Nice way to win first title

COLDWATER - Darren Tang didn't just bowl well, he dominated.

Tang dominated from the first ball of qualifying to the final roll of Sunday in winning the Professional Bowlers Association's Bowlerstore.com Classic at Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater.

Tang was the top seed after Saturday's qualifying round and maintained the top spot through the Cashier's Round - the round that decides the payouts - to earn the direct ticket to the championship match in the four-bowler stepladder final.

It was the first national tour victory for the bowler who makes his home in Las Vegas, who was more than happy in collecting the trophy and $10,000 first-place check.

"I really wasn't thinking about anything," said Tang. "I was just trying to play the game and enjoy my time here. I knew they were going to be tough. I was basically just hitting the front (pin) and picking up the spares."

There weren't too many spares for Tang to pick up in his championship match against 2016 Coldwater winner Kyle Troup. Tang started his final with three straight strikes before leaving a pin and getting the spare in his fourth frame. After getting a 9-spare in the fifth frame, Tang rolled five more strikes in a row before throwing a 7-2 in his final two rolls in the 10th frame to finish with a 254.

Troup, a fan favorite known for his colorful outfits and red hair, went spare-spare-strike on his first three frames before leaving a 7-10 split on the fourth frame and getting just one pin for the open. Troup had either a strike or spare on his next four frames before bowling a 7-2 in the ninth frame before going strike-9-spare in the 10th to finish with a 174.

"Kyle is clearly one of the best in the world right now," said Tang. "To be able to win my first title against him is pretty special."

In the first two games of the stepladder, Anthony Simonsen defeated Shawn Maldonaldo, who reached the stepladder finals last Thursday at the PBA Central Region tournament at Minster's Community Lanes, 243-191 to advance to face Troup in the semifinal. Troup took the semifinal 222-164.

"It's special," Tang said of his weekend in Coldwater. "When we're not bowling, we're having a great time. When we're bowling, it looks like we're not having a great time at all. Everything about this place and what (the Hartings family) put together here is incredible. I love coming here."

Troup earned $5,000 for second, putting him just over $3,000 away from reaching the $500,000 mark in earnings this season. Simonsen pocketed $2,500 with Maldonaldo taking home $2,200