By Jennifer Roback
Over the years, Shannon O’Keefe has been a dominate force in the bowling industry, both on and off the lanes, and on May 29, 2022, she continued to add to her growing legacy.
After qualifying as the No. 4 seed at the PWBA Twin Cities Open, she was able to climb the stepladder and claim her 15th career title, as well as the $20,000 first-place prize.
“I can’t even fathom having 15 titles,” O’Keefe said following the match, via PWBA. “It’s been over a year since my last one but given everything I’ve been going through with my injury, I feel so blessed to be able to win again.”
She started off her journey to the top strong with a 227-159 win over Ukraine's Dasha Kovalova, then followed it up with another dominate performance, defeating reigning PWBA Player of the Year Bryanna Coté, 228-163.
Heading into the semifinals, O’Keefe continued to climb with an impressive 247-204 win over New York's, Danielle McEwan, finishing off her run with a 213-192 win over No. 1 seed Missy Parkin. Overall, O’Keefe shot a 915 series, averaging 228.75 in the finals.
“Yesterday and today felt like the best I’ve thrown the ball in years,” O’Keefe continued. “I felt like I had the two lanes on the championship pair playing a lot more similar than everyone else. I just needed to be a little softer on the left lane and that was the key.”
PWBA notes that O’Keefe is now the fifth bowler to reach 15 career wins, joining the likes of Kim Adler, Cindy Coburn-Carroll, Anne Marie Duggan and Lorrie Nichols, all of whom are members of the PWBA Hall of Fame.
“After attending the PWBA Hall of Fame ceremony at the Queens last week, those legends of the sport are fresh in my mind, and it is just unbelievable to be mentioned in the same breath with them,” O’Keefe said of her accomplishment. “I would love to eventually get to 20 titles, but it is so hard to win out here that I am just so grateful for every one, because you never know when it might be your last.”
The ladies of the PWBA Tour are scheduled to hit the lanes again June 2-5 in Seminole, Florida, for the PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open. The action can be watched live on BowlTV.com with the finals scheduled to air on CBS Sports Network Sunday (June 5) starting at 1pm EST.