Top 5 All time Worst Breaks in Bowling History [Dark Tales]

The breakpoint is where your ball begins to break and it completes at the pin deck after knocking them. A break can be good, or it can be bad. If it’s bad the break can be your worst nightmare and jeopardize a nice game. You may have witnessed some bad breaks in your life while bowling. However, televised bowling games have some of the worst breaks in bowling history done by professional athletes. Are you ready to know some of them? Then read on to know more. 

What are some of the all-time worst breaks?

Here are some of the infamous breaks in the history of bowling. You don’t wanna encounter them ever, but it’s nice knowing about the dark tales of bad luck in bowling.

2009 U.S. Open- Chris Barnes

In 2009, the legendary Chris Barnes participated in U.S. Open. That year he needed to win the U.S. Open to achieve the glorious “Player of the Year” honor. He got to the semifinal and was playing against Mike Scroggins. 

On the very final frame of that match, Chris Barnes needed strikes and 6 pins to win. Unfortunately, he got betrayed by the 8-pin and ended up having a stone-8. He did pick that up with a spare shot. However, on the next shot, he couldn’t deliver a strike and left a corner pin standing. Chris Barnes did everything he was supposed to do in that tenth frame and was robbed of his success. That’s how a break made Barnes lose to Scroggins. 

2014 PBA World Championship- Wes Malott

In the year 2014, Wes Malott was battling against Mike Fagan in the PBA World Championship. In the championship match, Wes Malott needed a strike in the ninth frame to stay ahead of his opponent. He committed to the shot so much, yet ended up having his palm on his face after seeing a Stone 9-pin at the end of the lane. What a horrible break! 

The bowling ball went right past the 9^th pin. Mike Fagan did not have any open frame after that shot, so Wes Malott lost his chance to win the 2014 PBA World Championship. That’s how a stone 9-pin destroyed Malott’s hope.

2019 PBA Players Championship- Jason Belmonte

Now, we are going to talk about Jason Belmonte’s worst break. Yes, even the most successful players can have bad days and his terrible break at the 2019 PBA Players Championship is a great example. Jason was playing against Anthony Simonsen. Knowing Jason is a beast when it comes to winning a championship, everyone had high hopes. 

You all know the worst kind of split is the 7-10 split and Jason Belmonte had not one, but two of these terrifying splits in his match against Anthony Simonsen. On the 4th frame, a potential strike ended up giving him a bowler’s worst nightmare and he had the 7 and 10-pin standing. It was a ringing 10 where the 6 to your right goes around the 10 and the 7 stands. Later, in the 10th frame he encountered bad luck again and had another 7-10 split. From his reaction, you could say he was confident about this particular shot but luck wasn’t in his side that day. Ultimately, Anthony had the victory which could have been Jason’s record-breaking 11th major win. 

2009 National Bowling Stadium Championship- Walter Ray Williams Jr.

In 2009, Walter Ray Williams Jr. was competing against Patrick Allen in the National Bowling Stadium Championship. As an all-time record holder of PBA Tour titles, everyone fears Walter Ray. He could bag one more title by winning against Patrick Allen but he couldn’t beat the odds that day. 

In the tenth frame, Walter needed two more strikes to win. Just before delivering the ball, he decided to change his ball, probably because he has noticed something unusual down lane. He managed to strike on the first shot and got one step closer to bagging the 46^th title of his career. To close the frame he needed one more strike, but unfortunately, a disastrous 8-10 split snatched his victory. He lay on the ground with his palms on his face and everyone else was just as shocked. You do not see reactions like this from Walter Ray Willams Jr.

1995 Touring Players Championship- Randy Pedersen

In 1995, Randy Pedersen was combating Ernie Schlegel in the 1995 Touring Players Championship. On the very last frame, Randy needed a strike and 6 pins to win. He didn’t waste any time to deliver that shot and within seconds he regretted what was done.  

The ball rolled perfectly but ended up giving him a stone 8-pin. Witnessing that, Randy immediately had palms on his face and lay down on the ground where Ernie was celebrating his glorious victory. While half the crowd was cheering for Earnie, the other half was screaming for Randy. To this day, it break is considered one of the most memorable moments in PBA Tour history.

What can you do to prevent bad breaks in bowling? 

I’m not here to scare you, but sometimes you can’t just defeat all the odds. You need 95% bowling skills and 5% luck for success and if that 5% is not there, you will have some scary breaks. Do you think these pro bowlers didn’t practice enough before participating in these matches? Of course, not! But things just don’t always work out the way you intend to. 

So if you don’t want to have a bad break in your important matches, just keep on practicing. Try to get as many strikes as you possibly can. If needed, try to bowl a perfect game (300 points). This will strengthen your skills and give you more confidence. 

Conclusion

So there you go, my favorite bowlers! As a bowler, you should be aware of bowling history. Not only these are some great topics for holding a conversation with other bowlers, but also a great heads-up for your worst nightmares. Many bowlers will say that bad breaks are totally up to a bowler’s skillset. But know that, there’s so much more than your bowling experience. So keep shooting your strikes and learn to grow. Good luck and see you later, my friends!