With a strike in the 10th frame, Patrick Allen secured the Lumber Liquidators Championship and possibly a spot in bowling immortality.
Allen finished with five straight strikes and topped Wes Malott, 247-217, in the title game of the Professional Bowlers Association tour stop at AMF Country Club Lanes in Middle River on Sunday.
The win is the 10th of Allen’s career, making him eligible for the PBA Hall of Fame once he retires. He is fourth in the world rankings with 81,366 points.
Allen understood the significance of the victory, as he yelled, “10, 10, 10,” shortly after he claimed the $25,000 as the tournament champion.
“There’s a lot of great bowlers that have that criteria and aren’t in the hall of fame yet,” Allen said. “Now, I’m in that category, too. But, just because you’re in that category doesn’t mean you’re a lock [for the Hall of Fame]. Ten titles in the number you need, but now it’s out of my hands.”
The 37-year-old left-hander joined the tour in 1999 and is 25-14 in 24 career television appearances, as it?s common for bowlers to roll numerous games during televised portions of tournaments.
On Sunday, Allen had the luxury of waiting until the last match of the day as the top seed in the championship round. The second-seeded Malott, who took home $13,000, advanced to the finals with a 236-207 victory over Mike DeVaney. Malott dropped to 0-2 in title matches this season, as he also lost in the Lake County Indiana Classic three weeks ago.
Malott said he had some difficulty adjusting to the lane condition as six of the eight finalists were right-handed, which caused the oil pattern to break down, making the lanes more unpredictable.
“The bowling balls just soak up the oil and then the oil just goes away,” Malott said. “We beat them up, there were only two lefties and Patrick was able to play his ‘A’ game and really stay firm.”
LUMBER LIQUIDATORS CHAMPIONSHIP
At AMF Country Club Lanes in Middle River
1. Patrick Allen ($25,000)
2. Wes Malott ($13,000)
3. Mike DeVaney ($6,500)
4. Mike Wolfe ($5,500)
5. Rhino Page ($5,000)
6. Walter Ray Williams Jr. ($4,000)
7. Chris Warren ($3,700)
8. Chris Barnes ($3,400)
