Excellence in Majors Propels Troy Lint to 2023 PBA50 Player of the Year Honors
Lint led all players in points and earnings while earning four top-three finishes in major championships.
On the PBA50 Tour, true breakout stars are rare. The tour has been dominated by PBA Tour veterans and legends for decades.
Troy Lint is an exception.
The 55-year-old from Blandon, Pa. joined the PBA less than three years ago and quickly became the man to beat in the PBA50 East Region.
Now, Lint is the man to beat — period.
Lint collected two titles — the Senior U.S. Open and Morgantown Classic — and earned six top-five finishes in 12 events. He finished third, first, second, second and 11th in the season’s five major championships.
After leading the PBA50 Tour in points and earnings, and finishing second in average, Lint has been named the PBA50 Player of the Year.
“I shed a tear when I found out,” Lint said. “I never imagined (winning) Player of the Year. I never in a million years would have thought I could win that.”
Lint follows up Parker Bohn III's brilliant 2022 campaign to become the second left-hander to be named PBA50 Player of the Year. He joins the ranks of Walter Ray Williams Jr., Norm Duke, Pete Weber and all the other legends he idolized.
“You grow up watching these guys and thinking, Man, I'd love to bowl these guys,” Lint said. “And then all of a sudden, I get to bowl with them. It's pretty surreal. These guys are incredible, and to be able to compete with these guys, day in and day out, is an honor.”
“I'm not as good as these guys,” Lint added. “I mean, I don't think I'm as good as these guys. These guys are freaking amazing. They never miss. But if I can get comfortable, I can throw a lot of strikes.”
Time and time again, especially at the majors, Lint found a way to get comfortable, which is particularly impressive considering the nagging right knee injury he battled for the entirety of the season.
During match play of the Senior U.S. Open, which he went on to win, Lint buckled over in pain and put his head on the table. He, for a moment, considered withdrawing.
Lint credited a few competitors, particularly Ryan Shafer and Brad Angelo, for encouraging him to keep fighting.
“Brad would keep telling me, I see how much pain you’re in, just keep fighting, hoss,” Lint said. “I pretty much need knee surgery, and I fought the whole way through. To me, that is a huge accomplishment.”
Lint flashed his immense potential in the handful of 2022 PBA50 Tour events he bowled. He finished fourth at the Florida Blue Medicare PBA50 National Championship, but the consistency wasn’t quite there in his other four appearances.
He came into this season with a newfound confidence and dedication after winning the PBA50 Regional Players Invitational title back in January.
“That win set me on my path,” he said. “Let’s put some skin in the game. Let’s give this a shot. I’m not getting any younger, so let’s see what we can do.”
Lint said his goal before the season was to make himself ineligible for the RPI, which would require a top-10 finish in points. He blew that goal out of the water, leading the tour in points nearly wire-to-wire.
“You think you know how good you are, until you come out and bowl against the best in the world,” Lint said after his Senior U.S. Open win. “Then you figure out you’re a little better than you thought you were.”
“I'm hoping for bigger things next year, especially if I get healthy,” Lint said. “I’ve got to make some changes based on what I learned from this year. Monday, I start at the gym and start getting this body in better shape. I'm setting goals already.”
Past PBA50 Player of the Year Award Winners
2022 — Parker Bohn III
2021 — Tom Hess
2020 — none
2019 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.
2018 — Michael Haugen Jr.
2017 — Brian LeClair
2016 — Pete Weber
2015 — Pete Weber
2014 — Norm Duke
2013 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.
2012 — Walter Ray Williams Jr.
2011 — Ron Mohr
2010 — Wayne Webb
2009 — Ron Mohr
2008 — Tom Baker
2007 — Tom Baker
2006 — Tom Baker
2005 — Tom Baker
2004 — Bob Glass
2003 — Bob Chamberlain
2002 — Mark Roth
2001 — Bob Glass
2000 — Bob Glass
1999 — Dale Eagle
1998 — Pete Couture
1997 — Gary Dickinson
1996 — John Handegard
1995 — John Handegard
1994 — Gary Dickinson
1993 — Gary Dickinson
1992 — Gene Stus
1991 — John Handegard
1990 — John Hricsina
1989 — Jimmy Certain