Wes Malott

Wesley Clint "Big Nasty" Malott (born October 26, 1976) is an American professional ten-pin bowler who resides in Pflugerville, Texas. He has won ten PBA Tour titles in 14 full seasons on the PBA tour. He won his lone major championship at the 2012–13 U.S. Open, and has finished runner-up in five other major PBA tournaments. Malott also won the 2006–07 Showplace Lanes Megabucks Shootout, which is not a PBA Tour event.

Malott also owns 18 PBA Regional Tour titles. Through 2019, his career PBA Tour earnings have topped $1.3 million (U.S.), and he has rolled 41 perfect 300 games in PBA Tour events. Wes is a Pro Staff member for Roto Grip bowling balls, Dexter shoes and Vise Grips.

After winning one title each in the 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, Malott had his big breakout in the 2008–09 season. In a close race, Malott won the 2008–09 PBA Player of the Year Award over Norm Duke (74 points to Duke's 70).In his finest season to date, Malott made nine TV finals appearances, won three times, and collected a career-high $174,680.He won the PBA's George Young High Average award with a season mark of 222.98.

At the 2009 PBA World Series of Bowling in Allen Park, MI, Malott made the TV finals in two of the seven events: the PBA Shark Championship and PBA World Championship, but failed to win either tournament. In the World Championship, he was denied his first major title when he was upset by newcomer Tom Smallwood, 244-228. Smallwood is originally from Saginaw, Michigan, and had been laid off from his automotive plant job less than a year before defeating Malott for the championship.

Although Malott failed to win a tournament in the 2009–10 season (the first time he had been shut out since 2004–05), he did finish second on the Tour in average (221.33) and fifth in points, while making five TV finals appearances.

Malott won a title in the 2011–12 season in the Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Exempt Doubles Championship with partner Norm Duke.

In the 2012–13 season, he finished runner-up in the USBC Masters to Jason Belmonte. Later in the season, he got his revenge on Belmonte, defeating him in the final match of Bowling's U.S. Open in Columbus, Ohio for Wes' first major championship. He won his ninth PBA title later in the 2012–13 season, in the Cheetah Championship at the 2013 World Series of Bowling, marking the first time since 2008–09 that he won multiple titles in a single season. He also posted a career-high 228.09 average in Tour events.

Malott and partner Norm Duke won their second Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Doubles Championship in 2015. The win gave Malott ten PBA Tour titles, which qualifies him for PBA Hall of Fame consideration.

On April 12, 2017, Malott won the PBA "King of the Hill" competition in Portland, Maine. This was a special, non-title event broadcast live on the PBA's Xtra Frame webcast service, held in conjunction with the PBA League and Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Doubles Championship during the same week in Portland.

Malott was the anchor bowler for the winning Portland Lumberjacks team in the 2019 PBA League tournament, and he won the Mark Roth League MVP award. Excluding a couple of meaningless tenth frame fill balls, Malott rolled 20 of 22 possible strikes over the three-day event (July 16–18).

King of Bowling

Malott won all five of his matches to win the crown in ESPN2's made-for-TV "King of Bowling" event, which was broadcast over five weeks on a tape-delay basis in April–May, 2009.Malott rolled 300 games in two of his five matches.

Since that inaugural event, the King of Bowling has taken the form of a challenge match, most often a best two-of-three, and has been held in conjunction with a regularly scheduled PBA Tour event. Malott's challenger is chosen via PBA fan vote.

Malott has never lost the King of Bowling crown, winning his eighth and most recent defense against Jason Belmonte on February 6, 2018. This best-of-three match, which Malott won 2–0, was held at AMF Riviera Lanes prior to the start of the PBA Tournament of Champions. In previous King of Bowling events, Malott has beaten Tommy Jones, Belmonte and E. J. Tackett (in a three-way match), Parker Bohn III, Rhino Page, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Patrick Allen and Chris Barnes.

PBA Titles (majors in boldface)

2005–06 – Mile High Classic

2006–07 – Discover Card Windy City Classic

2007–08 – Earl Anthony Medford Classic

2008–09 – Carmen Salvino Scorpion Championship

2008–09 – Bayer Earl Anthony Medford Classic

2008–09 – Etonic Marathon Open

2011–12 – Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Exempt Doubles Championship (with Norm Duke)

2012–13 – U.S. Open

2012–13 – WSOB Cheetah Championship

2015 – Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship (with Norm Duke)

Other top-3 finishes

2003–04 – 3rd, PBA World Championship

2004–05 – 3rd, PBA Banquet Open

2005–06 – 3rd, Greater Omaha Classic

2005–06 – 2nd, Tulsa Championship

2006–07 – 2nd, Motor City Classic

2006–07 – 1st, Showplace Lanes Megabucks Shootout (non-PBA title event)

2006–07 – 2nd, Ace Hardware Championship

2006–07 – 3rd, Earl Anthony Medford Classic

2006–07 – 2nd, U.S. Open

2007–08 – 2nd, Lake Country Indiana Classic

2007–08 – 2nd, Lumber Liquidators Championship

2008–09 – 1st, Dart Bowl ATX Crossover Doubles (non-PBA title event; included a Dutch 200 game)

2008–09 – 2nd, Lumber Liquidators Shark Championship

2008–09 – 3rd, National Bowling Stadium Championship

2008–09 – 3rd, Tournament of Champions

2008–09 – 2nd, Dydo Japan Cup

2008–09 – 1st, PBA King of Bowling (non-PBA title event; included 2 perfect games)

2009–10 – 2nd, PBA World Championship

2009–10 – 3rd, Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship (with Shannon O'Keefe)

2010–11 – 3rd, PBA Chameleon Championship

2011–12 – 2nd, Carmen Salvino Classic

2012–13 – 2nd, USBC Masters

2012–13 – 2nd, Don Carter Classic

2014 – 2nd, Barbasol Tournament of Champions

2014 – 2nd, PBA World Championship

2016 – 3rd, USBC Masters

2016 – 2nd, PBA Fall Swing Badger Open

2016 – 3rd, PBA Detroit Open

2017 – 3rd, U.S. Open

Statistics are through the last complete PBA season.

Wes and his wife, Maryiedth, have two sons (Jordan and Camden) and a daughter (Brooke). Jordan Malott, aged 15, bowled in the PBA Regional Tour Houston Emerald Bowl Southwest Challenge on August 18, 2019, and finished in third place.

• http://www.pba.com, official website of the Professional Bowlers Association and the PBA Tour