Simonsen Survives Epic Final To Win Bear Open
Simonsen Survives Epic Final To Win Bear Open
Anthony Simonsen survived an intense, drama-filled championship match Thursday night at the 2019 FloBowling PBA Bear Open to claim his seventh career title.
AURORA, Ill. – Anthony Simonsen survived an intense, drama-filled championship match Thursday night at the 2019 FloBowling PBA Bear Open to claim his seventh career PBA Tour title.
Simonsen, 22, knocked off top seed EJ Tackett in double overtime after the pair tied at 267-267 to end regulation at Parkside Lanes.
Both players struck on the first shot in the one-ball sudden-death rolloff, but Tackett gave Simonsen an opening when he left a four pin in the second overtime. Simonsen responded with a perfect shot to secure his second title of the season.
Watch: PBA Bear Open Stepladder Finals
The path to overtime was paved with plenty of strikes as both players had chances to win in regulation.
Tackett was the fist to finish and needed a double to win. He got the first one but left a two pin on his next shot. He shockingly missed the spare to give even more daylight to Simonsen.
Needing a double and nine pins for the title, Simonsen got the first two but then nearly lost on the final shot when he pulled it high and nearly left the 3-6-10. Instead, the six pin fell late to leave the players tied.
“Definitely the hands were getting a little slimy, and I probably should have backed off for sure,” Simonsen said. “I was fortunate enough to knock the six out of there to push it into a rolloff. I just knew I couldn’t give him another chance. If there was another opportunity for me to win again, I was going to have to do it.”
After the match, Tackett was understandably disappointed, especially with his second shot in the final frame.
“I’m not very happy right now,” Tackett said. “The second shot I threw in the 10th was not even near my best. I thumbed it down, spun it, missed it right, everything I couldn’t do. I was fortunate enough to get nine and then I did exactly what you aren’t supposed to do as a professional bowler and missed it. I’m just so disappointed in myself for that.”
Simonsen put up an even bigger game in the semifinal than he did in the final when he defeated Kyle Sherman, 278-225. Simonsen opened with a six-bagger and built a 53-pin lead to run away with the match.
Sherman was able to take down the PBA Tour’s No. 1-ranked player Jason Belmonte in the second match of the stepladder, 247-237.
Belmonte struck out in the ninth and 10th frames to put the pressure on, but Sherman was up to the task, throwing a strike in the 10th when all he needed was a mark to advance.
In the opening match of the stepladder, Sherman defeated Wes Malott, 207-191. Malott got off to a slow start, missing the 3-6-10 twice in the first four frames and was unable to recover.
The FloBowling PBA Summer Swing continues Friday and Saturday with the final event of the week, the PBA Illinois Open, live on FloBowling.