WECKBA would like to congratulate 2023 Molson Masters Champions, Darren Alexander (OPEN Division) and Mike Voligny (SENIORS Division). This year’s tournament was the 67th, and was completed on Saturday, February 11, 2023.

The Molson Masters is a tournament with a very long, rich history. It has been hosted at Palace Recreation, Crescent Lanes, Revs Bowlero, and now at Revs Rose Bowl. Nick Stein (Tournament Director) deserves much credit for this year’s tournament success, along with Jeremy Bas (Tournament Coordinator), and Tournament Sponsors (Molson’s, Reaume Chevy Olds-LaSalle, Revs Rose Bowl). Once again insurance agent, Glenn Bondy from Desjardins Insurance offered to pay $1,000 for the first 300 game bowled. He also directed a second $1,000 as a donation to Drouillard Place.

Cogeco is now in its 37th year hosting the Molson Masters TV telecast.

There was $12,390 in prize money for the 2023 tournament including $6,950 for the TV finals with $2,000 going to first place in the Open division and $900 for first place in the Senior Division.

The Open finalists featured two-time champ Darren Alexander (2015 & 2020) as the #1 seed who only needed to win one game to claim his 3rd title. Marty Sanders finished strong in match-play to grab the #2 seed. Dan Aqwa, a one-time champ (2016), was the #3 seed. Steve Kubis finished match-play as the #4 seed, followed by Ryan Trussler as the #5 seed. Trussler from London had to bowl a one game roll-off at the end of match-play to secure the final seed. This was the first time in Molson’s long history that a tie occurred at the end of match play.

Veteran Charlie Yott, the 2016 champ, easily claimed the top spot in the Senior Division as the #1 seed. He was followed by Mike Voligny, the #2 seed and a finalist last year. Two first timers grabbed the final 2 places, with Marcel Pinard as the 3rd seed and Ralph MacDuff from Sarnia as the 4th seed.

The Molson Masters runs over 4 weekends. It features a Senior Division (55+) and an Open Division. The tournament starts with two weeks of Qualifying, followed by one week of Match Play, and the fourth week is the TV Step Ladder Finals. To qualify in the Senior Division bowlers bowl 4 games over 4 pairs of lanes while the Open Division participants complete 5 games over 5 pairs of lanes.

The TV format is set up so that the Open Division and the Senior Division alternate the match play bowling in the stepladder finals. The Open Division bowls the first match then the Senior Division bowls a first match. The wait between matches is very challenging in that it makes it harder to bowl and stay consistent because lanes can change between the starting and stopping. Sometimes the #1 seeds might see this as an advantage because they do not have to bowl then sit and wait to bowl again.

SENIOR DIVISION – For Match Play – the top 15 Senior bowlers, plus last year’s Champion, are divided into 4 groups of 4 bowlers each. They bowl each bowler once in their division. Then they bowl a final position round within their own group. Each time a bowler wins their match he earns a 30-pin bonus added to their score. They move over to a new pair of lanes for each new game bowled. The top Senior bowler from each of the 4 Senior Division groups advance to the TV stepladder finals.

Senior Division – Match Play – Final Results

Senior Division – Step Ladder- TV Finals

In the Senior Division Step Ladder finals, the results were as follows:

Ralph MacDuff (183) vs. Marcel Pinard (147)
Ralph MacDuff (188) vs. Mike Voligny (223)
Mike Voligny (250) vs. Charlie Yott (166) – Mike Voligny is 2023 Senior Molson Masters Champion

Ralph MacDuff (4th seed) bowls in Sarnia where he bowls in two leagues Sunday morning and Friday night. This season he carries an average of 211. He has bowled seventeen 300 games and two 800 series. His match play record was 3-1, where he averaged 201 in match-play. Ralph came back from 46 pins down in the final game of match play within his group to claim a spot in the TV finals. He qualified 10th for match play with a 4- game series of 836. MacDuff bowled well in the TV finals but his three open frames in the semi-final match proved to be very costly. This was Ralph’s first time in the TV finals as he was attempting to become the 2nd bowler from Sarnia to earn a Molson Championship. MacDuff indicated that he was not able to play baseball, so a friend introduced him to bowling and he loves the competitiveness in the sport. The most influential local bowler in his life is Steve Lewicki and his all-time favourite PBA bowler is Earl Anthony. Ralph’s best bowling memory was winning a no-tap bowling tournament with his wife.

Marcel Pinard (3rd seed) bowls in the Friday Night Drifters where he carries an average of 209. He has bowled five 300 games and one 800 series. His match play record was 3-1 and he averaged 211. He qualified 11th for match play with a 4-game series of 833. Pinard narrowly beat his group in match play by 7 pins to make it to the stepladder finals. Marcel struggled in the TV finals with two splits and two open frames. This was Marcel’s first time in the TV finals, and his performance indicates that he is likely to be back. Pinard said “The Gatt Family (Sue & Tony)” got him interested in bowling. The most influential local bowler in his life is Norm Wilson and his favourite PBA bowler is Jason Belmonte. Marcel’s best bowling memory was his first back-to-back 300 games on Friday and Sunday over a single weekend.

Mike Voligny (2nd seed) bowls in two leagues: Monday Nite Men’s and Thursday Mixed. This season he carries an average of 212. He has bowled eighteen 300 games and has five 800 series. His match play record was 3-1 where he averaged 217 in match play. He qualified 4th for match play with a series of 899. In the TV finals matches Mike was one of the few bowlers in the Senior Division who was able to figure out the tough shot on lane nine. Voligny was in the TV finals last year but lost in the semi-final match. This year Mike made the adjustment needed to earn his first Molson Masters Senior Championship. Voligny revealed that “My mom was my support system; she got me involved in bowling at the age of 5.” The most influential local bowler in his life is Rick Vittone and his favourite PBA bowler is Pete Weber. Mike’s fondest bowling memory was bowling his first 300 game in 1998.

Charlie Yott (1st seed) bowls in three leagues: Seniors at Revs Rose Bowl, Major Handicap, and Seniors at Super Bowl. This season he carries a 208 average. He has fifteen 300 games and three 800 series. His match play record was 4-0 and averaged 232 in match play. He qualified 1st for match play with a series of 939. Yott claimed the 2016 Senior Champion and was the high qualifier for this year’s tournament. Charlie struggled in the TV finals and found it difficult to figure out a line on the lanes. This was Charlie’s third time in the TV finals. Yott revealed that he became interested in bowling when he was working setting pins at Bruner Mond Club in Amherstburg where the manager, Norv Bertrand, was his mentor. The most influential local bowler in his life has been Dave Forfitt and his favourite PBA bowler is Earl Anthony. Yott indicated that his fondest bowling memory was being inducted into the WECKBA Hall of Fame in 2016.

OPEN DIVISION – For Match Play – the top 39 Open bowlers, plus last year’s Champion, were divided into five groups of eight bowlers each. They bowled each bowler once in their division. Then they bowled a final position round within their own group. Each time a bowler wins their match they get a 30-pin bonus added to their score. You move over to a new pair of lanes for each new game bowled. The top Open bowler from each of the 5 Open Division groups advance to the TV step ladder finals.

Open Division – Match Play – Final Results

Open Division – Step Ladder – TV Finals

In the Open Step Ladder finals, the results were as follows:

Ryan Trussler (233) vs. Steve Kubis (160)
Ryan Trussler (171) vs. Dan Aqwa (215)
Dan Aqwa (218) vs. Marty Sanders (223)
Marty Sanders (182) vs. Darren Alexander (249) – Darren Alexander is 2023 Open Molson Masters

Champion

Ryan Trussler (5th seed) comes from the London area and bowls in two leagues: Sparoids (London) and Men’s Memorial (St. Thomas). This season he is averaging 205. He has bowled seven 300 games and had one 800 series. He had a match play record of 6-2 and averaged 213. He qualified 4th with a 5-game series of 1139. Ryan ended up tied in his group after 8 games of match play, so he had to bowl a one game roll off to make the TV finals. Trussler bowled well in his first game of the TV finals but found it difficult to come back and bowl and find the line in the second game. This was Ryan’s 3rd time in the TV Finals and was attempting to be the 1st bowler from London to be a Molson Champ. Trussler became interested in bowling while watching his cousin James bowling at Super Bowl when he was younger. The most influential local bowler in his life is Fred Phillips and his favourite PBA bowlers are Ray William JR and Francois Lavoie. Ryan indicated that “My fondest bowling memory was winning the Silver Medal at the World Cup National Finals in Thunder Bay.” Some of Trussler’s bowling accomplishments include the following: Won the Ontario Provincial Team event twice, Bowler of Year with London Bowling Association four times, and Four Steps to Stardom Provincial Round winner (Juniors).

Steve Kubis (4th seed) bowls in a Super Bowl Rock & Bowl league where he averages 219. He has rolled sixty-three 300 games and thirty-five 800 series. His match play record was 6-2 while averaging 217. He qualified 30th for match play with a 5-game series of 1022. In the first game of the TV finals Kubis was unable to match the string of strikes thrown by his opponent to advance. This was his 2nd trip to the TV finals. Steve said he became interested in bowling because his friends were bowling in the Youth bowling program so he decided to join them so he could hang out more with his friends. The most influential local bowlers in his life are Sid Scott and Paul Hickmott. His favourite PBA bowler is Brad Miller. Kubis said that “My fondest bowling memory is shooting a 279 triplicate and tying the Canadian record.” Steve was named to the Local Bowling Association Men’s All-Star teams for the years 2012 through 2018 and was Bowler of the Year in 2013.

Dan Aqwa (3rd seed) bowls in a Saturday Night League where he carries an average of 224. He has recorded seventy-five 300 games and thirty-one 800 series. His match play record was 7-1 and he averaged 217 in match play. He qualified 26th for match play with a 5-game total of 1033. A past Open Champion in 2016, Dan has been Runner-up 5 times, and High Qualifier 5 times. Aqwa bowled well in his first game of the TV finals but in his second game of finals he left a 4-9 split in the 10th frame that cost him the match. This was his 10th time to TV finals. Dan said he became interested in bowling through his mom and dad since the family bowled all the time. He started bowling at Crescent Lanes when he was 5. The most influential local bowlers in his life have been John Pavicic and Wayne Dubs who always encouraged him and taught him a wealth of information about bowling. His favourite PBA bowler is Marshall Holman. Aqwa said “My fondest bowling memory was winning my first Molson Masters title when my parents were still alive to see it happen.” Dan has numerous other bowling accomplishments which include induction to the WECKBA Hall of Fame, highest three-game series of 846, and induction into Ontario Provincial Bowling Association Hall of Fame. He currently holds the WECKBA 9-game block record of 2273.

Marty Sanders (2nd seed) bowls in four leagues: Invitational (Country Lanes – Farmington Hills, Michigan), Wednesday Night Majors (Super Bowl), Seniors (Super Bowl) and Grandale (Woodland Lanes – Livonia, Michigan). This season he carries a 228 average. He has amassed thirty-five 300 games and nineteen 800 series. Averaging 228, Marty’s match play record was 5-3. He qualified 2nd for match play with a 5-game total of 1160. Marty needed to throw the front 10 strikes to move from 2nd to 1st in the final match play game. He had just one open frame in his TV finals match, but he could not figure out the left lane to string the strikes to match his opponent. This was his 4th time to the TV finals. Sanders said, “I became interested in bowling by watching the sport on TV as a kid, my dad, Ron, taking me with him bowling, and bowling through the Junior Program and adult leagues.” The most influential local bowler in his life was his dad. His favourite PBA bowlers were Earl Anthony when he was a kid and then Jason Couch as he got older. Marty recalled, “Myfondest bowling memory was being down by 109 pins after 3 frames in the 50 Over/Under 550 Tournament and then coming back to win by 30 pins.” Sanders’ numerous bowling accomplishments include induction to the WECKBA Hall of Fame in 2016, Bowler of the Year in 2015, breaking the Team Single Game Canadian Record in 2006, Winning his first 550 (Senior Singles Open) Title, and making multiple 1st Team and 2nd All- Star Teams.

Darren Alexander (1st seed) bowls in Wednesday Majors at Super Bowl where he carries an average of 228. He has chalked up seventy-three 300 games and forty-two 800 series. His match play record was 6-2 with a 234 average. He qualified 3rd for match play with a 5-game series of 1158. Alexander was twice an Open Champion – in 2015 & 2020, was Runner-up 2 times, and was High Qualifier 4 times. Darren just needed to bowl one game in TV finals, and he made the most of it largely because he was the only Open Division finalist who was able to figure out that troublesome left lane which allowed him to become the Molson Masters Open Champion for a third time. This was his 7th time to make the TV finals. Alexander said “My grandparents got me started in bowling when I was 18 months old with paper towel rolls and golf balls. When I grew older, they switched to plastic pins like everyone else had when they were younger. I started in a league when I was four at Thunderbowl in Essex.” The most influential local bowler in his life is Dan MacLelland. His favourite PBA bowlers were Norm Duke and Robert Smith. Darren confessed that “Getting to travel the world because of a sport I love has been more than I could have ever dreamed of. I love seeing new places and trying to soak it all in as much as possible.” Alexander has numerous bowling accomplishments including being a 5-Time Team Canada Member (2019-2023), Doubles Silver Medal World Games, Cali Columbia Pan Am Championships 2021 – Team-Silver and Trios-Bronze, Lima Peru Pabcon Championships 2019 – Team-Bronze and Trios- Gold. After the match was completed, Darren said “I’m super excited to be able to say I won the Molson’s for a 3rd time. The pattern this year was more difficult, which for me was a welcome change. With it being flatter and a lot of friction down lane I threw a urethane ball for all but 3 games during qualifying, match play and the finals. Two of those 3 games, including the finals, I used a reactive ball were on the TV pair because I was seeing too much early friction with urethane. I was happy with my decision making and committing to it. I really think that’s what allowed me to be successful this year.”

This year’s tournament did not disappoint as we had a mix of some previous champions, individuals with previous experience bowling in finals and some bowlers relatively new to the stepladder process. In most of the matches the momentum kept going back and forth between competitors right until the final ball. Setbacks like trouble reading lane 9, a few missed spares, a split in a late portion of the game or a string of strikes were the deciding factors in many of the matches.

It is important that we congratulate each of the finalists. Each of them considers it an honour to make it to the finals. All experienced nervousness and most had trouble reading that troublesome 9th lane all day. The lane conditions were much more difficult than in prior years so ball selection and choosing a line and then reestablishing that line between the Open and Senior matches was crucial. Each of these competitors reached a major milestone. It was exciting to watch the TV finals as each of these competitors made the matches nerve racking right down to the final ball.