A dream was on the line and a good friend was on the other lane when George Gohagan III earned a spot in the title match of the PBA All Region South Point Open in Las Vegas.
“It’s never easy to bowl against someone you are close to and you care about,” Gohagan said. “But winning a PBA title is something I’ve always wanted.”
The 29-year-old had dreamed of a PBA title since he was 5 and drawing an alley on the living room carpet with a Sharpie. The only person standing in his way at South Point Bowling Center was longtime friend and fellow Dayton bowler Shannon Pluhowsky. The two, who bowl in a league together, have been friends for more than a decade.
“She’s a phenomenal bowler,” Gohagan said. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy to beat her.”
Gohagan, in fact, didn’t beat her at first. They were tied at 224-224 after 10 frames forcing a roll-off. They were still deadlocked after three more perfect frames. Pluhowsky left a 10-pin in the fourth sudden-death frame and Gohagan struck for the win and his first PBA title on Nov. 10. The South Point Open attracted an international field of 157 competitors.
“I was shaking and there were tears in my eyes as I called my mom,” Gohagan said. “I’ve won a lot of things but this was different. It means I can play with these guys.”
Gohagan was tested throughout the tournament as he edged England’s Dom Barrett, 300-298, in a down-to-the-wire semifinal. Barrett left a pocket 7-10, which put an end to a string of 32 consecutive strikes that began in the Round of 8.
Gohagan was also perfect in the Round of 16 as the first-time PBA champion and fellow amateur Ron Nelson Jr., of Bridgeview, Ill., battled to a 300-300 tie in the second game of their best-of-five match. Both posted three more strikes in the roll-off but Gohagan’s fourth was on the mark while Nelson had a seven-count. Gohagan went on to take the match 3-2 with a 268-253 win in game five.
“Everybody was striking in this tournament,” Gohagan said. “If you didn’t strike, you didn’t win.”
The PBA regional win helped reinforce Gohagan’s decision to join the PBA Tour next season. He also plans to compete in both the USBC Masters and Open Championships.
“I want to chase my dream,” he said. “Tomorrow isn’t promised, you have to make the most of every opportunity.”
While Gohagan dedicated his first PBA regional win to his mother, who celebrated her 61st birthday a few days after the tournament, he would like nothing more than to share his first PBA national title with his 4-year-old daughter Brianna.
“Having her with me,” he said, “would be like a fairytale.”
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