Duke Runs the Table at PBA 50 Event in Jackson

Norm Duke follows through on a shot during the David Small’s JAX 60 Open professional bowling tournament on Sunday at JAX 60.  Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(August 16, 2021 7:48 AM) Norm Duke won 40 times on the PBA Tour during his long professional bowling career.

But the veteran bowler has been in a dry spell in the PBA 50 Tour and has not seen the top spot  since 2019.

He put an end to that on Sunday night at David Small’s JAX 60 Open with a win over Brad Angelo in the finals.

Duke was the No. 4 seed heading into the five-player stepladder final but ran the table to earn $7,500. 

But it took the veteran a lot of patience to win again. After a slow start in game one – a 197-171 win over Larry Verbly of Mason, Mich. – Duke got hot in the second game against Ryan Shafer before reinjuring his wrist midway through the game. 

“I have been struggling with my right wrist and it is worse on spare shots,” Duke said. “That gave me a lot of motivation to throw strikes.

“Every time I pick up a ball for a spare, I worried that it will be the end of the day.”

But the veteran persisted to easily beat Shafer 268-171.

Duke defeated Eugene McCune 248-235 in the semifinal match before facing Angelo in the final.

It was a bit of a cat and mouse match as Angelo took his time with each shot knowing that Duke was injured, and more time could make the wrist stiffen up.

“He was taking 45 seconds per shot, so I put him on the clock,” Duke said. 

“That is what pros do … and I respect the heck out of him for doing it. But he didn’t think I would put him on a clock … but I’m a veteran too.”

Angelo reracked twice late in the contest, much to the chagrin of Duke. But the bowler settled his nerves and made a mark in the final frame to pull out the win. 

“I’ve had more second-place finished on the PBA 50 that any man in the world,” Duke said. “It is so good to get something under my belt.”

Angelo earned $4,000 for his second consecutive runner-up finish, McCune took home $2,700, Shafer won $2,300, and Verbly earned $2,000. 

JAX 60 will host the PBA 60 Dick Weber Classic beginning on Tuesday and the public is invited to attend. Squad sessions begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 8 a.m. on Wednesday, and the stepladder final is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday.

For more information, go to www.pba.com/pba-tour/pba50-tour. 

PBA 50 David Small’s 

JAX 60 Open 

Sunday final

Championship match – Norm Duke 238, Brad Angelo 227

Third match – Norm Duke 248, Eugene McCune 235

Second match – Norm Duke 268, Ryan Shafer 171

Opening match – Norm Duke 197, Larry Verbly 171