By JEF GOODGER
PBA Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Dom Barrett qualified as the top seed for the stepladder finals, then defeated Santtu Tahvanainen to win The Storm Cup: PBA Colorado Springs Open. It’s the second Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour title of the season for Barrett, who completed the Triple Crown by winning the Kia PBA Tournament of Champions in February at AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, and the 10th title of his career.
Barrett was in 11th place after the first round of qualifying, then led every round after that, averaging 231 over 24 games to claim the No. 1 seed.
Tahvanainen qualified second and earned his way into the championship match by defeating PBA Tour champion Darren Tang, who qualified fourth and eliminated 19-time winner and PBA Hall of Famer Chris Barnes in the opening match on the stepladder.
In the title match, Barrett needed two strikes and three pins in the 10th frame to shut out Tahvanainen. Barrett doubled and got eight to clinch is 10th PBA Tour championship.
Although the same would be true had Barrett lost, the win also earned him an additional $5,000 for finishing second in the Cup race. As the PBA Colorado Springs Open was the last of the four Cup events, the top five players through all four events earned a bonus.
Jason Belmonte clinched The Storm Cup prior to Round of 12 qualifying, earning a $10,000 bonus. When Barrett qualified as the top seed in Colorado Springs, guaranteeing him a second-or-better finish in the event, he also locked himself into second place in the Cup race. Jesper Svensson, who won the first Cup event event, placed third for $4,000. EJ Tackett and Nick Pate landed fourth and fifth, respectively, each receiving $3,000.
FINAL THE STORM CUP: PBA COLORADO SPRINGS OPEN STANDINGS
- Dom Barrett, earns $20,000
- Santtu Tahvanainen, $12,000
- Darren Tang, $7,000
- Chris Barnes, $5,500
MATCH SCORES
Match 1 – No. 4 Tang def. No. 3 Barnes, 237-206
Match 2 – No. 2 Tahvanainen def. No. 4 Tang, 233-213
Match 3 – No. 1 Barrett def. No. 2 Tahvanainen, 244-234
FINAL THE STORM CUP STANDINGS
- Jason Belmonte, 11,850 points, earns $10,000
- Dom Barrett, 9,880, $5,000
- Jesper Svensson, 7,690, $4,000
- EJ Tackett, 7,380, $3,000
- Nick Pate, 7,310, $3,000