Jason Belmonte from Orange in NSW stormed back to the winner's circle on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour in the United States overnight, capturing his seventh major title - the BARBASOL PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP.
Three-time PBA Player of the Year, Belmonte posted a 221 to 204 win over another two-handed bowler, 20 year-old Texan, Anthony Simonsen and notched up his 13th PBA Tour title overall to collect the trophy and US$40,000 in prizemoney.
After Friday's fifth round, the Aussie two-hander finished with a 9,249 40-game pinfall total (231.2 average) to clinch the top berth for Sunday's Players Championship finals at Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl in Ohio.
At the fifth frame of the deciding final match, Belmonte held a clear 37 pin lead and despite an open in the sixth Belmonte finished strongly to secure the highly anticipated win. Going into the Players Championship he had a string of 16 tournaments in which he made the top five but failed to win. He finished second in five of those events.
“Its a brand new start,” Belmonte said of the new season. “I was successful staying focused the whole tournament from start to finish. “I've learned that if you look ahead or behind you're not staying in the moment.”
“It feels fantastic,” continued 33-year-old Belmonte, who won his first major in the 2011 Players Championship. “Two years is a long time to wait (for a win), especially considering all the times I had made TV finals. “I've always believed in myself but I'll admit there's a lot of weight off of my shoulders now after all that time because believe me, people will remind you,” he added with a grin.
Runner-up Anthony Simonsen shot to fourth place in the third round after a slow start to the tournament, finishing 72nd after the first round of eight games. At the completion of 40 games of qualifying, Simonsen had advanced to second position, ahead of Sweden's Martin Larsen, with Americans AJ Chapman and Connor Pickford securing the final two berths for yesterday afternoon's stepladder finals that were telecast live on ESPN.
In addition to ESPN's coverage, the Players Championship was simulcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN mobile app, enabling fans across the world to view the finals online via mobile devices.
Today, PBA Tour action moves to Shawnee, Oklahoma for the start of the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions, and another major that Belmonte will be aiming to emulate his back-to-back success in 2014 and 2015.
ends
Three-time PBA Player of the Year, Belmonte posted a 221 to 204 win over another two-handed bowler, 20 year-old Texan, Anthony Simonsen and notched up his 13th PBA Tour title overall to collect the trophy and US$40,000 in prizemoney.
After Friday's fifth round, the Aussie two-hander finished with a 9,249 40-game pinfall total (231.2 average) to clinch the top berth for Sunday's Players Championship finals at Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl in Ohio.
At the fifth frame of the deciding final match, Belmonte held a clear 37 pin lead and despite an open in the sixth Belmonte finished strongly to secure the highly anticipated win. Going into the Players Championship he had a string of 16 tournaments in which he made the top five but failed to win. He finished second in five of those events.
“Its a brand new start,” Belmonte said of the new season. “I was successful staying focused the whole tournament from start to finish. “I've learned that if you look ahead or behind you're not staying in the moment.”
“It feels fantastic,” continued 33-year-old Belmonte, who won his first major in the 2011 Players Championship. “Two years is a long time to wait (for a win), especially considering all the times I had made TV finals. “I've always believed in myself but I'll admit there's a lot of weight off of my shoulders now after all that time because believe me, people will remind you,” he added with a grin.
Runner-up Anthony Simonsen shot to fourth place in the third round after a slow start to the tournament, finishing 72nd after the first round of eight games. At the completion of 40 games of qualifying, Simonsen had advanced to second position, ahead of Sweden's Martin Larsen, with Americans AJ Chapman and Connor Pickford securing the final two berths for yesterday afternoon's stepladder finals that were telecast live on ESPN.
In addition to ESPN's coverage, the Players Championship was simulcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN mobile app, enabling fans across the world to view the finals online via mobile devices.
Today, PBA Tour action moves to Shawnee, Oklahoma for the start of the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions, and another major that Belmonte will be aiming to emulate his back-to-back success in 2014 and 2015.
ends
