Bill O'Neill wins the Brunswick Ball Master Open 2012

In all-American affair, three-time WTBA World ChampionBill O'Neill defeated fellow PBA championMike Fagan, 236-224, to win the 42nd Brunswick Ballmaster Open Sunday, Jan. 15 at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland. 

Top-seeded O'Neill, who became the first U.S. winner in the 42-year history of the tournament and the first non-Finnish winner since 1996, pocketed 12.000 Euro for accomplishing the feat. 

In a battle between four PBA champions, Fagan, the No. 3 seed, eliminated 2010 EBT ranking champion Dominic Barrett , England, in the opening match, 232-214.

The American then denied the bid of reigning PBA Player of the Year Mika Koivuniem, Finland, for his third consecutive Ballmaster title, defeating the "big Finn", in a high-scoring semifinal, 251-233.

Fagan received 8.000 Euro for second place. Koivuniemi took 4.000 Euro for third place and Barrett pocketed 3.000 Euro for fourth place.

The Brunswick Ballmaster Open will kick off both the 2012 World Bowling Tour and the 2012 European Bowling Tour season when the 42nd edition of Europe's most prestigious tournament gets underway at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland. 

The EBT Gold event, which offers 90.300 Euro total prize fund and a 12.000 Euro top prize, starts its ten-day run on Friday, January 6th at 7 p.m. local time (CET -1) with the first of total 16 qualifying squads.