Jordan Richard Secures Back-to-Back PWBA Titles with Cleveland Open Victory

Jordan Richard is proving to be an unstoppable force on the 2023 Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour. The 27-year-old right-hander from Tipton, Michigan, claimed her second consecutive title by winning the PWBA Bowlers Journal Cleveland Open on Saturday night. Richard defeated Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, 247-219 at Yorktown Lanes, securing her third victory in just seven events this season.

A Remarkable Winning Streak

Richard’s latest triumph follows her victory at the PWBA Great Lakes Classic just four days earlier. With this win, she now holds five career PWBA Tour titles and has earned $20,000 for her Cleveland Open performance. Johnson, who was also seeking her fifth career title, took home $10,000 as the runner-up.

Her journey to the title wasn’t an easy one. Richard began the tournament in seventh place after the first two rounds of qualifying. However, she climbed to third by the end of Round 3 and then delivered an outstanding six-game total of 1,360 (226.67 average) in Round 4 to secure the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals.

A Championship Match to Remember

The title match started with Johnson taking an early lead, capitalizing on fortunate strikes while Richard struggled with pin carry. Through the first five frames, Johnson held a 16-pin advantage. However, Richard stayed composed, making crucial spares and patiently waiting for her scoring opportunity.

That opportunity came in the second half of the game. After managing just one strike in the first five frames, Richard unleashed a six-strike streak from the sixth through 11th frames. This powerful comeback sealed her victory and marked her second championship in four days.

Richard credited her success to staying patient and trusting the game’s natural flow.

“Stefanie caught a couple of breaks early while I was struggling to carry, but I knew that the pins would eventually fall my way,” Richard said. “So, I made a move and stuck to what I’d been trying to do all along, and they eventually did.”

A Season of Dominance

With three victories and a second-place finish at the PWBA Stockton Open, Richard is having a stellar season. The only blemish on her record came at the 2023 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Queens, where she finished tied for 49th after an early match-play elimination.

However, she now has an opportunity for redemption as the PWBA Tour heads to its second major event of the season, the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open. The tournament begins on June 15 at ABC Gates Bowl in Gates, New York. Richard, who finished third at the 2022 edition of the event, has high expectations.

“I bowled really well at the U.S. Open last year, so I have really high expectations,” Richard said. “I’m hoping that I can use what I learned last year and how well I’ve been bowling now to get to the top again. I’m really excited.”

Looking Ahead to the U.S. Women’s Open

The 2023 U.S. Women’s Open promises to be a thrilling event, with a $60,000 top prize on the line. All rounds leading up to the stepladder finals will be streamed live on BowlTV, while the championship match will air on CBS Sports Network on June 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

With her current form, Jordan Richard is undoubtedly a top contender. As the season progresses, the biggest question now is: Can anyone stop her?