20
- March 2017
The 2017 PWBA Tour
Schedule:
April 27-29: Rohnert Park, Calif.,
Double Decker Lanes
May 4-6: Sacramento, Calif., Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes
May 11-13: Fountain Valley, Calif., Fountain Bowl
May 17-23: Baton Rouge, La., Baton Rouge River Center
(*USBC Queens)
June 1-3: Wichita, Kan., Northrock Lanes
June 8-10: Lincoln, Neb., Sun Valley Lanes
June 15-17: Canton, Mich., Super Bowl
June 22-25: Green Bay, Wis., The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley
(*PWBA Players Championship)
June 29-July 1: Orlando, Fla., Boardwalk Bowl
July 6-8: St. Petersburg, Fla., Seminole Lanes
July 13-15: Rochester, N.Y., AMF Gates Lanes
July 27-30: TBD (Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles)
July 31-Aug. 6: Plano, Texas, Plano Super Bowl
(*U.S. Women’s Open)
PWBA’s McEwan Repeats As World Bowling Tour
Finals Champion
By Aaron Smith
LAS VEGAS -
Two-time Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour champion
Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, successfully defended her World Bowling
Tour Finals title Sunday by delivering a clutch strike in the final frame.
The 25-year-old right-hander's strike at The Orleans Bowling Center gave her a final
score of 203, forcing two-time PWBA Player of the Year Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga,
New York, to mark in her 10th frame to secure the win.
Johnson's first shot found the pocket, but she left a devastating 7-10 split and was
unable to convert, finishing with a final score of 200. McEwan earned $20,000 for the
win, while Johnson netted $10,000.
The semifinal and final matches featured the "Current Frame" scoring system, where
players earned 30 pins a frame for each strike and 10 pins, plus the total from their first
shot of that frame, for a spare. Players earned their total pinfall for the frame for an
open.
Bowlers only compete for 10 frames in the "Current Frame" system, so there are no
additional shots in the 10th frame if a player strikes or spares. The maximum score is
300.
After starting the title match with two consecutive strikes, McEwan was unable to strike
again until the 10th frame, converting four multiple-pin combinations to keep herself in
contention. Johnson held a 28-pin lead heading into the ninth frame but was unable to
mark in her final two frames.
"In the moment, I didn't think that strike would be enough," said McEwan, who won the
2016 H.H. Emir Cup in Doha, Qatar. "I hadn't struck on that lane in a while, so I just
wanted to get to the pocket. It's hard to watch that happen on the bench to someone
who's such a good friend and someone I look up to, but sometimes bowling works that
way. I need to appreciate being on this side of it, because I know the other side can
come just as easily."
Now, McEwan will look forward to continuing to prepare for the upcoming PWBA Tour
season, which starts with the PWBA Sonoma County Open in Rohnert Park, California,
on April 27-29.
"We'll definitely need some practice before then," said McEwan, who won the 2015
Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship. "My execution wasn't very good, but I walked
away with the win, so I'll have to take that momentum into the season."
In the semifinal match, Johnson bested Colombia's Anggie Ramirez Perea, 268-220.
Ramirez took home $5,000 for finishing in third place.
Anthony Simonsen of Austin, Texas, captured the men's World Bowling Tour Finals
title, defeating Sweden's Martin Larsen in the championship match, 243-213.
The 2016 United States Bowling Congress Masters champion struck on six of his first
seven shots in the title tilt to build a 33-pin lead and secured the win on the bench after
Larsen did not strike in the 10th frame.
The 20-year-old Simonsen found some redemption at The Orleans Bowling Center
after falling short in his title defense at the USBC Masters. Simonsen finished the week
tied for 17th place. Australia's Jason Belmonte won his record fourth Masters title ear-
lier in the day Sunday.
