58, Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich., 1,561. 59(tie), David Krol, Nixa, Mo., and Darren Tang, San Francisco, 1,559.
61, Michael Tang, San Francisco, 1,556. 62, Chris Via, Springfield, Ohio, 1,555. 63, AJ Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 1,553. 64, Timothy Foy Jr., Seaford, Del., 1,552. 65, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1,550. 66(tie), Jake Rollins, Glen Rock, N.J., and Tommy Tkacz (a), Barkhamsted, Conn., 1,537.
68(tie), Patrick Girard, Canada, Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, and David Hooper, Greenville, S.C., 1,534. 71, Matt Ogle, Louisville, Ky., 1,533. 72, Shawn Fitzpatrick (a), Claremont, N.H., 1,532.
73, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 1,531. 74, Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,530. 75, Zac Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 1,527. 76(tie), Zach Wilkins, Canada, and Brandon Curtis (a), Manson, N.C., 1,526. 78, Vince Biondo, Carpentersville, Ill., 1,523.
79, Cody Shoemaker, Hanover, Pa., 1,522. 80(tie), Nate Garcia, Riverview, Fla., Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, and Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 1,521. 83, Nathan Bohr, Austin, Texas, 1,520. 84, Dallas Leong (a), Las Vegas, 1,519.
85, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,518. 86(tie), Maria José Rodriguez, Colombia, and Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,517. 88, Johnathan Norman (a), Houston, 1,515. 89(tie), Mike Wolfe, Floyd Knobs, Ind., Justin Tuttle (a), King, N.C., and Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn., 1,510.
92, Roy Davis, Lumberton, N.C., 1,509. 93, Michael Williams II, Montgomery, Ala., 1,508. 94, Joshua Lewis, Weaverville, N.C., 1,507. 95, EJ Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 1,506. 96, Sean Daniels, Hillsboro, Ore., 1,505.
97, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,504. 98, Matthew Taylor, Youngsville, N.C., 1,502. 99, Jim Pratt, Avondale, Ariz., 1,500. 100, Michael Coffey, Melbourne, Fla., 1,499. 101, Graham Fach, Canada, 1,497. 102(tie), John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., and Matthew Sanders (a), Evansville, Ind., 1,489.
104, Mitch Hupé, Towanda, Kan., 1,483. 105, Anthony Pepe, East Elmhurst, N.Y., 1,480. 106, Wesley Low (a), Palmdale, Calif., 1,479. 107, Brent Boho (a), Colgate, Wis., 1,478. 108, Brandon Runk (a), Enola, Pa., 1,476.
109, Mykel Holliman, Collierville, Tenn., 1,473. 110, Alex Martin, Kennesaw, Ga., 1,467. 111, Kamron Doyle, Brentwood, Tenn., 1,466. 112, Kole Payne, Charlotte, N.C., 1,462. 113(tie), Bradley Ceraolo (a), Mooresville, N.C., and Greg Thomas (a), Irmo, S.C., 1,458.
115, Mike Conn (a), Crestwood, Ky., 1,452. 116(tie), Matthew T Kuba, Chicago Ridge, Ill., and Sean Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 1,451. 118, Chris Glaz, Huntersville, N.C., 1,447. 119, Adam Zimmerman (a), Deer Park, N.Y., 1,443. 120, William Hibbard (a), Mukwonago, Wis., 1,442.
121, Stuart Williams, Phoenix, 1,440. 122, Jean Perez, Greenwood, Ind., 1,434. 123, Hunter Kempton (a), Buzzards Bay, Mass., 1,429. 124, Gregory Young Jr. (a), Viera, Fla., 1,428. 125(tie), Connor Pickford, Charlotte, Texas, and Cameron Foster (a), Eagle Mountain, Utah, 1,426.
127, Nathaniel Potter (a), Whitesburg, Tenn., 1,412. 128, Caroline Thesier, Mooresville, N.C., 1,409. 129, Justin O'Shaughnessy (a), Jackson, Mich., 1,404. 130, Keven Williams (a), Springfield, Mo., 1,403. 131, Kurtis Stidd (a), Monroe, N.C., 1,385. 132, Anthony Neuer (a), Lewisburg, Pa., 1,384.
133(tie), Stephen Hahn, Ashburn, Va., and Alec Karr, Fremont, Neb., 1,382. 135, Alfred Wolfe III (a), Littleton, Colo., 1,365. 136, Carson Lineberger (a), Sherrills Ford, N.C., 1,359. 137, Michael Ruben (a), Selden, N.Y., 1,348. 138, Jim Price, Harrisburg, N.C., 1,342.
139, Andrew DeJaynes (a), Fayetteville, N.C., 1,326. 140, Tony Nicholson, Lexington, N.C., 1,321. 141, Andrew Suscreba, Clifton, N.J., 1,320. 142, Justin Wyman, Fairport, N.Y., 1,316. 143, Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz., 1,315. 144, Charles Bostic (a), Powder Springs, Ga., 1,258.
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