Despite Two Gutter Balls, Jones Wins In Coldwater
Despite Two Gutter Balls, Jones Wins In Coldwater
Tommy Jones overcame two gutter balls in the championship match on the 34-foot Del Ballard pattern Friday to win the 2019 PBA Bowlerstore Classic.
Tommy Jones overcame two gutter balls in the championship match on the 34-foot Del Ballard pattern Friday to win the 2019 PBA Bowlerstore Classic for his 19th career PBA Tour title.
Bowling on the pattern named after the PBA Hall of Famer who famously threw a gutter to lose a title, Jones overcame not one but two trips to the channel in defeating Sean Rash, 215-179, at Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater, Ohio.
Working on a four-bagger to start the match, Jones chucked the ball in the gutter but made the spare to still lead by 24 pins. Following two more strikes, Jones once again flushed the ball into the channel but this time left a 10 pin on the spare attempt to lessen his lead to 12 pins.
Watch: PBA Bowlerstore Open Stepladder Finals
Rash, however, was unable to take advantage of the opportunity the second gutter ball presented. He had a chance to strike in the eighth and ninth frames to take the lead but left a 10 pin in the eighth and then left and chopped the 3-6 in the ninth to all but seal his fate.
Throughout the event, players flirted with the gutter as the short pattern paired with little oil on the outside boards tempted the players to slingshot the ball to the edge of the lane.
The risk paid off for Jones as he struck eight times in the match and locked up the win with a strike in the final frame.
Asked by FloBowling play-by-play announcer Dave LaMont after the championship match if he was the first to throw two gutters in a title match and win, Jones was quick to reply.
“I’m the first, I have to be,” Jones said. “I don’t think anyone is dumb enough to throw it the second time.”
In the semifinal, Jones overcame a slow start to knock out defending champion Jakob Butturff, 231-184.
Jones trails by four pins after four frames but took control of the match with a double in the fifth and sixth frames. In the 10 frame, needing a strike a count for the win, Jones tossed a double to lock it up.
Butturff took down Dick Allen, 205-200, in the opening match of the stepladder finals. After trailing by as much as 23 pins, Butturff made a big comeback and tossed a clutch double in the final frame for the shutout.
The PBA Tour next heads to Aurora, Illinois, for the FloBowling PBA Summer Swing, which will award three titles over the course of six days. Live coverage on FloBowling begins Monday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.