Young Malott among leaders in U12 qualifying at Junior Gold
July 21, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS – The final eight boys and eight girls in the U12 Division at the 2016 Junior Gold Championships presented by Storm, Roto Grip and Master were decided Thursday at Woodland Bowl, and a name familiar to bowlers is among the top qualifiers.
Edgar Burgos of Dorado, Puerto Rico, led the boys’ field with a 3,795 pinfall total after the Final Advancers Round, followed by Jordan Malott of Austin, Texas, at 3,674, with Alexander Horton of Douglassville, Pennsylvania, third at 3,663. Horton was runner-up in the U12 Division at the 2014 Junior Gold Championships.
The top three spots in the girls division belong to Annalise O’Bryant of Ball Ground, Georgia, at 3,519, Shayla Gwynn of Anderson, Indiana, at 3,492, and April Calatrava of Columbia, South Carolina, at 3,385.
The U12 competitors will return to Woodland Bowl on Friday for match play, which will be broadcast live on BOWL.com’s BowlTV starting at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. Match play will determine the finalists for Saturday’s finals, which will be taped for broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Jordan Malott is the son of Wes Malott, a three-time Team USA member who has won 10 titles on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Jordan is making his second appearance at the Junior Gold Championships.
In last year’s tournament, Jordan tied for fifth, falling in the final stages of the double-elimination match-play bracket, including a loss to eventual champion Spencer Robarge. Robarge and Amanda Naujokas, last year’s U12 champions, now are competing in the U15 division.
Jordan said he learned from the experience.
“I feel a lot more confident this year,” Malott said. “You don’t have to shoot 200 every game. You can shoot like 170 and still make the cut.”
He does get a little help from his father, and Jordan did jokingly say he listens to him “sometimes”, but Wes says just being around the bowling center and the family pro shops gives all three of his kids the opportunity to practice and try different things on the lanes. He also says they are all very coachable.
“Both of my boys, Jordan and Camden, play baseball and our daughter, Brooke, plays softball,” Wes Malott said. “So this isn’t their only sport, and they are very coachable whatever they do. It makes it easy on me.”
Wes said he talked with Jordan about how to approach the week but Wes also wants to “take a step back, because it’s easy for me to get very involved.”
“Obviously I want him to be very successful and I would like to see him win this year, but at the same time it’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t,” Wes said. “Hopefully, this is the start of a very decorated career, maybe in bowling, maybe in baseball. That will be his choice when he gets older, and I’ll be here to support him. That’s my main job.”
But this week just happens to be about bowling and Jordan Malott is only thinking about one thing.
“To win Junior Gold and walk out with the trophy,” he said.
Go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold for more information about the Junior Gold Championships.
Edgar Burgos of Dorado, Puerto Rico, led the boys’ field with a 3,795 pinfall total after the Final Advancers Round, followed by Jordan Malott of Austin, Texas, at 3,674, with Alexander Horton of Douglassville, Pennsylvania, third at 3,663. Horton was runner-up in the U12 Division at the 2014 Junior Gold Championships.
The top three spots in the girls division belong to Annalise O’Bryant of Ball Ground, Georgia, at 3,519, Shayla Gwynn of Anderson, Indiana, at 3,492, and April Calatrava of Columbia, South Carolina, at 3,385.
The U12 competitors will return to Woodland Bowl on Friday for match play, which will be broadcast live on BOWL.com’s BowlTV starting at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. Match play will determine the finalists for Saturday’s finals, which will be taped for broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Jordan Malott is the son of Wes Malott, a three-time Team USA member who has won 10 titles on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Jordan is making his second appearance at the Junior Gold Championships.
In last year’s tournament, Jordan tied for fifth, falling in the final stages of the double-elimination match-play bracket, including a loss to eventual champion Spencer Robarge. Robarge and Amanda Naujokas, last year’s U12 champions, now are competing in the U15 division.
Jordan said he learned from the experience.
“I feel a lot more confident this year,” Malott said. “You don’t have to shoot 200 every game. You can shoot like 170 and still make the cut.”
He does get a little help from his father, and Jordan did jokingly say he listens to him “sometimes”, but Wes says just being around the bowling center and the family pro shops gives all three of his kids the opportunity to practice and try different things on the lanes. He also says they are all very coachable.
“Both of my boys, Jordan and Camden, play baseball and our daughter, Brooke, plays softball,” Wes Malott said. “So this isn’t their only sport, and they are very coachable whatever they do. It makes it easy on me.”
Wes said he talked with Jordan about how to approach the week but Wes also wants to “take a step back, because it’s easy for me to get very involved.”
“Obviously I want him to be very successful and I would like to see him win this year, but at the same time it’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t,” Wes said. “Hopefully, this is the start of a very decorated career, maybe in bowling, maybe in baseball. That will be his choice when he gets older, and I’ll be here to support him. That’s my main job.”
But this week just happens to be about bowling and Jordan Malott is only thinking about one thing.
“To win Junior Gold and walk out with the trophy,” he said.
Go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold for more information about the Junior Gold Championships.