Bryan Goebel Wins PBA50 Miller Lite Players Championship For First PBA50 Tour Title
6/7/2017INDIANAPOLIS – Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Bryan Goebel of Shawnee, Kan., a 10-time winner on the PBA Tour, won the PBA50 Miller Lite Players Championship for his first title on PBA’s tour for players 50 and over.
Goebel won the first major of the 2017 season by beating fellow hall of famer and stepladder finals top qualifier Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., 264-230, in the championship match at Woodland Bowl.
“I feel so fortunate to win because it’s so tough with all the great players we have out here,” said Goebel, who was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in February. “I had a very rewarding career on the PBA Tour but it’s a very special honor to be part of that club that has won titles on both the PBA Tour and PBA50 Tour.”
Bohn and Goebel traded strikes in the first four frames of the title match until Bohn pulled away by continuing his string with strikes in the fifth and six frames. Bohn ran into trouble in the seventh frame when he left the 7-10 split and then left the 4-7-10 split in the ninth which turned the momentum back to Goebel who put together a string of five strikes at the end of the match to seal the win.
Goebel’s win came in his 51st PBA50 Tour tournament. His previous best finishes in five full seasons were two runner-up finishes which came in 2013 and 2015.
“What makes it special is you want to beat the best and Parker is one of the best,” said the 55-year-old Goebel. “It’s a huge relief to finally get that first win and to beat a great player like Parker in a major, that makes it that much more satisfying.”
For Goebel, the Miller Lite Players Championship win was his second major title on the national stage. He won the PBA Tour’s PBA Tournament of Champions in 1998.
As the No. 2 qualifier for the finals, Goebel advanced to the title match by beating PBA50 Tour rookie Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix, 200-181, in the semifinal match. Haugen, a five-time PBA Tour winner who qualified fourth for the finals, was making his third championship round appearance of the season and tied his best finish of third.
In the opening match Haugen beat No. 5 qualifier Scott Greiner of Platte City, Mo., 238-159, and then defeated No. 3 qualifier Bob Learn Jr. of Erie, Pa., 222-190, to advance to the semi-final match against Goebel.
Learn, who dominated qualifying by averaging 245, was trying for his fourth career PBA50 Tour title while Greiner was trying for his first win.
Article was posted with permission from Stars & Strikes, America's Bowling Newsmagazine. www.starsandstrikesbowling.com
