LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Osku Palermaa of Finland defeated Dan MacLelland of Canada, 173-149, to win the Geico Shark Championship at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

It is the first PBA title of Palermaa’s young career, and perhaps the most important one he will ever earn, as the win today makes him eligible to compete in the $1 million Tournament of Champions in January.

“Obviously that was the main motivation,” Palermaa said. “Being from Finland I am not able to bowl regional events, so this was the only way to get in. It’s the biggest tournament that I will have ever bowled in, and I can’t wait.”

Osku made a bit of history along the way to winning his first title today, as he met Jason Belmonte of Australia in the semifinal round for the first televised match between two-handed bowlers in PBA history.

The game turned out to be a low-scoring affair, as both Belmonte and Palermaa left Greek church splits halfway through the match. It stayed close until Belmonte got up in the tenth frame and left the 2-10 split in that crucial situation, failing to convert it and ultimately falling to his fellow two-hander by a score of 182-176.

Brutal lane transition continued to depress scores in the title match, as Dan MacLelland struggled badly throughout and never found a groove, opening four frames as he switched back and forth between a five-step approach on the left-hand lane and a three-step approach on the right lane, where he stood in front of the ball return.

In the matches preceding the championship round, Belmonte defeated both Michael Fagan of Patchogue, N.Y. and reigning PBA World Champion Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich. to make it into the semifinal match. Belmonte opened his game against Fagan with six strikes in a row and finished with a 248. Fagan threw the first three strikes in a row but faltered down the stretch with two errant strike shots that he turned into spares, finishing with a 223 in a losing effort.

Smallwood struggled to challenge Belmonte in the next match, failing to convert the 1-2-10 washout in the fourth frame and never finding a consistent line to the pocket. Belmonte adjusted to lane transition by lofting the ball down the lane and ended up with a 208 to move on.

Palermaa did just enough to win the title match after defeating Belmonte in the semifinal, leaving a washout in the fifth after a double for an open frame but closing the next four frames with three spares and a strike to hold off MacLelland.

Palermaa, blustery with confidence after the victory, also likes his chances at the Tournament of Champions. Asked if he thinks he might be a favorite to win, Palermaa responded with a shrug and said “Why not? I’ll bring my A game and I’m going to be on top.”