News & Press
"TV" Tommy Jones Rolls to U.S. Open Win
February 19, 2006
Dexter's Tommy Jones has been just about automatic on television in his career, posting a gaudy record in broadcast events, having lost only once when the world was watching. But no win was bigger than the one this past week, televised or not.
With the cameras rolling and the pressure to finally win a Major mounting, Jones met the challenge head on and became the first bowler not seeded number one to capture the U.S. Open title since 1996 when Dave Husted won the Open as the three seed.
In defeating his fellow Team Dexter member, top-seeded Ryan Shafer, 237-223 in a thrilling title match, the second-seeded Jones put to rest any doubts about who is the number one bowler in the world. In the process, he squarely established himself as the leading Player of the Year candidate, increasing his overall first place lead in the 2005-2006 PBA World Point Rankings to a whopping 25,000 points, and amazed once again with his unflappable performance on live television.
The Open win was Jones' eighth career title — four so far this year, four last year — but it was only his first victory in a Major. With the phenomenal success he has had in his brief five-year career, one wonders what took so long. Even Jones was relieved to rid himself of the burden of no Major victories.
"All of your titles are great, but I would have traded all of them to win this one," said Jones, who earned a $100,000 top prize and a three-year tour exemption. "This is the major of majors. For us, it's the one everybody wants to win. I got the monkey off my back about not winning any majors."
Monkey or no monkey, it was only a matter of time before Jones captured a major title. To say he's been on fire would be an understatement, and his performance in televised events — eight victories in his last nine appearances — has been nothing short of phenomenal.
The 27-year old Mauldin South Carolina native is calm, cool and collected under pressure and proved it once again. If anything, it's not a sign of finally accomplishing something he's been unable to achieve, but of hitting a stride that is going to be difficult for anyone to match.
