McCune Shatters 9 Game Record in Cheetah Matchplay

Eugene McCune of Munster, IN, a 24-year Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour veteran with one title to show for his patience, shattered the PBA Tour nine-game scoring record Monday to
advance from 14th place to first for Friday’s Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship finals at South Point Bowling Center.

McCune fired games of 300, 253, 275, 279, 279, 279, 236, 300 and 267 for a record total of 2,468 pins, an average of 274.22, to break the PBA nine-game record of 2,367 pins set by Walter Ray Williams Jr. in Tucson, AZ, in 2004 by 101 pins. With 270 bonus pins for a perfect 9-0 match play record, McCune finished the Cheetah match play round with a total of 5,612 pins for 21 games, claiming the No. 1 position for Friday’s stepladder finals by 226 pins over qualifying leader Ritchie Allen of Columbia, SC.

Also advancing to the stepladder finals were 33-time PBA Tour winner Norm Duke of Clermont, FL; Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, AZ, and Lonnie Waliczek of Wichita, KS.

The Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship was the first of five PBA “lane condition” championships which will be contested as the PBA World Series of Bowling continues this week.

“I match up well on the Cheetah pattern,” McCune said. “I left eight pocket splits in qualifying for my only opens, so I could have shot a lot more then, too. But I drilled a new ball for match play and it was a lot smoother. I didn’t come close to leaving a 4-9. I left a 7 pin in last game (after starting with eight strikes), which was the most solid tap I had all day.”

McCune, who loves to play off the right corner of the lane and throw the ball hard, didn’t know exactly how many strikes he threw, but it was ”a lot,” he grinned.

“The thing I was worried about was yesterday in practice I had no look off corner at all,” McCune continued. “I thought I was going to have move inside and hook the ball, but today I could just stand on top of the corner, dig my fingers a little deeper into the ball and throw it hard.

McCune won his only PBA Tour title in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2002 when he defeated Duke and Williams in back-to-back matches Banquet Classic.

“I’ve been bowling the best I’ve ever bowled the past three years,” he said. “I’ve finished 15th and 17th in points the past two seasons. It’s been great, but I don’t’ have much money to show for it because I haven’t made any TV shows. I keep missing by 10 pins or so.”

Despite his torrid pace, McCune’s primary challengers weren’t paying attention.

“I had two bad games, but I averaged 260 myself for the last five games, so I pretty much stampeded everyone else except for that guy,” Allen said. “I acknowledged his scores were pretty good, but I wasn’t playing the lanes anything like the way he was, so I wasn’t watching him at all.”

“We knew he was going to be No. 1,” Haugen said. “The only thing we were paying attention to was the next four spots for the TV show.”

The Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship stepladder finals will be conducted at 9 a.m. Pacific on Friday at South Point Bowling Center for delayed airing on ESPN on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Bowling fans around the world are following the action on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s exclusive video-streaming service. Full-year, World Series only and one-day trial memberships are available by visiting www.xtraframe.tv.

2010 PBA WORLD SERIES OF BOWLING
South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Nev., Monday

BRUNSWICK PRO BOWLING CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP
(After 21 games, including match play bonus pins; top five advance to stepladder finals at 9 a.m. Pacific Friday; finals will air on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Nov. 28)

1, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 9-0, 5,612.
2, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 5-4, 5,386.
3, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 7-2, 5,375.
4, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 6-3, 5,344.
5, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 5-4, 5,329.

Other Cashers:
6, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 5-4, 5,322, $2,600.
7, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 6-3, 5,310, $2,300.
8, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3-6, 5,175, $2,200.
9, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 5-4, 5,169, $2,125.
9, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 4-5, 5,169, $2,225.
11, Brian Menini, Brookfield, Mo., 4-5, 5,108, $2,050.
12, Dominic Barrett, England, 4-5, 5,003, $2,000.
13, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3-6, 4,995, $1,950.
14, Andy Patterson, Tyler, Texas, 4-5, 4,945, $1,900.
15, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 2-7, 4,936, $1,850.
16, Mark Buffa, Canada, 0-9, 4,763, $1,800.