FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Aug. 9, 2019) – Seven-time Go Bowling! PBA Tour and three-time PBA50 Tour titlist Mark Williams defeated Rick Minier 177-175 in the title match to win the PBA60 Dick Weber Championship presented by DeHayes Insurance Group and 900 Global Friday at Pro Bowl West for his first PBA60 title.

In the final tournament of the 2019 PBA50/60 season and third event for players 60 and over, both Williams and Minier struggled in the title match with three open frames each. Minier’s most costly open came in the ninth when he left a 7-10 split.

Williams, who was the top seed for the stepladder finals, was working on a double heading into the 10th frame but got a scare when he left the 2-10 split after a light hit on his first shot of the frame. The resulting eight-count turned out to be enough to win the match.

“I knew I needed eight to be safe but it turned out I was lucky to get it,” the 61-year-old PBA Hall of Famer said. “I got the ball a little wide and it didn’t hook back like I thought it would. Sometimes you need breaks to win and I guess that was the one I needed.”

The low-scoring title match came as a surprise to Williams after a relatively high-scoring semifinal match in which Minier, the No. 2 seed for the finals, beat No. 5 seed Hall of Famer Brian Voss 279-228.

“I think the conditions really changed and caught both of us by surprise,” Williams said of the title match.  “The way those guys were bowling I thought it would take 220 or 230 at least to win. I would have never thought that the (title) match would have been below 200.”

The stepladder finals started with Voss, trying for his second consecutive PBA60 title after winning the David Small’s JAX 60 National Championship Monday, beating No. 4 seed Jerry Sikora, coming off a third-place finish in the JAX 60 National Championship, 246-226. Voss then went on to beat Emilio Mora 246-169 in the second stepladder match to advance to the semifinal.

Mora, trying for his first “senior” title, made a remarkable run to earn the No. 3 seed for the finals posting an 11-1 record in match play.

Defending champion and Fort Wayne native Ron Mohr, who was trying for his third PBA60 title, finished sixth ending his streak of six consecutive PBA50/60 tournament top-five finishes. The four-time and reigning PBA60 Player of the Year missed the stepladder final after losing his position round match to Mora 191-177.

PBA60 DICK WEBER CHAMPIONSHIP

Presented by DeHayes Insurance Group and 900 Global
Pro Bowl West, Fort Wayne, Ind., Friday

Final Standings:

1, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, $7,500.

2, Rick Minier, Houston, $4,000.

3, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., $2,500.

4, Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, $2,000.

5, Jerry Sikora, Lake Havasu, Ariz., $1,750.

Stepladder Results:

Match One – Voss def. Sikora, 246-226.

Match Two – Voss def. Mora, 246-169.

Semifinal Match – Minier def. Voss, 279-228

Championship Match – Williams def. Minier, 177-175.

FOURTH ROUND RESULTS (includes match play record, 26-game pinfall totals, including match play bonus pins. Top five advance to stepladder finals)

1, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 8-4, 6,109.
2, Rick Minier, Houston, 8-4, 6,002.
3, Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, 11-1, 5,913
4, Jerry Sikora, Lake Havasu, Ariz., 7-5, 5,905
5, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 9-3, 5,896.
6, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 5-7, 5,849, $1,500.
7, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 6-6, 5,829, $1,450.
8, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 8-4, 5,807, $1,425.
9, Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 7-5, 5,806, $1,400.
10, David Axon, Bellevue, Neb., 4-8, 5,785, $1,375.
11, Bob Caruso, Dayton, N.J., 9-3, 5,767, $1,350.
12, Jeff Bellinger, Columbia, S.C., 7-5, 5,731, $1,325.
13, Lee Brosius, Ashburn, Va., 7-5, 5,727, $1,300.
14, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 7-5, 5,695, $1,275.
15, Toby Contreras, Lee's Summit, Mo., 5-7, 5,681, $1,250.
16, Edward Silva, Manteca, Calif., 7-5, 5,662, $1,225.
17, John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 4-8, 5,657, $1,200.
18, Dale Csuhta, Wadsworth, Ohio, 4-8, 5,652, $1,190.
19, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 4-8, 5,649, $1,180.
20, Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 6-6, 5,635, $1,170.
21, Tommy Kress, Rochester, N.Y., 7-5, 5,630, $1,160.
22, n-Leroy Johnson, Chicago, 7-5, 5,629, $1,150.
23, Mitchell Vernon, Olympia, Wash., 5-7, 5,628, $1,145.
24, James Storts, Westfield, Ind., 7-5, 5,618, $1,140.
25, Mike Mineman, St Louis, 6-6, 5,586, $1,135.
26, (tie) Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 4-8, 5,574, and William Essman, Angola, Ind., 4-8, 5,574, $1,128.
28, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 4-8, 5,495, $1,120.
29, Gene Bruihl, Petaluma, Calif., 4-8, 5,488, $1,115.
30, Conn Casey, Canada, 4-8, 5,430, $1,110.
31, n-Jerome Woodfork, Rockford, Ill., 5-7, 5,368, $1,105.
32, Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 2-10, 5,340, $1,100.

n-indicates non-PBA member