Who else was a "rookie" this year? Did you hear about anyone else? He's a nice guy, but I'm not comfortable with them trying to turn him into the Tiger Woods of bowling. Bring me the head of Osku Palermaa.
Australian Belmonte Earns 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year Honors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mike Jakubowski | PR/Media Relations
Professional Bowlers Association | 719 Second Avenue, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98104
Tel: 800.903.0930 | Fax: 206.332.9722 | mike.jakubowski@pba.com
Australian Belmonte Earns 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year Honors
Two-Handed player makes appearance Tuesday on ESPN’s E:60
SEATTLE, Wash. (May 4, 2009) – Australian two-handed bowling sensation Jason Belmonte has been named the Professional Bowlers Association’s 2008-09 Harry Golden Rookie of the Year.
Belmonte, whose revolutionary bowling style will be featured on ESPN’s E:60 program Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern, won The Bowling Foundation Long Island Classic, earning him an exemption to compete on the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.
The 25-year old from Orange, Australia made the match play field six times and cashed in eight of the nine events he entered during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. Belmonte averaged 219.2 and earned $44,380. His other top finishes during the season were 10th place in the season-opening PBA World Championship, 11th in the Etonic Marathon Open, 12th in the GEICO Plastic Ball championship and 15th in the Denny’s Dick Weber Open.
"To have won the same award as guys who I look up to as bowlers like Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones, Ryan Shafer and the legend Pete Weber is extremely cool and rewarding,” said Belmonte. “I hope that my career as a full-time player on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is just as successful as my first season. I am excited and very thankful to the all of those who voted for me."
Belmonte and his unique method of bowling garnered a great deal of media attention throughout the 2008-09 season including appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show and The Fox Network’s Fox & Friends. He was also featured in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, ESPN The Magazine, Denver Post, Boston Globe and ESPN.com among many other media outlets.
The Rookie of the Year honor is named after the late hall of fame PBA Tour tournament director Harry Golden and is voted on by the PBA membership and a select group of bowling writers.
EDITOR’s NOTE: ESPN’s E:60, featuring Belmonte, will air Tuesday May 5 at 7 p.m. Eastern. Hosted by ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap, E:60 combines investigative reporting with in-depth profiles of sports personalities and features on emerging star athletes. A preview of the Belmonte interview can be seen by clicking on http://espnmediazone.com/mediacenter...0_Bowling.html.
If you would like to speak with Schaap or one of the sports producers, please contact ESPN publicist Kim Jessup at (407) 566-2175 or (919) 818-0586, e-mail, kimberly.jessup@espn.com.
About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Amp Energy, Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.
Who else was a "rookie" this year? Did you hear about anyone else? He's a nice guy, but I'm not comfortable with them trying to turn him into the Tiger Woods of bowling. Bring me the head of Osku Palermaa.
I agree with you Kevin. With all the help financial and with "commisioners exemptions" it would have been a bust if he didn't win rookie of the year. But, how many are there out there who,with the same advantages, could have done just as well.Originally Posted by kev3inp
I think the publicity is good for the PBA, but I think it is at the expense of many who are just as worthy.
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