AZCONA WINS 1ST PBA TOUR TITLE

Cristian Azcona Wins First PBA Tour Title in PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open

PBA’s 2017 South Region Player of the Year becomes first Puerto Rican to win PBA Tour title

WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 20, 2018) – Puerto Rico’s Cristian Azcona became his country’s first Professional Bowlers Association champion Sunday when he defeated AJ Johnson of Oswego, Ill., 217-214, to win the PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open at Ten Pin Alley Family Fun Center.

In a title match between two players vying for their first PBA Tour title, three pins separated the pair heading into the 10th frame when the 24-year-old Azcona threw three strikes to clinch the title and hand the 25-year-old Johnson his fourth second-place finish in PBA Tour competition.

“It feels amazing,” Azcona said. “I’ve always thought about this, but it feels amazing.”

 

Both players struggled with the touchy lane conditions but Azcona found the solution first, throwing a late string of three strikes to take the lead.

“I moved in a little and hooked the ball a little more,” he said. Knowing he needed two strikes and at least eight pins in the 10th frame to lock up his first title, “I thought thank God I’m finishing on my good lane, and then I just concentrated on making good shots.

“I wasn’t sure (I was the first Puerto Rican to win a PBA Tour title), but knowing the bowlers in Puerto Rico, I had a pretty good idea. I figured if it ever happened, I’d be the first one.”

Making bowling history for his country was secondary, however, to winning his first PBA Tour title.

“I’ve been thinking about that ever since I decided to take this sport seriously, which is most of my life,” he said. “It’s a dream come true.”

The two finalists have followed remarkably similar paths in their young PBA careers. Azcona, a former collegiate star at Lindenwood University, was the PBA South Region’s Player of the Year in 2017, his PBA rookie year. Johnson, a former All-American with McKendree University, was the 2017 PBA Midwest Region Player of the Year. Azcona is a five-time member of Puerto Rico’s national bowling team; Johnson is four-time member of Team USA.

In the opening match, Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Fla., took advantage of Tommy Jones’ inability to strike on the right lane until the ninth frame, eliminating the tournament qualifying leader, 214-185. But after building a 29-pin lead on four strikes in five frames in the semifinal match, Daugherty lost his shot at the title when he left and failed to convert the 4-6-9-10 split in the ninth frame while Johnson ran off a string of five strikes on his way to a 224-201 win.

The Wilmington Open is the second of eight PBA Xtra Frame Tour events in 2018 and a part of the Go

Bowling! PBA Tour. The third PBA Xtra Frame Tour event will be the Greater Jonesboro Open at Hijinx in Jonesboro, Ark., June 1-3.

For Xtra Frame subscriptions, visit xtraframe.tv. Subscriptions are available for three days ($3.99), 30 days ($7.99) or for a full year at a cost of about $1.25 per week.

PBA XTRA FRAME WILMINGTON OPEN

Ten Pin Alley Family Fun Center, Wilmington, N.C., Sunday

Final Standings:

1, Cristian Azcona, Puerto Rico, $10,000.

2, AJ Johnson, Oswego, Ill., $5,000.

3, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., $3,000.

4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., $2,000.

Stepladder Results:

Match One – Daugherty def. Jones, 214-185.

Semifinal Match – Johnson def. Daugherty, 224-201.

Championship – Azcona def. Johnson, 217-214.

Round of 8 Standings (after 17 games; top 4 advanced):

1, Azcona, 4,075.
2, Johnson, 3,922.
3, Jones, 3,914.
4, Daugherty, 3,905.
5, Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich., 3,869, $1,500.
6, Chris Polizzi, Spring Hill, Fla., 3,857, $1,400.
7, Tim Foy Jr., Seaford, Del., 3,786, $1,300.
8, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,751, $1,200.

Round of 16 Cashers (after 15 games):

9, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 3,343, $1,250.
10, Anthony Simonsen, Austin, Texas, 3,321, $1,100.
11, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,306, $1,000.
12, Michael Vitalone, Jr., Lake Worth, Fla., 3,302, $900.
13, Sean Wilcox, Altamonte Springs, Fla., 3,287, $875.
14, Richie Teece, England, 3,285, $850.
15, Eric Cornog, Cherry Hill, N.J., 3,238, $825.
16, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 3,221, $800.

Cashers Round Cashers (after 12 games):

17 (tie), Graham Fach, Canada, and Andrew Klingler, Grand Rapids, Mich., 2,589, $745.
19, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 2,575, $730.
20, Brandon Curtis, Manson, N.C., 2,559, $720.
21, Bobby Hall II, Landover, Md., 2,545, $710.
22, Zachary Seals, Kingsland, Ga., 2,534, $700.
23, Zeke Bayt, Westerville, Ohio, 2,530, $690.
24, Kole Payne, Charlotte, N.C., 2,525, $680.
25, Lee Vanderhoef, Canton, Ga., 2,502, $670.
26, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 2,486, $655.
26, n-Brian Locke, Raleigh, NC, 2,486, $655.
28, Leon Platt, Summerville, S.C., 2,474, $640.
29, Cody Mullis, Crystal River, Fla., 2,471, $625.
29, Mark Tarkington, Elizabeth City, N.C., 2,471, $625.
31, Kristian Rogers, Salisbury, N.C., 2,450, $610.
32, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 2,359, $600.

300 Games: Marshall Kent, Cristian Azcona.

n-denotes non-member.