BOWER WINS PBA60 EVENT

Darryl Bower Throws Last Six Strikes in Title Match

to Win PBA60 Dick Weber Championship

Bower defeats Dave Axon 255-208 in title match for first senior national title

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Aug. 12, 2017) –  Darryl Bower of Middletown, Pa., threw the last six strikes in the championship match to win the PBA60 Dick Weber Championship presented by Hammer Saturday at Pro Bowl West for his first PBA60 national title.

Bower defeated the stepladder finals’ top qualifier Dave Axon of Bellevue, Neb., 255-208, to win the last of three PBA60 events for players 60 and older during the season.

Bower, a 61-year-old bowling proprietor, held a commanding lead until the sixth frame when he left the 4-6-7 split opening the door for Axon who was trying for his first national title. But then Bower made a small adjustment which enabled him to put the string of strikes together to seal the match.

“Being able to throw the ball straight and fairly slow allowed me to repeat shots,” Bower said. “I had that one bad shot in the sixth frame but I made a small adjustment by moving my feet to the left on the approach and that’s all I needed to get the ball back to the pocket.”

The win was Bower’s second national PBA title. He won the PBA Tour’s 1985 PBA True Value Open which was held in Indianapolis.

“Indiana has been good to me,” said Bower. “My PBA Tour win came in Indianapolis and now I’ve got a senior win here in Fort Wayne. I’m looking forward to coming back.”

Bower’s best finish on the PBA50 Tour was fifth in the 2012 PBA50 Senior Dayton Classic.

Bower, who qualified third for the finals, defeated No. 5 qualifier Hugh Miller of Mercer Island, Wash., 280-192, in the second stepladder match before advancing to the semi-final where he beat 2008 USBC Senior Masters winner Kenny Parks of Hammond, Ind., 234-206.

Miller, a seven-time PBA Tour and three-time PBA50 Tour winner, posted an 11-1 match play record to make it to the finals.

In the opening match, Miller beat three-time PBA Tour and two-time PBA50 Tour winner Charlie Tapp of Kalamazoo, Mich., 222-193.

The winner of the two previous PBA60 events this season were PBA Hall of Famer and four-time PBA50 Tour Player of the Year Tom Baker who won the season-opening PBA60 Killer ‘B’ Open and two-time PBA50 Player of the Year and reigning PBA60 Player of the Year Ron Mohr, who won the Super Senior Classic.

PBA60 DICK WEBER CHAMPIONSHIP

presented by Hammer
Pro Bowl West, Fort Wayne, Ind., Saturday

Final Standings:

1, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., $7,500.

2, Dave Axon, Bellevue, Neb., $4,000.

3, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., $2,500.

4, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., $2,000.

5, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., $1,750.

Stepladder Results:

Match One – Miller def. Tapp, 222-193.

Match Two – Bower def. Miller, 280-192.

Semi-final Match – Bower def. Parks, 234-206.

Championship Match – Bower def. Axon – 255-208.

Fourth Round

(After 24 games. Includes match play record and overall pinfall total including bonus pins. Top five advance to stepladder finals)

1, David Axon, Bellevue, Neb., 9-3, 5,918.
2, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 9-3, 5,891.
3, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 8-4, 5,846.
4, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 8-4, 5,717.
5, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 11-1, 5,709.
6, n-Henry Dawson, Elma, Wash., 9-3, 5,679, $1,600.
7, Edward Silva, Manteca, Calif., 7-5, 5,666, $1,550.
8, Bill Nichols, Bella Vista, Ark., 5-7, 5,660, $1,500.
9, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 7-5, 5,644, $1,450.
10, Warren Nelson, Hemet, Calif., 9-3, 5,640, $1,425.
11, n-Leroy Johnson, Chicago, 7-5, 5,633, $1,400.
12, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 7-5, 5,625, $1,375.
13, Ed Roberts, Braintree, Mass., 3-8-1, 5,579, $1,350.
14, Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, 4-7-1, 5,573, $1,325.
15, Raymond Scrivens, Jr., Athens, Pa., 7-5, 5,549, $1,300.
16, Don Sylvia, Daytona Beach, Fla., 7-5, 5,541, $1,275.
17, Marc Lineberry, Camanche, Iowa, 5-7, 5,486, $1,250.
18, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 7-5, 5,460, $1,225.
19, Brian Miller, Springfield, Ohio, 6-6, 5,456, $1,210.
20, James Storts, Westfield, Ind., 6-6, 5,444, $1,200.
21, Greg McMahan, Dandridge, Tenn., 5-7, 5,412, $1,190.
22, Brendan Bierch, Grafton, Mass., 5-7, 5,406, $1,180.
23, n-Ed Austreng, Waterford, Mich., 6-5-1, 5,387, $1,170.
24, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 3-9, 5,383, $1,160.
25, Ray Johnson, Battle Creek, Mich., 5-7, 5,376, $1,150.
26, Mark Everette, Aliquippa, Pa., 4-8, 5,352, $1,140.
27, John Parry, Oak Park, Calif., 5-7, 5,328, $1,130.
28, (tie) n-Fred McClain, Allen Park, Mich., 5-6-1, 5,266, and n-Mitchell Jabczenski, Novi, Mich., 2-10, 5,266, $1,118.
30, Lee Brosius, Ashburn, Va., 3-9, 5,206, $1,110.
31, Chris Fedden, Albany, N.Y., 4-8, 5,135, $1,105.
32, Dale Eagle, Twin Falls, Idaho, 2-10, 5,029, $1,100.