It seemed like a long shot that Doug Wilcox would be able to come back in the final two games to take the title at the Professional Bowlers Association Regional Tournament at Pinon Plaza.
The Sacramento bowler had quite a bit of ground to make up against San Jose's Tony Reyes going into the final two games. But the final two matches paired the top two bowlers in the event - Reyes and Wilcox. Wilcox was able to beat Reyes in both matches Sunday to win the title.
Sunday's finals didn't turn out quite as well for Carson City's Don Simonian. After qualifying 15th out of 16 bowlers for Sunday's finals, Simonian had to settle for a 16th place finish. Just like he did Saturday, Simonian got off to a solid start, but struggled in his final eight games.
"I knew it was a lot to make up," said Wilcox about having a chance to overtake Reyes for the title. "It looked almost hopeless for a while.
"If I won every match, I knew it was possible. It was just a matter of hanging in there."
Wilcox gave himself a chance by pulling within 31 pins of Reyes after he beat Reyes in the next to last game. Reyes looked like he had regained control when he rolled strikes in the first five frames of the final game. But then Reyes failed to pick up a spare in the sixth frame to give Wilcox new life.
"When he had the first five strikes, I had a feeling it was going to take something like that for me to come back," Wilcox said. "I got some breaks when I needed them."
Wilcox still needed one more break and it came when Reyes had another open frame in the ninth frame.
"I knew he was going to have to open once," said Wilcox about Reyes in the final frames. "I don't like to think in that terminology.
"Tony and I are really good friends. I hate bowling against a good friend in the final match."
Wilcox took advantage when he rolled strikes on his final four balls. When Reyes failed to roll a strike on his first ball in the 10th frame, the title and the first place prize of $2,500 belonged to Wilcox.
Wilcox beat Reyes 219-212 in the final game. With the 30 pins he picked up for beating Reyes in the last game, Wilcox ended up beating Reyes by six pins for the title.
In 1999, Wilcox tried to compete on the PBA Tour, with limited success, he said.
"I did the first seven and struggled quite a bit," Wilcox said about his first seven of nine events on the PBA Tour in 1999. "It really helps you out to come back to the regionals."
Wilcox said he would like to return to the PBA Tour. "I'd like to do a lot more," he said. "It's just a matter of getting the funds together."
Simonian won six of his first eight games to move up to 11th place in Sunday's finals. He averaged about 230 and had games of 248, 248 and 257.
But Simonian won only one of his last eight games. Simonian, though, did finish on a high note. He rolled five straight strikes near the end of his last game to finish with a 210.
"I didn't want to finish 16th," Simonian said. "It ain't the end of the world."