By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kelly Kulick became the first woman to win a Professional Bowlers Association Tour title on Sunday, beating Chris Barnes in the final of the 45th Tournament of Champions.

Kulick outscored Barnes, 265-195, to take home the $40,000 first prize and a two-year P.B.A. Tour exemption. She earned a berth in the Tournament of Champions by winning the P.B.A Women’s World Championship in September.

“It’s unbelievable,” Kulick said in a telephone interview. “I always imagined myself winning a professional title, but I never thought it would be a major. The Tournament of Champions is one of the most prestigious events on tour.

“It’s starting to kick in now. It’s slowly starting to seep in now.”

Kulick grew up in Union, N.J., and started bowling in a Saturday morning league in nearby Linden when she was 6. She grew up watching the P.B.A. Tour on television and competed at Morehead State before she turned pro.

“At a very young age I enjoyed the sport and knew I could make a career out of it,” said Kulick, who declared in her fifth-grade yearbook that she wanted to be a professional bowler.

The previous best finish for a woman in a P.B.A. Tour event was by Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., who was the runner-up in the 2005 Banquet Open.

Kulick was also the first woman to earn a tour exemption, finishing sixth in the trials in 2006. Her best finish during the 2006-7 season was 22nd.

She hopes her victory can lead to a full-time women’s tour, instead of just a series.

“I believe this can only mean bigger and better things for the sport,” Kulick said.

She got a pep talk from her mother, Carol, and started the final with four consecutive strikes.