Australia's Jason Belmonte became the first two-hand style player to win a PBA Tour title, beating top qualifier Michael Fagan 215-201 on Sunday in The Bowling Foundation Long Island Classic.
The 25-year-old Belmonte developed his style as a toddler at his parents' bowling center at Orange, in New South Wales state, using balls that were too heavy to throw with one hand. By inserting the middle two fingers of his right hand into the ball, and using his left hand to guide and spin the ball, he generates hooking power few one-handed players can match.
"The PBA Tour is the ultimate bowling competition in the world," Belmonte said. "With all the media attention I have received, it's now time for us to put the foot down on the gas and go mainstream. This is not just about me. There are many great stories and great athletes out here. It's time all of us knock on all the doors of we can, the next one could be the 'golden key' door we are all looking for."
Belmonte earned $25,000 and a tour exemption for the rest of the season. He's the fourth international winner, joining Sweden's Mats Karlsson, Venezuela's Amleto Monacelli and Finland's Mika Koivuniemi.
Fagan, from nearby Patchogue, earned $13,000.
In the title match at AMF Babylon Lanes, Belmonte bowled an error-free game, needing only a pair of doubles to build an advantage after Fagan opened in the first and fifth frames.
Belmonte used an aggressive reactive ball to play a deep inside angle on the left lane, and a hard plastic ball to play a straight, outside line on the right lane to combat the PBA's Shark and Viper lane conditioning patterns used on the championship left and right lanes, respectively.
"I knew the lanes would break down faster," Belmonte said. "If Mike had another game, he would have shot 240."
In the opening match, Ritchie Allen finished with eight strikes in a row to eliminate Robert Smith 258-244. Bill O'Neill overcame an open in the first frame with six strikes on his next seven shots to beat Allen 237-218.
Belmonte then slipped past O'Neill in the semifinal match, overcoming a spare/open start with eight strikes on his next nine attempts for a 245-236 victory. O'Neill's hopes for his first PBA title ended when he left a solid 10 pin after striking on his first ball in the 10th frame.
