FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sunday, 8 February 2015
Belmonte Blazing a Trail to Bowling History
USBC Masters finals to air live on ESPN Fox Sports 508
Last year, Australian bowling superstar Jason Belmonte achieved something that hadn't been done in nearly 50 years. Tomorrow, in Green Bay, Wisconsin he will attempt to accomplish something no bowler has done in the 64-year history of the United States Bowling Congress Masters.
The recently-crowned PBA Player of the Year made history last year by becoming just the third player to win the USBC Masters in back-to-back years. No bowler has ever won the event three consecutive years.
The Masters is the first major of the 2015 PBA Tour season and featured a sold-out field of 336 of the top professional and amateur bowlers in the world.
All players bowled 15 games of qualifying over three days to determine the match-play field. The top 63 players then joined Belmonte, as defending champion, in a unique three-game, double-elimination bracket. Collegiate bowler A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Illinois was undefeated in the double-elimination match-play to earn the top seed after defeating Belmonte by a single pin in the last match leading into tomorrow’s stepladder finals.
"I'm ecstatic to be able to have the opportunity to win this tournament three times in a row," said Belmonte, who won five matches before dropping the top-seed match to Johnson. "I've won as the top seed and as the No. 5 seed, so I'm OK if I have to go through all the other numbers to win."
Rounding out the TV finals will be Mike DeVaney of Winchester, California, PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Missouri, and Martin Larsen, Sweden.
The finals will be televised live in the United States overnight and can be viewed simultaneously here in Australia on ESPN Fox Sports 508 from 5am to 7am tomorrow morning (Monday, 9 February).
ends
Belmonte Blazing a Trail to Bowling History
USBC Masters finals to air live on ESPN Fox Sports 508
Last year, Australian bowling superstar Jason Belmonte achieved something that hadn't been done in nearly 50 years. Tomorrow, in Green Bay, Wisconsin he will attempt to accomplish something no bowler has done in the 64-year history of the United States Bowling Congress Masters.
The recently-crowned PBA Player of the Year made history last year by becoming just the third player to win the USBC Masters in back-to-back years. No bowler has ever won the event three consecutive years.
The Masters is the first major of the 2015 PBA Tour season and featured a sold-out field of 336 of the top professional and amateur bowlers in the world.
All players bowled 15 games of qualifying over three days to determine the match-play field. The top 63 players then joined Belmonte, as defending champion, in a unique three-game, double-elimination bracket. Collegiate bowler A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Illinois was undefeated in the double-elimination match-play to earn the top seed after defeating Belmonte by a single pin in the last match leading into tomorrow’s stepladder finals.
"I'm ecstatic to be able to have the opportunity to win this tournament three times in a row," said Belmonte, who won five matches before dropping the top-seed match to Johnson. "I've won as the top seed and as the No. 5 seed, so I'm OK if I have to go through all the other numbers to win."
Rounding out the TV finals will be Mike DeVaney of Winchester, California, PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Missouri, and Martin Larsen, Sweden.
The finals will be televised live in the United States overnight and can be viewed simultaneously here in Australia on ESPN Fox Sports 508 from 5am to 7am tomorrow morning (Monday, 9 February).
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