By BILL SNIER
CANTON — For a man who just turned 21 years old, Brendan Salo has a lot of things going on in his life.
The 2022 Centerville High School graduate already is owner-operator of his own business, Salo’s Pressure Washing. Then, there is his bowling.
“I like finding a balance of things,” the Dayton two-handed right-hander and former high school place-kicker said. “I took a step back to really dial things back in my life just so, when I do come out here to a tournament of this stature, I can really compete.
“I want to do my best rather than just beating around the bush and not going all in. In the bowling alley now, my mindset is I’m up there to win do my best and compete where before I was just trying to bowl and keep my game up and make an appearance.”
The new mindset paid off this weekend at Eastbury Bowling Center as Salo became the youngest winner of the seventh annual BowlerX Ohio Masters by scoring a 515-374 win over Jesse Smith in the two-game finals Sunday.
Because of his business responsibilities, Salo has not been able to bowl as many events over the past several months as he would have wanted. But with the fall comes more changes.
“With fall coming, I’m getting more time on the lanes,” said Salo, the Professional Bowlers Association Central Region Rookie of the Year in 2023 after claiming his first pro title.
“I wanted to start getting back out here and working on some things in terms of my mental game and approach to things. I think it paid off this weekend.”
RUNNING THROUGH MATCHES
Salo entered the two-game match-play portion of the tournament sitting sixth overall after 10 games Saturday, averaging 228.5. The top eight received first-round byes in match play so his opening match came against No. 11 Eric Selzer, a Columbus right-hander, with Salo emerging with a. 416-383 win.
“My idea during that match was just playing defense,” said Salo, who used his Storm Pitch Black and Roto Grip Attention Star “about 90 percent of the time” while mixing in a couple of other balls as needed.
“I knew he was going to throw urethane like I planned to do. I just wanted to match him and keep him close. Once we got into reactive, I had a really good look I was confident in.”
His second match came against Painesville No. 3 seed Zander Crouch, the only other two-hander remaining. Salo again prevailed 495-405, throwing 279 — the high game of the day to that point — in Game 1 to build a big lead.
“I had info that the pair has seen a lot of guys throwing urethane down the lane. So there was a lot of oil and tightness down lane toward the pocket,” Salo said. “I knew there was more friction to the outside part of the lane so I balled up to reactive and played an angle I hadn’t played the entire weekend and ended up throwing a lot of strikes.”
But things changed a bit in his semifinal match against No. 10 Jalen Mosley, a Cincinnati right-hander. Salo saw there was more reactive than urethane traffic on the pair so he made a ball change.
“I had a great look, but I jus wasn’t making shots I needed to make and Jalen was,” Salo said. “I think he was a head by 50, but then I went to a ball that had saved me a couple of times on the weekend and brought that match into control.”
Salo, after losing the first game 237-207, ran off the front eight strikes in Game 2 en route to 253 while Mosley lost his look and fell 460-395 to reach the finals.
SMITH’S DAY
Smith, after bowling 10 games on Saturday en route to the No, 5 seed while averaging 239.9, admittedly was hurting going into match play.
“I’ve had some issues with my legs so I’ve been out for a while,” said the 39-year-old Cleveland right-hander who is employed as an awning installer. “I’ve just been coming back here and there during the summer and I’m trying to get my way back in again.”
Smith, after also having a first-round bye, took out 2020 champion Jeff Fehr 428-386 and followed that up by topping Ashland No. 4 seed Ty McKinney 461-409.
In the semifinals, he was matched up with another former champion in 2022 winner Dean Vargo, a Willowick right-hander. While Vargo stayed clean in Game 1, he was unable to double and had just one strike through seven frames in Game 2 with a split in the second frame.
Smith had strings of five in a row in Game 1 and four in a row in Game 2 to earn a 446-384 win to set up the title match.
ROLLING FOR TITLE
But the title match belonged to Salo.
“I saw all weekend that (Smith) was rolling reactive on the fresh, so I knew it was going to be tighter,” Salo said. “I had a lot of confidence coming in and made some great shots.”
Salo opened Game 1 with the front six strikes before leaving a solid 8-pin in the seventh frame. He then struck out to complete his second 279 of the day.
Smith, after opening with a strike, left a pocked 7-10 spot in the second. He also left a 2-8-10 split in the eighth en route to 190 and an 89-pin deficit. He got no closer.
“With all of the issues I have going on — elbow, hip, sciatica — everything that is going wrong with me right now, I was able to fight through it,” Smith said. “I take this from being gone and coming back.
“It feels good to still be able to compete with these guys even though I’m not 100 percent and probably never will be again overall.”
While previous matches were bowled on the burn following the first round, the title match was on a fresh pair that had not been touched in over five hours.
“I think it was more me than the pattern,” Smith said. “I probably should have hit the ball a little bit before the match thinking about it now.
“But he had a great look with the ball and couldn’t miss. You really can’t beat that.”
Salo missed just three times in Game 2, using reactive late after going with his Pitch Black most of the way. He also rolled a couple of backup shots late, striking on two of them.
“There are a lot of guys out here who don’t bowl PBA or super amateur stuff. They bowl the local stuff and they know these houses and these patterns,” said Salo, who reached the round of 16 in his first Ohio Masters a year ago before falling to Dan Higgins 423-493 and was making his first appearance ever at Eastbury. “They have their tricks and know what to do in match play. They know how to break 220 when they have a 180 look and can show up the kids.
“Let’s say today was for the kids.”
But after his award-winning 2023 season, has the PBA entered his mind?
“Obviously, it won’t happen next year because I didn’t try the (PBA Tour) Trials this year,” Salo said. “I was thinking about it in the spring, but I took that step back to really dial things back in my life.
“But now it’s win or go home in everything I do.”
Sunday continued that road.
OTHER ROUNDS
ROUND OF 24: Vargo had the high series of the opening round with 518 as seeds 9 through 24 competed in the first two-game round. Selzer also came in with 513 to go along with the high game of 265. Winners included Chad Roberts, Vargo, Casey Cohagan (who knocked out 2018 champion Zeke Bayt in the tightest match 450-446), Fehr, Joe Bailey, Mosley, Higgins and Selzer.
ROUND OF 16: The top eight joined the match play at this point with 2019 champion Charles Easton (No. 7) and Bradly Adler (No. 8) being the lone losers among the top eight. No. 2 seed James Nolan turned in the high series of this round with 510, including a 264 in Game 2. Winners included top-seeded Dell Ray Jr., Vargo, McKinney, Smith, Nolan, Mosley, Crouch and Salo.
ROUND OF 8: Ray, who had averaged 239.9 over his 10 qualifying games to lead the field, fell to Vargo 430-426 as the latter converted a 3-6-9-10 spare in the 10th frame of Game 2 to survive. Mosley also took out Nolan, with Smith and Salo also advancing.
NOTEBOOK: The site for next year’s BowlerX Ohio Masters will be determined at a later date, with a committee making that decision. … Defending champion Roc McCormick did not participate. … Only two left-handers — top-seeded Ray and No. 14 Kevin Cowper — reached match play, with Cowper being eliminated in the first-round by Higgins in the opening round. … Salo also had some discussions with area bowler and Greater Canton Bowling Association Hall of Famer Jeff DiMarzio during the event. “One of the kids he has been tutoring was on the pair with me during qualifying and we struck up a discussion,” Salo said. “I was struggling early, but I knew my look was coming to me and he was curious about it. We talked a lot about family, communicating with kids and what I was seeing,” Salo said. …. Salo was asked about his seriousness at such a young age. “I was asked if I ever smile. My response was ‘maybe not around you,’” Salo said, smiling. “I can smile and laugh and have a great time around people I get along with.” … The oil pattern was the 41-foot BowlerX Ohio Masters pattern created for the event. Lanes were oiled for match play Sunday, with Lanes 11-12 — the title pair — not being used until the final match. … The original field of 92 was cut in half for the second round Saturday and to 24 for Sunday’s match-play rounds. … Our thanks to tournament director Dawn Altimore-Eckenrode, Kim Hogue and Paul Brown for their help with our reporting. .. The event was live-streamed all weekend.
2024 BOWLERX OHIO MASTERS
(Sunday, at Eastbury Bowling Center, Canton)
Opening round
(Seeds 9 through 16; seeds 1 through 8 receive a bye)
(Two-game cumulative match play; all losers receive $250)
9 Dean Vargo d. 24 Tim Jones 518-409; 10 Jalen Mosley d. 23 Nolan White 489-436; 11 Eric Selzer d. 22 TJ Charles 513-442; 12 Jeff Fehr d. 21 Robert Wilson 459-389; 13. Casey Cohagan d. 20 Zeke Bayt 450-446; 19 Dan Higgins d. 14 Kevin Cowper 461-411; 15 Joe Bailey d. 18 Eric James 413-378
Round of 16
(Two-game cumulative match play; all losers receive $300)
1 Del Ray Jr. d. Roberts 448-395; Vargo d. Bradly Adler 421-407; No. 4 Ty McKinney d. Cohagan 487-459; 5 Jesse Smith d. Fehr 428-386; No. 2 James Nolen d. Bailey 510-436; Mosley d. No. 7 Charles Easton 480-456; 3 Zander Crouch d Higgins 357-349; 6 Brendan Salo d. Selzer 416-383.
Round of 8
(Two-game cumulative match play; all losers receive $450)
Vargo d. Ray 430-426; Smith d. McKinney 461-409; Mosley d. Nolen 407-388; Salo d. Crouch 495-405
Round of 4
(Two-game cumulative match play; losers receive $599)
Smith d. Vargo 446-384; Salo d. Mosley 460-395
Championship
(Two-game cumulative match play; winner receives $1,600, loser receives $1,000)
Salo (279-236) d. Smith (190-181) 515-371
