EJ Tackett wins PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic for 25th Career Title
Nolan Hughes- pba.com –Facebook Twitter Email
Tackett earned 25th career title with a wire-to-wire win.
In a battle between bowling’s most recent Triple Crown winners, EJ Tackett prevailed over Dom Barrett to win the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic.
Tackett defeated Barrett, 238-202, in the championship match on Sunday afternoon at Enterprise Park Lanes in Springfield, Mo.
“It is so cool to win an event with someone like Pete’s name on it,” Tackett said. “This is one of those trophies that, in 20 or 30 years when I look back on my career, it’s going to be a special one, especially with his signature on it. That’s something that very few people are ever going to be able to have. It’s a surreal feeling.
Barrett almost replicated Anthony Simonsen’s climb of last year’s stepladder in this event. Barrett defeated Ryan Barnes, Timmy Tan and Tim Foy Jr. to set up a title bout with top-seeded Tackett.
After Barrett tallied an easy victory over Barnes, who had four open frames and shot 141 in the opening match, Barrett demonstrated why he is an 10-time titleist.
Timmy Tan, who sought to become the first Malaysian player to win a PBA Tour title, started strong with seven of eight strikes. But two straight single-pin spare conversions by Timmy Tan opened the door for Barrett, who doubled and got nine on his fill ball to win the match, 246-245.
Barrett fell behind Foy in the semifinal as well, but responded with seven consecutive strikes to win the match.
The title match between Tackett and Barrett had the makings of a back-and-forth thriller — until the sixth frame. Barrett left a pocket 7-10, then left and made the 3-6-10. Tackett said those shots from Barrett changed the momentum in the match.
“I felt like my next two shots were the two most important ones of the match,” Tackett said. “To get up and strike twice after he missed twice was really important to keep the momentum on my side. Then Dom being Dom gets up and strikes in the eighth and ninth, exactly what you would expect from such a great champion.”
Every athlete talks about how winning is the result of practice and preparation. Tackett’s was put to the test in the championship’s final frames.
Tackett missed the cut in last week’s PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic by 13 pins and he said he missed five 10-pins during the event’s 18 games of qualifying. In response, the veteran said he went home and beat the nuisance to a pulp at his home center.
Tackett then left the dreaded single-pin in the ninth and 10th frames against Barrett, needing to convert both and get nine pins on his fill to clinch the win.
He aced both 10-pins, then secured his 25th career title with a strike. Tackett is tied with Brian Voss for 11th all-time and sits one title behind Don Johnson for a top-10 spot.
“I’ve always believed in myself,” Tackett said. “I’ve always believed in my abilities. I always believed that I was going to win at some point. I had no idea this was even possible.”
“Watching guys like Jason Belmonte, Pete Weber, Norm Duke and Parker Bohn III, those guys were still very active and winning when I first came out in 2013,” Tackett continued. “I never thought that anything that they ever did was remotely attainable. I’m not saying that I can get to where they’ve gotten in the sport — but, well, maybe I can.”
Tackett, who also won the U.S. Open earlier this season, will begin his next title pursuit later this month in the PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic. The tournament gets underway Feb. 25 at Coconut Bowl in Reno,
Championship Round Scores
Match 1: No. 4 Dom Barrett def. No. 5 Ryan Barnes, 190-141
Match 2: No. 4 Dom Barrett def. No. 3 Timmy Tan, 246-245
Match 3: No. 4 Dom Barrett def. No. 2 Tim Foy Jr., 239-224
Championship: No. 1 EJ Tackett def. No. 4 Dom Barrett, 238-202
Final Standings
- EJ Tackett, $30,000
- Dom Barrett, $18,000
- Tim Foy Jr., $13,000
- Timmy Tan, $10,000
- Ryan Barnes, $9,000
More information on the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic is available here.
