Rose wins Donato Singles Classic, walks off with $5,000

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bob Weiner

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For the second year in a row, a former member of the PBA Tour won the Joe Donato Scratch Singles Tournament.

Mike Rose, who finished runner-up to Mike Lichstein a year ago, played a deep inside angle and turned back Brad Lawyer of Schoharie, 247-187, in the finals.

Rose, a 40-year-old Rochester resident, picked up $5,000, the largest top prize for an individual scratch tournament in Capital Region bowling. Lawyer took home $2,500.

The ninth annual event, named after the legendary Joe Donato, drew 350 entries. Seventy-one bowlers made the four-game semifinals.

In the championship game, Rose started slowly with a 4-6-10 split. He then converted a 4-pin spare before collecting six strikes in a row to put the match away, for all intents and purposes.

Lawyer, who played a straighter shot between the second and third arrows all day, started with two spares and then put together a three-bagger. But a 7-10 split in the sixth frame, and then a solid 10-pin in the seventh frame — which he missed — dashed his hopes.

“That 7-10 split did me in,” said the 42-year-old Lawyer, who competes in the City League Monday nights at Towne Bowling Academy and also bowls in Cobleskill. “Then, getting that solid 10-pin on that very next shot was really tough. But this was my biggest check ever. I just got back from Reno in the USBC Championships, and I bowled well there, but this is definitely my biggest check.”

Despite the fact that Lawyer was having such success with a straighter shot, Rose thought his best chances were to play deep inside.

“I was a little nervous about that inside shot this year, because it was drier than it was last year,” said Rose. “But I tried to manipulate my release to get a better shot, and it worked. I was bowling so well with my Brunswick Alpha Max bowl all day that I didn’t want to switch.

“But to tell you the truth, I thought Brad had the best look in the building all day. He bowled well, but he got that bad break with the 7-10 split.”

Rose is one of the top regional pros in New York. He won the 2007 USBC Championship all-events title and was the 2003 Rookie of the Year on the PBA Tour.

“I just bowled the one year on the tour because I lost my sponsor,” he said. “I worked in a pro shop for a while, but now I work for Ace Mitchell, a bowling equipment distributor, and they not only give me time to bowl when I need to, but they also sponsor me.”

The top 22 from the 71 semifinalists advanced to match play, but there was a three-way tie for the final spot. Steve Wagoner and Lawyer won the roll-off for the last two spots.

The top six bowlers earned byes in the first round of match play. The top two bowlers earned two byes.

RESULTS

Qualifiers — Larry Porter 976, Mike Rose 955, Craig Taylor 935, Rick Mochrie 924, Devan Hodlik 914, Matt Sherman 911, Dan White Jr. 905, Cory Nichols 901, Ryan Kretchmer 8889, Joe Mazuryk 888, Jim Varno 881, Nick Miseno 880, Brian Summer 880, Bob Fragon 876, Dan Keenan 874, Jason Baker 870, Nick Galusha 841, Mike Lichstein 840, Todd Reichenberger 839, Ray Evans 835, Brad Lawyer 832, David Simard 832, Steve Wagoner 832. (Wagoner and Lawyer won playoff for last spot).

First round — Lawyer def. Nichols, 222-208; Kretchmer def. Evans, 210-180; Baker def. Summer, 202-173; Mimseno def.

Galusha, 236-231; Faragon def. Keenan, 237-156; Vano def. Lichstein, 226-190; Mazuryk def. Reichenberger, 267-207; Wagoner def. White, 217-213.

Second round — Wagoner def. Mazuryk, 264-218; Lawyer def. Kretchmer, 246-205; Mochrie def. Baker, 257-173; Varno def. Sherman, 203-191; Miseno def. Hodlik, 223-204; Taylor def. Faragon, 279-248.

Quarterfinals — Lawyer def. Porter, 235-226; Rose def. Wagoner, 224-190; Mochrie def. Miseno, 225-214; Varno def. Taylor, 225-224.

Semifinals — Rose def. Varno, 226-223; Lawyer def. Mochrie, 249-222. Varno and Mochrie earn $900.

Finals — Rose def. Lawyer , 247-187. Rose $5,000; Lawyer $2,500.