 Simonsen in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Walter Simonsen |
| Nickname | Simo |
| Born | (1997-01-06)January 6, 1997 (age 28) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Bowling Information | |
| Affiliation | PBA |
| Rookie year | 2014 |
| Dominant hand | Right (two-hand delivery) |
| Wins | 16PBA Tour (5 majors) 7PBA Regional Tour 1EBT |
| 300-games | 7 |
| Sponsors | Roto Grip, Vise Grips |
Anthony Walter Simonsen (born January 6, 1997) is an American professionalten-pin bowler. He has been a member of theProfessional Bowlers Association (PBA) since 2014. Simonsen became known in bowling fan circles early in the2016 season, when he earned the distinction as the youngest player in history to win a PBA major championship (USBC Masters). He is now the youngest player in history to own five major PBA Tour titles. He uses thetwo-handed shovel-style delivery with a dominant right hand. At age 25, Simonsen eclipsed $1 million in career PBA earnings during the 2022 season.[1] Simonsen has also bowled internationally as a multi-year member of Team USA.
Simonsen is a pro staff member forRoto Grip bowling balls and Vise Grips finger inserts.[2] A native ofLittle Elm, Texas, Simonsen now resides inLas Vegas,Nevada.
Simonsen grew up inMesquite, Texas and, as the son of regularleague-bowling parents, he took up the game at an early age. By age 12, he was beating some of the nation's best collegiate bowlers in tournaments, likeWichita State University alumKris Prather. Said Prather, "I'm bowling next to this kid who's two-handed...he's striking like every single shot and walking around like he owns the building. I wish I had that kind of confidence when I was that age." By age 15, Simonsen had dropped out of school and was working the night shift at Plano Super Bowl inPlano, Texas, also driving to as many local tournaments as possible. "If there was a bowling tournament within seven hours, I was bowling the tournament, no question about it." He began bowling in professional tournaments by age 16, his entry fees staked by some fellow bowlers in exchange for a percentage of the teenager's earnings.[3]
As an 18-year-old, Simonsen captured a win in doubles (with partner Mark Sleeper, Jr.) at the 2015USBC Open Championships.[4]
Simonsen first earned a spot on Team USA in 2016. He and his Team USA teammates won the 2019Weber Cup over Team Europe. Simonsen participated in 11 of the 32 matches, going 5–1 in singles, 1–2 in doubles, and 1–1 in team.[5]
In the 2020Weber Cup, Simonsen and Team USA again defeated Team Europe, 23–18.[6] Overall in the event, Simonsen participated in 12 of 41 matches, going 4–1 in singles, 1–4 in doubles, and 1–1 in team. In his third singles match against England'sDom Barrett, Simonsen rolled a300 game.[7] Simonsen also competed in the 2021 Weber Cup. In the USA's 17–18 loss to Team Europe, Simonsen participated in 12 of 35 matches, going 4–3 in singles, 2–0 in doubles, and 0–3 in team.[8]
Simonsen became a PBA member in 2013 at age 16. This followed some success on thePBA regional circuit, where he won two Regional tournaments as a non-member. Simonsen has won 16PBA Tour titles (with five majors) and seven PBA Regional titles. He also has oneEuropean Bowling Tour (EBT) title to his credit, earned at the 2018 Storm Irish Open.[9]
In his first full season on the PBA Tour, Simonsen made the cash-line cut in seven of 16 tournaments, and qualified for match play five times.
Simonsen's first PBA Tour title came on December 18, 2015, at theMark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship, where he teamed with Connor Pickford. (This was considered a 2016 season title.) The victory made Simonsen the second-youngest winner of a standardPBA Tour event, at 18 years, 11 months and 12 days. He was only two days older thanNorm Duke when Duke won the 1983 PBA Cleveland Open.
Simonsen made history on February 14, 2016, when he won his first PBA Tour singles title and first major at theUSBC Masters inIndianapolis. This win made Anthony the youngest player ever, at age 19 years and 39 days, to win a PBA major title. PBA Hall of FamerMike Aulby had held this distinction since1979, when he won thePBA National Championship at age 19 years, 83 days.[10] Simonsen qualified for two more televised finals in major tournaments during 2016, finishing fourth at theU.S. Open in November and fifth at the PBA World Championship in December. He appeared in the championship round (the final stage of a tournament) seven times this season.[2]
On February 26, 2017, Simonsen won the World Bowling Tour (WBT) Men's Finals inLas Vegas, NV, cashing $20,000. The finals included the top three points earners from 2015 and 2016 WBT events. While presented by the PBA, this event does not award a PBA title.[11] Simonsen captured his third PBA title on May 29, 2017, at the PBA Xtra FrameWilmington Open.[12]
As one of the top eight money leaders from the start of the 2015 season through the 2017USBC Masters, Simonsen was invited to participate in the inaugural Main Event PBA Tour Finals in May 2017. He placed eighth in the event.[13]
Simonsen finished runner-up toSweden's Jenny Wegner in the 2018Brunswick Euro Challenge, held inMunich,Germany. Simonsen won a scratch victory of 213–211 in the final match, but because Wegner accepted the eight pins per game handicap offered to female competitors, Simonsen lost the match and a PBA title by an official score of 219–213.[14] On August 19, Simonsen won his fourth PBA title at the Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic inMiddletown, Delaware.[15] Simonsen gained some attention with this latest victory when he used a "backup ball" (as a right-hander, he put reverse rotation on the ball so it hooked like a left-hander's shot) during both match play and one of the finals matches after the right side of the lane had become difficult to play. While USBC and PBA rules do not allow a bowler to switch to his or her opposite hand for any sanctioned shot during a given season, Simonsen's technique was legal. He still used a dominant right hand, but rotated the ball in the opposite direction versus his conventional shot.[15]
On October 16, Simonsen won his fifth PBA Tour title at the FloBowling PBA Wolf Open inOwasso, Oklahoma. Having qualified as the #1 seed, he won his lone championship round match overAndrew Anderson.[16] With the win, Simonsen joinedJesper Svensson as the only players in history to have five PBA Tour titles by age 21.[17]
On February 17, 2019, Simonsen won his sixth PBA Tour title and second major at the 2019PBA Players Championship inColumbus, Ohio. As the #2 seed in the stepladder finals, he defeatedKyle Troup in the semi-final match 259–202, then upset #1 seedJason Belmonte (going for a record 11th major) in the final match 232–212 to claim the title. Simonsen's victory made him the youngest player (22) in PBA history to win two major championships. The previous record holder,Billy Hardwick, won his second major championship at age 23.[18] With two majors and at least five titles overall, Simonsen is also the youngest player in history to become title-eligible for the PBA Hall of Fame.[19]
Simonsen qualified as the #4 seed for the inauguralPBA Tour Playoffs. He made it to the Final Four on June 1, but lost in the semifinal to eventual championKristopher Prather.[20]
On August 29, Simonsen won his seventh PBA Tour title in exciting fashion at the PBA Bear Open inAurora, Illinois. After the final match againstE. J. Tackett finished in a 267–267 tie, both Simonsen and Tackett recorded strikes on the first ball of sudden-death roll-off. Simonsen then struck on the second ball of sudden death, while Tackett rolled a 9-count, giving Anthony his second title of the 2019 season.[21]
Overall in 2019, Simonsen made eight championship round appearances and cashed $171,340, both career highs. Simonsen won an additional $100,000 in theBowlero Elite Series event on September 13, 2019, which is not counted in his PBA earnings.[22]
Simonsen qualified as the #1 seed for the finals of the 2020U.S. Open, but lost the championship match toJason Belmonte, 226–201.[23] In thePBA World Championship finals on March 15, he again finished runner-up to Belmonte.[24] Based on 2020 points, Simonsen qualified as the #4 seed for the season-endingPBA Tour Playoffs. He made it all the way to the championship match, only to suffer another runner-up finish, this time toBill O'Neill.[25] Despite the 2020 season being shortened byCOVID-19, Simonsen posted a new career high in earnings with $227,130.[26]
After yet another runner-up finish in a major (2021 PBA Tournament of Champions), Simonsen finally broke through with his eighth title in the PBA Tour Finals on June 27. Having secured the #1 seed in Group 2 qualifying, Simonsen toppedKris Prather in his group stepladder final, then defeated Group 1 winnerKyle Troup for the championship.[27]
On February 6, 2022, Simonsen won his ninth PBA Tour title and third major at the 2022U.S. Open, held inIndianapolis, Indiana. Qualifying as the #2 seed for the stepladder finals, he defeatedJason Belmonte in the semifinal match andE. J. Tackett in the championship match to claim the victory. The win makes Simonsen the youngest bowler in PBA history (25 years, 31 days) to win three major titles. The previous record holder was PBA Hall of FamerDave Davis, who won his third major in 1968 at age 25 years, 343 days.[28]
On April 3, Simonsen won his tenth PBA Tour title, fourth major, and second major of the 2022 season, narrowly defeating Hall of FamerNorm Duke in the final match at theUSBC Masters, 219-216. Simonsen is now one of nine players in history to win multiple Masters titles, and is the first player to win both the U.S. Open and USBC Masters during the same season sinceMike Aulby did so in 1989. At age 25 years, 87 days, Simonsen is also the youngest player in history to claim four PBA major championships.[29] Simonsen is also the fourth-youngest player in history to reach the ten-title plateau, behindPete Weber (24 years, 247 days),Marshall Holman (24 years, 274 days) and Aulby (25 years, 83 days).
On February 24, 2023, Simonsen won his eleventh PBA Tour title at the PBA Wichita Classic. Qualifying as the #1 seed, he defeatedDom Barrett 257–213 in the championship match to claim the victory. Two weeks later, Simonsen qualified as the top seed for the PBA Dave Small's Jackson Classic, but lost the March 9 championship match toE. J. Tackett.[30]
On April 2, Simonsen qualified as top seed, then defeated #2 seed Michael Martell 243–222 in the title match to defend hisUSBC Masters title. During match play for this event, he went undefeated and set a Masters scoring record by averaging 250.4 over 18 games. This included a 300 game and an 845 series in his final three-game match that locked up the #1 seed.[31] This was Simonsen's twelfth PBA tour title and third Masters title. He became just the fourth player (afterDick Hoover,Billy Welu and Jason Belmonte) to successfully defend a title in this event. Along with Belmonte andMike Aulby, Simonsen is the one of three players in history to win the Masters at least three times. At age 26 years, 86 days, Simonsen is also the youngest player in history to win five PBA major championships, and is in fact the first player to have five major titles before the age of 30.[32]
On July 30, 2023, Simonsen won the Storm Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event with partnerDanielle McEwan. This gave Simonsen his third title of the 2023 season and 13th title overall. Through the 16 title events of the 2023 season, Simonsen never finished out of the top 10.[33] He finished the season second in points and also second in earnings, with a career-high $347,500.[34]
On December 8, 2023, Simonsen finished runner-up to E. J. Tackett for theChris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award.[35]
In the 2024 U.S. Open, Simonsen dominated qualifying, leading his next closest competitor by 221 pins to earn the top seed. However, Simonsen lost his lone TV finals match on February 4 toKyle Troup, finishing in second place.[36] Simonsen rebounded two weeks later, climbing the ladder from the fifth seed in the TV finals to win the PBAPete Weber Missouri Classic. This was Simonsen's 14th PBA Tour title.[37]
On June 9, Simonsen won his second title of the 2024 season at the PBA Tour Finals inBethlehem, Pennsylvania. In this "postseason" event featuring the top eight players in Tour points over the last two seasons, Simonsen was the Group 2 winner after defeatingJason Belmonte in the group stepladder final. He went on to face Group 1 winnerMarshall Kent, who had defeated Simonsen in the title match of theTournament of Champions earlier this season. After splitting two games in the "race to two points" final (246–210, 200–248), Simonsen won the 9th/10th frame roll-off, 40–38, to take the title.[38] He is the second-youngest player (27 years, 155 days) to reach 15 titles, behind onlyMark Roth (27 years, 126 days).[39]
On July 28, Simonsen and partner Danielle McEwan repeated as champions at the Storm Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event. This earned Simonsen his 16th PBA Tour title.[40]
For the 2024 season, Simonsen led the Tour in titles (3) while finishing third in Tour points and cashing $235,850.[41] For the second straight season, he finished runner-up to E. J. Tackett in the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year vote.[42]
Major tournament titles are inbold type.
Statistics are through the last complete PBA season.[43]
| Season | Events | Cashes | Match Play | CRA+ | PBA Titles (majors) | Average | Earnings ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 190.04 | 0 |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200.72 | 0 |
| 2015 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 216.36 | 26,030 |
| 2016 | 28 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 (1) | 221.85 | 143,277 |
| 2017 | 26 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 220.08 | 83,184 |
| 2018 | 30 | 23 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 217.87 | 124,825 |
| 2019 | 27 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 2 (1) | 216.78 | 171,340 |
| 2020 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 0 | --- | 227,130 |
| 2021 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 221.14 | 188,325 |
| 2022 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 2 (2) | 220.83 | 274,975 |
| 2023 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 3 (1) | 225.08 | 347,500 |
| 2024 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 225.33 | 235,850 |
| Totals | 213 | 157 | 98 | 54 | 16 (5) | --- | $1,822,436 |
+CRA = Championship Round Appearances
Simonsen is the namesake of the 2019FloBowling documentarySimonsen: Leave it Behind. The documentary examines Simonsen's childhood grind and path to professionalbowling superstardom. It is available via the FloBowling website and is exclusive to the service's subscribers.
Simonsen was the subject of aRolling Stone article in January 2024, titled, "Meet the Gen Z Hothead Burning Up Pro Bowling".[3]