LUBBOCK, Texas (Jan. 27, 2019) – Taking advantage of a missed 10 pin in the 10th frame by top qualifier Sean Rash in the title match, Dick Allen won the PBA Lubbock Sports Open Sunday for his sixth career Go Bowling! PBA Tour title.

Bowling on a dual lane condition – the PBA 42-foot Scorpion condition on the left lane and the 32-foot Wolf lane condition on the right lane – the 40-year-old Allen, who qualified second for the finals, defeated Rash 201-200 in the title match at South Plains Lanes.

Down by 18 heading into the 10th frame, Allen doubled on his first two shots in the 10th and then got eight on his fill ball after Rash’s misfortune which was just enough for the victory. Allen benefited from a late falling 2 pin on a light hit on first strike.

“I knew it was a bad shot about 35 feet down the lane,” Allen said of his first strike in the 10th. “Whatever the result was going be, it was definitely out of my hands at that point. I think when Sean missed that spare it took me a while to realize I still had a shot to win.”

Allen recovered to throw a solid strike on his second ball in the 10th but then threw another bad shot leaving the 3-6 on the fill ball.

“I was very fortunate on that last shot because that could have easily been six,” Allen added. “It was a roller coaster ride out there.”

The title match was a far different experience for Allen than the semifinal where he beat two-hander No. 4 qualifier Kyle Troup 278-188 to advance to the title match against Rash.

For Allen, who is in his 20th year on tour, it was his first win since the 2018 PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout and his first title on television since winning the 2011 Dick Weber Playoffs.

“I’m no spring chicken anymore,” Allen said. “I hope I can continue a trend of being a late bloomer. At my age I know I don’t have that many competitive years left so I’ll just enjoy the ride as long as I can.”

Rash was trying for his second consecutive and 14th career win after teaming with Matt Ogle to win the Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Doubles Championship which aired on FS1 last Sunday.

In the second match, Troup, who was trying for his fourth career title, finished with four strikes in a row to beat Michael Tang 228-215 to advance to the semifinal match. Tang, the No. 3 qualifier for the finals, was trying for his first career tour win.

Troup capitalized on open frames in the ninth and 10th by No. 5 qualifier Rhino Page, who was trying to win his seventh career title, to win the opening match 198-186.

The 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour heads to Ohio for back-to-back majors in February for the PBA Tournament of Champions from AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn (Feb. 4-10) and the PBA Players Championship at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl (Feb. 12-17). The Tournament of Champions will air live on FOX at 4:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 10 and the Players Championship will air live on FS1 at 1 p.m. on Feb. 17.

The next PBA telecast on FS1 will be the CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational presented by Go Bowling! Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. ET.

PBA LUBBOCK SPORTS OPEN

South Plains Lanes, Lubbock, Texas, Sunday

Final Standings:

1, Dick Allen, Lexington, S.C., $25,000.

2, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., $13,000.

3, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., $8,000.

4, Michael Tang, Johnstown, Ohio, $7,000.

5, Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., $6,000.

Playoff Results:

Match One: Troup def. Page, 198-186.

Match Two: Troup def. Tang, 228-215.

Semifinal: Allen def. Troup, 278-188.

Championship: Allen def. Rash, 201-200.