ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Dick Allen became the second two-time winner this season on the PBA Tour as he defeated Kyle Sherman to win the 2019 PBA Cheetah Championship.

Allen, who won the PBA Lubbock Sports Open in January, defeated Sherman, 234-195, to claim the first title awarded at the 2019 PBA World Series of Bowling and improved his career record in title matches to 7-1 all-time.

“It’s a real cherishable win, winning in the arena at Thunderbowl because of the history of this place, so that means a whole bunch,” said Allen, who won his first title in 2002 and has now won two titles in 2019. “I want to win a major. I want to win more. I appreciate each one more and more, especially now that I’m starting to get up there (in age).”

Allen, 40, and Norm Duke, 54, are the only bowlers with two victories this season, a nugget that is not lost on Allen as he reflected on the victory.

“To think that halfway through 2019 or whatever, there are two guys who have two titles and it’s me and Norm,” Allen said. “It’s not (Jason) Belmonte, another one of the two-handers or a young kid. There’s definitely a sense of accomplishment there and something I hope I can keep building on.”

Allen started the title match with the front five, while Sherman struggled with carry, leaving four 10 pins in the first five frames. As the match progressed, Allen also struggled with carry but had built a big enough lead that by the end of the ninth frame, he had locked up the title.

In the semifinal, Sherman fell behind early against Rhino Page but surged late to win, 229-204. Page held a 25-pin lead after four frames, but Sherman threw five strikes in a row from frames five through nine to turn the match around.

Needing a mark with count in the final frame to lock up the win, Sherman yanked the ball and left the 3-6-9-10, which he converted by throwing straight at it. He got nine pins on the fill ball to secure the win.

Sherman blew past lefty Matt McNiel in the first match of the stepladder with a 290-152 victory. McNiel never got lined up, while Sherman blasted 11 strikes in a row after starting the match by leaving and converting a nine pin.

The championship round started with the four players competing in a seeding round to determine the lineup for the stepladder finals. Allen easily led the way with a 230 game, while the other players struggled. Page earned the second seed with a 173 game, Sherman had 172 to get third and McNiel was fourth with 163.

World Series of Bowling X resumes Tuesday with the PBA Chameleon Championship match play rounds starting at Noon Eastern with the Round of 16 live on FloBowling. The Round of 8 will be at 3 p.m. and the finals will air live at 8 p.m.