Terri Ward wins 2015 Triple Crown Shoot-Out

NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. - After a challenging week alongside the best female bowlers in the world at the 2015 Bowlmor AMF U.S. Women's Open, 10 of the top senior women had the stage to themselves for extended play at Brunswick Zone Carolier.

The group returned to the lanes Friday after the final round of qualifying at the U.S. Women's Open to battle for a $1,000 top prize in the Senior Women's Triple Crown Series presented by The Orleans.

WardTerriTripleCrown465x262Terri Ward of Loveland, Colorado, made the most of the opportunity and won the event with a 205-189 victory over United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Linda Kelly of Dayton, Ohio.

Ward struck three times in the first half of the championship match to build an early lead and cruised to the win as both bowlers exchanged open frames later in the game. Kelly earned $750 for the runner-up finish.

"It was definitely a tough week for me, so it's nice to top it off this way," said Ward, who finished 138th in the U.S. Women's Open. "To have learned something this week and then be able to come out and win this feels really good. I was consistent in my matches and bowled my highest game of the day at the end."

Ward advanced to the title match with wins against Kristy Whitcher of Belfair, Washington (181-137) and a pair of USBC Hall of Famers, Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado (187-179) and top seed Robin Romeo of Newhall, California (185-164).

On her way to the final, Kelly defeated Paula Vidad of Sun City, California (176-164), USBC Hall of Famer Lucy Sandelin of Tampa, Florida (175-151) and Pam Sprow of Lakeland, Florida (226-177).

The Triple Crown Series is a special competition for bowlers who compete in the United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens, National Golden Ladies Classic and U.S. Women's Open.

The Triple Crown Shoot-Out featured the top 10 players in the Triple Crown standings, which combined qualifying totals from all three events.

As the top performer in the Triple Crown Series, Romeo earned two byes in the bracket, while Sandelin, Char Hammel and Johnson each earned one bye.

Ward had a best finish of third at the National Golden Ladies Classic this year.

This U.S. Women's Open is the final open event of the 2015 Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour schedule. All qualifying and match-play rounds are being broadcast live on Xtra Frame. For subscription information, visit XtraFrame.TV.

Bowlmor AMF, the largest operator of bowling centers in the world, is hosting and providing television sponsorship of more than $250,000 for the U.S. Women's Open and the 2015 Bowlmor AMF U.S. Open, which will be held at AMF Garland Lanes in suburban Dallas/Fort Worth from Nov. 2-8.

SENIOR WOMEN'S TRIPLE CROWN SHOOT-OUT
At Brunswick Zone Carolier, North Brunswick, N.J.
Friday's results

Opening round
(Winners advance; losers earn $350)

(8) Linda Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, def. (7) Paula Vidad, Sun City, Calif., 176-164
(9) Pam Sprow, Lakeland, Fla., def. (6) Mandy Wilson, Dayton, Ohio, 164-147
(10) Terri Ward, Loveland, Colo., def. (5) Kristy Whitcher, Belfair, Wash., 181-137

Round 2
(Winners advance; losers earn $400)

Kelly def. (2) Lucy Sandelin, Tampa, Fla., 175-151
Sprow def. (3) Char Hammel, Las Vegas, 203-178
Ward def. (4) Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., 187-179

Semifinals
(Winners advance; losers earn $500)

Kelly def. Sprow, 226-177
Ward def. (1) Robin Romeo, Newhall, Calif., 185-164

Championship
(Winner earns $1,000; Runner-up earns $750)

Ward def. Kelly, 205-189