Friday, April 23, 2010

The DYDO Japan Cup

Hideaki Aizawa of Japan averaged 233 to earn the top qualifying position in the 
25th anniversary DYDO Japan Cup Friday at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Bowling 
Center, topping Professional Bowlers Association star Wes Malott of 
Pflugerville, Texas, by 60 pins as the top 48 players advanced to the match play
elimination portion of the event.

Aizawa, who finished the 12-game qualifying round with 2,798 pins, is trying to 
become on the third Japanese player – and first since Takeo Sakai in 1988 - to 
win the Japan Cup. Aizawa and the 15 other high qualifiers will earn first-round 
byes when the event moves to Tokyo Port Bowl Saturday to begin best-of-seven
-game, single-elimination match play competition.

““I’m very excited to be leading the Japan Cup,” Aizawa said. “I’m very happy to 
be at the top with the strong PBA players today.”

Malott, who was the qualifying leader in the 2009 Japan Cup, finished with 
2,738 pins in his bid for his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title in the final 
event of the 2009-10 season. Malott is one of 20 PBA Tour stars invited to 
participate in the event.

 “Normally we see longer oil patterns here,” Malott said, “but because of the 
length of the pattern there was more hook than we are used to seeing. I stayed 
focused on staying slow and getting my hand around it to create the correct 
angles."

“I still missed a lot of spares,” he added. “I feel like my game is slowing 
getting better but my spare game needs help."

 “It’s going to be interesting when we move over to Tokyo Port Bowl,” Malott 
continued. “There will be some different strategy on how to play the matches 
because we are in a different center. Every year I’ve made the TV show here and 
hopefully it continues this year.”

Defending champion Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, FL, qualified in ninth 
place, one spot behind four-time Japan Cup winner Parker Bohn III of Jackson, 
NJ. Reigning PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, FL, a 
two-time winner and the only player who has bowled in all 25 Japan Cups, 
qualified 16th.

The final eight survivors will bowl in the championship round which will be 
nationally-televised in Japan. First prize in the tournament is $40,000.

DYDO JAPAN CUP
Shinagawa Prince Bowling Center, Tokyo, Japan, Friday

FINAL QUALIFYING STANDINGS (after 12 games, top 48 advance to best-of-7-game, 
single-elimination match play; top 12 earned first-round byes)
1, Hideaki Aizawa, Japan, 2,798.
2, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 2,738.
3, Hideyuki Okano, Japan, 2,737.
4, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 2,735.
5, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,731.
6, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,725.
7, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,723.
8, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,721.
9, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,716.
10, Akio Ishihara, Japan, 2,714.
11, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,700.
12, Kim Young-Pil, Korea, 2,696.
13, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,664.
14, Takashi Kudo, Japan, 2,654.
15, Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, 2,652.
16, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 2,644.
17, Shota Kawazoe, Japan, 2,630.
18, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 2,623.
19, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 2,612.
20, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2,609.
21, Kang Seong-Yu, Korea, 2,608.
22, Shigeyuki Mizuno, Japan, 2,604.
23, Minoru Sendan, Japan, 2,597.
24, Takashi Ishibashi, Japan, 2,590.
25, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 2,582.
26, Choi Won Young, Korea, 2,576.
27, Masaaki Takemoto, Japan, 2,567.
28, Takashi Masuda, Japan, 2,560.
29, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,558.
30, (tie) Isao Yamamoto, Japan, and Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 2,556.
32, Kenji Tsushima, Japan, 2,554.
33, (tie) Park Jeon-Soo, Korea, and Teruyuki Obara, Japan, 2,551.
35, Subaru Nagano, Japan, 2,545.
36, Shunsuke Kouchi, Japan, 2,542.
37, Jeong Tae-Hwa, Korea, 2,537.
38, Akio Harada, Japan, 2,534.
39, Kazuaki Watanabe, Japan, 2,533.
40, Satoshi Tsushima, Japan 2,532.
41, (tie) Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., and Naoharu Okabe, Japan, 2,531.
43, Tamiki Miike, Japan, 2,528.
44, Hiroshi Nagatani, Japan, 2,527.
45, (tie) Takeo Sakai, Japan, and Yoshiki Ohsawa, Japan, 2,526.
47, Kenji Ito, Japan, 2,525.
48, Yuji Toyoda, Japan, 2,524.

Other PBA players who did not advance:
50, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 2,515.
65, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,479.

300 Games - Takeshi Suda, Kageyuki Amano

SATURDAY’S MATCH PLAY PAIRINGS

FIRST ROUND (best of 7 games)
Match 1 – No. 33 Park Jeon-Soo vs. No. 32 Kenji Tsushima.
Match 2 – No. 17 Shota Kawazoe vs. No. 48 Yuji Toyoda.
Match 3 – No. 41 Rhino Page vs. No. 24 Takaski Ishibashi.
Match 4 – No. 25 Norm Duke vs. No. 40 Satoshi Tsushima.
Match 5 – No. 37 Jeon Tae-Hwa vs. No. 28 Takashi Masuda.
Match 6 – No. 21 Kang Seong-Yu vs. No. 44 Hiroshi Nagatani.
Match 7 – No. 45 Takeo Sakai vs. No. 20 Mike Scroggins.
Match 8 – No. 29 Chris Loschetter vs. No. 36 Shunsuke Kouchi.
Match 9 – No. 35 Subaru Nagano vs. No. 30 Isao Yamamoto.
Match 10 – No. 19 Brad Angelo vs. No. 46 Yoshiki Ohsawa.
Match 11 – No. 43 Tamiki Miike vs. No. 22 Sigeyuki Mizuno.
Match 12 – No. 27 Masaaki Takemoto vs. No. 38 Akio Harada.
Match 13 – No. 39 Kazuaki Watanabe vs. No. 26 Choi Won Young.
Match 14 – No. 23 Minoru Sendan vs. No. 42 Naoharu Okabe.
Match 15 – No. 47 Kenji Ito vs. No. 18 Mike Fagan.
Match 16 – No. 31 Mika Koivuniemi vs. No. 34 Teruyuki Obara.

SECOND ROUND (best of 7 games)
Match 17 – No. 1 Hideaki Aizawa vs. Park-Tsushima winner.
Match 18 – No. 16 Walter Ray Williams Jr. vs. Kawazoe-Toyoda winner.
Match 19 – No. 9 Patrick Allen vs. Page-Ishibashi winner.
Match 20 – No. 8 Parker Bohn III vs. Duke-Tsushima winner.
Match 21 – No. 5 Dino Castillo vs. Jeong-Masuda winner.
Match 22 – No. 12 Kim Young-Pil vs. Kang-Nagatani winner.
Match 23 – No. 13 Pete Weber vs. Sakai-Scroggins winner.
Match 24 – No. 4 Bill O’Neill vs. Loschetter-Kouchi winner.
Match 25 – No. 3 Hideyuki Okano vs. Nagano-Yamamoto winner.
Match 26 – No. 14 Takaski Kudo vs. Angelo-Ohsawa winner.
Match 27 – No. 11 Eugene McCune vs. Miike-Mizuno winner.
Match 28 – No. 6 Tommy Jones vs. Takemoto-Harada winner.
Match 29 – No. 7 Ryan Shafer vs. Watanabe-Choi winner.
Match 30 – No. 10 Akio Ishihara vs. Sendan-Okabe winner.
Match 31 – No. 15 Ronnie Russell vs. Ito-Fagan winner.
Match 32 – No. 2 Wes Malott vs. Koivuniemi-Obara winner.

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