Couch Wins Weber Open

pba.com

With his back against the wall, Jason Couch was clutch all day long.

Couch defeated 30-time Denny's PBA Tour title winner and fellow left-hander Parker Bohn III in the title match of the 2006 Dick Weber Open stepladder finals, 241-214, Sunday at Fountain Bowl.

The 13-time title winner almost never made it to the title match.

Couch needed a one ball, sudden death roll-off in the semifinal to defeat 22-time title winner Norm Duke after the two tied at 213-213. Duke left a 10-pin in his second shot in the 10th and Couch responded by striking out to force the tie.

Couch, who used an Ebonite The One strike ball, opened the roll-off with a strike which Duke couldn’t match, leaving the 10-pin on his shot.

“I said to [Duke], ‘just give me a chance to strike out and tie you,’ and he did,” said Couch, who earned $30,000 for the win. “I got a lucky break on the first one [in the 10th] and once I got through the second one, I knew I was going to strike on the third one.”

In the title match, Bohn opened in the 2nd frame, failing to convert a 1-3-6-9 spare. Couch took advantage of the miscue by converting the 2-4-7-10 split in the 3rd then striking in frames 4-8.

In the quarterfinal, Duke beat Mike Machuga 212-168, striking seven times while Machuga, searching for his second win of the season, opened three times.

Machuga defeated Chris Loschetter looking for his first career title, 236-154, in the opening match.

The Denny’s Professional Bowlers Association Tour moves to Phoenix, Ariz., for the 2006 Motel 6 Phoenix Classic at AMF Christown Lanes. The nationally televised ESPN finals take place Sunday, Jan. 22 at 11 a.m. MT.