Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., defended his title in the International Bowling Championships 2013 by defeating Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., 209-204, on Saturday, January 19, at Inawaza Futsal Stadium. Jones was awarded the Professional Bowlers Association International Title tour, his 14th career PBA International title, along with the grand prize of $75,000.

Jones, who is no stranger to success within the bowling community, earned the PBA player of the year award in 2005-06 after leading the tour with $301,700, the third-highest single season earnings on record. His victory over fellow PBA star Rash was not an easy task, however.

The tournament started with five all-star bowlers, including 16-year-old Malaysian shooting star, Rafiq Ismail, former PBA Player of the Year, Chris Barnes, and Hiroki Suzuki of Japan. Barnes and Suzuki were eliminated after the first round. Rafiq, who won the first round with 268 points, was eliminated in the semifinal match.

Jones alternated spares and strikes in the first six frames of the title match, trailing Rash by nine pins. They both doubled in the next two frames and spared in the eighth frame. Still in the lead by eight points, Rash had the power to seal his victory. Instead, he found himself faced with a 7-10 split for an open and missed the head pin in his last frame. He finished his turn with a strike and sat down to watch his lead melt away as Jones sent his ball flying down the lane for a spare, followed by a strike and a 5-pin victory.

In the women's finals, Shayna Ng of Singapore defeated PBA Tour champion Kelly Kullick, 248-201. The title match was close in the first five frames but Ng took off with a five-bagger and Kullick was unable to answer back. They each ended strong with turkeys but Ng came away with the $75,000 prize.

Rash and Kullick both received a consolation prize of $37,500.