Williams Wins Open
Walter Ray Williams showed why he is the No. 1 player on the PBA tour by winning the U.S. Open on Sunday at Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley.
Williams, of Ocala, Fla., defeated Michael Haugen of Victorville, 236-198, in the championship match to win $100,000. It was his second U.S. Open title.
He won 19 of 24 matches during the qualifying rounds, averaging 216.39 for 51 games to qualify first for the stepladder finals. That meant he only had to face the winner of the playoff round.
Haugen, who won $50,000, advanced to the final by beating Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., 206-202, in the semifinal match. Weber defeated Mika Koivuniemi of Finland, 223-220, in the first playoff match.
Williams didn’t appear to be a dominant player early in the tournament, placing 144th after the first round of qualifying.
But he steadily climbed through the 348-player field to lead the tournament by 203 pins.
Haugen finished in second place with a 11,403 total to make his first appearance in the championship round this season.
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