May 12, 2023 Chase Kaufman

He’s won all over the globe, including 15 gold medals for the red, white and blue as a 10-time Team USA member.

And now — John Janawicz is an official PBA Regional Tour champion.

Janawicz previously won two PBA regionals in 2010 and 2019 as a non-member, but now the Florida native can and will bowl in PBA50 regional and national events this season as a member. Unsurprisingly, he started with a bang, winning the first tournament he entered this year.

Photo credit: John Janawicz

PBA50 Earl Anthony Classic

Beginning out West, the region hosted three groups of competitors, all battling for a title in Dublin, Calif. Bryan Alpert kicked things off on the senior tour sitting at the top of the leaderboard through eight games, but Janawicz took over the lead after the cashers round.

After eight rounds of match play, Noel Vazquez held a four-pin lead over Janawicz, but with bonus pins, whoever won the position round would be deemed the champion. With a crucial turkey in the middle of the game, "JJ" delivered a 239 to the 214 of Vazquez to claim his first career PBA title as a member.

PBA50 Earl Anthony Classic Final Standings

  1. John Janawicz, 2,500 points, $2,100
  2. Noel Vazquez, 1,500, $1,500
  3. Bryan Alpert, 1,150, $1,200
  4. Steven Smith, 950, $950

PBA50 Earl Anthony Classic Full Results

PBA Women's Earl Anthony Classic

Just like the PBA50 Tour, the ladies also got the early call time at Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl. Frequent contestant Karen Rosprim claimed the lead after eight games of qualifying, going +43. She was one of five players to go plus for the block.

Although she got off to a slow start according to her standards, Avery Domaguin dominated match play, going from sixth at -16 to first at +312. The 15-year-old went 6-1 in match play and held a 62-pin lead with position round to go. There, she improved her record to 7-1 with another 200 game to capture her third PBA Women’s Regional title. 

​​PBA Women's Earl Anthony Classic Final Standings

  1. Avery Domaguin, $1,000
  2. Brittany Hillman, $700
  3. Missy Parkin, $500
  4. Karen Rosprim, $400

PBA Women's Earl Anthony Classic Full Results

PBA Earl Anthony Open

The standard division took on the afternoon slate, where the field maxed out at 80 bowlers, and the top 20% moved on. Hunter Mayes qualified first after Round 1, with Buddy Lucas in second, but the two flip-flopped following the advancer round.

Through match play, the two remained on top with one game remaining, but Tim Cagle II also joined the pack, sitting just 57 pins out of first. Cagle made a run in the final match, winning 215-186 and grabbing the bonus pins, but Buddy Lucas got just enough pins in the first-second place matchup, defeating Mayes 194-174. The win gave Lucas $2,500 and his first title in 11 years.

PBA Earl Anthony Open Final Standings

  1. Buddy Lucas, 2,500 points, $2,500
  2. Tim Cagle II, 1,500, $1,700
  3. Hunter Mayes, 1,150, $1,400
  4. Nicholas Freiberg, 950, $1,100

PBA Earl Anthony Open Full Results

PBA FireLake Southwest Open

The field at the FireLake Southwest Open in Shawnee, Okla., maxed out at 110 bowlers for two squads and Mykel Holliman snagged the lead after the first eight games, but there was plenty of time for others to make their mark. Holliman eventually earned the No. 1 seed for the stepladder. Dylan Macon, Ryan Barnes, and David Krol rounded out the rest of the stepladder, all eagerly gawking at the $5,000 top prize. 

In the first match, Krol started with the front three. Barnes tried making a run but could not get there as Krol won 213-197. In the semifinal, Krol started strong again, while Macon could not catch back up as Krol won 235-203 and moved on to the finals. Waiting on top was Holliman, who had dominated the event. Holliman started with a turkey, but Krol continued to spare, keeping himself in the match until he threw three in a row late in the game to take the lead. Holliman doubled in the tenth, but Krol spared to win $5,000 and his first career title. 

PBA FireLake Southwest Open Final Standings

  1. David Krol, 2,500 points, $5,000
  2. Mykel Holliman, 1,500, $3,000
  3. Dylan Macon, 1,150, $2,300
  4. Ryan Barnes, $1,500

PBA FireLake Southwest Open Full Results

PBA50 The Plaza Bowl Midwest Open

In Clinton, Iowa, Plaza Bowl hosted 36 bowlers looking to add to their resume. About 200 miles from his hometown, Tom Adcock made the three-hour drive from Forsyth, Ill., and led through qualifying while averaging 229. He still had plenty of work to do as match play was on the docket, where players can move positions faster than a toupee in a tornado. Adcock started strong in the morning with a 709 series and three wins to hold on for the top seed, while Pete Weber, Mitch Beasley, and Gary Alstott rounded out a strong stepladder final.

In the first match between Beasley and Alstott, both players struck a ton, but Beasley struck just a couple extra times to win 257-235. Beasley moved on to face Weber, where again, strikes were plentiful. It came down to the 10th in the back-and-forth match, but Weber got the first two strikes to shut out Beasley and win 257-247. The final match was close between Adcock and Weber through four frames, but Weber opened in the 6th and 7th while Adcock struck all but once in frames three through 10. Adcock won 245-203 and took home his seventh career title.

PBA50 The Plaza Bowl Midwest Open Final Standings

  1. Tom Adcock, 2,500 points, $2,000
  2. Pete Weber, 1,500, $1,100
  3. Mitch Beasley, 1,150, $850
  4. Gary Alstott, 950, $750

PBA50 The Plaza Bowl Midwest Open Full Results

PBA Granville Financial Sandhills Open

This past weekend, over 100 entrants vied for a title in Aberdeen, N.C., on the 44-foot Carmen Salvino pattern. The top four varied throughout the 17 games of qualifying, but in the end, Jack Ness, Carlos Granados, Nick Christy, and Zulmazran Zulkifli took the stepladder positions.

In the beginning match, both players lived around the pocket, but a five-count in the ninth frame from Christy allowed Zulkifli to win 226-222. In the next match, both players had an early four-bagger, but Granados missed a single-pin in the 10th frame, meaning Zulkifli needed a 17-pin fill which he got. The final was not as drama-filled as Ness split twice without a double, as Zulkifli clinched his first PBA Regional Tour title with a 215-183 win.

PBA Granville Financial Sandhills Open Final Standings

  1. Zulmazran Zulkifli, 2,500 points, $2,500
  2. Jack Ness 1,500, $1,235
  3. Carlos Granados, 1,150, $1,100
  4. Nick Christy, 950, $1,000

PBA Granville Financial Sandhills Open Full Results

PBA50 Eastown Recreation Central/Midwest Open

Back in the PBA50 division on the Johnny Petraglia pattern, 12 of the 46 bowlers moved onto match play, specifically the 12 who went +57 or better for the eight games of qualifying. Ron Hurt led the way on the first day, but Day 2 was the day of the Marsala. John Marsala qualified fourth, but when match play came around, he never lost a game, shooting just one sub-200. He ended up losing his position round match, but it was irrelevant. Marsala won by over 160 pins to pick up title No. 5.

PBA50 Eastown Recreation Central/Midwest Open Final Standings

  1. John Marsala, 2,500, $1,600
  2. Eugene McCune, 1,500, $1,150
  3. Ron Hurt, 1,150, $950
  4. Tom Adcock, 950, $800

PBA50 Eastown Recreation Central/Midwest Open Full Results

View the PBA Regional Tour points leaders here.