The infamous Tin Cup, portrayed by Kevin Costner in the 1996 movie said, “When a defining moment comes along, either you define the moment or the moment defines you.” That statement perfectly illustrates Michelle Feldman’s week at the Dallas Open. The 10th year pro from Skaneateles, N.Y. won her 12th career title and first of 2003 with a 250-170 victory over Kendra Gaines, Orlando, Fla. The win earned her a first place check worth $15,000.

“This was a big for me,” said the champion. “I haven’t been bowling well for the last four weeks and it’s really been frustrating. It’s tough when you have a player of the year season and then follow it up without a title. I wanted this one pretty bad. I told myself earlier today that no matter what happened I was going for broke with every shot.”

Seeded No. 1 entering the live ESPN TV finals, Feldman claimed the top spot by averaging 221.66 with a 9,700 pinfall and a 13-11-0 match play record. In her bout with Gaines, Feldman’s scoring pace took off like a rocket heading for orbit. The right-hander strung together five consecutive strikes before most of the capacity crowd on hand could get settled in their seats.

Gaines, who in the semi-finals defeated Carol Gianotti-Block, Australia, 222-189, had trouble from the outset in her tilt with the champ. The former TEAM USA member opened in her first three frames putting her 70 pins behind Feldman after she marked in the fourth.

“In my first game I had a great shot, but very often the lanes change on TV because of the lights and the way the other bowlers break the lane conditioner down,” said Gaines. “I started to notice it late in my game with Carol. When I started the match with Michelle I decided to change balls. I went with my best guess as far as my equipment goes, but by the time I had adjusted correctly I was pretty far behind.”

Gaines managed to mark in every frame throughout the rest of the match, but Feldman’s five-bagger plus four more strikes in frames seven thru 10 made it impossible for the runner-up to make up enough of the deficit.

“For Michelle it really was a matter of the moment,” said Gaines. “Once she rattled off five in a row and I opened in the first three, her confidence level was sky-high. I’m happy with the way I bowled, even in the finals. 250 is a tough score to beat no matter what.”

Feldman was making her third trip in ‘03 to the TV finals. Prior to the Dallas Open, the three-time Women’s International Bowling Congress All-American’s best finishes were a third place at the U.S. Open and a second at the Pepsi Greater Rockford Classic.

Before the semis, Dede Davidson, Las Vegas, was making her bid at a second championship this year. Davidson has been one of the PWBA’s top performers in the last eight tournaments. The lefthander co-leads the pro circuit in TV finals appearances with four. She won her ninth career title two weeks ago at the Greater Harrisburg Open.

Seeded No. 4, Davidson took on Texan Rachel Perez in the first bout of the day. The two competitors were closely matched thru seven frames with a score of 147-137 in Davidson’s favor. In the eighth Perez, suffered her first setback when she opened after failing to pick up the 4-6-7. Davidson capitalized with a strike, spare before marking twice in the 10th for a 206. Perez responded to the challenge with a strike in the ninth and two more in the

10th. The ninth-year pro then needed another strike on her final shot to force a rolloff, but a stubborn four-pin kept her from moving on to the next battle.

In her next match Davidson took on Gianotti-Block. The Aussie was making her first championship round appearance since November of 2001 when she placed third at the Jacksonville Open.

Following an open second frame by Gianotti-Block, Davidson seemed to have the upper hand by striking in frames two thru four. However, Gianotti-Block, who has 16 national titles to her credit and in 1998 was the PWBA Player of the Year, put on a show starting in frame three. She matched Davidson’s strikes and continued to put an X in the box until her second shot of the 10th. She moved on to the semis after upending the lefty 252-223.

Earning her second runner-up finish this year, Gaines took home a check for $8,000. Gianotti-Block cashed for $6,000 while Davidson’s fourth place earned her $5,000. Perez’s take was $4,000.

The Professional Women’s Bowling Association, founded in 1981 as the Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour, provides a professional tournament program for the most skilled women bowlers in the world. The PWBA’s key sponsors include the Women’s International Bowling Congress, Miller Brewing, Pepsi Cola, BowlersParadise.com and more than a dozen other bowling industry sponsors. For the latest information on the PWBA go to www.pwba.com.

DALLAS, TX-Championship-round results and their scores, earnings and playoff results in the Professional Women's Bowling Association's $100,000 Dallas Open;

1. Michelle Feldman, Skaneateles, N.Y., 250 -1 game- $15,000
2. Kendra Gaines, Orlando, Fla., 392 -2 games- $8,000
3. Carol Gianotti-Block, Australia, 441 -2 games- $6,000
4. Dede Davidson, Las Vegas, Nev., 429 -2 games- $5,000
5. Rachel Perez, San Marcos, Texas, 205 -1 game- $4,000

Playoff Results:
1st match: Davidson def. Perez 206-205; 2nd match: Gianotti-Block def. Davidson 252-223; Semi-finals: Gaines def. Gianotti-Block 222-189; Championship: Feldman def. 250-170.