It didn't stop him from scoring a 31-18 win over Brian Harriott (Towradgi Park) in the decider, but the presence of Johannes' wife Lily added a few nerves. Johannes said his wife had never watched him play an entire match, but she decided to break that habit for the final of the 49th summer classic.

The fact Johannes wanted to give the Rod Shoobert-designed black south sea pearl pin that goes to the singles winner to his wife, ratcheted things up a further notch or two.

"I think I got a bit of pressure from my wife, and she didn't know about the pearl," Johannes said.

"This was the first time she had come to watch ever. A couple of times I looked up to see her reaction after I played a couple of bad shots."

Johannes, a South African national hoping to become an Australian citizen, said he knew he would be hard to beat once his game came together midway through a contest Harriott had led to that point. Once a big end got him back to 16-16, Johannes found his rhythm and dropped only two more shots on the road to victory.

"When I got to 16-16 and he was playing cat and mouse with me with the mat I decided to keep the mat," he said. "That is when I got a four (shot end) and from there on I knew I was in control."

Johannes' win made him the first non-Australian to win the singles event.

Meantime, Towradgi Park bowler Tom Ellem said his family's win in the fours final ranked alongside his Australian Singles title on his personal list of achievements. The national success is streets ahead of the South Pacific Fours in terms of prestige, but Ellem said winning an event with his father Eric, uncle Peter and brother Daniel was something he would never forget.

"This means everything, winning the (Australian) singles was one thing, but my dad was not going to win anything like this on his own," Tom Ellem said.

"It is so great for me and my brother (Daniel) to help him be a part of it. This is a massive tournament, so to win with your family is special."

After the opening 13 ends of the 21-end final finished with one-shot wins, the Ellem clan made their move.

They turned a one-shot lead into a match-winning five heading into the final end.

Some strong draw shots left them in a position where a killed end was the only way Geoff McGillivray and his Warilla team were going to keep the match alive.

A drive by McGillivray's third Jamie Mitchell hit the jack but the kitty remained in play after rebounding off another bowl.

Teenage duo Michael Bayo and Kyle Johannes ended up on the losing side but would have learned some valuable lessons.