Westlake Beats Ballard, 249-214, to Win El Paso Bowling Title

EL PASO, Tex. — Tony Westlake rallied to defeat Del Ballard Jr., 249-214, Wednesday night to win the $130,000 El Paso Open, his second Professional Bowlers Assn. tournament victory.

Westlake trailed by 17 pins after five frames, before unleashing six consecutive strikes to close out the match before Ballard rolled his final frame. Westlake, who collected $20,000, also got a big break in his comeback when Ballard left the difficult 7-10 split in the seventh frame and failed to convert it.

“I knew I had a chance when he left that 7-10,” Westlake said.

Ballard, who is second to Mike Aulby on the PBA earnings list with $182,330, settled for second-place money of $10,500.

To earn the right to meet Ballard, Westlake beat Dave Ferraro, 213-206. Like the championship game, Westlake rolled two strikes in the last frame to outlast Ferraro.

“It was hard to bowl against him. He’s my best friend on tour. But, you’re out here to make a living,” Westlake said.

Ferraro, who earned $7,000 for finishing third, won two matches before losing in the semifinal. To gain the semifinal, Ferraro eliminated Walter Ray Williams Jr., 215-203, and opened the stepladder finals by relegating Ron Williams to fifth place, 239-234.

Fourth place was worth $5,500, while fifth received $4,500.