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onefrombills
09-01-2008, 07:08 PM
BANGKOK, Thailand - Team USA's Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., added another gold medal to his burgeoning collection Saturday, winning the Masters event to close the 2008 World Tenpin Bowling Association Men's World Championships.

Williams, who won the singles gold medal Friday, defeated Denmark's Jesper Agerbo, 3-0, in the finals of best-of-five, single-elimination Masters, which featured the top 16 individuals from all-events.

"Until three days ago, I wasn't really happy with my performance here," said Williams, a 28-year professional who earned three gold medals and a bronze in his Team USA debut this week. "The last match was one of the best matches I've ever bowled. It was definitely a lot more fun for me."

The 2008 Men's World Championships marked the much anticipated first appearance of professionals in major WTBA competition thanks to a change in legislation last August.

The short pattern, which had been troublesome for Williams throughout the week, was no match for the Professional Bowlers Association and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer on Saturday.



Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Williams jumped all over Agerbo from the start, stringing eight consecutive strikes for a 256-203 victory in Game 1 on the short oil pattern. Moving over to the long oil pattern for Game 2, Williams struck on 10 of his last 11 shots for a 256-202 win and a 2-0 edge.
Back on the short pattern for Game 3, Williams struck on three of his final four shots en route to a 228-224 victory to complete the sweep.

"I finally figured out how to bowl well on the short pattern today," said Williams, who won seven of nine games Saturday on the short oil pattern - the same pattern he averaged 209.08 in 12 games on earlier in the week. "That's part of the game - figuring out what to do and then executing."

Williams, seeded 15th, defeated fellow Team USA member Rhino Page of Topeka, Kan., 3-1, in the first round - jumping out to a 2-0 lead aided by a 243-213 victory in Game 1 on the short pattern. In the quarterfinals, Williams downed all-events gold medalist and top seed, Choi Bok-Eum of Korea, 3-1 - winning the last three games that included a 214-203 triumph in Game 3 on the short pattern.

In the semifinals, Williams got past Finland two-hander Osku Palermaa, 3-2, by winning all three games on the short pattern.

"A lot of the professionals learn by recognition," Team USA head coach Jeri Edwards said. "If you give these guys a long time, they get things figured out. And with a man like Walter Ray ... bar the doors."

In the Masters first round, Choi defeated Team USA's Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3-1, while Palermaa earned a 3-2 victory over Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C. - winning the decisive game, 279-244.

Williams' victory caps off the best performance for Team USA's men since the World Championships began in 1954, claiming seven medals overall. In addition to Williams' two individual titles, Team USA won it second consecutive team gold medal and opened the tournament with a doubles gold medal from Allen and Page, who also earned silver in all-events.

Team USA also swept the trios bronze medals - Allen, Page and Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, taking one, while Williams, Jones and Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, claiming the other - to become the first country to medal in every event since the current format was adopted in 1979.

"That's something to be said," Edwards said. "I couldn't be more pleased. It was an incredible week with some unbelievable performances. The matches were close and there was a lot of really, really good bowling. We worked awfully hard and these guys performed just beautifully."

The Men's World Championships, which was held at SF Strike Bowl Ngamwonwan, featured more than 300 athletes from 57 countries competing in six disciplines - doubles, trios, team, singles, all-events and Masters.

Visit the Men's World Championships homepage for complete coverage of the 2008 WTBA Men's World Championships, including videos, photos, stories, results and blogs.

2008 WTBA MEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(at Bangkok, Thailand)
Saturday's Results

MASTERS
(Best-of-five, single-elimination match play)

Gold medal: Walter Ray Williams Jr., United States
Silver medal: Jesper Agerbo, Denmark
Bronze medal: Osku Palermaa, Finland; Dominic Barrett, England

First Round
(1) Choi Bok-Eum, Korea def. (16) Patrick Allen, United States, 3-1
(179-143, 232-237, 211-170, 216-177)
(15) Walter Ray Williams Jr., United States def. (2) Rhino Page, United States, 3-1
(243-213, 258-227, 194-264, 214-203)
(3) Tore Torgersen, Norway def. (14) Pasi Uotila, Finland, 3-2
(220-254, 191-182, 166-208, 277-246, 168-163)
(4) Osku Palermaa, Finland def. (13) Tommy Jones, United States, 3-2
(255-194, 186-236, 233-202, 188-207, 279-244)
(5) Jesper Agerbo, Denmark def. (12) Nayef Eqab Al Abadla, United Arab Emirates, 3-2
(173-210, 171-198, 246-230, 211-206, 215-174)
(6) Alejandro Cruz, Mexico def. (11) Peter Ljung, Sweden, 3-0
(162-154, 206-182, 235-210)
(10) Dominic Barrett, England def. (7) Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3-2
(167-257, 210-214, 255-224, 245-233, 237-156)
(9) Hussain Nasir Al Suwaidi, United Arab Emirates def. (8) Robert Andersson, Sweden, 3-1
(174-170, 241-204, 154-202, 191-180)

Quarterfinals
(15) Walter Ray Williams Jr., United States def. (1) Choi Bok-Eum, Korea, 3-1
(237-245, 229-203, 214-203, 225-191)
(10) Dominic Barrett, England def. (3) Tore Torgersen, Norway, 3-1
(149-222, 265-186, 212-184, 235-217)
(4) Osku Palermaa, Finland def. (9) Hussain Nasir Al Suwaidi, United Arab Emirates, 3-2
(165-242, 177-176, 241-225, 212-241, 182-147)
(5) Jesper Agerbo, Denmark def. (6) Alejandro Cruz, Mexico, 3-2
(203-195, 225-279, 204-162, 180-220, 225-223)

Semifinals
(15) Walter Ray Williams Jr., United States def. (4) Osku Palermaa, Finland, 3-2
(238-201, 212-266, 238-170, 209-219, 224-211)
(5) Jesper Agerbo, Denmark def. (10) Dominic Barrett, England, 3-0
(247-210, 266-225, 226-215)

Finals
(15) Walter Ray Williams Jr., United States def. (5) Jesper Agerbo, Denmark, 3-0
(256-203, 256-202, 228-224)