In a match-up between two of the Go Bowling PBA Tour's premier two-handed players, Australian Jason Belmonte defeated Anthony Simonsen of Little Elm, Texas, 213-190, in the title match Sunday at the South Point Bowling Plaza to win his third consecutive PBA World Championship title while extending his all-time career-leading major win total to 13.

Bowling live in front of an on-site finals audience that consisted of mainly PBA players, their family members and tournament officials, Belmonte also notched his 24th career PBA Tour title to take home the $150,000 first prize.

The PBA modified plans for all of the Storm PBA World Series of Bowling XI finals telecasts in response to the coronavirus pandemic, moving the live FS1 World Championship telecast to Sunday from its original Wednesday (March 18) slot while also postponing all additional competition in the three animal pattern (lane condition) championships. However, the players were able to complete all 56 games of qualifying and match play for the World Championship last week to advance to the finals.

As the top seed for the finals, Belmonte also added to his ever-growing list of accomplishments in PBA majors joining Hall of Famer Earl Anthony as the only players to win three consecutive World Championship titles. Anthony did it twice when the event was called the PBA National Championship ('73, '74, '75 and '81, '82 and 83). Belmonte, the five-time and reigning PBA Player of the Year, was also making a record fifth consecutive major telecast appearance and has appeared on eight of the last nine.

What made the win extra special for Belmonte was that he won in front of his entire family for the first time.

“It was everything to have my family here to see this,” said the 36-year-old Australian, whose wife Kimberly, son Hugo, and daughters Sylvie and Aria were in attendance to witness the victory. “They were a calming influence when I wasn't doing well and a great support structure overall. It was a dream to have them here to see this.”

It was also Belmonte's second consecutive major title this season after winning the U.S. Open on Feb. 23 to join PBA Hall of Famer Mike Aulby as the only players to complete the PBA Tour's Super Slam, which is a title in all five PBA majors (PBA Tournament of Champions, U.S. Open, PBA Players Championship, USBC Masters and PBA World Championship). It was in the 2019 World Championship that Belmonte won his 11th major to surpass Hall of Famers Pete Weber and Earl Anthony on the all-time major titles list.

In the title match, the 23-year-old Simonsen, trying to become the youngest player to win three majors, got off to a bad start with two opens after leaving difficult splits. Belmonte was able to take advantage by stringing strikes from the third through seventh frames which gave him enough of a cushion to win the match.

“Going into the match it was all going to be about speed control,” Belmonte said. “Keeping it slow and getting a good consistent release was the key. Anytime you can keep striking, keep a big lead and your opponent believes he has to strike out to win, that's when you can really keep the pressure on.”

The World Championship was the fourth and final event of the season that offered a $1 million bonus if the winning player bowled a 300 game in the title match.

“Obviously you can't ignore the money in a tournament like this but it's never been the motivating factor for me,” said Belmonte. “It's always about the title because that's what people will remember when the history is written.”

Ed's Outlook

Local Bowling Centers

Cancel League Bowling

League bowling at both Kiamesha Lanes in Monticello and at the Villa Roma Beechwood Lanes near Callicoon have suspended all leagues until further notice as a result of the Coronavirus. The Tri-County men's and women's tornament slated to start this week at Port Jervis Lanes has also been cancelled.

On the national level the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) has postponed or suspended scheduled national events through the end of April due to concerns about COVID-19. Additionally, until further notice, USBC is suspending staff travel unless travel is deemed mission critical to the organization.

USBC recommends USBC state and local associations also postpone or suspend mass gathering events, meetings and travel in the best interest of public health. While individual state and local requirements related to mass gatherings are evolving, USBC recommends associations be proactive in considering the wellbeing of their members.

USBC has developed a Frequently Asked Questions guide to assist our associations, leagues and tournaments with rules and procedures related to postponing or canceling events.

USBC staff is available to answer any specific questions or concerns.

PBA announcement

With concerns around the coronavirus gripping the nation, the 2020 PBA World Series of Bowling XI will not be affected, the PBA announced last week.

The WSOB started on March 8 and continued through March 18 at the South Point Bowling Plaza and, as of now, the PBA is planning no changes.

“The Storm World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas will go on as planned,” PBA CEO Colie Edison said in a statement released Wednesday. “We are taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of our athletes and fans. We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates if anything changes. We thank all of our loyal fans for their continued support of the PBA.”

Sporting events around the world have been cancelled, postponed or teams have been playing in front of empty arenas or stadiums. Many of those affected events draw significantly larger crowds than PBA events, however.

The United States Bowling Congress will conduct the Masters later this month, the final major of the PBA season, and has also indicated no change in its plans. USBC will also conduct the USBC Open Championships in Reno starting later this month.

USBC released the following statement regarding the matter:

“USBC is continuing to monitor the situation and will follow the direction of public health officials. At this time, all our events and schedules remain. USBC is working with our host venues to prepare, including additional sanitization stations within the venues. USBC relies on expert directives from public health regulators and will continue to follow their instructions as they evolve.”

The Brunswick Euro Challenge, which is not associated with the PBA or USBC, was recently postponed indefinitely over coronavirus fears. The Euro Challenge, which was set to take place in Munich, Germany, is one of the biggest bowling events of the year in Europe.

The USBC has announced the Masters, Senior Queens and Convention have been postponed, while the USBC Open and Women's Championships will delay their starts until at least May 1.

The move comes amid the coronavirus crisis that has hit the nation and has canceled many sporting events across the country.

The USBC Masters, which is the final major of the PBA Tour season and was set to begin on March 24, will now take place at some point later in the year, USBC announced. The same is true for the USBC Senior Queens and USBC Convention.

No details were made available yet as to when those events will be rescheduled.

The USBC Open Championships, which was to get underway in a little more than a week at Reno's National Bowling Stadium, are still scheduled to go on but with a delayed start of May 1. The same is true for the USBC Women's Championships in Las Vegas.

USBC will allow teams registered to compete from March 21 through April 30 to reschedule with new added dates in the summer. USBC said they will be contacting team captains with additional information.

As for the Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour, the USBC said an announcement of any changes would come no later than April 2.

Bowling Tip and Scores

Due to the length of bowling news concerning the many cancellations the Bowling Tip and league scores for the last week of league bowling will be published in next weeks column. Stay well and be safe.

Ed Townsend is a Public Relations Consultant to the Sport of Bowling and brings over 60-years of sports journalism experience in writing and compiling the information for this column. If you have league or tournament information, bowl a 300 game or an 800 series, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email to edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or fax to 845-205- 4474. View this column and Ed's photos at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.