AUBURN - Joe Petrowski unleashed his power Sunday when he needed it most, and the result was a tournament championship.
Photo provided
Joe Petrowski of East Syracuse fires the final ball of the Pilat Design Sport Masters. Petrowski defeated Gary Feldman, 193-159, to capture the second annual event.
Joe Petrowski of East Syracuse fires the final ball of the Pilat Design Sport Masters. Petrowski defeated Gary Feldman, 193-159, to capture the second annual event.
The strong right-hander was bowling on a new set of lanes in the final game of the Pilat Design Sport Masters. He threw his first shot wide and left a split, which he converted. But he wasn't about to stand pat with his thinking.
“I just didn't like the way the ball was moving. The condition was different from when I had bowled earlier, so I decided to switch to a ball that didn't hook as much and let my wrist do all the work,” he said.
The change sent Petrowski, the top seed after four games of qualifying, on his way. He defeated Auburn's Gary Feldman Jr., 193-159, to capture the Tom Aubin championship crystal and $700.
“This means a lot,” said Petrowski, 34, who lives in East Syracuse. “Any win in a Sport tournament means a lot. You're bowling on a very difficult condition against good bowlers and you have to be on top of your game.”
Petrowski added that he always plays to win, and his victory thwarted Feldman's strong bid at the title. Going straight up the middle of the lane, the fifth-seeded Feldman beat defending champion Benny Appleby 176-170. He followed that triumph with wins over third-seeded Jeff Matty, 194-153, and second-seeded Ray Cyr, 213-201.
Getting the best of Cyr was particularly satisfying for Feldman. Cyr had struck out in the 10th frame, forcing Feldman to answer with his own flurry of strikes. And he did just that, finishing with a five-bagger and the victory.
“Beating Ray gave me a lot of confidence,” Feldman said. “I honestly didn't feel (Appleby and Matty) had good looks out there. They were struggling to find the line. But Ray had it going, and I had to talk myself into making good shots. It was exciting.”
Cyr, who showed emotion after good and bad results throughout the tournament, accepted his loss gracefully. He immediately offered congratulations to Feldman.
“He stepped up, and that's what it's all about,” said Cyr, who hails from Utica. “He made three great shots.”
Petrowski bowled well from the outset Sunday. He began with games of 201, 233 and 200 in qualifying, and then added 186 for a pace-setting 810 total.
Cyr and Matty (783) tied for second. Cyr won a one-game roll-off, 184-172, to secure his position. It was the second time in two days he needed extra frames. He defeated Derek Magno, 154-142, on Saturday to get into the finals.
Appleby (775) and Feldman (774) took the other two spots with big last games of 220 and 214, respectively.
Mike Ryan, tournament co-director with Matty, fired a 225 final game and fell just short at 769. Auburn resident Brian Brooks, who led the qualifying with 845 Saturday at Starlite Lanes, shot 157 his fourth game Sunday. He finished with 763.
“The pocket just became elusive for me,” Brooks said. “But I had a good time and am looking forward to next year.”
Petrowski, as defending champion, will also be back. But winning wasn't always a certainty. Indeed, he picked the 2-4-10 split in the opening frame against Feldman. But Petrowski missed a 7-pin in the fifth frame, and at another point failed to register a strike on a questionable hit. “Benny would have carried that,” Petrowski blurted out, referring to last year's champion, who was watching the action. Appleby answered, drawing a laugh from the small crowd, but the moment seemed to galvanize Petrowski in a tight game.
“I like to keep myself loose, and I'm known for being an easy-going guy,” he said. “But I also have a knack for shutting out distractions, and I definitely can be intense when I'm bowling.”
Feldman, who later insisted he had enough juice left to remain competitive, had a miss in the sixth frame that hurt his cause. Petrowski crossed over for a strike in the ninth frame, and then ran out a light hit that toppled the pins on his first shot in the 10th.
“Yeah,” he yelled out, clenching his fists at the waist. The delivery clinched the prestigious title. But it still won't stack up to what he called his greatest bowling accomplishment: He won the 2006 Bowlers Journal Open Doubles national title with partner Art Alexander III in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Feldman used to travel to tournaments around New York state with his niece, Michelle Feldman, and had previously met up several times with Petrowski and Cyr. He praised all of his fellow competitors.
“I'm surprised I did this well because there were some very talented guys in this tournament,” Feldman said. “But I'm a competitor, and I believed I had a chance all day. It was a pleasure to bowl today. Joe just beat me.”
Notes: Feldman received $350 for placing second, Cyr won $200 for finishing third, Matty took home $150 for fourth and Appleby won $125 for fifth. For the second straight year, Don Stoddard and his son Christopher presented the champion with the winner's crystal. Dawn Aubin, Stoddard's sister, donated the award in memory of her husband. Christopher is Tom Aubin's godson. Bowlers competed Sunday on the PBA Experience Scorpion oil pattern. Appleby said too many games in league play last week weakened his wrist. “I couldn't repeat shots on a demanding condition,” he said. Cyr called making the field Sunday after a roll-off the previous day “a bonus,” but quickly added, “If I didn't think I could win, I would never bowl in tournaments.” Petrowski said he and Cyr grew up bowling in junior tournaments together. “He was in Utica and I was in Syracuse,” Petrowski said. “If we had bowled in today's finals the loser would have been aggravated, but there wouldn't have been any animosity. We're both intense, but we are also very good friends.”
Pilat Design Sport
Masters
Noon Sunday
Falcon Lanes
Four-game totals
1. Joe Petrowski 810
2. Ray Cyr 783
3. Jeff Matty 783*
4. Benny Appleby 775
5. Gary Feldman Jr. 774
Did not qualify
6. Mike Ryan 769
7. Brian Brooks 763
8. Steve Suslik 733
9. Corey Slater 711
*Lost to Cyr, 184-172, in a roll-off to determine second place.
Stepladder Finals
Match 1
Feldman defeated Appleby, 176-170
Match 2
Feldman defeated Matty, 194-153
Match 3
Feldman defeated Cyr, 213-201
Championship match
Petrowski defeated Feldman, 193-159
“I just didn't like the way the ball was moving. The condition was different from when I had bowled earlier, so I decided to switch to a ball that didn't hook as much and let my wrist do all the work,” he said.
The change sent Petrowski, the top seed after four games of qualifying, on his way. He defeated Auburn's Gary Feldman Jr., 193-159, to capture the Tom Aubin championship crystal and $700.
“This means a lot,” said Petrowski, 34, who lives in East Syracuse. “Any win in a Sport tournament means a lot. You're bowling on a very difficult condition against good bowlers and you have to be on top of your game.”
Petrowski added that he always plays to win, and his victory thwarted Feldman's strong bid at the title. Going straight up the middle of the lane, the fifth-seeded Feldman beat defending champion Benny Appleby 176-170. He followed that triumph with wins over third-seeded Jeff Matty, 194-153, and second-seeded Ray Cyr, 213-201.
Getting the best of Cyr was particularly satisfying for Feldman. Cyr had struck out in the 10th frame, forcing Feldman to answer with his own flurry of strikes. And he did just that, finishing with a five-bagger and the victory.
“Beating Ray gave me a lot of confidence,” Feldman said. “I honestly didn't feel (Appleby and Matty) had good looks out there. They were struggling to find the line. But Ray had it going, and I had to talk myself into making good shots. It was exciting.”
Cyr, who showed emotion after good and bad results throughout the tournament, accepted his loss gracefully. He immediately offered congratulations to Feldman.
“He stepped up, and that's what it's all about,” said Cyr, who hails from Utica. “He made three great shots.”
Petrowski bowled well from the outset Sunday. He began with games of 201, 233 and 200 in qualifying, and then added 186 for a pace-setting 810 total.
Cyr and Matty (783) tied for second. Cyr won a one-game roll-off, 184-172, to secure his position. It was the second time in two days he needed extra frames. He defeated Derek Magno, 154-142, on Saturday to get into the finals.
Appleby (775) and Feldman (774) took the other two spots with big last games of 220 and 214, respectively.
Mike Ryan, tournament co-director with Matty, fired a 225 final game and fell just short at 769. Auburn resident Brian Brooks, who led the qualifying with 845 Saturday at Starlite Lanes, shot 157 his fourth game Sunday. He finished with 763.
“The pocket just became elusive for me,” Brooks said. “But I had a good time and am looking forward to next year.”
Petrowski, as defending champion, will also be back. But winning wasn't always a certainty. Indeed, he picked the 2-4-10 split in the opening frame against Feldman. But Petrowski missed a 7-pin in the fifth frame, and at another point failed to register a strike on a questionable hit. “Benny would have carried that,” Petrowski blurted out, referring to last year's champion, who was watching the action. Appleby answered, drawing a laugh from the small crowd, but the moment seemed to galvanize Petrowski in a tight game.
“I like to keep myself loose, and I'm known for being an easy-going guy,” he said. “But I also have a knack for shutting out distractions, and I definitely can be intense when I'm bowling.”
Feldman, who later insisted he had enough juice left to remain competitive, had a miss in the sixth frame that hurt his cause. Petrowski crossed over for a strike in the ninth frame, and then ran out a light hit that toppled the pins on his first shot in the 10th.
“Yeah,” he yelled out, clenching his fists at the waist. The delivery clinched the prestigious title. But it still won't stack up to what he called his greatest bowling accomplishment: He won the 2006 Bowlers Journal Open Doubles national title with partner Art Alexander III in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Feldman used to travel to tournaments around New York state with his niece, Michelle Feldman, and had previously met up several times with Petrowski and Cyr. He praised all of his fellow competitors.
“I'm surprised I did this well because there were some very talented guys in this tournament,” Feldman said. “But I'm a competitor, and I believed I had a chance all day. It was a pleasure to bowl today. Joe just beat me.”
Notes: Feldman received $350 for placing second, Cyr won $200 for finishing third, Matty took home $150 for fourth and Appleby won $125 for fifth. For the second straight year, Don Stoddard and his son Christopher presented the champion with the winner's crystal. Dawn Aubin, Stoddard's sister, donated the award in memory of her husband. Christopher is Tom Aubin's godson. Bowlers competed Sunday on the PBA Experience Scorpion oil pattern. Appleby said too many games in league play last week weakened his wrist. “I couldn't repeat shots on a demanding condition,” he said. Cyr called making the field Sunday after a roll-off the previous day “a bonus,” but quickly added, “If I didn't think I could win, I would never bowl in tournaments.” Petrowski said he and Cyr grew up bowling in junior tournaments together. “He was in Utica and I was in Syracuse,” Petrowski said. “If we had bowled in today's finals the loser would have been aggravated, but there wouldn't have been any animosity. We're both intense, but we are also very good friends.”
Pilat Design Sport
Masters
Noon Sunday
Falcon Lanes
Four-game totals
1. Joe Petrowski 810
2. Ray Cyr 783
3. Jeff Matty 783*
4. Benny Appleby 775
5. Gary Feldman Jr. 774
Did not qualify
6. Mike Ryan 769
7. Brian Brooks 763
8. Steve Suslik 733
9. Corey Slater 711
*Lost to Cyr, 184-172, in a roll-off to determine second place.
Stepladder Finals
Match 1
Feldman defeated Appleby, 176-170
Match 2
Feldman defeated Matty, 194-153
Match 3
Feldman defeated Cyr, 213-201
Championship match
Petrowski defeated Feldman, 193-159
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