Team USA closes 2010 WTBA WC with gold

WATCH: Semifinals | Final

MUNICH, Germany -
The United States became the first country in history to win five gold medals at the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Men's Championships on Saturday, dominating Masters match play.

Team USA's Chris Barnes defeated teammate Patrick Allen, 3-0, to win the gold medal at Dream Bowl Palace, completing a dominating week by the Americans. In all, Team USA took home 11 medals (five gold, two silver and four bronze).

"This is something we have been working toward for six months now," Barnes said. "Instead of competing against each other like we do on the PBA Tour, it's nice to come together and really bond as a team. It all came together at a big moment and it feels great."

In the gold-medal match, Barnes swept Allen 213-188, 257-236 and 289-212. Barnes started the final game with 10 consecutive strikes before a 9 pin ended his bid for his second 300 game of the tournament.

"I kept creeping left a little each shot and that 11th one was pretty good," said Barnes, who shot 300 in the second game of singles qualifying to in the tournament's first event. "It's hard to believe that ball could 9 pin from where I was playing. It was a little inside target but not much."

In the semifinals, Team USA's Wes Malott fell to Allen, 3-0, while Barnes took down Korea's Choi Bok-Eum, 3-2. Malott and Choi shared the bronze medal with the semifinal losses.

The other U.S. player in the Masters final, Bill O'Neill, entered the event as the top seed after winning the all-events gold medal but lost to No. 16 seed Petteri Salonen of Finland, 3-2, in the opening round. Team USA's Tommy Jones and Rhino Page did not qualify for the Masters.

The 2010 WTBA World Men's Championships features 356 competitors from 65 countries competing for medals in six events - five-player team, trios, doubles, singles, all-events and Masters match play.

Team USA took the gold medal in singles, trios, team, all-events and Masters. Sweden was the only other team to win a gold medal as Mathias Arup and Martin Paulsson won the doubles event.

2010 WTBA WORLD MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Dream Bowl Palace, Munich, Germany
Saturday's Results

MASTERS
(Best-of-five matches)

ROUND OF 16
(Winners advance, losers eliminated)

(16) Petteri Salonen, Finland def. (1) Bill O'Neill, United States, 3-2
(2) Chris Barnes, United States def. (15) Michael Schmidt, Canada, 3-1
(14) Osku Palermaa, Finland def. (3) Jang Dong-Chul, Korea, 3-1
(4) Patrick Allen, United States def. (13) Pasi Uotila, Finland, 3-0
(12) Cheng Hsing-Chao, Chinese Taipei def. (5) Du Jian Chao, China, 3-2
(11) Wu Hao-Ming, Chinese Taipei def. (6) Ernesto Franco, Mexico, 3-0
(7) Wes Malott, United States def. (10) Cho Young-Seon, Korea, 3-1
(8) Choi Bok-Eum, Korea def. (9) Michael Mak, Hong Kong, 3-1

QUARTERFINALS
(Winners advance, losers eliminated)


(2) Barnes def. (16) Salonen, 3-2
(4) Allen def. (14) Palermaa, 3-0
(8) Choi def. (11) Wu, 3-0
(7) Malott def. (12) Cheng, 3-1

SEMIFINALS
(Winners advance, losers tie for bronze)


(4) Allen def. (7) Malott, 3-0
(2) Barnes def. (8) Choi, 3-2

CHAMPIONSHIP
(Winner earns gold, loser gets silver)


(2) Barnes def. (4) Allen, 3-0