A bowler from Hudson is the latest winner in Fiesta Bowl’s monthly Senior Shoot Out in The Villages.
All told, 74 bowlers competed in the Nov. 21 event, with 21 of those being Super Seniors. Only six made the natural cut of 624 so five Super Seniors were invited to continue, making it a total of 42 bowlers who cashed.
After a highly competitive semifinal round, Hudson’s Rich Garner emerged as the winner after outpacing his two competitors in the final-round game. Garner scored a spare in the first frame and then tossed all strikes to post a 290 game.
Dennis Rakauskas, of Apopka, and last month’s champion, Tim Lawrence, of Inverness, battled for second and third place. Rakauskas, with a seven-count on the last ball, posted a score of 223, which gave Lawrence a chance to tie. But a nine-count on the second ball in the 10th frame left him slightly short with a score of 212..
This title is the first for Garner after several trips to the final round. For his efforts, he received $300, a champion’s shirt courtesy of Gotta Get Your Name On! Shirts & Embroidery and a paid entry into the December 2020 Senior Shoot Out. He also is now automatically eligible for the season championship in August 2021.
Rakauskas took home $200 for his second-place finish, followed by Lawrence with $100. Semifinalists Doug Becker, Russ Ryss and Lester See pocketed $80 apiece for their efforts.
The complete results of the November Senior Shoot Out tournament can be viewed at Fiesta Bowl or by clicking HERE.
In the Player of the Year race, Rick Pittman extended his lead to 150 points, followed by Lawrence with 130 points, Tony Acosta with 100 points, Garner with 85 points and Rakauskas with 70 points. After two semifinal round appearances, Ryss took the Super Senior lead with 50 points, followed by Greg Carter with 35 points.
The next Super Senior event at Fiesta Bowl will be held Saturday, Dec. 19. It will be open to all bowlers age 55 and older.
