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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 6, 2004 Finally comingtogether Rick Lawrence constructs his finest season on the PBA Tour yet By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Rick Lawrence is finally building what he’s always dreamed of: a bowling career. Although he’s been a full-time member of the Professional Bowlers Association Tour for five years and bowled at least two events every year since 1990, only in recent weeks has the part-time carpenter nailed it on the lanes. A victory and back-to-back TV finals have put the easy-going left-hander with the easy-going delivery on the fast track and made him one of the young season’s intriguing stories. He’ll compete this week in the Earl Anthony Medford Classic Wednesday through Sunday at Lava Lanes. Advertisement "It had always been a dream of mine, wanting to be successful and just being able to bowl for a year and not have to do anything else," says Lawrence. "Even though I’ve had some success, I still had to do carpenter work even last year in the off-season. This year it’s finally coming together." His fine play continued with two match wins and a round-of-16 appearance at the Denver Open in Lakewood, Colo., last week. Now, he makes his fourth straight trip to Medford, where he failed to cash once and twice made the round of 32. Lawrence won his first PBA title in 1999 at the Brunswick ProSource Open in Wichita, Kan. He only bowled seven events that year, then joined the tour full time the following season. But it wasn’t until three weeks ago at the BowlersParadise.com Open in Valley Park, Mo., that Lawrence again enjoyed victory, beating no less an icon than Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the semifinals and Brad Angelo in the finals. Of those on the TV show, he was the least likely to emerge unscathed. "It was surprising," Lawrence admits. "I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it until it happened. I was able to focus and keep my head down and do what I needed to do. On the show, I bowled pretty well." Keeping his mind from wandering wasn’t easy. Being on TV for the first time since 1999 was distracting enough. Then there was the hoopla surrounding Williams, who was one win away from tying Earl Anthony as the all-time leader with 41 tour wins. If Lawrence were to draw confidence from anything, it would have been that triumphant tournament five years ago, when he also met Williams in the semifinals and won, 258-207. "He had a lot going on," says Lawrence of Williams last month, "trying to tie the record and everything. I could have really gotten my mind off what I needed to do if I thought about it. I blocked it out. I was just trying to get my exemption for next year. I really didn’t pay a lot of attention to all the other things going on." Williams spared in three of the first five frames to give Lawrence an opening. The latter then sealed a 238-217 win with strikes in the sixth-through-ninth frames. "I missed the pocket twice and he missed it once," says Williams. "That makes a big difference. He wins the tournament and I finish third." Lawrence didn’t wait around against Angelo, striking in seven of the first eight frames while his opponent opened twice in the same span. The final margin was 233-198. The $40,000 winner’s check vaulted him to new heights. His season earnings, including the $3,500 he won this week, are $58,550, more than double the $25,130 he made last year � his previous high � and more than half what his career earnings were entering the season. Lawrence can put his hammer down for a spell. "After winning, that moves me to another level," he says. "There are different levels of performance, and I felt like I moved up another level. And I believe performing at this level, better things will happen." They nearly did last week in the Pepsi Open at Wichita, Kan. Lawrence again charged through to the finals and had a chance to become the tour’s first back-to-back winner since 2000. But his six-match TV winning streak ended at the hands of eventual champion Jason Hurd, 243-185. Lawrence says he was a little tense and became confused trying to figure out the lanes. The same oil pattern was used all week, but they seemed drier to him, and he got a strange ball reaction. He thought he was the problem, and once doubt set in, he had little chance against Hurd. The game was virtually over in the ninth frame when he finally switched to a ball that worked earlier in the week. "I threw it and I saw it," says Lawrence. "It wasn’t me, it was the ball. It’s a typical problem or situation you can get into. You start doubting yourself and you miss what’s happening on the lane." It didn’t help that Hurd struck on his first four balls, further tightening the screws on the carpenter. "He iced me," says Lawrence. "He said he was going to put ice on my hot streak, and I guess he was successful. But this is another week, and I’m warming back up." In the Denver Open, Lawrence defeated Tony Reyes, 4-3, in the first round and Tim Mack, 4-2, in the second. He lost to David Traber, 4-1. Lawrence describes his bowling style as different from what fans expect to see from a professional. At 5-foot-8, 140 pounds, he doesn’t rocket it down the lane and annihilate pins. Quite the contrary. "I’m closer to an ordinary style, the one you see in different leagues," he says. "It really just shows you it doesn’t matter what type of style you have. It’s how determined you are, your accuracy and just bowling at a professional level. That’s what counts. "Some people have said they can read the label on my ball as it goes down the lane. But it turns over about three times and blows the rack." It’s happened enough that Lawrence has had to reset his goals. Now he’d like to win a major and try to secure a spot in the world championships. At this point, he’s got a strong foundation on which to build. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities