Bohn never wavered in finals losing streak

      When Parker Bohn III made the televised finals of 13 straight Professional Bowlers Association tournaments without capturing a victory, his game didn't suffer.
      Bohn broke the streak last week by winning the ACDelco Classic in Lakewood, Calif.
      "It was only frustrating when I got done with the matches," Bohn said Wednesday after moving into fifth place after the third round in the $200,000 Showboat Invitational.
      "I never worried about that when I was bowling," Bohn said. "If you're out there long enough, good things are going to happen. You have to take the lumps with the bumps."
      Bohn said things could have been worse.
      "I was paying all of the bills. I was making money,'' he said. ''I guarantee you, there are 150 guys out there who would love to be in the finals.''
      Bohn's $48,000 first prize last week moved him into first place on the 1997 money-winning list with $84,350.
      He also earned $29,700 in sponsor incentives, giving him $114,050. He leads the total money list.
      Bohn defeated his tour roommate, Jason Couch, in the championship game of the ACDelco tourney, 238-234.
      "I'd say I got fortunate to do it,'' Bohn said. ''I got up in the 10th frame and needed a double and seven pins to win it, and I got it. You can throw a good shot in bowling and not get a strike.''
      He said it was difficult to bowl against his roommate of six years.
      ''I don't wish anything bad for my opponents,'' he said. ''I just hope to have one more pin than they have.
      "When I bowl against my roommate -- and I look at Jason as a brother to me, a brother I never had -- it's tough. But when the match is over I want to win.''
      Coincidentally, Bohn defeated Couch in the finals of the last tournament he won, the 1995 Columbia 300.
      Bohn, 33, has 12 PBA victories, including 10 singles championships. He won a 1992 doubles tournament with Hugh Miller and the 1993 Merit Mixed Doubles with Aleta Sill.
      He began the year with $1,182, 447 in earnings. This year is the sixth straight he has exceeded $100,000.
      "I think it's a matter of a lot of hard work and dedication," he said. "I don't like the feeling of being shut out and not having a chance. Most players who are shut out are not willing to hang in there mentally."
      Bohn is a four-time winner of the Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award, voted upon by tour players.
      "It's real nice to think the guys considered me one of the nicest guys on the tour,'' he said. ''I try to treat everybody the same. I don't care if you're the new guy on the tour, the seasoned veteran, the Hall of Famer or the 10-year-old kid I'm bowling in the pro-am with."