Tucsonan Bryanna Coté came up short in her bid to win the 2018 United States Bowling Congress Queens at Reno, Nev., on Tuesday.
Shannon O’Keefe, of O’Fallon, Ill., now has claimed the last two majors on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour after topping Coté.
O’Keefe, a 39-year-old right-hander, put the finishing touches on a dominating week at the National Bowling Stadium as she defeated Coté, 221-189, to capture the coveted tiara awarded to the winner and $20,000 top prize. Coté, the top seed for Tuesday’s stepladder finals, earned $11,000 for the runner-up finish.
Bryanna Cote is a CDO graduate (USBC photo)
The USBC Queens is a major on the PWBA Tour schedule, and Tuesday’s championship round was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
Coté, a 32-year-old right-hander who graduated from Canyon del Oro High School, went 6-0 in match play to earn the top seed for the second consecutive week on the PWBA Tour. She led the way at last week’s PWBA Fountain Valley Open but lost in the title match to Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, 215-182.
“I was pretty confident going in, and the ball just hooked much earlier than I expected to start,” said Coté, the 2016 PWBA Lexington Open champion. “After that, I made some pretty good moves and kept it in play. To say I wasn’t nervous would be a lie. I was bowling for a major title against a great competitor. I know things didn’t go my way this week, like last week, but that’s OK. I’m going to keep fighting to put myself in that position.”
A total of 191 bowlers from 14 countries competed in three five-game qualifying blocks over three days to determine the 63 players joining defending champion Diana Zavjalova of Latvia in the double-elimination match-play bracket.
Zavjalova, a two-time Queens champion, finished this year’s event tied for 17th place.
Each bracket match leading up to the stepladder included three games, with total pinfall determining which player advanced.
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