ARLINGTON, Texas - Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, wasn't scheduled to return from maternity leave until after the U.S. Women's Open, but she was back at Plano Super Bowl a little early to handle some unfinished business.
Not only did the 33-year-old right-hander want to put on a good performance for her co-workers and hometown fans during the U.S. Women's Open, she also spent the week preparing for the finals of the 2017 Professional Women's Bowling Association Orlando Open, which will air Tuesday on CBS Sports Network at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
Johnson's appearance on the telecast will mark her first as a mother of two. Her son, Levi, is 3 years old, and her daughter, Kenzie, was born in March - delaying the start of Johnson's 2017 PWBA Tour season.
The 2015 PWBA Rookie of the Year's return to competition was emotional, taking place June 30 and July 1 at Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando, Florida, another bowling center that played a big role in her development as a player.
Her 2017 re-emergence came in front of her collegiate coach, United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Pat Costello, who seemed to share every deep breath and fist-pumping moment with her on the way to the TV show.
"I think the whole experience was a little overwhelming, and I definitely was nervous, but that's normal when you're out there competing at the highest level," said Johnson, who is married to former Professional Bowlers Association standout and 2004 PBA Rookie of the Year Chris Johnson. "I was able to put all that aside once I realized I was back out there doing what I love. Then, being able to make the shots I needed to in order to make the show was incredible. I live for those moments."
Johnson didn't want to make her return to the PWBA Tour too soon, but kicking things off with the Orlando event seemed like the perfect time. Steven Spielberg couldn't have scripted it all any better.
There's buildup and excitement surrounding her multiple homecomings - the PWBA Tour, Boardwalk Bowl, where she worked and bowled during and after her time at the University of Central Florida, TV and Plano Super Bowl, where she now is the group sales manager.
There's drama - Johnson will be welcomed back to TV by Liz Johnson of Deerfield, Illinois, the two-time reigning PWBA Player of the Year, whom she'll face in Tuesday's opening match.
The victor will meet No. 2 seed Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, whose appearance on the Orlando Open show will be the first of three consecutive TV appearances for the young right-hander.
Waiting nearby will be top seed, Birgit Poppler of Germany, who recently picked up her first PWBA title at the 2017 PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles, where she was a last-minute fill-in for Jason Sterner's partner.
Stefanie Johnson, who has made six TV appearances over the last two Tour seasons, would love for the story to come full-circle and have a happy ending, but that's not how she is approaching the finals.
"I won't treat this opportunity any differently than the shows I made before or if I had bowled this whole year," said Johnson, who missed the first eight of the season's 14 events. "It's exciting that I qualified in a center that means so much to me and that I get to bowl the finals in my new home center with my friends and family cheering me on, but I won't look at it any differently. I'll focus on what I can control, which is attacking the pins and hoping they fall my way."
She earned her spot in the Orlando Open finals by winning one of the event's two group stepladders. All qualifying and match-play rounds were held at the 80-lane Boardwalk Bowl.
In the opening match of her group stepladder, Johnson tossed three clutch strikes in her final frame to slip past Josie Barnes of Nashville, Tennessee, 207-201. Barnes left a 7-10 split in her own 10th frame to give Johnson a chance to win.
Johnson then defeated Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, 214-190, to advance to the TV show, where she'll be the No. 4 seed based on her average for the event. Liz Johnson will be the No. 3 seed.
Poppler was fifth in the standings after the event's cashers' round at Boardwalk Bowl and posted a 6-0 record in match play to top the Group A standings. She earned the top seed for TV based on total pinfall, including bonus pins, meaning McEwan, the Group B leader, would be No. 2.
The final round of the 2017 PWBA Orlando Open on Aug. 6 was one of four telecasts that took place at Plano Super Bowl in conjunction with the U.S. Women's Open, the third major of the season.
The U.S. Women's Open show aired live on CBS Sports Network, with Liz Johnson winning the $20,000 top prize and coveted green jacket. It was her sixth career win at the event.
The finals of the 2017 PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network on Aug. 22 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, and the Nationwide PWBA Rochester Open finals will air Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. EDT.
Competition at the PWBA Orlando Open, a standard event on the PWBA Tour, included two six-game qualifying blocks to determine the 32 players for the six-game cashers' round. The top 12 players then advanced to round-robin match play based in their 18-game pinfall totals.
Qualifying and match-play rounds of PWBA Tour events are broadcast on Xtra Frame, the exclusive online bowling channel for the Professional Bowlers Association.
