Otalora wins PABCON singles

RESULTS: Singles

PABCONSingles2011SumGUADALAJARA, Mexico - Colombia's Manuel Otalora ended a string of domination by the United States and earned his country's first Pan American Bowling Confederation Men's Championships gold medal Monday.

Otalora earned the singles gold by shooting a six-game total of 1,463, an average of 243.8 at Bolerama Tapatio. Canada's Dan MacLelland took the silver with 1,431, and Team USA's Mike Fagan earned the bronze with 1,379.

The United States had previously swept every gold medal at the past two PABCON Men's Championships and had won 25 of a possible 30 gold medals since 1997.

"This feels great, and it's a great win for our team to end the string of wins by the United States," said Otalora, who had games of 248, 223, 245, 253, 237 and 257 on the 44-feet London pattern. "This win is important for our team and our country because it is the first time we have won a gold medal in a men's PABCON event."

Fagan earned his first medal as a member of Team USA and five of the six Americans finished in the top eight. Bill O'Neill was fifth, Wes Malott was sixth, Chris Barnes was seventh and Patrick Allen finished eighth. Walter Ray Williams Jr. ended up 20th.

"I'm happy to come out of the first event with a medal," said Fagan, who had to strike on his first shot in the final frame to jump ahead of Puerto Rico's Israel Hernandez. "If you look at the standings, our team performed pretty well today, and we're looking forward to the rest of the week."

Competition shifts to the doubles event, which will be contested on Tuesday. The American pairings will feature Allen with Williams and Fagan with Malott. Barnes and O'Neill, who will compete together later this year in the Pan American Games, will pair up.

The PABCON Men's Championships features teams in the American Zone competing in five-player team, trios, doubles, singles, all-events and match-play Masters.

2011 PAN AMERICAN BOWLING CONFEDERATION MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Bolerama Tapaito, Guadalajara, Mexico

SINGLES
(Six games)

1, Manuel Otalora, Colombia, 1,463. 2, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,431. 3, Mike Fagan, United States, 1,379. 4, Israel Hernandez, Puerto Rico, 1,362. 5, Bill O'Neill, United States, 1,359. 6, Wes Malott, United States, 1,356. 7, Chris Barnes, United States, 1,351. 8, Patrick Allen, United States, 1,349. 9, Michael Schmidt, Canada, 1,341. 10, Eddie Fuentes, Venezuela, 1,340. Other U.S. finishers: 20, Walter Ray Williams Jr., United States, 1,287.