Jason Belmonte
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jason Belmonte |
| Nickname(s) | Belmo |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born |
29 July 1983 Orange, New South Wales, Australia |
| Residence | Australia |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Turned pro | 2008 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | World Tenpin Masters (2007), Qubica AMF World Cup (2011) |
| Regional finals | Brunswick Euro Challenge, Greece (2006) |
| National finals |
PBA Tour (2009-17, 14 titles) Korea Cup (2010), Thailand Open (2011), Australian Masters, Sydney (2012) |
Jason Belmonte (born 29 July 1983), an Australian ten-pin bowler, is a professional player on the PBA Tour in the United States and world circuits. He is known for being one of the first bowlers to gain media attention for using the two handed "shovel" style to deliver his shot. He has won 14 PBA titles, including eight major tournaments, and is a three-time PBA Player of the Year.
Belmonte's father opened the Orange Ten Pin Bowl when Jason was a toddler. As a result, he started rolling a ball at 18 months old. Interviewed in 2009, he commented: "The only problem for me though was as an 18-month-old baby boy lifting a nine- to 10-pound (4-4.5kg) bowling ball ... it was a little hard, so like all babies I pushed the ball with two hands." In doing so he developed a two-handed style which he uses today, placing only two fingers and no thumb in the ball to produce more revolutions. He started competing at the age of three, winning his first event at the age of four. At the age of five, he had a league average of 117 and a high game of 179.
Belmonte was described by friends as motivated and compassionate. He also participated in many local charity events in his youth.
Belmonte has won one European Bowling Tour title, the Brunswick Euro Challenge, held in Greece. He also won the World Tenpin Masters championship in 2007. In September 2010, he defeated American Sean Rash in the finals to earn the 2010 Korea Cup title.
On the PBA Tour, Belmonte owns twelve titles, including his first title at the Bowling Foundation Long Island Classic (2009), and three titles in the 2011–12 season (GEICO Shark Open, World Series of Bowling Chameleon Open, and the Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship). After making the televised finals in five of six PBA majors without winning, he defeated Wes Malott to capture his first PBA major title: the 2012–13 USBC Masters. He captured his second major at the 2014 Barbasol Tournament of Champions, again defeating Malott in the title match. On February 8, 2015, Belmonte became the first bowler to win three consecutive USBC Masters tournaments after defeating No. 1 seeded AJ Johnson. On February 15, 2015, he defeated No. 1 seed Rhino Page to capture his second consecutive Barbasol Tournament of Champions title, and his second major title in two weeks.
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