H&R Block Tournament of Champions
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The H&R Block Tournament of Champions is one of the four major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. The inaugural event, held by the PBA in 1965, was won by PBA Hall of Famer Billy Hardwick . From 1965 to 1993, Firestone sponsored the Tournament of Champions. From 1965 until 1994, the tournament was contested at Riviera Lanes (now AMF Riviera Lanes) in Fairlawn, Ohio near the long-time Firestone World Headquarters in Akron, OH. In a notable semi-final match at the 1967 Tournament of Champions, Jack Biondolillo rolled the first-ever televised 300 game.[1]
Since 1994, the Tournament of Champions (or "TOC") has had a variety of sponsors, including General Tire, Brunswick, and Dexter. From 2002 to 2007, the Tournament of Champions was contested in an arena setting at Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville, Connecticut. The 2006 Tournament of Champions at Mohegan Sun was won by Chris Barnes, while Tommy Jones captured the TOC in 2007.[2] The event was moved to Las Vegas, NV for the 2007-08 season.
Prior to 2007-08, a bowler qualified for the Tournament of Champions by being one of the 32 most recent title winners on the regular PBA Tour. (The list was expanded in 2008 to include some past TOC winners who were no longer in the Top 32 most recent PBA winners.) Michael Haugen Jr., having just qualified for the TOC by winning his first-ever Denny's PBA Tour title on November 18, 2007, went on to win the 2007-08 TOC title on January 27, 2008.
The winner of the Tournament of Champions currently earns a two-year PBA Tour exemption, which means they do not have to go through the Tour Qualifying Round (TQR) to make match play each week during the following two seasons.
[edit] Previous PBA Tournament of Champions Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score (championship match) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Billy Hardwick | Dick Weber | 484-468 |
| 1966 | Wayne Zahn | Dick Weber | 203-170 |
| 1967 | Jim Stefanich | Don Johnson | 227-227 (43-36 in two frame roll-off) |
| 1968 | Dave Davis | Don Johnson | 213-205 |
| 1969 | Jim Godman | Jim Stefanich | 266-228 |
| 1970 | Don Johnson | Dick Ritger | 299-268 |
| 1971 | Johnny Petraglia | Don Johnson | 246-169 |
| 1972 | Mike Durbin | Timmy Harahan | 258-187 |
| 1973 | Jim Godman | Barry Asher | 224-200 |
| 1974 | Earl Anthony | Johnny Petraglia | 216-213 |
| 1975 | Dave Davis | Barry Asher | 201-195 |
| 1976 | Marshall Holman | Billy Hardwick | 203-198 |
| 1977 | Mike Berlin | Mike Durbin | 221-205 |
| 1978 | Earl Anthony | Teata Semiz | 237-192 |
| 1979 | George Pappas | Dick Ritger | 224-195 |
| 1980 | Wayne Webb | Gary Dickinson | 219-194 |
| 1981 | Steve Cook | Pete Couture | 287-183 |
| 1982 | Mike Durbin | Steve Cook | 233-203 |
| 1983 | Joe Berardi | Henry Gonzalez | 186-179 |
| 1984 | Mike Durbin | Mike Aulby | 246-163 |
| 1985 | Mark Williams | Bob Handley | 191-140 |
| 1986 | Marshall Holman | Mark Baker | 233-211 |
| 1987 | Pete Weber | Jim Murtishaw | 222-190 |
| 1988 | Mark Williams | Tony Westlake | 237-214 |
| 1989 | Del Ballard Jr. | Walter Ray Williams Jr. | 254-218 |
| 1990 | Dave Ferraro | Tony Westlake | 226-203 |
| 1991 | David Ozio | Amleto Monacelli | 236-203 |
| 1992 | Marc McDowell | Don Genalo | 223-193 |
| 1993 | George Branham III | Parker Bohn III | 227-214 |
| 1994 | Norm Duke | Eric Forkel | 217-194 |
| 1995 | Mike Aulby | Bob Spaulding | 237-232 |
| 1996 | Dave D'Entremont | Dave Arnold | 215-202 |
| 1997 | John Gant | Mike Aulby | 208-187 |
| 1998 | Bryan Goebel | Steve Hoskins | 245-235 |
| 1999 | Jason Couch | Chris Barnes | 197-193 |
| 2000 | Jason Couch | Ryan Shafer | 198-166 |
| 2001 | Tournament not held in 2001 | ||
| 2002 | Jason Couch | Ryan Shafer | 266-224 |
| 2003 | Patrick Healey, Jr | Randy Pedersen | 222-188 |
| 2004 | Tournament not held in 2004 | ||
| 2005 | Steve Jaros | Norm Duke | 248-242 |
| 2006 | Chris Barnes | Steve Jaros | 234-227 |
| 2007 | Tommy Jones | Tony Reyes | 257-222 |
| 2008 | Michael Haugen Jr. | Chris Barnes | 215-214 |
[edit] References
- ^ "PBA turns attention to 'Roll to Riches' event," article at www.detroitnews.com, April 4, 2007 (paragraph 5).
- ^ "PBA turns attention to 'Roll to Riches' event," article at www.detroitnews.com, April 4, 2007 (paragraph 4).
[edit] Sources
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