ANDERSON, Ind. – Newcomer John Marsala of St. Louis beat Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix, 224-218, in the title match to win the PBA50 Dave Small’s Championship Lanes Classic presented by Roto Grip Tuesday for his first PBA50 Tour title.

Marsala, bowling in his fifth PBA50 Tour tournament, took control after five consecutive strikes in the middle of the title match and sewed up the win with a nine count on his first ball in the 10th frame. Haugen, whose second-place finish was enough to win PBA50 Player of the Year, was unable to string strikes until the ninth and 10th frame but by then it was too late.

Marsala won all six of his matches in the final round of match play earlier in the day to earn the top spot for the stepladder finals.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Marsala, who won his first title in topflight competition. “It’s something I’ve thought about since I was a kid.

“I knew I had to stay relaxed because I had to make sure I kept the ball in play,” the 55-year-old left-hander said of the title match. “I just had the attitude that win or lose, this tournament was a win for me. It was beyond my expectations.”

Haugen, the only two-time winner this season, also has two second-place and two third-place finishes which helped him take the player of the year crown.

The 51-year-old Haugen had to work hard for his runner-up finish earning the last position in the cashers’ round and then advanced through two match play rounds to earn the No. 2 qualifying position for the finals.

“To win player of the year was a goal but you never know when it’s going to happen,” said the 2017 PBA50 Rookie of the Year. “As the season went on the confidence was building especially after my second win but all you can do is believe in yourself and hope good things will happen.

“Like I often say; wash, rinse and repeat,” Haugen added. “My goal is to keep it simple because it puts me in the best position to make the right adjustments and ball choices. I knew if I kept making shows I’d have a good shot at player of the year so I guess the formula worked.”

In the opening stepladder match between two of PBA’s all-time greats, No. 5 qualifier Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J. beat fellow PBA Hall of Famer and 11-time PBA50 Tour winner Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla., when he won a one-frame roll-off, 10-9, after tying the match 247-247.

In the second match, Bohn, a four-time PBA50 Tour titlist and the tournament defending champion, defeated seven-time PBA Tour winner Steve Jaros of Yorkville, Ill., 279-241, to advance to the semifinal where he lost to Haugen, 257-178.

The PBA50 Tour regular season concludes with the season’s final major when Spectrum Lanes in Wyoming, Mich., hosts the PBA50 Cup presented by DV8 Aug. 9-12. Players 60 and over will conclude the season with the PBA60 Dick Weber Championship Aug. 14-16 at Pro Bowl West in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Fans can catch all the action on PBA’s online bowling channel PBA Xtra Frame on FloBowling. For subscription and schedule information visit www.flobowling.com.

PBA50 DAVE SMALL’S CHAMPIONSHIP LANES CLASSIC

Presented by Roto Grip

Dave Small’s Championship Lanes, Anderson, Ind., Tuesday

Final Standings:

1, John Marsala, St. Louis, $7,500.

2, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, $4,000.

3, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., $2,500.

4, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., $2,000.

5, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla. $1,750.

Stepladder Results:

Match One – Bohn def. Williams, 247-247 (Bohn won one-frame roll-off, 10-9).

Match Two – Bohn def. Jaros, 279-241.

Semifinal Match – Haugen def. Bohn, 257-178.

Championship Match – Marsala def. Haugen, 224-218.

Modified Match Play Round 2 (after six games, including match play bonus pins. Top five advance to stepladder finals)

1, John Marsala, St. Louis, Mo., 6-0, 1,701.
2, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 5-1, 1,618.
3, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3-3, 1,613.
4, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 4-2, 1,577.
5, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3-3, 1,575.
6, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3-3, 1,520, $1,500.
7, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 4-2, 1,515, $1,500.
8, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 4-2, 1,509, $1,500.
9, Eddie Graham, Kettering, Ohio, 3-3, 1,496, $1,250.
10, Doug Henry, Columbus, Ind., 2-3-1, 1,446, $1,250.
11, Kevin Duncan, Mexico, Mo., 3-3, 1,441, $1,250.
12, ss-Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 1-4-1, 1,431, $1,250.
13, ss-Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 1-5, 1,354, $1,250.
14, ss-David Axon, Bellevue, Neb., 2-4, 1,348, $1,250.
15, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2-4, 1,320, $1,250.
16, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 1-5, 1,307, $1,250.

Modified Match Play Round 1 (after five games, including match play bonus pins)

17, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 2-3, 1,228, $1,100. 
18, Rolando Sebelen, Dominican Republic, 3-2, 1,190, $1,100. 
19, Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., 2-3, 1,179, $1,100. 
20, ss-Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 2-3, 1,157, $1,100. 
21, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3-2, 1,153, $1,100. 
22, ss-Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 2-3, 1,098, $1,100. 
23, ss-Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 1-4, 1,086, $1,100. 
24, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1-4, 942, $1,100. 

Other Cashers (after five-game cashers’ round)

25, Danny Clark, New Palestine, Ind., 1,124, $1,000. 
26, ss-Marty Berke, Allentown, Pa., 1,099, $1,000. 
27, Chris Gibbons, Madison, Wis., 1,094, $1,000. 
28, ss-Gary Reh, Fort Mohave, Ariz., 1,064, $1,000. 
29, ss-Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 1,047, $1,100. 
30, ss-Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 1,041, $1,000. 
31, n, ss-Julius Mickel, Omaha, Neb., 1,029, $1,000. 
32, ss-John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 1,024, $1,000. 
33, ss-Warren Nelson, Hemet, Calif., 1,016, $1,000. 
34, ss-Paul Mielens, Menomonie, Wis., 1,012, $1,000. 
35, ss-Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,007, $1,000. 
36, ss-Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, 697, $1,000.

n-non-member

ss-PBA60 player ages 60 and older