Anthony Simonsen (born January 6, 1997) is an American professional ten-pin bowler from

Little Elm, Texas Little Elm is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States, and a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is an extended suburb of Denton; its population was 46,453 as of the 2020 census. In 2000, the census population was at 3,646. By the ...

, currently residing in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. He has been a member of the

Professional Bowlers Association The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Membe ...

(PBA) since 2014. Simonsen became known in bowling fan circles early in the 2016 season, when he earned the distinction as the youngest player in history to win a PBA major championship. He is now the youngest player in history to own four major PBA Tour titles. He uses the two-handed shovel-style delivery with a dominant right hand. At age 25, Simonsen eclipsed $1 million in career PBA earnings during the 2022 season. Simonsen is a pro staff member for Roto Grip bowling balls and Vise Grips finger inserts.

Amateur accomplishments

As an 18-year-old, Simonsen captured a win in doubles (with partner Mark Sleeper, Jr.) at the 2015 USBC Open Championships. Simonsen first earned a spot on Team USA in 2016. He and his Team USA teammates won the 2019 Weber 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. In the 2020 Weber Cup, Simonsen and Team USA again defeated Team Europe, 23–18. 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's

Dom Barrett Dominic Simon Barrett (often called Dom Barrett) (born 30 July 1985 in Cambridge, England) is one of England's leading ten-pin bowlers. He competes in world events and on the PBA Tour, where he has won ten titles. This total includes three PBA maj ...

, Simonsen rolled a 300 game. 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.

PBA career

Simonsen became a PBA member in 2014 at age 17. This followed some success on the PBA regional circuit, where he won two Regional tournaments as a non-member. Simonsen has won nine PBA Tour titles (with three majors) and seven PBA Regional titles. He has rolled 7 career 300 games in PBA competition (through 2019). He also has one European Bowling Tour (EBT) title to his credit, earned at the 2018 Storm Irish Open.

2015 season

Simonsen made the cash-line cut in seven of 16 tournaments on the 2015 PBA Tour, and qualified for match play five times.

2016 season

Simonsen's first PBA Tour title came on December 18, 2015 at the Mark 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 standard PBA Tour event, at . He was only two days older than Norm 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 the

USBC Masters The USBC Masters is a championship ten-pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 20 ...

in Indianapolis. This win made Anthony the youngest player ever, at age 19 years and 39 days, to win a PBA major title. PBA Hall of Famer

Mike Aulby Mike Aulby (born March 25, 1960, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a left-handed bowler and former member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He is one of only five PBA bowlers to win both a Rookie and Player of the Year award. ( Tommy Jones ...

had held this distinction since

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, when he won the

PBA National Championship The PBA World Championship is one of five major PBA ( Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. It is one of three PBA Tour major events that are open only to PBA members. (The U.S. Open and USBC Masters allow qualifying amateurs to enter ...

at age 19 years, 83 days. Simonsen qualified for two more televised finals in major tournaments during 2016, finishing fourth at the U.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.

2017 season

On February 26, 2017, Simonsen won the World Bowling Tour (WBT) Men's Finals in

Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, 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. Simonsen captured his third PBA title on May 29, 2017 at the PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open. As one of the top eight money leaders from the start of the 2015 season through the 2017

, Simonsen was invited to participate in the inaugural Main Event PBA Tour Finals in May, 2017. He placed eighth in the event.

2018 season

Simonsen finished runner-up to Sweden's Jenny Wegner in the 2018 Brunswick Euro Challenge, held in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. 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. On August 19, Simonsen won his fourth PBA title at the Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic in

Middletown, Delaware Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871. Geography and climate Middletown is located at (39.4495560, –75.7163207) with an elevation of . According ...

. Simonsen gained some attention with this latest victory when he used a "backup ball" (a right-hander putting reverse rotation on the ball so it hooks like a left-hander's shot, or vice versa) 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. On October 16, Simonsen won his fifth PBA Tour title at the FloBowling PBA Wolf Open in

Owasso, Oklahoma Owasso is a city in Rogers and Tulsa Counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and the largest northern suburb of Tulsa. The population was 38,732 persons as of the 2021 census estimate, compared to 28,915 at the 2010 census, a gain of 32.24 per ...

. Having qualified as the #1 seed, he won his lone championship round match over Andrew Anderson. With the win, Simonsen joined Jesper Svensson as the only players in history to have five PBA Tour titles by age 21.

2019 season

On February 17, 2019, Simonsen won his sixth PBA Tour title and second major at the 2019 PBA Players Championship in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

. As the #2 seed in the stepladder finals, he defeated Kyle Troup in the semi-final match 259–202, then upset #1 seed Jason 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. 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. Simonsen qualified as the #4 seed for the inaugural

PBA Tour Playoffs The PBA Tour Playoffs is an annual invitational event on the PBA Tour in North America that debuted in the 2019 season. After two years as a 24-player tournament, the event has been set up in a 16-player bracket-style format since 2021. Tournamen ...

. He made it to the Final Four on June 1, but lost in the semifinal to eventual champion Kristopher Prather. On August 29, Simonsen won his seventh PBA Tour title in exciting fashion at the PBA Bear Open in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located primarily in DuPage and Kane counties, it is the second most populous city in Illinois, af ...

. After the final match against E. 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. Overall in 2019, Simonsen made eight championship round appearances and cashed $171,340, both career highs. Simonsen won an additional $100,000 in the Bowlero Elite Series event on September 13, 2019, which is not counted in his PBA earnings.

2020 season

Simonsen qualified as the #1 seed for the finals of the 2020 U.S. Open, but lost the championship match to Jason Belmonte, 226–201. In the

PBA World Championship The PBA World Championship is one of five major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. It is one of three PBA Tour major events that are open only to PBA members. (The U.S. Open and USBC Masters allow qualifying amateurs to enter.) ...

finals on March 15, he again finished runner-up to Belmonte. Based on 2020 points, Simonsen qualified as the #4 seed for the season-ending

. He made it all the way to the championship match, only to suffer another runner-up finish, this time to Bill O'Neill. Despite the 2020 season being shortened by COVID-19, Simonsen posted a new career high in earnings with $227,130.

2021 season

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 topped Kris Prather in his group stepladder final, then defeated Group 1 winner Kyle Troup for the championship.

2022 season

On February 6, 2022, Simonsen won his ninth PBA Tour title and third major at the 2022 U.S. Open, held in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

. Qualifying as the #2 seed for the stepladder finals, he defeated Jason Belmonte in the semifinal match and E. 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 Famer Dave Davis, who won his third major in 1968 at age 25 years, 343 days. On April 3, Simonsen won his tenth PBA Tour title, fourth major, and second major of the 2022 season, narrowly defeating Hall of Famer Norm Duke in the final match at the

, 219-216. At age 25 years, 87 days, Simonsen is the youngest player in history to claim four PBA major championships. He is also the first player to win both the U.S. Open and USBC Masters during the same season since

did so in 1989.

PBA Tour Titles

Major tournament titles are in bold type. # 2016: PBA Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Doubles Championship (w/Connor Pickford) ( Reno, NV) # 2016: USBC Masters ( Indianapolis, IN) # 2017: PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open (

Wilmington, NC Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is ...

) # 2018: PBA Xtra Frame Gene Carter's Pro Shop Open (

Middletown, DE Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871. Geography and climate Middletown is located at (39.4495560, –75.7163207) with an elevation of . According t ...

) # 2018: FloBowling PBA Wolf Open (

Owasso, OK Owasso is a city in Rogers and Tulsa Counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and the largest northern suburb of Tulsa. The population was 38,732 persons as of the 2021 census estimate, compared to 28,915 at the 2010 census, a gain of 32.24 percen ...

) # 2019: PBA Players Championship (

Columbus, OH Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and ...

) # 2019: FloBowling PBA Bear Open ( Aurora, IL) # 2021: PBA Tour Finals (

Allen Park, MI Allen Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 28,638. Ford Motor Company is an integral part of the community. Many of the company's offices and facilities lie within the city limit ...

) # 2022: U.S. Open (

Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

) # 2022: USBC Masters (

)

Career statistics

Statistics are through the last complete PBA season. +CRA = Championship Round Appearances

''Simonsen: Leave it Behind''

Simonsen is the namesake of the 2019

FloBowling The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Member ...

documentary ''Simonsen: Leave it Behind''. The documentary examines Simonsen's childhood grind and path to professional bowling superstardom. It is available via the FloBowling website and is exclusive to the service's subscribers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonsen, Anthony American ten-pin bowling players 1997 births Living people