John Janawicz Wins PBA50 TOC
Morgantown, WV – John Janawicz continues to amaze bowling fans around the world. In just his third season on the PBA50 Tour, he earned his fifth major victory on Saturday at the Johnny Petraglia BVL PBA50 Tournament of Champions presented by Pleasant Day Schools. This was his ninth overall title, and second straight Player of the Year victory.
“This is what you dream about. You win the last tournament of the year, and you lock up Player of the Year. It is just one of those storybook endings,” the 52-year-old said. “To be able to win a title with BVL and Johnny Petraglia as the title sponsor is more special. He is an absolute legend and one of the great ambassadors for the game. This is my third BVL event win, so I told Johnny if the BVL sponsored the PBA50 Tour it would probably be pretty good for me.”
This was his second TOC win in three years. He defeated Parker Bohn III 230-202 in the championship match. Janawicz started the match with five strikes in the first six frames. Bohn III split in the sixth frame for his only open of the match, while Janawicz split in the seventh frame.
“You have to always maintain your confidence. You have to know that you are going to be able to figure it out,” Janawicz said. “You can’t panic because panic doesn’t fix anything.”
Bohn III came back with a double and then he walked out a flush shot leaving a solid 9-pin in the ninth, which stalled his efforts. Janawicz celebrated his win by clenching both fists together and shared a hug with Bohn III and several other players.
“You just try to work as hard as you can to be the best and maximize your ability. That is all I have ever tried to do. When you have these opportunities, you leave it all out there. You work really hard, keep your body in good shape, try to educate yourself, so you can make the smartest decisions possible,” Janawicz said about his mindset. “You put it all together, learn more about the mental game, and see what I can do if I apply myself to maximize my ability. That is really all I have ever tried to do.”
Janawicz made seven stepladder finals this season, cashed in every tournament and became one of three bowlers to win two titles, along with Chris Barnes and Brad Angelo. Janawicz joins longtime doubles partner Pete Couture on the PBA50 all-time title list with nine a piece.
“It means a lot to be able to tie him because we were very close. He was great to me and gave me a lot of advice over the years that helped me,” Janawicz said.
In the opening match, Tom Hess was consistent with four strikes on each lane. He went on to defeat Brad Angelo 246-177. Hess would then face Mika Koivuniemi. Hess started out with six straight strikes, while Koivuniemi rebounded from an opening 7-10 split with four strikes in a row. Hess would also leave an untimely 7-10 split in the eighth frame. Koivuniemi finished strong with four straight strikes for 235. Hess left a pocket 4-7-9 for an open frame and 222.
In the semifinal match, Koivuniemi had three spares and a strike through four frames, while Parker Bohn III started out with three strikes and a nice conversion on the 2-4-6-7 split in the fourth. Bohn III then doubled as Koivuniemi responded with three strikes in the fifth through seventh frame. The Finland native made back-to-back spares. Bohn III ended the match first with a spare in the ninth followed by a strike and spare for 225. Koivuniemi finished with a spare and strike for 213.
With the 2025 PBA50 Tour season now complete, Tom Daugherty clinched Rookie of the Year and Parker Bohn III is the PBA60 Player of the Year.
2025 PBA50 Tournament of Champions Final Standings:
- John Janawicz, $15,000
- Parker Bohn III, $8,000
- Mika Koivuniemi, $6,000
- Tom Hess, $5,000
- Brad Angelo, $4,000
MATCH SCORES:
Match 1: Hess def. Angelo 246-177
Match 2: Koivuniemi def. Hess 235-222
Match 3: Bohn III def. Koivuniemi 225-213
Championship match: Janawicz def. Bohn III 230-202