Dave Husted didn’t exactly knock down more lumber than a woodsman from his native Oregon Wednesday night. But he knocked down enough to win four consecutive matches and the Brunswick Memorial World Open championship at Brunswick Deer Park Lanes in Lake Zurich.
Husted won the nationally televised final match 192-183 over top qualifier Brian Voss to take home the first prize of $45,000.
He had to sweat out the final frame, in which he needed a mark.
“It looked like it was going to dive through the beak and make a split,” Husted said. “It could as easily have been a 4-6 as just the 4 pin. Then I had to pick up the 4 pin, and you don’t think about it and get all nervous, you just do it.”
Voss’ downfall was a double railroad in the eighth frame which cost him his only open of the match.
“I lost the left lane on the last three shots,” said Voss, who was philosophical about the loss. “Dave’s a nice guy, and I can’t think of a better guy to win besides me.”
Before reaching the final, Husted defeated Rich Wolfe 225-210, Jeff Germann 216-177 and Mark Williams 209-196. But he said he never really felt he had any momentum.
“I was just happy to win the first game,” said Husted. “I was ready to pack up. I thought Rich Wolfe was going to strike in the 10th frame. Whenever you’re on the bench with your opponent having a chance to go ahead to win you’re sure he’s going to make it.”
Wolfe, who had six strikes in the first nine frames, came to the 10th knowing that a strike would win the match and anything else would lose it. He left the 3-5-6.
“In the second match, I felt good against Germann,” said Husted, “because of the experience factor. It was his first time on television, and he was a little nervous.”
Germann left an ugly five-pin split on his first ball but converted the spare. Two other splits, however, proved fatal, and he trailed throughout the match.
“Then Mark Williams bowled 30 or 40 pins better than I did,” continued Husted, “but I outscored him. He threw every ball in the pocket and never got a double. It was like it was meant to be.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” said Williams. “I could as easily have shot 290 as 190.”
