Showboat Invitational
$290,000 SHOWBOAT INVITATIONAL
Showboat Bowling Center, Las Vegas, NV, Jun 7-13, 1998
Couch Wins First Title Since 1995 At Showboat
In the fall of 1998, Jason Couch led the PBA Tour event in Bay City, Mich., by more than 600 pins, but lost the title match to Amleto Monacelli. At the Showboat Invitational, Couch made sure history did not repeat itself. Couch, who this time had to win his position round match just to claim the No. 1 seed, gained a measure of revenge against Monacelli as he defeated the PBA Hall of Tamer, 205-181, to earn his first win since 1995 (the fifth title of his career) and the $46,000 first-place check. Couch, the 1992 PBA Rookie of the Year from Clermont, Fla., has now earned all five of his titles as the No. 1 seed. "This is like having an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders," Couch said. "I started to doubt myself ...doubt if I could win again and that's the worse thing you can do. But this win proves I'm learning more and more each week and that I'm becoming a better bowler." The title match certainly wasn't pretty (it featured six splits and five open frames), but it was a testament to Couch's patience and determination. After starting with the first two strikes, Couch suffered an open frame after failing to convert the 3-7-9 split. But he bounced back with three consecutive strikes. Monacelli, Venezuela, started with an open frame after he could not convert the 2-8-10 split. But, three consecutive strikes and a successfuly converted 3-10 split seemed to have Monacelli back on track. Then disaster struck. Monacelli put up back-to-back open frames after failing to convert the 4-9 split in frame six and then left the 3-pin standing on a 3-6-10 spare attempt in frame seven. The critical shot in the match came in Couch's seventh frame when he successfully converted the difficult 4-10 split. He followed that with two strikes and a six-count on his first shot in the 10th to seal the win. Couch's roommate is Parker Bohn III and Couch said those wins provided him with some motivation. "You get real tired of seeing your roommate win every week," joked Couch. "II actually put some pressure on me, which is tough. But Parker has been great about keeping me positive and motivated. He has a great mental game and I can learn a lot from him." CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
PLAYOFF RESULTS-Match one: Monacelli (223) defeated Shafer (221) and Edwards (211); and in the championship game, Couch defeated Monacelli, 205-187. 56-GAME TOTALS OTHER CASHERS *-Match play alternate. 32-game qualifying leader-Mike Edwards, 7505. 24th place-Steve Hoskins, 7202. #-Dave Husted (2), Ryan Shafer, Norm Titus, Lonnie Waliczek, Kurt Piton, Tom Baker, Wayne Webb, Mike Edwards, Bryan Goebel (2) and Walter Ray Williams Jr. rolled 300 games ($100 each). PRO-AM CASHERS-Ricky Ward, Bryan Goebel, John Gant, Waiter Ray Williams Jr., Mike Tryniski, Dave Wodka, Paul Douvas, Brian LeClair, Curtis Odom, Len Blakey, Norm Duke, George Branham III, Parker Bohn III, Kurtis Evans ($50 each) and Dennis Jacques ($100). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
