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Australia’s Jason Belmonte wins PBA US Open
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
24th February, 2020
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Jason Belmonte. (John Ewing/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
24th February, 2020
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Jason Belmonte, Australia’s two-handed tenpin superstar, continued his dominance on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tour by winning the 2020 US Open – his 23rd PBA Tour title and a record-extending 12th PBA major title.

Belmonte has once again entered the record books with his US Open triumph at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, Nebraska on Sunday, becoming only the second bowler in PBA history, joining Hall of Famer Mike Aulby, to complete the Super Slam by winning all five PBA majors, which includes the PBA Tournament of Champions, PBA World Championship, PBA Players Championship, USBC Masters and the US Open.

The US Open was the only major tournament that had eluded the five-time and reigning PBA Player of the Year. He had previously qualified for the stepladder finals on three occasions, finishing third in 2012, runner-up in 2013 and a forgetful US Open finals appearance last year that saw Belmonte shoot a 148 game – the lowest TV finals score of his illustrious career to finish fourth.

Televised live on Fox Sports in the US, Belmonte – the second seed for the stepladder finals – had to overcome his recent struggles on TV to take down Dick Allen (215-187) in the semi-final, before defeating top seed Anthony Simonsen in a tense final match 226-201.

It was a fitting final showdown between Simonsen and Belmonte, as the 23-year-old Texan was pursuing his own piece of history by becoming the youngest bowler to win three major championships. He’s also had the better of his rival when they’ve met head-to-head in recent majors, defeating Belmonte in final of the 2019 PBA Players Championship before beating him again in last year’s US Open finals.

This time the final match came down to the tenth and final frame with Belmonte nailing a strike for his first shot, but a wayward shot followed, leaving himself with a difficult 3-6-9-10 spare conversion to close out the match. And as champions so often do under intense pressure, he stepped up and nailed the spare to claim victory and let out a massive roar in celebration.

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“My 12th major championship victory and the one I wanted (US Open) so much. To wear the green jacket and hold the eagle is one of the proudest moments of my career,” Belmonte wrote on Instagram.

“The struggles on TV this year have made this win so much sweeter.

“When you are critiqued by everyone for every move you make, the weight of poor performances can weigh heavy. This was my chance to break those shackles and win this one for me.”

View this post on Instagram

Let me first say I misspoke – I’m not retiring now ???? I meant to say I can retire fulfilled ???? ‘now’ just slipped out. I want to congratulate Anthony on an amazing performance this year. I know exactly how he feels, leading the US Open by so much, only to lose the title. I feel for you mate. You will have a chance to win this event again and I’ll be hoping you win a green jacket on that day! I want you to know that the kind words you said to me after I won will never be forgotten. You are an amazing young man and it’s a privilege to compete with you and even more so to call you a mate! I’m so pumped to write this next bit. My 12th major championship victory and the one I wanted so much. To wear the green jacket and hold the eagle is one of the proudest moments of my career. The struggles on TV this year have made this win even sweeter. When you are critiqued by everyone for every move you make, the weight of poor performances can weigh heavy. This was my chance to break those shackles and win this one for me! My family – Kimberly, Aria, Hugo and Sylvie are everything to me and were a huge reason I was able to pull through today. You support me no matter the score and your unwavering love for me is felt across the oceans. What would I do without you? Thank you… for everything you are to me. ❤️ Thank you USBC and BPAA for hosting the event, the staff at Sun Valley Lanes and all the fans who came out to watch every session. Thank you thank you thank you. I can’t thank enough the team with @stormproducts – Timmy, Jimmy and Shawn who helped me all week. Thank you for finding ways for me to see shape down the lane I could win with. You guys are the best in the biz. I love to win in front of Bill Chrisman – he is the reason I even had the chance to bowl for a living. Thank you Bill for backing a kid and always giving him the best equipment to roll. Hope you enjoyed the win as much as I did. Dexter Bowling and Vise Bowling for your continued support for shoes and grips – thank you so much. And thank you to all you guys reading this. My fans. You make what I do more fun and rewarding. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

A post shared by Jason Belmonte (@jbelmo) on

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Belmonte briefly sent shock waves through the bowling industry by declaring that he can “retire now”, but he later clarified that he’s not retiring, he misspoke and meant to say “I can retire fulfilled”.

There’s still a long way to go in the 2020 PBA season and the world’s number one bowler, from Orange in country New South Wales, will be determined to add more titles to his record-breaking career.

Jason Belmonte is already part of professional bowling’s greatest of all time conversation, but as long as he continues to win titles and create history, he’s well on the way to putting to putting that conversation to rest.

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