Michael Haugen Jr.
| Michael Haugen, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Haugen being interviewed by Mike Jakubowski after a 2016 tournament win | |
| Born |
Michael Haugen, Jr. December 29, 1966 |
| Occupation | Ten-pin bowler |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse(s) | Phuong Truong |
Michael Haugen Jr. (born December 29, 1966) is a right-handed professional ten-pin bowler residing in Carefree, Arizona.[1] He is a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), having joined in 1994. He has won five PBA Tour titles overall, including a major title at the 2008 PBA Tournament of Champions.[2]
Career
Michael first joined the PBA in 1994, competing as a Regional pro. He was named the PBA West Region Player of the Year in 1997, and has won 21 PBA Regional titles to date. He bowled in selected PBA Tour events in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, before becoming a full-time bowler on tour in the 1998 season.[2] In the 2002-03 U.S. Open, he finished runner-up to Walter Ray Williams, Jr.
Early in the 2007–08 PBA season, he won the Lake County Indiana Classic in Merrillville, Indiana.[1] In doing so, he won his first tournament in 200 attempts and qualified for the Tournament of Champions. Later that season, he became the second bowler in history to win his first PBA title and the Tournament of Champions major in the same season,[3] joining Joe Joseph who accomplished the feat in 1962.[4] In the Tournament of Champions, as the number 1 seed, he completed a stunning comeback by defeating Chris Barnes in the final, 215–214, after trailing by 53 pins in the sixth frame.[3][5] A finger injury cut his season short as he was forced to miss the final seven events of the year, but he did manage to bowl in the Motel 6 "Roll to Riches" event in April 2008.
Injuries again curtailed his 2008–09 season, as he was only able to compete in seven events. But he returned to start the 2009–10 season and made the TV finals for the PBA Viper Championship at the World Series of Bowling. He won his third PBA title at the Mark Roth Classic in Allen Park, Michigan on January 26, 2013.[6]
Haugen won his fourth PBA title on November 2, 2014 in the Scorpion Championship at the World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas, NV. His fifth title was earned at the 2016 PBA Xtra Frame Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic in Middletown, DE.[7]
Through the end of the 2015 season, he had rolled 31 perfect 300 games in PBA events. He has accumulated over $700,000 in career PBA Tour earnings.[2]
Personal
He resides in Carefree, Arizona,[1] and enjoys golfing and going to dance clubs.[2] After qualifying for the TV finals at the 2014 PBA Scorpion Championship, Haugen told ESPN broadcasters he would propose on-air to longtime girlfriend Phuong Truong if he won the tournament. He made good on his promise during his post-tournament interview, and Truong accepted.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/11/19/sports/top_sports/doc41772abf7d22a26b862573980004b7cd.txt
- 1 2 3 4 Profile at www.pba.com
- 1 2 http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=bowling/news/newstest.aspx?id=4128540
- ↑ Joe Joseph page at mcubed.net
- ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/sports/20080128/c11_update28.art.htm
- ↑ http://news.pba.com/post/2013/2/17/e2809cMan-on-a-Missione2809d-Haugen-Tops-Norton-to-Win-Third-PBA-Tour-Title-in-Mark-Roth-Classic.aspx pba.com on February 17, 2013.
- ↑ Vint, Bill (August 21, 2016). "Michael Haugen Jr. Goes "Old School" to Win PBA Tour Xtra Frame Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic". PBA.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ Vint, Bill (January 4, 2015). "Haugen Overcomes 10th-Frame Mental Error, Wins PBA Scorpion Championship for Fourth Career Title". PBA.com. Retrieved January 5, 2015.