I have long said comparing Belmonte to other bowlers is an insult to his greatness, at least in terms of major championships. I’ve often compared him to Tiger Woods and Serena Williams, two of the preeminent individual athletes of the early 21st century. Previously, I had only looked at their winning percentage in majors; Belmonte’s 24.6% (through the 2022 Players Championship) slots between Woods’ 17.4% and Williams’ 29.1%.
But surely Belmo’s résumé must pale in comparison to Woods’ before the injuries took their toll? And he’d stand no match against prime-Williams, right? In the word of Dwight K. Schrute: False.
| Stats in Majors | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 |
| Woods, 2010 | 14 | 27 | 33 | 46 |
| Williams, 2014 | 18 | 25 | 38 | n/a |
| Belmonte, 2022 | 14 | 30 | 38 | 46 |
Through the 2022 Players Championship, Belmonte has bowled in 57 majors. Williams’ fourth event in 2014 was her 57th career Grand Slam event, while Woods reached the mark at the 2010 Masters, the first major of the year.
This exact moment of Belmonte’s career was the inflection point for Woods and Williams’ careers. Williams’ win at the 2014 US Open commenced a run of four straight major victories, holding all four Grand Slam titles concurrently. She added a Grand Slam title in 2016 and 2017 to reach 23 for her career, setting the all-time record.
Woods’ 57th event, however, signaled his return from his infamous car accident in Nov. 2009. Since the start of the 2010 PGA tour season, he’s missed the cut more often than he’s finished inside the top-10 and has won just a single major.
A precipitous decline seems unfathomable for Belmonte. He looked as sharp as ever at the Players Championship, and is on the verge of yet another telecast appearance at the US Open. But there are two caveats worth mentioning when comparing a bowler to a golfer and tennis player.
Since 2012, the PBA Tour has featured five major tournaments, compared to four on the PGA and WTA tours. That allowed Belmonte to make up for a later start to his PBA career. An extra major each year will extend Belmonte’s prime as well. While factoring their career win percentages, Woods and Williams missed out on roughly four and five titles, respectively, during their primes.
Belmonte will also benefit from the gradual aging curve in bowling compared to cliff in golf and especially tennis. Phil Mickelson is the only PGA player to win a major over the age of 50. Meanwhile, at least three PBA bowlers have won a major title after the age of 50, and plenty more in their 40s.
The 38-year-old Belmonte has already reached an age in which no tennis player has found Grand Slam success; Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the oldest Grand Slam champions at 35 years old.
At the same time, comparing Belmonte to other bowlers is a futile effort. Since he joined the tour in 2008-09, he’s advanced to the televised finals, essentially the top-five, in 30 of 57 majors; Sean Rash ranks second with 13.
Only Norm Duke, EJ Tackett and Rash (twice) have made at least four TV finals at a single major; Belmonte has done so at each major, including nine times at the Tournament of Champions.
François Lavoie is the only other player with three major titles since 2008-09; Belmonte has won the Tournament of Champions three times, World Championship three times, Players Championship three times and Masters four times.
Belmonte has already shattered arguably the most important record in the books, and he still has the back half of his career to go. His goal of reaching 20 major titles, which would double the previous record, seems possible — dare I say, likely? Hell, he might have #15 locked up within the next 24 hours.
If an athlete’s domination of their own era is indicative of their ultimate success, you may be hard pressed to find a comparison to Belmonte when it’s all said and done.