When Jason Belmonte joined the PBA Tour in 2008, most of the talk was about his unconventional, two-handed style of bowling. Then, when he started winning tournaments, the talk turned from his methods and more to his ball reaction (which, admittedly, depends largely on his methods). Belmonte won the 2008-2009PBA Rookie of the Year Award, but his real emergence as one of the top bowlers in the world came during the 2011 World Series of Bowling.
Belmonte made it to the television finals in six of the eight events held at the World Series, and won three of those events. By the end of the season, Belmonte added a number of other impressive performances, but no more titles, eventually finishing second by an extremely close margin in the PBA Player of the Year race.
1. Jason Belmonte Bowler Profile
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2. Chris Paul Invitational Showcases Fun of Bowling
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3. The Value of Controversy in Bowling
The PBA's hype of the upcoming telecast included a verbal altercation between Brad Angelo and Jason Belmonte. This would become the first (and often forgotten) incident of the ridiculous Bottlegate scandal. But does bowling need controversy?4. All That for That?
After all the hype from the PBA and all the debates from fans who hadn't yet seen the altercation, the bottle incident between Brad Angelo and Jason Belmonte fell short of expectations. This likely could've been done without the hype.5. Barnes, Belmonte Show What Bowling Can Be
Chris Barnes and Jason Belmonte competed in one of the most entertaining televised bowling matches in recent memory in the semi-finals of the 2011 Dick Weber PBA Playoffs.6. Bottlegate
What happens when controversy erupts on the PBA Tour over the popping sound of a plastic water bottle? It's assigned a name and talked about seemingly endlessly. If you missed it, this article explains the basics of what exactly Bottlegate was.7. 2011 World Bowling Tour Finals
Jason Belmonte faced Bottlegate rival Sean Rash in the match to determine who would face Mika Koivuniemi for the inaugural World Bowling Tour championship.
8. Jason Belmonte Rounds Out PBA World Championship Finals
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9. Jason Belmonte Throws Eight in a Row, Beats Sean Rash for Chameleon Championship
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10. Jason Belmonte Wins Shark Championship
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Chris Barnes may have thrown a 300 game in the second round, but he couldn't stop Belmonte in the third. Belmonte hung around long enough in the eliminator format to find his line, then took out Barnes to win his second title of the season.
