Henry the Great

Henry Gonzalez

Henry Gonzalez won the season-opening event of the PBA Senior Tour for the second consecutive season, knocking off reigning PBA Senior Player of the Year Tom Baker, two-games-to-one, in the best-of-three-games title match Tuesday in the 2006 Senior Manassas Open at Bowl America Manassas.

Gonzalez won last season's 2005 Senior Empire State Open for his first career PBA Senior Tour title. He used a clutch performance in the 10th frame of game two to propel him to the win Tuesday.

After Baker took game one, 216-198, Gonzalez bounced back with a 224-215 win in game two. After taking an early lead, Gonzalez fell behind with four consecutive spares in frames 5-9. Baker struck out in the 9th and 10th frames to force Gonzalez to strike in the 10th frame to at least force a tie. Gonzalez stepped up and doubled to send the match to a deciding game three.

Gonzalez started the final game with a spare, then strung together eight consecutive strikes to jump ahead of Baker, but the PBA Hall of Famer responded with seven strikes in eight frames to stay close. Gonzalez could have shut Baker out with a strike in the 10th frame, but a spare and nine pins gave Baker a chance to strike out to win by one pin. Last year's PBA Senior Player and Rookie of the Year left a 10-pin, however, giving Gonzalez the 268-248 win.

"That was work. The second (title) is just validating the first one. Anyone can win the first, but the second one feels so good," said Gonzalez, who is the third bowler to win the PBA Senior Tour season opener in consecutive seasons. "It feels even better when you're beating the best. Tom is the best guy out here, but I gave him all he could handle."

Baker (Buffalo, N.Y.), who won one title last season, finished 2nd for the third time in 12 career Senior Tour events. He took home $4,500, while Gonzalez (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned $8,000.

Gonzalez advanced to the title match with a 2-1 win over Ron Winger (Westlake Village, Calif.), winning the deciding third game, 265-235. Baker advanced to the finals with a 2-0 win over Dale Eagle (Tavares, Fla.).

　

　【JPBA】　シーズントライアル 2006 スプリングシリーズ

The Rich Gets Richer

Chris Barnes

Chris Barnes has now taken his money-hungry act overseas.

Barnes brought his earnings in the month of April to $330,000, taking home $30,000 Sunday by winning the World Tenpin Masters at the Barnsley Metrodome in England. Barnes defeated Paul Moor of England, 458-437, in the two-game final match based on total pinfall.

Barnes, who was coming off wins in the 2006 Dexter Tournament of Champions and the Motel 6 Roll to Riches earlier this month, was the first American bowler from the Denny's PBA Tour to participate in the event, which is in its ninth season. Former PBA exempt bowler Tore Torgersen (Norway) has won the event three times.

In the title match, Barnes knocked off the local favorite and left-handed Moor, who was looking to improve on his second-place finish last season. The Flower Mound, Texas native trailed after seven frames in the first match, but finished with five straight strikes while Moor had two spares in the final three frames, giving Barnes a 15-pin lead heading into the final game.

Barnes stayed hot in game two, striking with his first three shots before a spare in the 4th. Moor, meanwhile, made a crucial mistake in the 4th frame, missing a single-pin conversion, and Barnes responded with another three strikes. The Brit showed his toughness, striking with his next four shots, but Barnes wouldn't be denied. A strike in the 9th frame forced Moor to double to have any chance, but a strike and a spare gave Barnes the victory.

Barnes, whose wife Lynda also competed in the 16-bowler event, defeated Malaysian Alex Liew, 515-419, in the semifinals. Moor exacted some revenge in his semifinal, knocking off the defending champion from Germany Jens Nickel, 515-371. Nickel defeated Moor in the title match last season.

The World Tenpin Masters features 16 of the world's best bowlers representing 12 different countries. The format features head-to-head match play with total pinfall over two games determining the winner.