Akron.com

Belmonte wins PBA Tournament of Champions



Jason Belmonte’s victory at the 2023 Tournament of Champions was his 31st career title and 15th major championship. To win, he had to climb back from 58th place. “This will be one I remember,” he said. Photo: Craig Marks

FAIRLAWN — At the 2023 Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions at AMF Riviera Lanes March 19, Jason Belmonte offered more proof that it isn’t how you start — it’s how you finish.
Belmonte, 39, of Australia, was in 58th place after the first round, but at the end of the tournament he was holding the trophy, the fourth time he had won it. Belmonte started the final day at the bottom rung but methodically took care of his four opponents, completing the victory with a 246-179 trouncing of Indiana native EJ Tackett.
Belmonte’s first match of the day, against Jason Sterner, of Rochester, N.Y., got off to an inauspicious start. His first throw left a 4-10 split, which he failed to convert.
Belmonte said the shot was exactly how he wanted it to be, but the ball did not roll as he expected it to.
“I thought it was going to sit there and go high flush, but it rolled too early and went high,” he said. “And as soon as I saw that, I’m like, you’re gonna have to go fishing a bit, and it’s not going to be pretty.”
The fishing expedition paid off. Belmonte was solid for the rest of the day. He bested Sterner 231-217, then disposed of Matthew Ogle, of Louisville, Ky., 237-170. His last challenger on the way to the final match was Anthony Simonsen, of Las Vegas, who fell to Belmonte 219-200.
In the final match, Tackett’s open frames allowed Belmonte to coast to victory, the sixth time in eight tries he had beaten Tackett in the TV finals.
Tackett, 30, was going for his fourth victory of the year.
“I said it when I would play against EJ when he was a rookie, he was going to be my fiercest rival,” said Belmonte. “And he hasn’t let up.”
Belmonte’s four Tournament of Champions victories are the most of any bowler, one more than Mike Durbin and Jason Couch. Before and after the match, he posed for photos and signed autographs for fans who understood they were seeing one of the sport’s all-time greats.
“I have such an amazing fan base here in Akron,” he said. “The support is truly, truly meaningful, especially when you can hear that cry of ‘Belmo’ through the rafters.”
The record for most wins in a season is eight by Hall of Fame bowler Mark Roth, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 70. The sound of Roth’s bowling ball smashing the Riviera Lanes pins still reverberates decades later.
Belmonte said he was not aware of the existence of the Professional Bowlers Association when Roth was dominating the sport in the 1970s and ‘80s. But once he joined the Tour, he learned of Roth’s impact.
“Mark changed the game,” said Belmonte. “The way you see EJ bowl is because of Mark.
“He would call me from time to time, especially after a win,” said Belmonte of Roth. “Every time he came to one of the PBA shows, he would give me a hug and wish me the best. I miss him around here.”
As in Roth’s day, there is a sign above the front entrance at Riviera Lanes proclaiming, “Through these doors pass the world’s finest bowlers.” It’s as true now as it was then.