Haugen overcame a 50-pin deficit to defeat Chris Barnes, 215-214, Sunday in a title match that was as much about Haugen's guts as it was about the crucial mistake Barnes made to miss out on his third career Major title.

The top-seeded Haugen had an adventurous week, which started in urgent care Wednesday night due to a sickness. He bounced back to make match play by qualifying eighth and went 15-3 in round robin to earn an automatic berth in the title match.

Barnes came into the finals riding a seven-game losing streak, the second-longest streak on his career, but he had a history of breaking losing streaks with a flair for the dramatic: he broke a career-worst eight-game losing streak in 2005 by winning his first career Major title in the 62nd U.S. Open

Things looked to be heading that way again when the No. 2 seed Barnes breezed past No. 3 Ryan Shafer, 257-205, in the semifinals and started the title match with strikes in the first three frames while Haugen left the 4-6-7 in the second and the 4-7-10 in the fifth giving Barnes what seemed like an insurmountable lead.

The match started to turn in the seventh when Barnes lost his carry and left three consecutive single pins, the third of which set off a stunning turn of events. Barnes whiffed the 10-pin in the ninth frame, giving Haugen the slightest of openings. Haugen, who had struck in the seventh and eighth frames, took advantage by striking in the ninth and then doubling in the 10th to force Barnes to double for the win.

The eight-time champion left a 2-pin with his first shot in the 10th and picked up the spare which still gave him a chance for the tie with a strike. Instead, he left the 4-pin this time, leaving Haugen to celebrate from the bench for the second time this season.

"You can't give up, you just can't. There's a lot of pressure and prestige in this event and you just want to make good shots and not embarrass yourself," Haugen (Cave Creek, Ariz.) said. "I looked at the scoreboard around the seventh frame and knew if he didn't strike the rest of the way and I did, the most he could get was 220s and I could get to the 210s. I knew I could at least make him think about it. Anything can happen, a 7-10 or a 4-9, but I never thought it would be a missed single pin."

This week marked Haugen's first career Tournament of Champions event. He won his first career title in the 2007 Lake County Indiana Classic in November, defeating Wes Malott, 247-239. That day, Malott needed a strike in the 10th frame to win but left the 10-pin to give Haugen his first taste of victory. On Sunday, he became just the second bowler in history - and the first since Joe Joseph in 1962 - to win their first career title and the Tournament of Champions in the same season.

"A lot of people say your career doesn't start until your first title and that the first one validates you as a bowler. What you do after that really defines your career," Haugen said. "That first win definitely gave me confidence but mostly I'm just in a better place in my life. I made a commitment to just worry about myself and not worry about anything else. If I keep my karma good, things will be just fine."

Haugen earned $50,000 and a two-year exemption through the 2009-10 season for his victory. Barnes (Double Oak, Texas) earned $25,000 for second and Shafer (Horseheads, N.Y.), who defeated PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber in the first match, 215-213, took home $10,000 for third. Weber (St. Ann, Mo.), who was looking for his record-breaking ninth career Major, earned $7,000 for fourth.

But seeing as how it was his first career PBA Tournament of Champions, Haugen ignored the doctor's orders. Now, he's one win away from his first career Major title.

Haugen went 15-3 in round robin match play Friday to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals of the 2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions, the second of four Majors on the Denny's PBA Tour.

Back in November, Haugen won his first title in 200 career events, breaking one of the longest winless droughts on Tour. Just two months after the event, Haugen hardly looked like a guy mixing it up with the legends of the game for the first time in his career.

He got through Thursday's qualifying in eighth then blitzed through the field in match play to lead by over 150 pins.

Haugen will now look to win his first career Major title and earn a two-season Denny's PBA Tour exemption.
"On Thursday I felt bad, tired, weak but it's the Tournament of Champions and it's my first one and I wasn't going to miss it," Haugen (Cave Creek, Ariz.) said. "I bowled well Thursday and kept myself close. Who knew today was going to turn out like today."

Sunday will mark the first time Haugen will be the top seed for a stepladder final. He was the No. 2 seed for the finals of the 2003 U.S. Open where he defeated Pete Weber in the semifinals but fell to Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the title match.

"I look at it like this: I led the tournament and it's one game Sunday," Haugen said. "I decide my own fate. It has to go through me one way or another. There's no way you can feel bad about that."

Earning the No. 2 seed was Chris Barnes, who qualified for his third consecutive championship round appearance and his Tour-leading seventh of the season. The 2006 Tournament of Champions winner will bowl in two championship rounds on Sunday as he also teamed up with Wes Malott earlier in the week to earn the No. 2 seed for Sunday's PBA Exempt Doubles Classic final, which takes place following the Tournament of Champions final.

In an exciting position round match, Ryan Shafer held on to the No. 3 seed while Pete Weber shot 247 in the final game to jump from No. 6 to No. 4 and earn the final spot in the championship round. Weber will be looking to make history as the first bowler ever to win each of the PBA's Triple Crown events - U.S. Open, World Championship and Tournaments - twice.

Weber struck with his first seven shots in the position round against Mike Machuga before leaving a 10-pin in the seventh frame. He then had to worry about Parker Bohn III on the next pair who went into the position round in seventh but he started with the first eight strikes and looked like he might go around Wes Malott, Weber and Mike Machuga. After Weber struck in the eighth in his match, Bohn left the 4-6-7-8-10 and opened in his ninth frame.

Weber then struck in the ninth but he opened in the 10th allowing Bohn another chance. Bohn needed to double in the 10th to make the finals, but he left the 10-pin to give Weber the final spot.

"I was just thinking if I stay clean, I can't miss the show but then I opened in the 10th at the worst time," Weber (St. Ann, Mo.) said. "I thought I threw it good but it grabbed the lane. Maybe I was soft with it because I was thinking 'don't 2-10.' But I stuck in there tonight and threw strikes when I needed them."

Weber will look to break a tie with Earl Anthony for most career Majors as he'll try to win his ninth on Sunday.

"That would be nice to add another Major to my resume," Weber said. "And it definitely would help me get into the Player of the Year race if I can get a couple more titles this year. Walter Ray is bowling well but so are Patrick Allen, Parker Bohn, Wes Malott and a bunch of other guys. The Player of the Year definitely hasn't been sealed yet."

Malott overcame a severe blister on his right thumb to shoot 300 and lead the 54-bowler field with a 3,350 14-game pinfall at Red Rock Lanes, taking the top seed into match play in the second of four Majors on the Denny's PBA Tour.

The three-time titlist who won his third title just two weeks ago, tore open a blister on his bowling hand early in the week during the PBA Exempt Doubles Classic and nearly withdrew from the event. Instead, he continued to bowl because he was paired with fellow Columbia staffer Chris Barnes, and the two advanced to Sunday's championship round. He'll look to make it two championship rounds on Sunday if he can stay in the top four during the 18 games of round robin.

"I didn't think I would even be able to finish the doubles event but when I found out I was paired with Chris I did everything I could do to bowl," Malott (Argyle, Texas) said. "I patched it up and we made it to the show and then I took Wednesday off and didn't even touch a ball. I got here this morning and bowled really well tonight. The thumb is pretty much healed now but it's still patched up because I don't want it to crack again and become a problem."

Malott averaged 226.29 over the first seven games but came out of the gates in the second block with a perfect game. He finished the round with games of 278 and 258 to take over the lead.

"I hit the pocket a lot this morning and didn't get rewarded very much so I drilled a Columbia Momentum and was able to get momentum and carry it through the rest of the day," Malott said. "If I can win a Major here that puts me in good position for Player of the Year. I didn't think anyone could catch (Walter Ray Williams Jr.) but he's having a little trouble right now. He'll figure it out and finish the season strong but I'm definitely going to have to bowl well to even have a chance at that."

Malott has had close calls in Majors before, finishing third in the 2004 PBA World Championship and second in last season's 64th U.S. Open. He currently sits fourth in the PBA World Point Rankings and third in the PBA Player of the Year race.

Barnes (Double Oak, Texas), Malott's teammate for Sunday's doubles finals, made a late run in the second block to move into second with 3,307. He averaged 239.86 over the final seven games and will look to win his second Tournament of Champions in the last three years.

Eugene McCune (Munster, Ind.) is third with 3,278, PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III (Jackson, N.J.) is fourth with 3,270 and 13-time titlist Randy Pedersen (Clermont, Fla.), the color commentator for the PBA on ESPN, is fifth with 3,261.

Sean Rash (Wichita, Kan.), who won the 2007 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters in October and is looking to become just the fifth bowler to win back-to-back Majors, is sixth with 3,253.

In a field of 54 bowlers with a combined 511 titles and with bowlers ranging in ages from their 60s to their 20s, 24 of the 32 bowlers who advanced to match play are exempt on the Denny's PBA Tour. Among the non-exempt bowlers advancing were PBA Hall of Famers and PBA Senior Tour bowlers David Ozio, Steve Cook and Johnny Petraglia. Ozio finished 13th and Cook 24th, while Petraglia finished 32nd and earned the final spot in match play by just one pin over 2006-07 PBA Player of the Year Doug Kent despite a 171 in the final game.

The top 32 advanced to round robin match play Friday which features two nine-game blocks. The field will be cut to the top 16 after the first nine games, with the top four advancing to Sunday's live ESPN-televised championship round.

The event features the 39 most recent champions on the Denny's PBA Tour, two winners from major events on both the PBA Senior Tour and PBA Regional Tour and is filled up to 54 by past Tournament of Champions winners and PBA Hall of Famers, based on most recent Denny's PBA Tour win.

300 games (5) - Randy Pedersen, Wes Malott, Parker Bohn, Brian Voss, Pete Weber.