Anthony Simonsen
| Anthony Simonsen | |
|---|---|
 Simonsen in 2016 | |
| Born | January 6, 1997 |
| Occupation | Ten-pin bowler |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Spouse(s) | single |
Anthony Simonsen (born January 6, 1997) is an American professional ten-pin bowler from Little Elm, Texas and a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) since 2014. He became known in bowling fan circles early in the 2016 season, when he earned the distinction as the youngest player in history to win a PBA major championship. Simonsen uses the two-handed shovel style delivery with a dominant right hand.[1]
Amateur accomplishments
Simonsen decided to forego his last eligible year of junior competition, becoming a PBA member in 2014 at age 17. This followed some success on the PBA regional circuit, where he won two Regional tournaments as a non-member. As an 18-year old, he captured a win in doubles (with partner Mark Sleeper, Jr.) at the 2015 USBC Open Championships.[2]
PBA career
Simonsen has won four PBA Tour titles and six PBA Regional titles. He has rolled seven career 300 games in PBA competition. He also has one European Bowling Tour (EBT) title to his credit, earned at the 2018 Storm Irish Open.
2015 season
Simonsen made the cash-line cut in seven of 16 tournaments on the 2015 PBA Tour, and qualified for match play five times.
2016 season
Simonsen's first PBA Tour title came on December 18, 2015 at the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship, where he teamed with Connor Pickford. (This was considered a 2016 season title.) The victory made Simonsen the second-youngest winner of a standard PBA Tour event, just two days over the all-time record of 18 years, 11 months and 12 days set by Norm Duke in a 1983 tournament.
Simonsen made history on February 14, 2016, when he won his first PBA Tour singles title and first major at the USBC Masters in Indianapolis. This win made Anthony the youngest player ever, at 19 years, 1 month and 8 days of age, to win a PBA major title. PBA Hall of Famer Mike Aulby had held this distinction since 1979, when he won the PBA National Championship at age 19 years, 83 days.[3] Simonsen qualified for two more televised finals in major tournaments during 2016, finishing fourth at the U.S. Open in November and fifth at the PBA World Championship in December. He appeared in the championship round (the final stage of a tournament) seven times this season.[1]
2017 season
On February 26, 2017, Simonsen won the World Bowling Tour (WBT) Men's Finals in Las Vegas, NV, cashing $20,000. The finals included the top three points earners from 2015 and 2016 WBT events. While presented by the PBA, this event does not award a PBA title.[4] Simonsen captured his third PBA title on May 29, 2017 at the PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open.[5]
As one of the top eight money leaders from the start of the 2015 season through the 2017 USBC Masters, Simonsen was invited to participate in the inaugural Main Event PBA Tour Finals in May, 2017. He placed eighth in the event.[6]
2018 season
Simonsen finished runner-up to Sweden's Jenny Wegner in the 2018 Brunswick Euro Challenge, held in Munich, Germany. Simonsen won a scratch victory of 213–211 in the final match, but because Wegner accepted the eight pins per game handicap offered to female competitors, Simonsen lost the match and a PBA title by an official score of 219–213.[7] On August 19, Simonsen won his fourth PBA title at the Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic in Middletown, Delaware.[8] Simonsen gained some attention with this latest victory when he used a "backup ball" (a right-hander putting reverse rotation on the ball so it hooks like a left-hander's shot, or vice-versa) during both match play and one of the finals matches after the right side of the lane had become difficult to play. While USBC and PBA rules do not allow a bowler to switch to his or her opposite hand for any sanctioned shot during a given season, Simonsen's technique was legal. He still used a dominant right hand, but rotated the ball in the opposite direction versus his conventional shot.[8]
PBA Tour Titles
Major tournament titles are in bold type.
- 2015: PBA Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Doubles Championship (w/Connor Pickford) (Reno, NV)
- 2016: USBC Masters (Indianapolis, IN)
- 2017: PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open (Wilmington, NC)
- 2018: PBA Xtra Frame Gene Carter's Pro Shop Open (Middletown, DE)
Career statistics
Statistics are through the last complete PBA season.[9]
| Season | Events | Cashes | Match Play | CRA+ | PBA Titles | Average | Earnings ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 190.04 | 0 |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200.72 | 0 |
| 2015 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 216.36 | 26,030 |
| 2016 | 28 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 221.85 | 143,277 |
| 2017 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 220.08 | 81,534 |
+CRA = Championship Round Appearances
References
- 1 2 "PBA Profile, Anthony Simonsen". PBA.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ↑ Cannizzaro, Matt (November 4, 2015). "Young Simonsen Making Name for Himself". Bowl.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ↑ Cannizzaro, Matt (February 14, 2016). "19-Year-Old Simonsen Wins USBC Masters to Become Youngest to Win a Major Title". pba.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ↑ Vint, Bill (February 26, 2017). "Anthony Simonsen, Danielle McEwan Win World Bowling Tour Men's, Women's Finals". pba.com. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ↑ Vint, Bill (May 29, 2017). "Anthony Texas Two-Hander Anthony Simonsen Wins Third Career Title in PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open". pba.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ Vint, Bill (June 27, 2017). "Indiana's EJ Tackett Wins Inaugural Main Event PBA Tour Finals for Third 2017 Title". Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ↑ Vint, Bill (March 18, 2018). "Handicap Pins Help Sweden's Jenny Wegner win Brunswick Euro Challenge over Anthony Simonsen". Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- 1 2 Vint, Bill (August 19, 2018). "Anthony Simonsen Gets Creative, Wins Fourth PBA Title in PBA Xtra Frame Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic". Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Anthony Simonsen (bowler profile)". Professional Bowlers Association. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.