Document text
CLOUDY Temp: 45 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 5, 2003 Defending Medford Open champion Ricky Ward defeated Ryan Shafer, 215-214, in last year�s inaugural event. Ward is looking to repeat his success at next week�s PBA event at Lava Lanes. Striking back Ricky Ward, the defending champion at the Medford Open, looks to put his struggles aside By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune It clearly was Ricky Ward’s time. Not only did he bulldoze through the field to capture the inaugural Medford Open a year ago, but the left-hander from North Fort Myers, Fla., was rewarded with a handsome timepiece, a Rolex watch that he truly considers a treasure. "I’ve worn it six to 10 times," he says. "Only for special occasions." The question now is, has time passed him by? This week, Ward, who has met hard times the past few months, will set out to defend the championship he earned with a gripping victory over Ryan Shafer on national television. More than 150 bowlers — a considerable jump from the 119 last year — will be on hand for the second leg of the Professional Bowlers Association’s 2002-03 campaign. In addition to last year’s finalists, all of the game’s top names will be here, including points leader Chris Barnes, earnings leader Jason Couch and the icon who is second in each category, Walter Ray Williams Jr. Several notable players who weren’t here a year ago have added the stop to their itineraries: Hall-of-Famer Mike Aulby, Amleto Monacelli and Mika Koivuniemi. The first half of the tour began in September and featured 12 events. Couch provided a special highlight at the final stop before the holidays when he became the first player in history to win a third consecutive Tournament of Champions title Dec. 15. The tour resumed this week with the Geico Earl Anthony Classic in Tacoma, Wash., and Seattle, where the finals will be contested today. Ward, meanwhile, is hoping a return to Medford will result in a return to form. He’ll re-trace his steps of last January, when he skipped the Washington tournament, flew to Portland, then drove to Medford. "I’m coming there to repeat, to defend the title," says Ward. "I need something good to happen. It started last year at Medford, and it can happen again." He defeated Shafer, 215-214, in the finals, barely nicking the 7-pin to pick up a single-pin spare in the 10th frame, then following it up with a strike for the narrow victory. Ward earned $40,000 and the $2,000 watch, a trophy that caught the attention of all the pros. The win also jump-started the best run of a career that includes six national titles and the 1991 rookie-of-the-year award. A week later, at the ABC Masters in Reno, Nev., Ward placed third. A week after that, he was runner-up in the Orleans Casino Open in Las Vegas. "I could not do anything wrong for three weeks," he recalls. "Guys were falling down at my feet. If they needed a double, they didn’t get it. If I needed a double, I got it every time. Boy, what a ride." When it finally ended, he told himself that whatever else happened, he couldn’t complain — because for a month, everything that could go right, did. "Boy," he says now, "did I eat those words in the fall." Come the fall swing, he didn’t cash once until the Tournament of Champions. And the only reason he was in that event was because of his triumph here. His first-round opponent was the top-ranked Barnes, who dispatched him in three games. "This fall was probably the most disappointing nine weeks of bowling I’ve ever had," says Ward. "I felt like a rookie that came out and got spanked. "People ask how my year was, and I tell them it was awesome in January and terrible in the fall. I made $85,000 by the end of January and $86,000 by the end of the year." As the weeks of not surviving qualifying rounds mounted, Ward’s troubleshooting intensified. Ultimately, he says, "I couldn’t get out of my own way." He took a couple of weeks off without touching a ball, then began recently "pumping out" the 40 or 50 games he needs to prepare for the Medford Open. "Tough times don’t last, tough people do," says Ward, who was characterized as having the tenacity of a bulldog the last time he visited the Rogue Valley. "True champions bounce back from adversity." There will be no shortage of champions in the field. Couch used the big payday in the Tournament of Champions ($100,000) to vault to the top of the earnings list with $125,950. The win linked him with Hall-of-Famer Mike Durbin as the only three-time winners of the event. It was Couch’s fourth career major title — tying him for fifth all-time — and 10th victory overall. Shafer, who is fourth on the points list and 10th on the earnings list, was the victim of Couch’s 260 championship game. Shafer rolled a 220, losing to Couch for the second time in three years in the Tournament of Champions. "It’s not like he blew me out," says Shafer. "He had a really spectacular game. A 220 on that lane condition would usually be golden. It’s not like I lost it; he won it." Barnes and Williams were the outstanding performers in the fall. Barnes, the only player to make every match-play cut, leads the points list despite not having won. He’s finished second four times. Williams moved into second on the all-time victory list, winning the Greater Detroit Open in November for his 35th crown, breaking a tie with Mark Roth and pulling within six of the late Earl Anthony. He has five championship-round appearances and is in contention for his sixth player-of-the-year award, which would match the all-time mark of Anthony. Barnes and Williams met in the first round of match play in Tacoma on Friday, and the latter emerged with a 4-1 triumph. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S