Billy Hardwick

Billy Hardwick (1941 to 2013) was an American right-handed ten-pin bowler and a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He joined the PBA Tour in 1961 and won 18 PBA titles, and he was the first player to complete the PBA career Triple Crown by winning the U.S. Open, the PBA National Championship and the Tournament of Champions between 1963 and 1969. He was named PBA Player of the Year in 1963 and 1969, and at 22 he remains the youngest bowler to have received that award. Hardwick used a slow, straight full roller delivery rather than a hook, and a finger injury meant he gripped the ball with his thumb and first two fingers. He retired from the tour in 1976 after developing arthritis, was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1977 and ran an All-Star Lanes bowling centre in Memphis.