February 26, 2022 Nolan Hughes

It’s no secret that the Tournament of Champions, the PBA’s signature event, has precipitated many of the most iconic moments in the history of bowling.

From Kelly Kulick’s momentous victory in 2010—when she became the first woman to win a PBA title—to Mika Koivuniemi’s unforgettable 299-100 shellacking of Tom Daugherty in 2011, to Don Johnson’s near-perfect 299 way back in 1970, the TOC has seen it all.

And no tournament is more indicative of Jason Belmonte’s dominance than the Tournament of Champions.

Belmonte boasts three TOC titles, tied for the most in history. But more than that: Belmonte has made nine of the last ten shows at the TOC—he finished seventh in 2017, missing the telecast by just 25 pins—and is the only player to have earned the top seed multiple times during that span. But he’s not the only player who has found consistent success over the past decade. Sean Rash has reached the championship round six times, including this year, and shot a televised 300 in 2015; Jesper Svensson, EJ Tackett and Pete Weber have each reached the show on three occasions since 2012.

Here’s a recap of the past 10 Tournament of Champions:

2012: Persistence pays off for Rash
Title match: Sean Rash defeated Ryan Ciminelli 239-205
Context: Rash capped off his 2011-12 Player of the Year campaign with the second major title of his career.

In the last event of the 2011-12 season, the three leading candidates for Player of the Year all earned berths on the TOC show. Rash earned the top seed for the tournament’s final four-person stepladder, with Belmonte, Mike Fagan and Ryan Ciminelli vying behind him. A win for Belmonte or Fagan, who had each won two titles that season, would essentially lock up the Player of the Year award. Though Rash had no titles, he made all five shows at the World Series of Bowling and led the Tour in average.

The King of Swing opened the show facing Ciminelli. He opted to play straight up the lane between the first and second arrow, lofting the ball just shy of the arrows. Ciminelli won a low-scoring affair, ending Fagan’s POY dreams.

Ciminelli then took down Belmonte in the semifinal, paving the way for Rash to potentially steal the award with a win. After coming up short in his first six championship-round appearances in 2011-12, Rash struck in the 10th to lock up the major title, unleashing a season’s worth of frustrations in a cathartic roar.

Rash ultimately won the 2011-12 Player of the Year, with his 29% share of the votes narrowly eclipsing Belmonte 26.6%. Had Ciminelli not given an Oscar-worthy performance in his role as spoiler, we could have seen a Belmo-Rash matchup, during the peak of Bottlegate drama, that directly decided a major title and the Player of the Year award.

2013: PDW’s crowning moment
Winner: Pete Weber defeated Jason Belmonte 224-179
Context: Weber earned his 10th major title, tying Earl Anthony’s longstanding record. He also became the oldest TOC champion at 50 years old.

The title match of the 2013 Tournament of Champions is perhaps the most consequential bowling moment of the past decade.

It was the coronation of Weber, perhaps bowling’s most iconic figure. A year after his legendary “Who do you think you are? I am!” celebration, he captured his tenth career major to tie Earl Anthony’s all-time record while becoming the oldest TOC champion.

Everything about Weber’s performance is superbly and undeniably PDW: the sunglasses, the glove, the gold IQ Tour Pearl rolling over the fifth arrow before splitting the 8-9.

Though Weber would never win again on the national tour, his victory at the 2013 Tournament of Champions set the stage for the next decade of professional bowling.

The notion that Belmonte—then a one-time major titleist, though the 2011-12 Players Championship would be added retroactively—could catch Weber, let alone surpass him in major titles, was inconceivable. Weber and Anthony’s record felt sacred, perhaps untouchable.

Belmonte burned it to ash within six years.

Imagine if Kobe Bryant’s Lakers lost the 1998 NBA Finals to Michael Jordan’s Bulls, and then Kobe won six titles by 2004. Or if Patrick Mahomes someday matches Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl rings after losing to him in Feb. 2021.

But this was Weber’s time to bask in glory, a perfect snapshot of bowling history preserved in amber, with its significance only growing with age.

2014: Belmo snags his first TOC win
Winner: Jason Belmonte defeated Wes Malott 219-218
Context: Belmonte won his then-second career major, igniting his run of dominance.

One year after losing in the title match to Weber, Belmonte obliterated the field to earn the top seed in 2014.

Wes Malott, who will be inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame tonight, defeated Dan MacLelland and Dom Barrett to reach the title match. The two exchanged blows, entering the 10th frame deadlocked.

Belmonte struck on his fill shot after escaping a near-chop of the 6-10, forcing Malott to strike for the win. The Texas native balked at the foul line, reminding himself to commit. But his self-talk proved futile; he missed wide right, handing a second major title to Belmonte. This victory sparked a run in which Belmonte won four of six majors from 2014-15.

2015: Belmo goes back-to-back
Winner: Jason Belmonte defeated Rhino Page 232-214
Context: Belmonte won his second straight TOC and sixth career major title.

While it feels like Belmonte’s peak has encompassed the entirety of the past decade, his absolute apex may have been in the mid-2010s. From 2011-2015, Belmonte recorded top-five finishes in 14 of 17 majors, winning six titles. In the four-season stretch, he won as many titles as Don Carter won in his career, and more than Jason Couch, Marshall Holman and Dick Weber, who each won four.

But Belmonte wasn’t the only player to make history on this show. In the second match, Rash shot the 25th televised 300 game and the second of his career, becoming the first player with multiple televised perfect games. Ciminelli once again suffered the wrath of Rash in that match.

In the semifinal, Rash had the upper hand on Belmonte until the ninth frame, when he left a 2-8-10. Belmonte’s six-bagger starting in the 6th frame proved to be the difference.

Making his fourth consecutive TOC show, Belmonte defeated top-seeded Page one week after winning his fifth career major at the 2015 Masters. Belmonte ran away with the title, clinching the match by the 8th frame. Page notched his second career runner-up finish at the TOC.

2016: No champagne for Svensson
Winner: Jesper Svensson defeated Mitch Beasley 226-177
Context: Twenty-year-old Svensson became the youngest TOC champion.

While Firelake Arena did not exude the historical significance of AMF Riviera Lanes, the breathtaking scene did make for a spectacular, if not a bit eerie, viewing experience.

Svensson earned the second seed as the lone lefty on the 2016 telecast. In his first match, he defeated Tom Daugherty, who made his daring return to the TOC telecast for the first time since his infamous 100 game in 2011. Though Daugherty more than doubled his score this time around, it was no match for Svensson’s 245.

The baby-faced, tatted southpaw dispatched top-seeded Mitch Beasley to claim his first career major title. He became the youngest TOC champion ever, surpassing the then-21-year-old, 1976 champion Marshall Holman.

2017: EJ finally catches a break
Winner: EJ Tackett defeated Tommy Jones 208-203
Context: Tackett claimed his second career major title in dramatic fashion.

The lone year Belmonte failed to reach the TOC show coincidentally was the year Pete Weber made his final appearance. The higher seed won every match in 2017, setting up a final match between Tackett and Jones.

Tackett spared the 6-10 in the 9th frame, and struck on his first ball of the 10th, but failed to double. All Jones needed was a mark to win his first major since the 2006-07 TOC.

Tackett walked off the approach frustrated in his shot-making and disheartened by the result -- a feeling he’s become all too familiar with over the years. He has made 12 major championship rounds in his career, earning the top-seed six times, but has only come away with two titles.

On this occasion, Tackett remembered to pack his rabbit’s foot. Jones moved left after his urethane ball checked early in the 8th frame—but the ball never hooked. He washed out, and then missed the head-pin entirely on the spare attempt.

Tackett has made seven major shows since the 2017, including the 2019 TOC, but has yet to claim his third major title.

2018: OG Shocks the World
Winner: Matt O’Grady defeated Jesper Svensson 207-193
Context: O’Grady earned his first career PBA title from the fifth seed.

The first match of the 2018 TOC pitted two non-champs in O’Grady and BJ Moore; the latter of whom never recovered after a slow start. O’Grady moved on to face—you guessed it—Belmonte, who catapulted onto the show after entering match play in 24th place.

Belmonte needed a double in the 10th to win the match, but a messenger flew in front of the 10-pin, halting his bid for a 10th career major title. That’s right—five years after falling to Weber as a two-time major champion, Belmonte sought to tie the record.

O’Grady’s semifinal victory over Andrew Anderon, the 2018 Player of the Year, looks even more impressive in hindsight. The New Jersey native then shut down Svensson’s run at a second TOC title in three years.

The enduring moment came after O’Grady’s title-clinching strike. After standing in awe for a few seconds, he turned to the raucous crowd and said, “Hard work beats talent, every time.”

2019: Belmonte etches place in history
Winner: Jason Belmonte defeated EJ Tackett 225-196
Context: Belmonte won his 10th major to tie Weber and Anthony. He also tied the record for most TOC titles with three.

Six years after losing the 2013 TOC title match—SIX YEARS!—Belmonte joined Weber and Anthony atop the summit of professional bowling after just a dozen years on tour. It took Weber 35 years, while Anthony accomplished the feat in 16.

Tackett, the three-seed, shot games of 264 and 238 in his previous matches, but his carry vanished when he needed it most. He didn’t let his own disappointment allow him to lose sight of the moment.

“You are one of the best I’ve ever seen, man,” Tackett told Belmonte, with genuine admiration. “You’re incredible. You're incredible. Absolutely incredible.”

No setting could have been more apropos of the moment than the TOC at AMF Riviera Lanes.

2020: Clark Kent channels inner Superman
Winner: Kris Prather defeated Bill O’Neill 280-205
Context: Prather won four straight matches to secure his first career major title.

Fourth-seeded Prather squeaked past Rash in the first match, then reigned fire upon the stepladder.

He shot games of 252, 226 and 280 to take down Belmonte, Anthony Simonsen and Bill O’Neill, respectively. Prather shot 758 over his final three matches; his quartet of opponents, including Rash, combined for 751.

Prather’s unparalleled touch allowed him to slide in the left gutter, floating the ball across the fifth arrow out to the fourth board. The ball danced on his command, akin to Kyrie Irving’s mystifying precision while weaving through the defense.

2021: Lavoie climbs the ladder
Winner: François Lavoie defeated Anthony Simonsen 233-187
Context: Lavoie took down four major titleists to earn his third career major title.

For the third time in four years, a player won four consecutive matches to win the Tournament of Champions. This time, two-time major champion Lavoie ascended the gauntlet of future Hall of Famers in his path.

Lavoie took down Rash in his first match, the only other player at the time with two televised 300 games. Then Lavoie struck on eight of his last nine shots to eliminate Svensson, the lone lefty on the show. In fact, no other left-hander has made the show since 2015, Svensson has done it three times.

To complete his title pursuit, Lavoie overcame a severe rev-deficiency to slay Belmonte and Simonsen. To win a major in this era, those are the two players you’re inevitably going to have to beat. The younger two-hander initially tried to throw urethane up the second arrow, a disastrous decision that ultimately cost him the title.

With his victory, Lavoie became the second player in the Belmonte-era to win three major titles. Simonsen joined him a few weeks ago with his US Open title.

The bar could not be higher for 2022. Three former TOC champions, Prather, Rash and Jones, will aim to don the champion among champions crown once again.

Prather utilized a similar, slow-arcing motion to lead the 2022 TOC field and earn the top seed for Sunday’s show. Despite his success in 2020 while operating from the four-seed, he opted to forgo the extended drama and skip straight to the championship match this time around.

Rash and Jones will aim for their third career major title. Neither player has won a major title since their TOC titles in 2012 and 2007, respectively.

Barrett, the two-seed, will also seek a third career major win, though this would represent his first TOC victory. Shawn Maldonado, a two-time titleist in 2021, will pursue his first career major victory.

History tends to repeat itself. If that rings true, sparks will be flying beginning at 1 p.m. EST on FOX.