20
- June 2017
Duke Comes Through in 10th Frame to
Win PBA50 Race City Open for Fourth
Career PBA50 Tour Title
Duke strikes on first ball in 10th frame of championship
match on way to 221-213 win over Kenny Parks
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 3, 2017)
– After a heart-
breaking loss in the 10th frame of the championship
match of the season-opening PBA50 Pasco County
Florida Open, PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke of Cler-
mont, Fla., got some redemption by sealing the deal in
the 10th frame of the PBA50 Race City Open pre-
sented by Columbia 300 Wednesday to notch his fourth
career PBA50 Tour title.
Thanks to a clutch strike on the first ball of the 10th,
Duke defeated top qualifier Kenny Parks of Hammond,
Ind., 221-213, in the title match at George Pappas’ Vic-
tory Lanes.
“I tell you, nothing’s a given,” Duke said. “You just
can’t take anything for granted. It seems like the lanes
are changing every frame and it’s all you can do to get
to the pocket. It’ a lot of guesswork and fortunately I
guessed right this time.”
Taking the lead into the 10th frame of the Pasco
County Open two weeks ago, Duke left the 2-4-8-10
split which handed the win over to Brian LeClair of Del-
mar, N.Y., for his second PBA50 Tour title.
“There’s one philosophy that says, put those situa-
tions behind you and move on, but for me, I stew over
it,” said Duke, who ranks third on the all-time PBA Tour
titles list with 38 wins. “That was a learning experience
and I want to learn from it. I don’t want to get into a
second-place cycle.”
Duke was able to overcome
two splits in the Race City
Open title match that he
failed to convert but was
able to come back with
strikes at the end of the
match when he needed them. “I’ll be honest, this vic-
tory was probably more ball than it was me,” said Duke,
who qualified third for the stepladder finals. “I needed
every advantage I could get.”
Parks, the 2008 USBC Senior Masters winner, was
trying for his second career PBA50 Tour title.
In the second stepladder match, Duke beat last
week’s UnitedHealthcare Sun Bowl In The Villages
winner Lennie Boresch Jr. of Kenosha, Wis., 216-187,
and then went on to beat Sammy Ventura of Syracuse,
N.Y., in the semi-final 210-202, to advance to the title
match.
In the opening match, Boresch defeated five-time
PBA Tour winner Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix, 223-
216. Haugen’s fifth-place finish was his second top-five
of the season after finishing third in the Pasco County
Open.
Two-time PBA Tour winner Jeff Bellinger earned a
check the hard way when he showed up late for his
second round qualifying squad on Tuesday. Commut-
ing from his home in Columbia, S.C., the 63-year-old
Bellinger got caught in a traffic jam caused by road
construction in the Charlotte area.
Giving the field what amounted to an eight-frame
head start, he began competition in the ninth frame and
bowled a 40 in his first game. He followed it up with
games of 225, 248, 246, 257, 197, 211 and 225 which
was good enough to finish 44th in qualifying advancing
to Wednesday’s cashers round. Unfortunately he could-
n’t get anything going in the cashers round finishing the
tournament in 51st and winning $1,000.
PBA50 RACE CITY OPEN
Presented by Columbia 300
George Pappas’ Victory Lanes, Mooresville, N.C., Wednesday
Final Standings
1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., $7,500.
2, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., $4,000.
3, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., $2,500.
4, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., $2,000.
5, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, $1,750.
Stepladder Results
Match One – Boresch def. Haugen, 223-216.
Match Two – Duke def. Boresch, 216-187.
Semifinal Match – Duke def. Ventura, 210-202.
Championship – Duke def. Parks, 221-213.
Match Play Round 2
(after six games, including match play
record and bonus pins. Top five advanced to stepladder finals)
1, ss-Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 5-1, 1,587.
2, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 5-1, 1,553.
3, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3-3, 1,521.
4, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 4-2, 1,509.
5, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 4-2, 1,487.
6, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 3-3, 1,477, $1,600.
7, Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., 3-3, 1,462, $1,600.
8, Gary Faulkner, Norfolk, Va., 3-3, 1,461, $1,600.
9, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2-4, 1,453, $1,400.
10, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 3-3, 1,451, $1,400.
11, ss-Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., 3-3, 1,427, $1,400.
12, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 3-3, 1,398, $1,400.
13, ss-Warren Nelson, Hemet, Calif., 1-5, 1,345, $1,400.
14, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3-3, 1,337, $1,400.
14, Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla., 1-5, 1,337, $1,400.
16, ss-Greg McMahan, Dandridge, Tenn., 2-4, 1,278, $1,400.
Match Play Round 1
(
after five games including match play record and bonus pins)
17, James Hansen, Anchorage, Alaska, 3-2, 1,180, $1,250.
18, (tie) ss-Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1-4, 1,171, and Todd Kjell,
Roscoe, Ill., 3-2, 1,171, $1,250.
20, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3-2, 1,167, $1,250.
21, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 2-3, 1,166, $1,250.
22, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 2-3, 1,153, $1,250.
23, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3-2, 1,121, $1,250.
24, Don Breeden, Clive, Iowa, 2-3, 1,119, $1,250.
25, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 3-2, $1,150.
26, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 2-3, $1,150.
27, Ralph Brunt Jr., Jensen Beach, Fla., 2-3, $1,150.
28, ss-Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., 1-4, $1,150.
29, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., MI., 1-4, $1,150.
30, Dave Han, Birmingham, Ala., 2-3, 1,046, $1,150.
31, Doug O'Bryant, Ball Ground, Ga., 2-3, $1,150.
32, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 1-4, $1,150.
Other Cashers (after five-game cashers’ round)
33, Curt Guinn, Greenwood, S.C., 1,084, $1,075.
34, ss-Lee Brosius, Ashburn, Va., 1,078, $1,075.
35, ss-Bobby Johnson, Chillicothe, Ohio, $1,075.
36, ss-Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, 1,056, $1,075.
37, ss-Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 1,046, $1,075.
38, Ernie Segura Jr., Taylor, Mich., 1,045, $1,075.
39, ss-Tom Howison, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1,044, $1,075.
40, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 1,024, $1,075.
41 (tie), ss-Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., and
Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., 1,022, $1,000.
42, ss-Ken Gibson, Greenville, S.C., 1,020, $1,000.
43, ss-Gary Shultis, Levittown, N.Y., 1,008, $1,000.
44, ss-Dale Eagle, Twin Falls, Idaho, 1,004, $1,000.
45, Gary Alstott, Washington, Ill., 999, $1,000.
46, ss-Mark Scime, Winter Garden, Fla., 990, $1,000.
47, ss-Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 956, $1,000.
48, ss-Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 956, $1,000.
49, ss-Brian Miller, Springfield, Ohio, 953, $1,000.
50, Dave Sill, Titusville, Fla., 948, $1,000.
51, ss-Jeff Bellinger, Columbia, S.C., 901, $1,000.
52, ss-David Kneas, Annapolis, Md., 856, $1,000
