Stormin Norman!

Norm Duke knows all too well the feeling of firing a 300 game in a national TV semifinal only to lose in the title match. That’s why Duke showed no mercy in Sunday’s 2007 Pepsi Championship title match. After third-seeded Ryan Shafer fired the 18th nationally televised 300 game in Denny’s PBA Tour history in the semifinals, the top-seeded Duke showed why he dominated the tournament from start to finish, defeating Shafer 235-219 to win his third title of the season and the 26th of his career. Duke fired a 300 game in the semifinals of the 2003 GEICO Earl Anthony Classic against Walter Ray Williams Jr. only to lose to Mike DeVaney in the title match, who was also in this week’s championship round. Shafer could never get on track in the title match. After striking in the first two frames to run his string of strikes to 18 in a row, he failed to strike again until the 8th frame while Duke struck six consecutive times after an open in the 1st. It was the fourth time in his career and the second time this season Duke defeated Shafer in a title match, and it pushed Duke’s record overall against Shafer on TV to 6-1. Duke also defeated Shafer in the title match of the 2006 Columbia 300 Classic, his second of three titles this season.The win capped a huge comeback for the 25-year veteran who withdrew from the first seven events of the second half after breaking a toe in January. He finished 11th in the Bayer Classic and fifth in the 64th U.S. Open in his first two events back before putting himself back in the PBA Player of the Year race with his third win. Duke took home $25,000 for the win, while Shafer earned $13,000 for second, plus a $10,000 bonus for the 300 game. Carter took home $6,500 for third, Reyes earned $5,500 for fourth while DeVaney earned $5,000 for fifth. The Denny’s PBA Tour heads to Wyoming, MI next week for the 2007 Denny’s World Championship at Spectrum Lanes, March 18-25, the third of four Majors of the 2006-07 schedule. The live ESPN televised finals take place at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Mi. Sunday, March 25, at 2 p.m. EST.