Sean Swanson took the big prize at the PBA Regional Players Championship
(Photo courtesy PBA)
Swanson defeated Gregg Zicha, 247-154, Monday to win the 2008 PBA Lake County Indiana Regional Players Championship at Stardust Bowl II, his first career PBA Regional Tour Major title.
After winning the 2006-07 PBA Southwest Region, Swanson earned his first career PBA Tour exemption, but being away from home for most of six months saw him drop to 53rd in the PBA World Point Rankings knocking him out of the running for a 2008-09 exemption.
“The Tour just wasn’t for me,” Swanson (Springfield, Mo.) said. “I’d rather be gone 2-3 days a week than weeks at a time.”
Swanson won his first four matches by a combined 10-2 match score. He then took down the No. 2 seed John Gould (Richmond, Calif.), 223-167, in the semifinals before squaring off against Zicha.
The title match was never in doubt as Zicha (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) opened in the third and fourth frames and Swanson ran away with the match by striking in the first five frames and in seven of the first nine, clinching the victory with a strike in the ninth frame.
“The last two matches today I was lucky to get off to a good start in each,” Swanson said. “The lanes were really difficult today and when the lanes are tough, if you get out to a good start with a couple strikes your opponents start squeezing it a little bit and that leads to some splits.”
The victory was the 15th PBA Regional Tour title of Swanson’s career, but his first Major. He earned $9,000 for the victory along with a spot in the prestigious 2008-09 PBA Tournament of Champions as well as a berth in the 2008 PBA Regional Players Invitational.
Zicha took home $5,000 for second while Gould and Craig Tuholski (Washougal, Wash.) earned $2,800 for third and fourth.
PBA Regional Tour
2008 PBA Regional Players Championship
Stardust Bowl II
Merrillville, Ind.
Monday, May 26
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
(Single-game match. Winner earns $9,000. Loser earns $5,000.)
#11 Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., def. #45 Gregg Zicha, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 1-0 (247-154).
ROUND OF 4
(Single-game matches. Losers eliminated, earn $2,800.)
#11 Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., def. #2 John Gould, Richmond, Calif., 1-0 (223-167).
#45 Gregg Zicha, Glen Ellyn, Ill., def. #9 Craig R. Tuholski, Washougal, Wash., 1-0 (215-211).
ROUND OF 8
(Single elimination, best-of-three games. Losers eliminated, earn $1,700.)
#2 John Gould, Richmond, Calif., def. #10 Ronnie Russell, Huntingburg, Ind., 2-0 (195-188, 210-195).
#9 Craig R. Tuholski, Washougal, Wash., def. #16 Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2-0 (232-204, 216-195).
#11 Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., def. #14 Riga Kalfas, Florence, Ky., 2-0 (224-195, 212-203).
#45 Gregg Zicha, Glen Ellyn, Ill., def. #21 Jeff Richgels, Oregon, Wis., 2-1 (170-190, 183-167, 219-171).
Broadway Sports Center
Jamestown Bowling Company
Tonawanda Bowling Center
Town Edge Bowling Center
Transit Lanes
