PBA Tournament of Champions

The PBA Tournament of Champions is one of the four major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. The inaugural event, held by the PBA in 1962, featured all 25 PBA Tour title-holders to date, and was won by PBA Hall of Famer Joe Joseph, who had qualified for the tournament only four events prior. In 1965, the tournament featured all champions since the 1962 event, before officially becoming an annual event in 1966 (at that time featuring the most recent 48 tour champions). From 1965 to 1993, Firestone Tire 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, Ohio. In a notable opening match at the 1967 Tournament of Champions finals, Jack Biondolillo rolled the first-ever nationally televised 300 game.[1] Oddly, Biondolillo would only tally a 188 score in his next match (a victory), before being eliminated in his third match with a 172 score.[2] Biondolillo's feat was not matched until 2015, when Sean Rash rolled the TOC's second perfect game in the second match of the stepladder finals.[3] The tournament has also seen a pair of televised 299 games, by Don Johnson (1970) and Mika Koivuniemi (2011).

Since 1994, the Tournament of Champions (or "TOC") has had a variety of sponsors, including General Tire, Brunswick, Dexter, H&R Block, and most recently Barbasol. From 2002 to 2007, the Tournament of Champions was contested in an arena setting at Mohegan Sun Arena, in Uncasville, Connecticut.[4] The event was moved to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2007–08 season, and was contested there through the 2011–12 season.

The TOC is the only PBA major that is an "invitational" event. 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 winners of the TOC itself, even if they were no longer in the Top 32 most recent PBA winners. The 2009–10 TOC saw its first-ever female competitor, as a spot in the 2010 tournament was given to Kelly Kulick, winner of the inaugural PBA Women's World Championship in 2009.[5] Kulick made sports history on January 24, 2010 as she defeated Mika Koivuniemi and Chris Barnes to become the first woman to win a title against men on the PBA Tour.[6]

The TOC is the only PBA major that all-time titles leader Walter Ray Williams Jr. has never won.

The 2010–11 Tournament of Champions took place January 16–22, 2011, and featured a $1 million purse and $250,000 first prize, making it the richest PBA tournament ever.[7] The tournament had an all-new format that included a "Champions Field" and an "Elite Field." The Champions Field (maximum of 180 bowlers) included any past PBA champions with four or fewer titles, plus titleists on the PBA Regional Tour, PBA Women's Series tour, PBA Senior Tour and PBA Senior Regional Tour who were PBA members at the time of the titles. The Top 90 finishers after 14 qualifying games advanced to bowl against the Elite Field. The Elite Field included all 2010–11 exempt PBA players, any PBA Hall of Famer, any player listed in 2008 as one of the "50 Greatest PBA Players of the Last 50 Years," any PBA player with five or more PBA Tour titles or at least one PBA major title, plus the winners of the 2010 USBC Senior Masters, 2010 PBA Senior U.S. Open, 2010 Regional Players Invitational and 2010 Regional Players Championship. All entrants had to be full-fledged PBA members as of October 1, 2010.[8]

Those who earned entry into the Elite Field bowled 20 games of qualifying to determine the Top 53, who along with the defending champion all cashed a minimum of $2,500. After 16 more games in the Cashers' Round, the Top 24 (based on 36 total games) made the round-robin match play. The Top 4 match play qualifiers then made the live televised finals. Payouts for the TV finals were $250,000 for first, $100,000 for second, $50,000 for third and $40,000 for fourth. (See also: PBA Bowling Tour: 2010–11 season.) This format was retained for the 2011–12 season, but was dropped for 2012–13.

For the 2012–13 season, the ToC returned to a more exclusive format. The starting field for the March 2013 event consisted of the 48 most recent PBA Tour champions who held a Touring 1 or Touring 2 status (meaning all bowled in at least 60 percent of the Tour's events last season). Extra spots for the most recent non-statused champions are added if the total of Touring 1/2 players entered does not reach 48. If a Touring 1/2 player not currently on the list won a title in one of the 2012–13 events leading up to the ToC, the player "on the bubble" (#48 spot) was removed from the list and the new titlist was added into the #1 position. Also, any previous winner of the ToC, regardless of Touring status, was allowed to enter the event.[9] Because of this, the starting field for the 2013 event actually had 53 participants.

Winners

2015 Event

A five-player stepladder format was used in the finals.

Match #1: (4) Sean Rash def. (5) Scott Norton, 237–215
Match #2: Rash def. (3) Ryan Ciminelli, 300-214
Semifinal Match: (2) Jason Belmonte def. Rash, 235–203
Final Match: Belmonte def. (1) Rhino Page, 232–214

1. Jason Belmonte, Australia $50,000
2. Rhino Page, USA $25,000
3. Sean Rash, USA $13,000
4. Ryan Ciminelli, USA $11,000
5. Scott Norton, USA $10,000

Past winners

Year Winner Runner-up Championship match score
1962 Joe Joseph Billy Golembiewski 480–416
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
2009 Patrick Allen Rhino Page 267–263
2010 Kelly Kulick Chris Barnes 265–195
2011 Mika Koivuniemi Tom Smallwood 269–207
2012 Sean Rash Ryan Ciminelli 239–205
2013 Pete Weber Jason Belmonte 224–179
2014 Jason Belmonte Wes Malott 219–218
2015 Jason Belmonte Rhino Page 232–214

Jason Thomas' "Top 10 Moments in T of C History"

In 2010, PBA.com writer Jason Thomas listed his Top 10 moments in the 48-year history of the Tournament of Champions.[10]

#10 - Marshall Holman's Million-Dollar Win. Hall of Famer Marshall Holman became the third player in PBA history to top the $1 million mark in career earnings by winning the 1986 event.

#9 - George Branham III Wins Last Firestone. In 1993, George Branham III became the first (and so far only) African American winner in this tournament, as well as the last to win the tournament while it was sponsored by Firestone.

#8 - Weber Becomes Youngest to 10 Titles. With his win in the 1987 T of C, 24-year old Pete Weber became the youngest PBA player ever to reach the 10-title plateau.

#7 - Earl Gets Title #30. Hall of Fame left-hander Earl Anthony became the first PBA player to reach 30 career titles with his win in the 1978 event. The legendary Dick Weber, who was in the ABC broadcast booth with Chris Schenkel because analyst Nelson Burton Jr. had made the TV finals, proclaimed Anthony the "undisputed King of Bowling" after the victory.

#6 - Bomb Scare. In 1991, the tournament was delayed 40 minutes due to a bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax. David Ozio eventually won the title on his way to 1991 Player of the Year honors.

#5 - Rhino's 4-Count. Rhino Page, needing only a 9-spare to defeat Patrick Allen after striking on the first ball in the 10th frame in the 2009 event, threw an inexplicable 4-count. Missing wide of target, the left-hander's shot cut between the 1 and 4 pins, taking out only the 2, 5, 6 and 8 pins, giving Allen a 267-263 victory.

#4 - Michael Haugen Jr.'s Comeback. Having just qualified for the 2008 T of C earlier that season, Michael Haugen Jr. trailed Chris Barnes by 53 pins in the 5th frame of the final match, and was still down 41 pins entering the 9th frame. When Barnes missed a 10-pin in the 9th frame, Haugen responded with a strike in the 9th and two strikes plus nine pins in the 10th. Barnes rolled a spare in the 10th, and needed a strike on the fill ball to force extra frames. But Barnes left a 4-pin, giving Haugen a narrow 215-214 victory.

#3 - Couch's Three-Peat. In 2002, Jason Couch became just the second PBA Player to win the T of C three times (joining Mike Durbin) and the only one to do so in consecutive seasons.

#2 - Don Johnson's 299 Game. In perhaps the most iconic moment of the PBA's first 50 years, Hall of Famer Don Johnson had struck on the first nine balls of the final 1970 T of C match, but still needed a mark in the 10th frame to top Dick Ritger's 268 score. With millions watching on TV, Johnson coolly rolled the first two strikes in the 10th to lock up the title. With an additional $10,000 and a Mercury Cougar automobile on the line for a 300 game, Johnson packed his 12th shot but left a ringing 10-pin for a 299 game. The shot of Johnson lying face-down on the approach in disbelief has been replayed dozens of times on PBA telecasts.

#1 - Kelly Kulick's Historic Win. Up against enormous odds to become the first woman ever to win a standard PBA Tour event, it is hard to argue the historic value of Kelly Kulick's 2010 T of C win. Said Thomas, "her inspiring come-from-behind run on Friday evening to qualify for the telecast in second place was probably special enough to make this list. But her performance on Sunday, defeating Mika Koivuniemi and then Chris Barnes with a convincing 265 game in the final with millions watching (the telecast was the PBA's highest-rated show for the year), is a feat that will be remembered for as long as bowling is broadcast on TV."

50th Anniversary "Top Moments" Fan Voting

To commemorate the 50th Tournament of Champions in 2015, a fan poll was conducted to name their top moment in the tournament's history.[3] The top five vote earners included some historic moments that have occurred since Thomas' list was published:[11]

1. Kelly Kulick's win in 2010. (27%)

2. Pete Weber's 2X Triple Crown Win. (16%) Pete Weber's victory in the 2013 event made him the oldest player (50) to win the T of C, as well as the only player to win each event of the PBA's Triple Crown at least twice in a career.[12]

3. Mika Koivuniemi Cashes a Record Winner's Share. (13%) The 2011 Tournament of Champions featured a $1 million purse and a $250,000 first prize (won by Mika Koivuniemi), making it the richest PBA tournament ever. Koivuniemi also won the most lopsided match in PBA finals history, defeating Tom Daugherty 299-100 in the semifinals.[13]

T4. Don Johnson's 299 game in the 1970 final match. (8%)

T4. Jason Couch's three-peat win in 2002. (8%)

References

  1. ↑ "PBA turns attention to 'Roll to Riches' event," article at www.detroitnews.com, April 4, 2007 (paragraph 5).
  2. ↑ Archived article on 1967 PBA Tournament of Champions at www.pba.com
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Vint, Bill (February 15, 2015). "Belmonte Repeats as Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions Winner; Rash Rolls Historic 300 Game". pba.com. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  4. ↑ "PBA turns attention to 'Roll to Riches' event," article at www.detroitnews.com, April 4, 2007 (paragraph 4).
  5. ↑ "Kulick Wins PBA Women's World Championship, Sullins Takes Senior Title." Article at www.pba.com, October 25, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Kelly Kulick makes sports history as first woman to win a PBA Tour title." Article at www.pba.com on January 24, 2010.
  7. ↑ Schneider, Jerry. "Williams Record Seventh PBA Player of the Year Honor 'Unimaginable.'" Article at www.pba.com on April 5, 2010.
  8. ↑ Vint, Bill, "PBA Unveils Plans for 2011 Tournament of Champions." Article at www.pba.com on August 13, 2010.
  9. ↑ "TofC returns to traditional exclusive field." Article at bowl.com on August 3, 2012.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Jason. "Top 10 Moments in T of C History." Article at www.pba.com on August 16, 2010.
  11. ↑ Vint, Bill (February 18, 2015). "PBA Spare Shots: Walter Ray Williams Jr. Fulfills Wish for 14-Year-Old Iowa Bowler". pba.com. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  12. ↑ Pete Weber Wins Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions, Ties Anthony with 10th Major, Completes PBA Triple Crown for a Second Time Vint, Bill at pba.com on March 31, 2013.
  13. ↑ 'Major Mika' Wins PBA Tournament of Champions, Record $250,000 First Prize Vint, Bill at www.pba.com on January 22, 2011.

Sources