Robert Harvey and Kelly Kulick took the Ladies and Legends title
(Photo courtesy PBA)
Harvey converted one of the biggest spares of his life in the 10th frame Monday to seal the 233-225 victory for he and his partner Kelly Kulick in the 2008 Columbia 300 Ladies and Legends presented by MGD 64 at The Cherry Bowl.
Kulick, one of the most decorated female bowlers in the world who is famous for becoming the first woman to earn an exemption on the Denny’s PBA Tour, carried the way through much of the title match against the No. 1 seed April Ellis and Dale Eagle. She struck with her first four shots in the Baker style alternate-shot format, while Harvey struggled late in the match with back-to-back seven-spares.
A nervous Harvey got up and threw a perfect shot but left the 10-pin, setting up a nerve-wracking spare attempt. He converted the spare with ease, however, to earn his first PBA Senior Tour title.
“This is my first win so I couldn’t wish for anything more than the way it happened,” Harvey (Boise, Idaho) said. “Kelly and I were definitely a team in every sense of the word.”
They proved to be the best of the 24 teams throughout the day, compiling a 19-5 record in round robin match play then winning both their matches in the championship round.
“We did such a good job as a team and we did it all day,” Kulick (Union, N.J.), who also owns a PBA Regional Tour title, said. “If one of us made a bad shot we picked each other up. For him to win his first title having to throw a big shot like that is awesome.”
The stepladder finals started with the No. 4 team Bob Brady and Shannon Pluhowsky taking down the No. 5 seeded Lucy Sandelin and Rohn Morton, 235-185. Brady and Pluhowsky fell to the No. 3 team of Shannon O’Keefe and PBA Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia, 230-183, as Petraglia struck with all seven of his shots. They ran into Kulick and Harvey, however, who advanced to the title match with a 235-202 victory.
Eagle and Ellis came into the finals as the top seed after going 17-7 in match play but fell behind early when Kulick and Harvey started the title match with five consecutive strikes. They clawed their way back into the match, but ultimately were undone by Eagle’s open in the eighth.
Kulick and Harvey will split $15,000 for their victory while Ellis and Eagle share $8,000. O’Keefe and Petraglia take home $6,000, Brady and Pluhowsky split $5,000 while Sandelin and Morton share $4,000.
The PBA Senior Tour moves to Jackson, Mich., next week for the 2008 PBA Senior Jackson Open. The finals take place Tuesday, May 13 with the winner taking home $8,000.
PBA Senior Tour
2008 Columbia 300 PBA Ladies and Legends pres. by MGD 64
The Cherry Bowl
Rockford, Ill.
Monday, May 5
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
Pos. Name, hometown Total/Games Money
1. Kelly Kulick-Robert Harvey 468 (2 games) $15,000
2. April Ellis-Dale Eagle 225 (1 game) $8,000
3. Shannon O’Keefe-Johnny Petraglia 432 (2 games) $6,000
4. Shannon Pluhowsky-Bob Brady 418 (2 games) $5,000
5. Lucy Sandelin-Rohn Morton 185 (1 game) $4,000
SCORES – In the first match, Pluhowsky-Brady def. Sandelin-Morton, 235-185; in the second match, O’Keefe-Petraglia def. Pluhowsky-Brady, 230-183; in the third match, Kulick-Harvey def. O’Keefe-Petraglia, 235-202; and in the title match, Kulick-Harvey def. Ellis-Eagle, 233-225.
This is Harvey’s first PBA Senior Tour title and Kulick’s first PBA Ladies and Legends title.
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