Michael Haugen Jr.

Michael Haugen, Jr.
Born Michael Haugen, Jr.
(1966-12-29) December 29, 1966
Occupation Ten-pin bowler
Years active 1996–present
Spouse(s) single (engaged to Phuong Truong)

Michael Haugen Jr. (born December 29, 1966) is a right-handed professional ten-pin bowler residing in Carefree, Arizona.[1] He is a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), having joined in 1994. He has won four PBA Tour titles overall, including a major title at the 2008 PBA Tournament of Champions.[2]

Career

Michael first joined the PBA in 1994, competing as a Regional pro. He was named the PBA West Region Player of the Year in 1997, and has won 21 PBA Regional titles to date. He bowled in selected PBA Tour events in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, before becoming a full-time bowler on tour in the 1998 season.[2] In the 2002-03 U.S. Open, he finished runner-up to Walter Ray Williams, Jr.

Early in the 2007–08 PBA season, he won the Lake County Indiana Classic in Merrillville, Indiana.[1] In doing so, he won his first tournament in 200 attempts and qualified for the Tournament of Champions. The same season, he became the second bowler in history to win his first PBA title and the Tournament of Champions major in the same season,[3] joining Joe Joseph who accomplished the feat in 1962.[4] In the Tournament of Champions, as the number 1 seed, he completed a stunning comeback by defeating Chris Barnes in the final, 215–214, after trailing by 53 pins in the sixth frame.[3][5] A finger injury cut his season short as he was forced to miss the final seven events of the year, but he did manage to bowl in the Motel 6 "Roll to Riches" event in April 2008.

Injuries again curtailed his 2008–09 season, as he was only able to compete in seven events. But he returned to start the 2009–10 season and made the TV finals for the PBA Viper Championship at the World Series of Bowling. He won his third PBA title at the Mark Roth Classic in Allen Park, Michigan on January 26, 2013.[6]

Haugen won his fourth PBA title on November 2, 2014 in the Scorpion Championship at the World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas, NV.

Through the end of the 2015 season, he had rolled 31 perfect 300 games in PBA events. He has accumulated $696,948 in career PBA Tour earnings, with nearly $770,000 in total PBA earnings (including Regional events).[2]

Personal

He resides in Carefree, Arizona,[1] and enjoys golfing and going to dance clubs.[2] After qualifying for the TV finals at the 2014 PBA Scorpion Championship, Haugen told ESPN broadcasters he would propose on-air to longtime girlfriend Phuong Truong if he won the tournament. He made good on his promise during his post-tournament interview, and Truong accepted.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/11/19/sports/top_sports/doc41772abf7d22a26b862573980004b7cd.txt
  2. 1 2 3 4 Profile at www.pba.com
  3. 1 2 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=bowling/news/newstest.aspx?id=4128540
  4. ↑ Joe Joseph page at mcubed.net
  5. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/sports/20080128/c11_update28.art.htm
  6. ↑ http://news.pba.com/post/2013/2/17/e2809cMan-on-a-Missione2809d-Haugen-Tops-Norton-to-Win-Third-PBA-Tour-Title-in-Mark-Roth-Classic.aspx pba.com on February 17, 2013.
  7. ↑ Vint, Bill (January 4, 2015). "Haugen Overcomes 10th-Frame Mental Error, Wins PBA Scorpion Championship for Fourth Career Title". PBA.com. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
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