April 19, 2013 at 2:50 p.m.
Local bowler qualifies for U.S. Open
A.J. Wege in field after winning tournament in Appleton
Local bowler qualifies for U.S. Open
A.J. Wege won the Terrific Trio tournament Sunday at Super Bowl in Appleton to claim his spot in one of bowling's four majors.
The 28-year old defeated Ken Kempf 191-188 in the final game to win the tournament and get his choice of entry into one of three national tournaments. Naturally, Wege chose the biggest of the three.
"I had my mind set on the U.S. Open because it's not like a regular PBA regional tournament, this is the best of the best in the world (that) are going to be there," Wege told the River News. "There are only 288 spots for the U.S. Open. Now you are going to go on the big stage against all the big names in bowling. It's going to be crazy. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a good time."
Wege was the last man into Sunday's grand finals, rolling a 751 series to earn the top seed in the final three-game block of the day. He rolled three strikes in the 10th frame to close out Steve Richter 248-235 in the finals of a three-man stepladder playoff and earn the final spot in the grand finals.
"Against Steve, we were both clipping along in the 10th frame and he could have easily went 246 to my 248," Wege said. "I finished first and I said, 'Strike out. This is it. You strike out and you're there.' That was more of a pressure (moment)... I was just thinking, 'Alright, you beat Steve, this is your ticket to wherever you want to go.' I just put my mind to it and just made good shots."
Wege earned the No. 2 seed for the three-man grand finals by tallying the second best pinfall total (2,010) in the preliminary rounds. Wege defeated Chris Cundiff 198-192 for a spot in the final game.
Wege said lane conditions, not the pressure of playing for an opportunity to bowl in one of bowling's biggest events, resulted in lower scores in the grand finals.
"It wasn't so much the pressure bowling those guys, there was a little," he said. "The biggest thing was the lanes. The lanes were breaking down so bad that it was getting hard to throw the ball to get it through the head (pin) and still get a good reaction on the back end. Those last few games, all of us started to really struggle because (the lanes were) just destroyed."
Though the final score was close, Wege said he basically had to "keep the ball in the lane" on his last ball in the 10th to close out Kempf and earn a spot in the Open.
"When I threw my last ball, after beating Ken Kempf, I was just thinking, 'You know, I'm headed to the U.S. Open. How crazy is that?'"
The U.S. Open will be July 21-27 in Columbus, Ohio and is as important to bowlers as the golf and tennis U.S. Opens are to their respective sports.
Wege, who started bowling at the age of 12 and bowls in leagues Wednesday and Thursday nights at Hodag Lanes in Rhinelander, said he will log plenty of games over the next couple of months to make sure he is on point for the Open.
"It's just a matter of going up to the lanes and staying loose," he said. "The bowling alley is going to work with me on putting the shot out so I can practice on something. Obviously it's not going to be exact (to the lane conditions at the U.S. Open), but enough to stay smooth through my swing and make sure everything is in check before we go down there."
The trip to Columbus will be extra special for Wege as he remembers his younger brother, Brandon, who passed away last June at the age of 21. A.J. called Brandon "the greatest coach I've had."
"It was our dream to go do this and someday make this happen," he said. "Finally the shot is here to make it happen. This is all for him, you know. I'm doing it for him."
By winning the Terrific Trio, Wege not only earned a spot in the U.S. Open, he had the entry fee for the Open (a $500 value) covered. He also took home an additional $300 for having the second-best nine-game pinfall Sunday.
Wege said he's already received some advice on how to handle the pressure of the U.S. Open.
"I'm just going to remember what my coaches have told me that you take it frame-by-frame, shot-by-shot, don't sweat the mistakes and move on to the next (shot)," he said.
Wege already has his sights set on what he would like to accomplish in July.
"I would like to average over 200," he said. "That's a pretty good goal for myself. I would like to not miss a lot of spares. I would like to cash. That would be the big one, to get in the top 64 (and cash). Anything past that is a bonus. It might be a far out goal, but if I stay smooth and focus shot-by-shot, I'll be all right."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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