Recovery complete for Open winner

Pain began pulsing down Tammy Boomershine's right leg from an aggravated sciatic nerve Sunday afternoon when she was only a few steps from completing an overwhelming comeback.

"I almost withdrew," she said.

But encouragement from her husband, Hank, helped remind her what a U.S. Open championship would mean, and she persevered at Sunset Station Strike Zone.

The 38-year-old former touring professional from North Ogden, Utah, rallied with a pair of 269 games in elimination matches before she beat Shannon Pluhowsky 268-232 in the semifinals and former college teammate Carolyn Dorin-Ballard 269-225 for the title.

Boomershine had won four professional women's titles before back surgery in 1997 and then elbow surgery a few years later derailed her pro career in 2002.

"Tammy is a great bowler, but people forget that," said Dorin-Ballard, who has been close friends with Boomershine since they bowled together at West Texas State in the late 1980s.

"She's always been one of the fiercest competitors."

Boomershine showed that through the past week, as a national television audience will be able to see when ESPN begins a five-week series of the event on Sept. 13.

Viewers will see only one open frame through the semifinals and final and can watch Boomershine start the championship game with eight strikes, which she confessed had her thinking about a $100,000 bonus for a televised perfect game.

"In the ninth frame I just wanted a strike to lock up the match, but I was thinking a little about the hundred grand," she said.

She did roll a 300 game earlier in the tournament.

"It's so surprising," she said of winning her first major title.

Even Dorin-Ballard stood for the ninth frame before her friend left a solid No. 10 pin.

"All of the women were so supportive," Boomershine said.

She acknowledged she received a few breaks Sunday.

She was in danger of losing to Malaysia's Shalin Zulkifli in the quarterfinals. Zulkifli needed only a spare and strike to advance in the last frame. Instead, Zulkifli left the "big four" 4-6-7-10 split that allowed Boomershine to move on.

Then in seventh frame of the semifinals against Missy Bellinder of Fullerton, Calif., Boomershine, one of three right-handers in the semifinals, went left of the headpin but carried a "Brooklyn" strike that was her fifth in a run of eight straight to put the match out of reach.

"On television you need to get breaks," Boomershine said. "I got one when Shalin slipped (and left the split), and then I carried that Brooklyn."

Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas, advanced to the final by beating Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix, 268-232.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.