SPRING HILL – Tom Daugherty may hail from Riverview, but Spring Hill might start feeling like a second home.
It was 10 years ago that Daugherty, then from Wesley Chapel, collected his first Professional Bowling Association title at Spring Hill Lanes, and he earned another one there in 2008.
These days Daugherty is one of the more established pro bowler in the field of the Spring Hill Open, a PBA South Region event sponsored by neighboring Crystal Automotive, with a national tour victory under his belt.
But thanks to his personal history at Spring Hill Lanes, the tournament there still holds a special place in his heart. On Sunday, during the 28th annual event, Daugherty found himself back holding the championship trophy, knocking off 2004 winner Dick Allen in the stepladder final, 246-216.
“My balls like to strike here,” Daugherty said. “I just like coming here. So performing well is just a bonus. It (stunk) that I couldn’t bowl last year (to attend a wedding). I hated missing it, because that’s the first one I’ve missed in I don’t know how many years.
“I grinded all day yesterday and then I bowled a big last game just to get into the top 16. And then today I just tried something different. I threw urethane the whole day, all 14 games, and it just seemed to give me a little bit of an advantage. Bowled 300 with it and that kind of jumpstarted my climb to the top.”
Daugherty became just the second bowler to win this tournament three times, joining Tampa’s Darin Hays, who was one of the four finalists on Sunday. Hays repeated in 1995-96, and again in 1999-2000.
“It’s awesome,” Daugherty said. “I do want to catch Darin. Me and Darin joke about it all the time. I’ve got to win one more. This is my 10th (regional) title, so that means a lot. It was cool to win here again.”
Allen, from Columbia, S.C., had dominated from the start. He totaled 1,914 over eight games on Saturday, 98 pins more than the next closest competitor.
Early Sunday, he went 11-1 in match play and had a combined total of 4,893 to easily qualify as the top seed in the four-man stepladder finals.
By contrast, Daugherty bowled 1,693 over the first day. But then he heated up with a 9-3 run in match play, boosting his total to 4,669 and earning the second seed.
Fort Myers resident David Stouffer, the fourth seed, edged third-seeded Hays in the first stepladder matchup, 233-213. Hays had a chance to win by one if he could strike out in the 10th frame, yet the lefty had his hopes for a fifth Spring Hill title dashed when he left the 9 pin standing on a hard-luck first ball.
Stouffer moved on to battle Daugherty, who began to struggle late in the game but managed to survive, 202-195.
Against Allen, Daugherty jumped in front early, starting off with three strikes in a row. After leaving the 10 pin and converting the spare in the fourth, he rattled off five consecutive strikes.
Meanwhile, Allen failed to carry the 10 pin in the eighth and missed the subsequent spare, putting Daugherty firmly in the driver’s seat. Needing only a handful of pins in the 10th, Daugherty threw a ball up the middle for a nine-count, good enough to clinch the triumph.
“I was still just trying to play with it (against Stouffer). The angles on this right lane were just a little messed up,” Daugherty said. “When you only get five (practice) shots, you’re just trying to guess a little bit, and then I made the right guess to start the title match.
“I wanted to move a little right and just throw it harder, and that’s what I was able to do. I just had to keep it out of the gutter and it was going to be a pretty good shot.”
He’ll hope for that same kind of outcome next year, when he’ll have a chance to not only match Hays’ total titles, but join him as the only back-to-back champions.
“I’ll be back, definitely,” Daugherty said. “Got to come back to defend the title.”
Two Spring Hill natives participated in the event, with Anthony Caso placing 19th (1,677), failing to advance though still earning $410. Chris Polizzi came in 23rd (1,637), collecting $400.
“They (the lanes) were really hard this year, harder than they have been in any previous years, which is really good for the players,” Caso said. “Pair to pair was really tricky. If you ask any of the players, they’re going to tell you a lot of the pairs were really difficult for them.
“I felt pretty good about how I bowled. I managed my bad games. My lowest game was 181. I didn’t miss a single makeable spare. I closed all the games the best I could, but there just wasn’t a lot out there for me.”
Caso, who recently moved to Merritt Island, fell six pins short of moving on to Sunday. Still, the return home was a positive trip, as he was the county’s highest finisher for the second straight year.
“Overall it was a better finish (than last year), I feel. But I still would have loved to be out there bowling,” Caso said. “This is the fun one. I can call it home because I lived here. But with the new lane surface, this isn’t what I grew up on. So it’s just as new to me as it is to everyone else for the most part.
“But it’s pretty cool. I haven’t been here. I moved over to the east coast, I’ve been there for three months. I haven’t really been here for nine or 10 months. But still, when I was qualifying, I threw a double and there were 10 or 12 people behind me clapping for me and everything. So it’s really cool to have all the people pulling for me. If I can still keep that support for another year or two, I’d really like to be able to win this one for myself and for everyone around here.”
In Friday’s pro-am, John Arma won the Regular Division and $250 with a 1,468 total. Carol Kahoun captured the Senior Division and $225 with a 1,572. Cydnee Whiteleather placed first in the Junior A Division (130 average and below) with a 1,561, while Logan Timmerman won the Junior B Division (131 average and above) at 1,671.
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.
Spring Hill Open Champions
– Compiled by CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.
Year Winner Hometown
1989 D.B. Van Horn Atlanta, Ga.
1990 Jeff Bellinger Columbia, S.C.
1991 Mark Salka Tampa, Fl.
1992 Joe Viscomi New London, N.C.
1993 Bob Handley Tampa, Fl.
1994 Jason Couch Clermont, Fl.
1995 Darin Hays Tampa, Fl.
1996 Darin Hays Tampa, Fl.
1997 Jason Couch Clermont, Fl.
1998 Steve Hoskins Tampa, Fl.
1999 Darin Hays Tampa, Fl.
2000 Darin Hays Tampa, Fl.
2001 Don DuPree Fort Walton Beach, Fl.
2002 Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fl.
2003 Roger Bowker Ocala, Fl.
2004 Ritchie “Dick” Allen Columbia, S.C.
2005 Gary Morgan Atlanta, Ga.
2006 Tom Daugherty Wesley Chapel, Fl.
2007 Jason Mahr Spring Hill, Fl.
2008 Tom Daugherty Wesley Chapel, Fl.
2009 Vernon Peterson Winter Haven, Fl.
2010 Richard Langton Tallahassee, Fl.
2011 Mike Williams II Montgomery, Ala.
2012 Jason Mahr Spring Hill, Fl.
2013 Connor Pickford Charlotte, N.C.
2014 Sean Riccardi St. Petersburg, Fl.
2015 Jason Sterner Covington, Ga.
2016 Tom Daugherty Riverview, Fl.