Kulick becomes first woman to win PBA title with Red Rock victory

Kelly Kulick used a 15-pound bowling ball to smash a 52-year barrier when she became the first woman to win a professional PBA Tour tournament.

Kulick, 32, accomplished the milestone today at Red Rock Lanes in the Tournament of Champions, one of four “major” events in the Professional Bowlers Association.

“It’s been a dream of mine to win a PBA Tour event, but I couldn’t have imagined it would come in the Tournament of Champions,” Kulick said moments after defeating Chris Barnes 265-195 in the championship game aired live on ESPN.

“This day will never be forgotten, and my mom was here to see it.”

In addition to winning $40,000, the right-hander from Union, N.J., will be assured a spot in PBA Tour event starting fields for two years.

The previous best finish for a woman in a PBA Tour event was Liz Johnson’s second-place finish in the 2005 Banquet Open.

Kulick earned a berth in the prestigious event by winning the PBA Women’s World Championship in September, the first PBA women’s major tournament since the U.S. Bowling Congress began funding two years ago a part-time division for women in the PBA.

She is one of the top woman bowlers in the world and owns two major women’s titles: U.S. Bowling Congress Women’s Open (2001) and Queens (2007).

Her foray into the male-dominated PBA world began in 2006 when she became the first woman to earn a PBA Tour exemption by finishing sixth in the PBA Tour Trials tournament. Her best efforts in the 2006-07 season were two 22nd-place finishes.

“I’m just happy for the sport of bowling. I hope all of America was watching,” said Kulick, who earned a degree in physical and health education from Morehead State in Kentucky where she was a two-time collegiate bowler of the year.

“The pins don’t recognize gender. And I probably outweigh Norm Duke by 20 or 30 pounds,” she said of the diminutive reigning PBA player of the year.

In the first playoff game, Finland’s Mika Koivuniemi eliminated Rhino Page, 255-215. Kulick, the No. 2-seed, then defeated Koivuniemi, 227-223. She started the championship game with four strikes before leaving the 7-10 split in the fifth but rallied for six straight strikes, including one in the ninth to lock up the title.

“When I came back and got a strike after the 7-10 it really calmed me down,” she said.

Kulick averaged 250 over her last six games Friday night to climb from sixth place to second after 48 games of qualifying and match play.

“Being in a position where I had to work my way back into the top four took pressure off of me,” Kulick said.

She believes that comes from a steady dose of positive thinking from her mother Carol who was on hand today.

“We really try to see the glass as half full rather than half empty,” Kulick said. “Whatever was going to happen (Sunday) was going to make me a winner.

“(My mother’s) faith and belief in me is amazing. She’s always believed I could make a living at this.”

Kulick, however, didn’t have to make a believer out of Barnes, who had trouble getting his ball to react to the lane conditions. He left a solid 10-pin and an 8-pin, and mustered only one double.

No man on Tour better understands the potential of women bowlers than Barnes. His wife of 10 years, Linda Barnes, is a pro and won the last PBA women’s tournament.

“I know how good woman bowlers are,” said Barnes, who won the tournament in 2006. “Kelly bowled a fantastic game. She lined up very well on that pair.”

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