By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — As the owner-operator of Bowlers Choice Pro Shop in Buffalo, N.Y., this is not the time of year when Jack Jurek can get away to bowl tournaments on the weekends.
Especially since it has essentially become a one-man operation.
“I really haven’t bowled many regionals the past seven or eight years. I lost my full-time help so it’s mostly me and it’s kind of hard to leave because I have to close up the business when I do,” the 62-year-old Lackawanna, N.Y., right-hander said.
But when two-time PBA50 Tour champion Dan Knowlton came calling, it was hard for Jurek, a two-time champion on each of the PBA, PBA50 and PBA60 tours, to say no.
“I’m getting older and I’m at the tail end of some things,” Jurek said. “But when he asked, I decided to shut it down for a couple of days just for the chance to bowl with him.”
It turned out to be the right decision.
The two teamed up to essentially run away from the field during Sunday’s round-robin Baker System match-play round and capture the 11th PBA50-PBA60 Doubles-Park Centre Lanes Central Open at Park Centre Lanes.
The pair finished with 5,363 total pinfall while going 5-3 in match play to earn the win by 266 pins over the native Canadian duo of Bill Rowe and Don Hogue (5,300), with defending champions Michael Clark Jr. and Dean Billings taking third (5,291).
Knowlton, a 55-year-old Dade City, Fla., right-hander, had decided to kick off a three-week vacation to North Carolina with his wife by making a trip North to North Canton for a tournament he had bowled in once previously with fellow Floridian Chris Kean.
“We rented a cabin in North Carolina and planned on staying three weeks. I was going to bowl two regionals in the South while I was there, but I decided to kick it off with this when I heard about it,” Knowlton said. “So I decided to call Jack. It just made sense. So I left Thursday for here and she left Friday.”
Jurek and Knowlton made their charge Sunday after sitting sixth following the eight-game Saturday qualifying round with 3,382, 120 pins behind leaders Glenn Smith and Ron Hurt. Jurek finished with 1,735 on Saturday (216.8 average); Knowlton was at 1,647 (205.8).
“I had a great reaction on the fresh (oil) both days, but my carry started to go away later in the round,” said Jurek, who threw the Roto Grip Attention Star S2.
Knowlton had better ball reaction with his Hammer Black on Sunday, including going with 16-pound equipment over his 15-pound choice in the same ball Saturday.
“I started off with urethane for two games and it was OK, but that went away. I decided to go with the 16-pound instead of 15,” Knowlton said. “I didn’t know if I could do it for eight games, but with the Baker match play, it was really just four games and I thought I could manage that.
“It went through the pins a little cleaner and I didn’t lose the pocket very long.”
The pair came out strong, shooting 263 en route to a first-match win and going 4-0 with games of 263, 239, 237 and 257, taking over the lead after Game 2 with 30 bonus pins added for wins.
They came in with a simple game plan.
“We talked about it last night. Just pick a lane and stay on that lane to start all day,” said Knowlton, who won his second doubles event in a row after teaming with Connor Bremen for a PBA50-PBA win in Rocky Mountain, Va. He now owns two PBA50 regional titles.
“We were going to hit each pair twice during the match play so one time I was going lead off and one time I was going to anchor. We’re both good bowlers so we would just ride it out … and that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t even have to think about it as we moved pairs.”
Jurek wasn’t so sure about sticking to the strategy later in the round when he began to struggle a bit.
“I was thinking about it,” Jurek said. “I was thinking a switch might have been the right move. But Dan was firm and confident and we rode with it.
“The first four matches, my ball reaction was phenomenal, but then they started to get a little funny and I couldn’t quite make the right adjustments at the right time. Fortunately, we were able to get a good cushion there.”
Their lead never was under 100 pins as the Hogue-Rowe, Clark-Billings and Smith-Hurt teams continued to chase the pair with no success.
RACE FOR SECOND
The battle turned out to be for second, with Clark and Billings battling Hogue and Rowe for the runner-up spot.
Rowe and Hogue shot 245 in a loss during the final position round match to claim the spot after Billings and Clark shot 204 also in a loss. The pair were two pins apart entering the game.
It marked Hogue’s highest finish ever in an event.
“Bill got me in the right mental head space and just told me to play to my strengths and not to try to do tricks to read the ball right,” said Hogue, an Akron right-hander and owner-operator of North Star Pro Shop after the pair went 4-4 in match play
“When I played at the old 77 Colonial down the street, we always played the twig with a straighter game and just fluff it off my hand and keep it in play. Bill told me to just pretend the gutter was the seventh board and play the same way. Just loosen up the swing and keep it on line. I’m glad he was with me.”
Rowe, a 60-year-old Hamilton, Ontario, right-hander, admitted the urethane going down the lanes on the PBA Monacelli 40-foot oil pattern affected his play a little bit due to his launch angle.
“We hit a couple of goofy pairs, but we worked well together and communicated well. We picked the right lanes, but it just didn’t go our way,” said Rowe, who owns three career titles.
“We did the best we could, but the others kids were just 100 pins better.”
Games of 178 and 213 the final two regular match-play games dropped the pair to third before rallying to gain the runner-up spot.
“We’ve always been together, but we just haven’t bowled doubles together,” Rowe said.
Billings and Clark, sitting third heading into Sunday’s match play, went 5-3 but came up just nine pins short of a second-place finish.
For Clark, who owns two career regional titles, it could have been his fourth runner-up regional finish this season. Billings also holds two regional titles.
“I threw the ball a lot better today and Dean threw it as well as he did (Saturday),” said Clark, who dealt with a family issue during qualifying when he was told the family dog had died while he was at the center. “Dean was making spares and I wasn’t. We left some untimely 8- and 9-pins. But I think we maxed out today. We could have got to second, but first was unattainable … they just built such a lead.”
“We didn’t have many problems … we just got out-bowled plain and simple,” Billings said. “It just seemed like there were a lot more solid teams this year … more titleists and major champions. It makes it a lot of fun.”
THE RIGHT CHOICES
It marked Jurek’s first regional title in nearly 10 years. He owns 13 PBA and now four PBA50-60 regional wins to go with his regular tour titles.
Knowlton, who sold his glass business in 2022, has a couple of pro shops and also serves as a bank director. “But I really don’t have a day-to-day thing I have to do … bowling has kind of taken that,” he added.
This was Knowlton’s first time in the Baker System round-robin match play format.
“I think the best bowlers do rise to the top in this. Most of the time in the South we run the bracket match play and it’s kind of a crap shoot,” Knowlton said. “There are enough games in this, but not a ton. But it’s enough to separate the best bowlers.”
He also, admittedly, enjoys doubles competition.
“It’s great to have someone else there with you to talk things over,” Knowlton said. “It’s tough when you’re bowling bad, but luckily, we didn’t have that problem too much.
“I guess I’m just really good at picking partners.”
NOTEBOOK: The event will return for its 12th appearance in October 2026. … The Baker System match play format consisted of each player from each team throwing five frames each in the same game. Four teams went 5-3 during match play Sunday. The worst record came from Hall of Famers Bo Goergen and Mika Koivuniemi at 1-7 en route to finishing eighth. … Mitch Sacks and Andrew Neuer were the lone left-handers in the final eight teams — and they bowled together, finishing fifth overall (5,241). … Billings and Clark turned in the top individual Baker match-play game with 279. … Winners of Friday’s pro-am were revealed with Mickey Scott turning in the top overall and senior score with 1,464 total pinfall. The format was three 9-pin, no-tap games combined with the scores of the three pros who bowled with each individual. Tristan Broom had the high adult score with 1,450, and Even Murphy had the top youth pinfall of 1,442. Full standings will be available Monday at Park Centre. … First place payed $3,400 to the top team, with eight teams cashing overall.
See complete scoring here: https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=685ac7964984415053