Doug Kent enjoyed his week in Wisconsin a little more than the rest of the bowlers who participated in the 2006 United States Bowling Masters.
Kent, from Newark, N.Y., won his second Masters title when he beat Jack Jurek, 277-230, in the championship match Sunday at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Exposition Center. Kent won $100,000 and the Frank K. Baker trophy.
"In 1991, I was very young and my game was kind of wild, so I didn't have real good mechanics," Kent, who now has eight career titles on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour said. "This one is sweet.I've completely changed my game since then. I'm a lot sharper, a lot smarter and I've become more of a well-rounded player."
Kent became the first bowler in Masters history to win the event when seeded third. Since the Masters went to the stepladder finals format for TV in 1980, no player had won the event from the No. 3 or 4 positions.
Kent trailed early in the final, but started a string of nine consecutive strikes in the third frame. Jurek started the match
with four strikes, but couldn't maintain his momentum.
"It's disappointing not to finish it off, but it's probably the best week I've ever had," said Jurek, who earned $50,000 for finishing
second. "This is my biggest payday, and no matter what happens from here I'm going to have my biggest year."
To advance to the championship match, Kent defeated amateur George Lambert IV of Wellandport, Ontario. The seven-time Team Canada member
never seemed to get comfortable and lost, 246-190.
In the opener, Kent defeated Tommy Jones of Greenville, S.C., in thrilling fashion. Needing a strike to even the match, Jones threw a
perfect shot to tie the match at 248 and force a sudden death roll-off.
In the roll-off, Kent, the higher seed, elected to start and left a 2 pin. Jones then left a 2-4-8-10 split to lose the match.
Kent, who earned a two-year exemption on the Denny's PBA Tour with the victory, said some of the pressure is off for the rest of the
season.
"I've been in the middle of the pack in points for the last few years, so the two-year exemption is big for me," said Kent, who became the
sixth player in history to win at least two Masters titles. "It's a huge load off my mind and relieves a lot of stress. It's feels good to get
off to a great start like this."
The 2006 USBC Masters featured 498 of the best professional and amateur bowlers in the world. Bowlers competed for a prize fund of more than $350,000.
Kent, from Newark, N.Y., won his second Masters title when he beat Jack Jurek, 277-230, in the championship match Sunday at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Exposition Center. Kent won $100,000 and the Frank K. Baker trophy.
"In 1991, I was very young and my game was kind of wild, so I didn't have real good mechanics," Kent, who now has eight career titles on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour said. "This one is sweet.I've completely changed my game since then. I'm a lot sharper, a lot smarter and I've become more of a well-rounded player."
Kent became the first bowler in Masters history to win the event when seeded third. Since the Masters went to the stepladder finals format for TV in 1980, no player had won the event from the No. 3 or 4 positions.
Kent trailed early in the final, but started a string of nine consecutive strikes in the third frame. Jurek started the match
with four strikes, but couldn't maintain his momentum.
"It's disappointing not to finish it off, but it's probably the best week I've ever had," said Jurek, who earned $50,000 for finishing
second. "This is my biggest payday, and no matter what happens from here I'm going to have my biggest year."
To advance to the championship match, Kent defeated amateur George Lambert IV of Wellandport, Ontario. The seven-time Team Canada member
never seemed to get comfortable and lost, 246-190.
In the opener, Kent defeated Tommy Jones of Greenville, S.C., in thrilling fashion. Needing a strike to even the match, Jones threw a
perfect shot to tie the match at 248 and force a sudden death roll-off.
In the roll-off, Kent, the higher seed, elected to start and left a 2 pin. Jones then left a 2-4-8-10 split to lose the match.
Kent, who earned a two-year exemption on the Denny's PBA Tour with the victory, said some of the pressure is off for the rest of the
season.
"I've been in the middle of the pack in points for the last few years, so the two-year exemption is big for me," said Kent, who became the
sixth player in history to win at least two Masters titles. "It's a huge load off my mind and relieves a lot of stress. It's feels good to get
off to a great start like this."
The 2006 USBC Masters featured 498 of the best professional and amateur bowlers in the world. Bowlers competed for a prize fund of more than $350,000.
