King Pin Scratch Open crowns another victor
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on February 1, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Victor Florie of Richmond, Va., bowls during the final round of the 11th annual King Pin Scratch Open Saturday. Florie defeated Gary Faulkner by one point.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Gary Faulkner competes in the King Pin Scratch Open where he came in second place.
Saturday's 11th annual King Pin Scratch Open bowling tournament came down to the last roll of the ball, with Victor Florie besting Gary Faulkner in the final frame to win by a score of 156 to 155.
Tournament organizer Clarke Hill said it was the lowest scoring title match he had ever witnessed.
For Florie, it was the best 156 he ever bowled.
"I just felt elated," Florie, of Richmond, Va., said of his win. "I knew it was a winner when that six pin hit the 10 pin and gave me the extra point."
There were 65 entrants in Saturday's competition, which were split into two squads at the beginning of the day.
Then, Hill selected the best eight bowlers to create a round of 16 competitors, which was then whittled down to eight, then four, then two.
As in years past, Hill said, Florie's win marks the entrance of a new King Pin Scratch Open champion, as a defending champion has never successfully defended their title in the competition -- there were two such competitors in Saturday's tournament.
"I'm pretty fatigued at this point," Florie said. "We've been bowling since 9 o'clock this morning. By the time the round of four came around I was already pretty fried."
Prior to the competition, Hill "flooded" the lanes, making them slick so the competitors had to execute their rolls with precision.
"I knew it was going to be a grind," Florie said. "I knew there would be no room to mess around."
Florie's win could not have been more picturesque.
Going into Florie's next to last frame, Faulkner had a slight edge.
When Florie threw his first ball, it left him with a near-impossible split he needed to hit to have a chance at winning.
Florie thrusted the ball with just enough spin, and it knocked down all three pins involved in the split, giving him a chance.
Faulkner finished his 10 frames with a score of 155, leading Florie by eight.
Florie threw his final ball, and as it clattered into the 10 pins, eight went down, and the eighth pin slowly leaned over into another one, with the head of the pin taking down a ninth, giving Florie his one point win.
"I noticed any variance on how I threw the ball affected how it went down the lane," Florie said.
The "flooded" lanes likely contributed to the low-scoring title match, with the final two competitors becoming visibly antagonized throughout the last round by any slip of the ball.
But, Florie said, that made the win all the better.
"You had to be real consistent with your shot making tonight," Florie said. "You couldn't lose control of the ball at any point."
Florie took home a first place prize of $2,000, with Faulkner taking home $1,000.
Saturday night's tournament was sponsored by Deacon Jones, R.A. Jeffreys, Brunswick and Turbo Grips.