LIZ JOHNSON WINS 2017 PBA CHAMELEON CHAMPIONSHIP
RENO, Nev. – Three-time reigning Professional
Women’s Bowling Association Player of the Year Liz Johnson of Palatine,
Illinois, has made a career out of producing historic moments on the
lanes, and now she’s added arguably the greatest accomplishment of her
historic career.
Johnson
defeated Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, New York, 220-206, to win the
Professional Bowlers Association Chameleon Championship on Saturday at
the National Bowling Stadium to become the second woman to win a PBA
Tour title.
She joins Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, who won the 2010 PBA
Tournament of Champions, as the only women to capture victories on the
PBA Tour. The PBA first allowed women to compete in 2004 after the PWBA
abruptly went on hiatus in 2003.
“It feels absolutely amazing,” said Johnson, who also finished 14th
in the PBA World Championship this week in Reno. “It’s officially one of
the best bowling days of my life and probably the icing on the cake as
far as my career goes. I’ve been very lucky to have the career that I’ve
had. I never thought having the chance to win a PBA title would come
when it did. It’s been an awesome journey.”
The event was livestreamed online through ESPN 3 (WatchESPN.com) and the WatchESPN app.
The show will be broadcast on ESPN on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. Eastern.
The Chameleon Championship is part of the GEICO PBA World Series of
Bowling IX, presented by Eldorado Reno Resorts Properties and the 2017
Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule.
The event began Nov. 7 and will conclude Sunday.
Johnson started the title match of the Chameleon Championship with three
consecutive strikes, before a 10 pin stopped the run in the fourth
frame, but she’d built a sizeable lead as Pepe missed a 7 pin in the
second frame.
Pepe quickly got back on track and struck in frames four, five and
six to stay in the match. Johnson picked up where she left off by
stringing three more strikes.
Stepping up first in the 10th frame, Pepe had the opportunity to put
pressure on Johnson, but a 4-7 leave on his first attempt handed Johnson
the win and $20,000 top prize.
Johnson and Pepe advanced to the title match by outdistancing PBA
Tour champions Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Michigan, and Wes Malott of
Pflugerville, Texas, in the opening four-player shootout round. All four
players competed simultaneously, and the two highest scores advanced to
the championship.
The shootout was exactly as described with every player having an
opportunity to advance through the final frames. Pepe was the first
player to finish and solidified his spot in the championship match with a
strike on the first shot in the 10th frame to finish with 255.
Johnson, a United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer, needed a
double to lock out Malott and Smallwood, who finished with 248 and 236,
respectively. With the help of a late-falling 10 pin on her second
offering, she finished with all three strikes in the 10th for 257.
“My legs were shaking and felt really light at that point,” Johnson
said. “I was trying to focus on staying down and coming through the
shot, but the nerves were going. I was just trying to focus on making
the shots I needed, and to punch out at that moment was pretty awesome.”
This year’s Chameleon Championship was Johnson’s third career PBA TV
appearance and fourth championship-round appearance overall.
She made history by becoming the first woman to make a televised
appearance on the PBA Tour at the 2005 PBA Banquet Open, where she was
the runner-up to Tommy Jones, 219-192.
Johnson also owns a pair of fourth-place finishes at the 2014 PBA
Cheetah Championship and 2015 DHC Japan Invitational (championship round
streamed on Xtra Frame).
With the victory, Johnson added another layer to her immeasurable
legacy that continues to grow. Her accomplishments in 2017 now include
three PWBA titles (two majors), including her sixth U.S. Women’s Open
and the Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship, a third consecutive PWBA
Player of the Year award and the 2017 PBA Chameleon Championship.
It’s a legacy that Johnson is not only proud of, but one which she
hopes inspires other young ladies not only within bowling, but all
sports.
“I’m not good at giving myself those perks, but this ranks up there,”
Johnson said. “There are so many great bowlers that I’ve always looked
up to and are part of the reason why I’m here today. Hopefully, I can
give back in that way to the girls who are coming up in the sport. It’s a
pretty amazing and very surreal day. I’m very proud of myself and what
I’ve been able to accomplish over the years. These two weeks have been
exhausting but couldn’t have ended on a better note.”
The journey to the title for Johnson began on Nov. 8 when she bowled
10 qualifying games, with the top 16 competitors advancing to match play
Nov. 15.
After qualifying 12th for match play, Johnson defeated Ryan Ciminelli
of Cheektowaga, New York, 3-2, in a best-of-five format in her opening
match. She advanced to the show by defeating Josh Blanchard of Mesa,
Arizona, in the best-of-three quarterfinals, 2-0.
The PBA Chameleon Championship featured 195 players, including six PWBA members.
For more information, visit PBA.com.
About the PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) originally was
formed in 1960. The PWBA Tour has events throughout the country,
offering high-level competition and top prize money for women bowlers.
The PWBA is supported by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America
(BPAA) and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC)
2017 PBA CHAMELEON CHAMPIONSHIP
At National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev.
Saturday's results
Final Standings
1, Liz Johnson, Palatine, Ill., 477 (two games), $20,000
2, Anthony Pepe, Elmhurst, N.Y., 461 (two games), $10,000
3, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 248 (one game), $5,000
4, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 236 (one game), $4,000
Shootout Round
(Two highest scores advance to championship match)
Johnson 257, Pepe 255, Malott 248, Smallwood 236
Championship - Johnson def. Pepe, 220-206
