JUNE 21, 2024 JILL WINTERS
Greeley, Colorado – John Janawicz just knows how to win. Whether that means using two different balls on each lane or having to loft his ball over the arrows. He has bowled on every oil pattern there is, and he knows what you need to do to be successful. He has proven that in only his second season on the PBA50 Tour, earning his third major title. To go along with his 2023 USBC Senior Masters and 2023 Johnny Petraglia BVL Tournament of Champions wins, he just added the 2024 PBA Senior U.S. Open. He is now a two-time winner this season, as well.
After a grueling week, which included 42 games to get to the stepladder finals on Monday, Janawicz added three more games to his total as he defeated Brad Angelo, Pete Weber and Tom Hess inside Highland Park Lanes. Janawicz enjoys the challenge of bowling on longer oil patterns where spare shooting matters.
“The majors are where history is made and I am really blessed to be able to win another one,” Janawicz said. “I made the joke when I was out there (prior to the stepladder finals) taking the picture, this is kind of the PBA50 murderer’s row here. To be able to beat any of these great players is just an accomplishment in itself. Tom has bowled just amazing all year long.”
In the championship match, Janawicz opened with two spares against Hess’s spare and strike. Hess’s third shot resulted in the 2-8-10 split for an open frame. Janawicz capitalized rolling five straight strikes to take a 31-pin lead through seven frames. Hess put three strikes together in the sixth through eighth frames but a 7-pin on the right lane ended his streak. Hess finished with a double and nine for 214, while Janawicz came out on top with 236. The two players hugged and Janawicz earned the $15,000 top prize.
“This is the one you want to win,” Janawicz said. “You look at all of the greats that have won it, and to say that I am a U.S. Open champion is definitely very special, and a dream come true. It is quite a feeling.”
The first two matches of the night got the fans excited. Angelo led from the very beginning, but Barnes did his best to stay right with him. Angelo had an eight-pin lead through five frames before both players matched each other strike-for-strike over the final seven shots with Angelo getting the win 267-259.
In the second match, the strikes continued to pile up. Angelo and Janawicz both picked up a 10-pin in the first frame before they kept rolling strikes. Janawicz posted five straight, while Angelo had six. Each followed those up with a single-pin spare. Janawicz finished with a five-bagger, while Angelo doubled and converted a 7-pin in the tenth. Janawicz got the win 269-258.
In the semifinal match, Janawicz took on Weber. The 10-pin remained standing on the right lane for four straight shots by Weber as he picked up three of them. Janawicz was clean until he stepped up on the right lane in the sixth frame leaving the 3-4-6-7 and picked up just two of them. Janawicz had a 14-pin lead at that point. He picked up back-to-back 10-pins before closing out the match with four straight strikes to earn the 221-194 victory. Weber had just one double, which came in the eighth and ninth frame.
“It has been quite the ride so far and I am just trying to keep the good momentum going,” Janawicz said.
2024 PBA50 Senior U.S. Open Final Standings
- John Janawicz, $15,000
- Tom Hess, $8,000
- Pete Weber, $6,000
- Brad Angelo, $5,000
- Chris Barnes, $4,000
Championship Round Scores
Match 1 – Angelo def. Barnes 267-259
Match 2 – Janawicz def. Angelo 269-258
Match 3 – Janawicz def. Weber 221-194
Championship match – Janawicz def. Hess 236-214
Final standings – 2024 Senior U.S. Open