Weber's Win at US OPEN Garners Big Media Attention

NASCAR star Carl Edwards was among those impressed by Pete Weber’s dramatic win in PBA’s 69th U.S. Open. 

Edwards took in the U.S. Open ESPN telecast – which garnered a 25 percent increase in viewership over the 2011 U.S. Open telecast – during Sunday’s rainout of the Daytona 500. 

Weber defeated Mike Fagan 215-214 in the title match last Sunday for a record fifth U.S. Open title at Brunswick Zone-Carolier in North Brunswick, NJ, surpassing his father Dick Weber and Don Carter who won the prestigious tournament four times. 

“I got into that a little bit,’’ Edwards said. “It was inspiring. He had to throw a strike, and he did, on his final throw. He won his fifth [U.S. Open] title. Pretty cool.’’ 

What Weber called “the biggest win of my career” also took the national media and PBA’s electronic communication platforms by storm as well. Other media hits included extensive follow-up coverage by ESPN including air time on Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption, SportsCenter (Weber’s win was No. 5 on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays), ESPN News and an upcoming interview on ESPN2’s “Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable” show. 

Pardon the Interruption co-host Tony Kornheiser got a kick out of Weber’s new catch phrase of “Who do you think you are? I am!” during the telecast after throwing the winning shot. ESPN Classic will rerun the historic 69th U.S. Open Monday, March 5 at 11:30 p.m. ET. 

Associated Press Stories ran in major newspapers across the country including the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsday, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and USA Today. 

Video of Weber’s performance was also featured on AOL, CBS, Yahoo, FoxSports, Deadspin and Huffington Post sites among others. 

Weber’s reaction after throwing a strike on the final ball to win has attracted more than 500,000 hits on YouTube in less than three days. 

Online bowling channel Xtra Frame on pba.com received a 25 percent increase in subscriptions and pba.com traffic nearly doubled its highest traffic in the last six months. 

Weber Wins Fifth US OPEN Title

Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, became the most successful bowler in U.S Open history Sunday, winning the most challenging major title in bowling for a record fifth time at Brunswick Zone-Carolier with a strike on his final ball in the 10th frame to nip top qualifier Mike Fagan of Dallas, 215-214.

Weber, who came into the stepladder finals as the No. 4 qualifier, threw clutch shots in three matches to win, but none was more critical than his strike on his final ball in the title match. Needing at least a nine-count spare and strike to win, Weber threw a perfect pocket shot on his first ball, but left a 10 pin. After converting the spare, he threw an identical shot that carried for a strike.

In winning the title, Weber broke a tie with his late father, Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) legend Dick Weber, and his father’s close friend, the late Don Carter, who each won the forerunner to the U.S. Open – the BPAA All Star – four times.

“Dad, I know you were watching,” Weber said as he looked up after the win. “I know you’re proud, and I’m sorry I broke your record."

“This is my greatest title ever,” Weber said. “To win five U.S. Opens and pass Dick Weber and Don Carter says a lot, but I’ll never say I’m better than them. They paved the way for us to be here. It was an honor and a privilege to join them when I won my fourth U.S. Open, and it’s even more of an honor to be the first one to win five.

“This is the tournament I look forward to ever year,” he added. “I live for the U.S. Open because I know, no matter what, I have a chance to win.”

At age 49 years, 189 days, Weber became the oldest player ever to win the U.S. Open, breaking the record set by 46-year-old Norm Duke last year at Carolier. And he moved into second place on the PBA’s all-time major title-winners list with his ninth title, behind only Earl Anthony’s 10.

“That’s probably the calmest I’ve ever been needing to throw a shot to win,” he added. “Not to toot my own horn, but I think I’m prouder of myself than anyone else. I’ve always wanted to be the one to throw a strike to win.”

In advancing to the title match, Weber threw critical shots in two preliminary matches, coming from behind to defeat Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, NY, 223-191, in the opening match and Australia’s Jason Belmonte, 225-213, in the semifinal contest.

“I threw strikes in the seventh, eighth and ninth in all three games and put pressure on those guys,” Weber said. “The way those guys performed was excellent. My hat’s off to them. They bowled amazing.”

Weber earned $60,000 and an automatic berth in the Round of 36 for the PBA Tournament of Champions in April. Fagan collected $30,500, Belmonte $15,000 and Shafer, who failed to win a title in his 14th television appearance in a major championship, earned $10,000.

Shafer Leads 69th US OPEN after 18 Games

Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, NY, rolled a 234 final game Thursday night to retain the lead in the 69th U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone-Carolier, but it was 14-year-old Kamron Doyle of Brentwood, TN, who stole the show, earning a spot in Friday’s cashers round and becoming the youngest player ever to cash in a Professional Bowlers Association Tour event.

Not only did he cash, but the 5-foot-5, 105-pound eighth grader picked the most difficult tournament in the sport for his record-setting performance.

Doyle, who cashed in a PBA South Regional event in Canton, GA, two years ago at age 12 (a record for non-national tour events) when he finished 30th, averaged 202 for his 18 qualifying games in the U.S. Open and advanced to Friday’s cashers round in 54th place out of a field of 394 amateur and professional bowlers from 12 countries.

Doyle will be among the top 98 players who will bowl eight more game Friday to determine the top 24 who will advance to match play rounds Friday evening and Saturday. The top four after 24 round robin match games will bowl in the live ESPN-televised stepladder finals Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. At stake is a $60,000 first prize, a PBA major title and an automatic berth in the Round of 36 for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions.

Doyle, who turned 14 on Jan. 13, bowled all three qualifying rounds on the same pair of lanes with PBA Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia of Jackson, NJ, a 14-time PBA Tour champion and one of only six players to ever complete the PBA Triple Crown. Petraglia, who turns 65 on March 3, beat Doyle by seven pins, but he had to out-score the teenager, 219-184, in the final game to do it.

“(Kamron) dumped the last game out of respect,” Petraglia laughed.

“I wasn’t thinking about beating him,” Doyle said matter-of-factly. “I was just trying to beat myself.”

“I have never had a pairing anything like this one, except the other way around,” Petraglia said. “When I bowled my first PBA event in Detroit in 1965, I got to cross with Ray Bluth (a hall of fame and member of the legendary Budweisers team), so this was a nice reversal. I remember in my first tournament, in the first frame, I left the bucket (3-5-6-9). I was so naïve. I knew Bluth, Don Carter and the whole Budweiser team were watching and I figured if I missed that spare, they’d all think I stink. But I made the spare.

“I think (Kamron) is going to be terrific,” Petraglia added. “I remember bowling with (35-time PBA Tour titlist and fellow Triple Crown winner) Pete Weber in a pro-am in St. Louis when he was maybe 15, and I see the same kind of swing, the same fiery attitude, the same attributes Pete had when he was a teenager.

“About the only physical criticism I can make, because he has such a nice natural game, is that Kamron doesn’t look down to see where he’s at when he steps onto the approach. It’s kind of a feel thing with him, but when you’re in an event this difficult, where you stand is magnified so much. He’ll fix that soon. His horizon is high.”

When Doyle was asked if he knew who he was paired with for qualifying, he immediately answered, “Yah, I know who he is. I know all of these guys.”

Doyle said he has been bowling ever since he experienced the game at a birthday party when he was 7. He immediately wanted his own ball and shoes, and said he has practiced an average of 50-60 games a week ever since. “Honest,” he said. “I kinda taught myself. I watched the pros on TV a lot. I got real serious about it when I was about 10.”

Surprisingly, he doesn’t come from a bowling family. His father, Sean Doyle, is a Nashville area orthodontist. Dad may not be a bowler, but Kamron isn’t lacking for mentors.

“Tommy Jones, Bill O’Neill, Chris Barnes, Mika Koivuniemi, Mike Fagan, they impress me the most,” the young Doyle said. “I’ve become good friends with all of them. Tommy Jones actually stayed at our house. He taught me a lot: take your time when you’re bowling bad, he helped with last two steps of my approach, how to stay down and get through the shot, all of that stuff.”

Mentally, he approaches the game like a polished veteran.

“People tell me I have a pretty good mental attitude which keeps me in the game,” he said. “That’s probably why I’m still in the cut. It’s kind of grown with me. I was real bad when I was young. But that’s something people have to learn. If you get mad and frustrated and miss a spare, that costs you 20 pins.”

The right mental approach is especially important in a tournament like the U.S. Open, which is notorious for its difficult scoring conditions.

“This is my first U.S. Open,” Doyle said. “I’ve been wanting to bowl it the last three years. I heard how tough it was from my ball driller, but I didn’t believe him. I do now. You have no idea how tough it is until you do it. It’s brutal. I found out in practice you couldn’t miss by a centimeter. The heads burn up. The ball hooks at your feet. The lanes are snot-tight in back. But the biggest lesson is you have to make your spares.”

After starting the tournament with a 150 game, Doyle has been in plus-200-average territory ever since. While his odds of moving up enough to make the match play finals are remote, he hasn’t thrown in the towel.

“Making the 24 cut would be pretty amazing,” he said. “I’ll have to go huge tomorrow. I’ll have to go 180 over (average more than 220 for eight games), but I can do it if I put my mind to it.”

Whatever money Doyle makes in bowling is deposited into his United States Bowling Congress SMART scholarship account. It was the advent of the SMART scholarship management program by the sport’s National Governing Body seven years ago that allowed bowlers under the age of 18 to compete in professional events without losing their amateur status. To date, Doyle said he has deposited about $22,000 in his SMART account, but he isn’t sure what college he’ll eventually attend, or exactly what he’ll study when the time comes.

“I don’t know what I want to do yet,” he said. “My dad’s an orthodontist, so maybe I’ll follow him. But if I’m good enough I may want to be a professional bowler.”

Shafer, a 25-year PBA Tour veteran who is hoping to end his record streak of 13 television finals in major championships without a title, averaged 233.89 for his 18 games, finishing with 4,030 pins to retain the lead by 10 pins over veteran PBA Regional competitor P.J. Sonday of Luzerne, Pa.

Sonday, whose national tour experience includes five previous U.S. Opens, had 4,020 pins. Sonday has cashed in four U.S. Opens, but has never made it into the match play field. In PBA Regional competition, he won his only title three years ago.

Mike Fagan of Dallas is in third place with 3,923 pins followed by a pair of amateurs - Ron Nelson Jr. of Bridgeview, IL, at 3,919 and John Janawicz of Winter Haven, FL, at 3,893. Defending U.S. Open champion Norm Duke of Clermont, FL, made a big move up the leader board Thursday, finishing 11th with 3,818 pins.

Friday morning’s cashers round and the final three rounds of match play Friday night and Saturday will be webcast live on the PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, click on the logo on the home page of pba.com.

69TH U.S. OPEN

Brunswick Zone-Carolier, North Brunswick, N.J., Thursday

THIRD ROUND (after 18 games; top 98 advance to Friday’s cashers round)

1, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4,030.
2, P.J. Sonday, Luzerne, Pa., 4,020.
3, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 3,923.
4, Ron Nelson Jr., Bridgeview, Ill., 3,919.
5, John Janawicz, Winter Haven, Fla., 3,893.
6, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,880.
7, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,869.
8, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3,850.
9, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 3,825.
10, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 3,824.
11, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,818.
12, Shannon Buchan, Waterloo, Iowa, 3,817.
13, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 3,808.
14, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 3,792.
15, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,788.
16, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,784.
17, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,782.
18, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,776.
19, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 3,771.
20, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,763.
21, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 3,762.
22, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,753.
23 (tie), Storm DeVincent, Westford, Mass., and Osku Palermaa, Finland, 3,749.
25, Dom Barrett, England, 3,747.
26, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,742.
27, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 3,740.
28, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,734.
29, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 3,733.
30 (tie), Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., and Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 3,731.
32, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 3,721.
33, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 3,717.
34, Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland, 3,710.
35, Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., 3,708.
36 (tie), Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., and Rusty Thomsen, Morgan, N.J., 3,705.
38, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 3,694.
39, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 3,681.
40, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,676.
41, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,674.
42 (tie), Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., and Adam Chase, Seaford, N.Y., 3,672.
44, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 3,670.
45 (tie), Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., and Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,665.
47, David Stouffer, Fort Myers, Fla., 3,659.
48 (tie), Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, and Carleton Chambers, Detroit, 3,653.
50, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,651.
51 (tie), John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., and Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3,647.
53, Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 3,641.
54, Kamron Doyle, Brentwood, Tenn., 3,640.
55, Stephen Pavlinko, Sewell, N.J., 3,637.
56, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,636.
57, Juhani Tonteri, Finland, 3,629.
58, Daniel Farish, Louisville, Ky., 3,627.
59, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 3,626.
60, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,623.
61, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 3,620.
62 (tie), Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., and Steve Rogers, Manteno, Ill., 3,607.
64, Patrick Girard, Canada, 3,601.
65, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,600.
66, Paul Pinto, Philadelphia, 3,597.
67, Stephen Haas, Enola, Pa., 3,596.
68, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,595.
69, Brandon Tarabek, Cleveland Hts., Ohio, 3,594.
70, Chad Roberts, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 3,592.
71, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,591.
72, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 3,590.
73, Tony Ament, Monroe, N.J., 3,589.
74, Rob Gotterbarn, Garden City South, N.Y., 3,585.
75, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3,584.
76, Matt Taylor, Knightdale, N.C., 3,576.
77, James Wallace, Hicksville, N.Y., 3,575.
78, George Branham III, Indianapolis, 3,574.
79, David Kilts, New York, 3,570.
80, Mike Rose Jr., West Henrietta, N.Y., 3,569.
81, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,568.
82 (tie), Jeremy Boyer, Desloge, Mo.; Mike Dole, Chicago, and Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 3,567.
85, T.J. Schmidt, Osceola, Ind., 3,566.
86, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 3,562.
87, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 3,558.
88, Stuart Williams, England, 3,557.
89, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 3,556.
90, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,554.
91, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,552.
92, Alex Cavagnaro, Massapequa, N.Y., 3,548.
93, Sean Riccardi, Piscataway, N.J., 3,547.
94, Joe Goldstein Sr., Hayward, Calif., 3,544.
95, Billy Pautz, St. Peter, Minn., 3,538.
96 (tie), Dan Furman, Amsterdam, N.Y., and Kenneth Lane, Rosedale, Md., 3,535.
98, x-John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., 3,534.
  x – Wiseman surrendered 98th place to Furey due to an injury.

DID NOT ADVANCE:

99, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 3,534.
100, Sean Rangel, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 3,533.
101, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,529.
102 (tie), Fero Williams, Fairfield, Ohio, and Andrew Burke, St. Clair Shores, Mich., 3,527.
104 (tie), Kasey Normandin, Canada, and Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 3,525.
106, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 3,524.
107, Paul Bober, Morton Grove, Ill., 3,520.
108 (tie), Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., and Alex Aguiar, N. Dartmouth, Mass., 3,519.
110, Duane Kilts, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 3,514.
111, Dale Coleman, High Springs, Fla., 3,513.
112 (tie), Richard Rathjen Jr., Naples, Fla., and Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, 3,510.
114, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.V., 3,508.
115, Tommy Dakouvanos, Belford, N.J., 3,506.
116, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 3,505.
117, David Simard, Canada, 3,504.
118, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 3,503.
119 (tie), Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,501.
121 (tie), Jason Freeman, Maple Shade, N.J., and Travis Celmer, Wernersville, Pa., 3,500.
123, Jeremy Hunt, Sikeston, Mo., 3,494.
124, James Fielder, Murray, Ky., 3,493.
125, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 3,492.
126, Ken Yokobosky, Fredon, N.J., 3,491.
127, Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 3,489.
128, Robert Mockenhaupt, Rutherford, N.J., 3,488.
129, John Briggs, Warwick, N.Y., 3,482.
130, Frankie Calca, Elmont, N.Y., 3,481.
131, Anthony Colosimo, Pembroke Pines, Fla., 3,480.
132, Lanndyn Carnate, Glendale, Ariz., 3,479.
133 (tie), David Canady, Germany; Manuel Otalora, Colombia, and Wayne Porr, Hamburg, PA, 3,472.
136, Ernest Lukacs Jr., Manville, N.J., 3,471.
137 (tie), Charles Anderson, Sloatsburg, N.Y., and Jimmy Cook, Indianapolis, 3,470.
139, Drew Balta, Swisher, Iowa, 3,468.
140 (tie), Scott Lavy, Troy, Mo., and Michael Markis, Hawley, Pa., 3,467.
142, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 3,464.
143, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 3,460.
144, Marcelo Suartz, Brazil, 3,459.
145, Matt Gasn, Laurel, Md., 3,457.
146, Brad Kemp, Allentown, Pa., 3,455.
147, Chad Reiffer, Kentwood, Mich., 3,441.
148, Clint Dacy, Fort Worth, Texas, 3,438.
149, Jason Stadtler, Cherry Hill, N.J., 3,436.
150, Chris Lawson, Parker, Colo., 3,435.
151 (tie), Alexander Marx, Toms River, N.J., and Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3,432.
153, Stephen Hardy, Manchester, N.H., 3,427.
154, Fran Luzzi, Port Jervis, N.Y., 3,426.
155, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,425.
156, Robert Butler Jr., Staten Island, N.Y., 3,424.
157, Corey Husted, Milwaukie, Ore., 3,422.
158, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,421.
159, Scott Santos, Quakertown, Pa., 3,416.
160 (tie), Jason Baker, Sharon Springs, N.Y., and Jeff Schrum, Cherryville, N.C., 3,414.
162, A.J. Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 3,410.
163, Jim Rogers, Brick, N.J., 3,408.
164, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 3,407.
165, B.J. Moore III, Apex, N.C., 3,406.
166, Bryan Paul, Brooklyn, N.Y., 3,405.
167 (tie), Sean Wilson, Hawthorn Woods, Ill., and Vinny D'Ambrosio III, Staten Island, NY, 3,404.
169, Chris Kramer, Richlandtown, Pa., 3,401.
170, Aaron Williams, Pennsauken, N.J., 3,400.
171, Chad Hastings, Greenwood, Del., 3,397.
172 (tie), Kevin Brophy, Oakhurst, N.J., and Justin Bychkowski, Newtown, Conn., 3,392.
174, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 3,391.
175, Eric Vanderford, Brooklyn, N.Y., 3,387.
176, Sean McAuliffe, Staten Island, N.Y., 3,385.
177 (tie), Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, and Eric Cornog, Cherry Hill, N.J., 3,384.
179 (tie), Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., and Ray Struck, Orland Park, Ill., 3,381.
181, Glenn Smith, New York, 3,380.
182, Austin Boulds, Cereal Springs, Ill., 3,379.
183, Chris Deemer, Hamilton, N.J., 3,377.
184 (tie), Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, and PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,374.
186, Gary Faulkner, Memphis, Tenn., 3,373.
187, Russell Wiltsey, Hamilton, N.J., 3,366.
188, Logan Klinge, Dubuque, Iowa, 3,365.
189, Kenny Ryan, Ocean, N.J., 3,361.
190, Frank Guccione, Castle Rock, Colo., 3,346.
191, Ron Dixon, Boynton Beach, Fla., 3,341.
192, Michael Ahlquist, Sweden, 3,334.
193, Stephen Dieter, Bowmanstown, Pa., 3,329.
194, Tim West, Easton, Conn., 3,326.
195, John Brown, Dexter, Mo., 3,325.
196, Tyler Armour, Barre, Vt., 3,324.
197, Billy Bertuch III, Yonkers, N.Y., 3,319.
198 (tie), Wayne Bolin, Lumberton, N.C.; Chris Forry, Bridgeport, Conn., and Michael Fontenot, Hampton, Va., 3,316.
201, Michael Cimba, Monroeville, Pa., 3,314.
202 (tie), Tatu Lehtonen, Finland;  Joseph Schuld, Farmingdale, N.J., and Shane Companion, Barre, Vt., 3,313.
205, Chris Thornhill, Salisbury, Md,, 3,310.
206, Michael Favor III, Bayville, N.J., 3,309.
207, Alain Bouchard, Canada, 3,307.
208, Ethan Gray, North East, Md., 3,306.
209, Deric Morris, Warner Robins, Ga., 3,300.
210 (tie), Billy Asbury, Odenton, Md.; Jaime Gonzalez, Colombia, and Ryan Branson, Bordentown, N.J., 3,299.
213, Walter Williams Jr., Lodi, N.J., 3,297.
214, Tim McAuliffe, Staten Island, N.Y., 3,295.
215, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 3,294.
216, Todd Klinko, Oil City, Pa., 3,293.
217 (tie), Keith Goldberg, Yonkers, N.Y.; Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., and Christopher Blackmore, Fairfax, Va., 3,288.
220, Ron Hurt, Fairfax, Va., 3,287.
221 (tie), Brian Lake, Warren, Mich., and  Anthony Colangelo, Helmetta, N.J., 3,285.
223, Patrick Donohoe Jr., Hampstead, N.H., 3,282.
224, Joshua Berry, Glasgow, Ky., 3,281.
225, David Knight Jr., Folcroft, Pa., 3,280.
226 (tie), Matt Russo, Millstone Township, N.J.;  Vincent Balisky, Elmhurst, N.Y., and Adam Monks, Conway, S.C., 3,273.
229, Toney Nelson, North Branford, Conn., 3,272.
230 (tie), Ryan Friend, Staten Island, N.Y., and Justin Warhol, Sound Beach, N.Y., 3,269.
232 (tie), Frankie Mazzella, Staten Island, N.Y., and Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., 3,264.
234 (tie), Justin Sloan, Fair Lawn, N.J., and Edward Bienvenue, Edison, N.J., 3,259.
236, Chris Fisher, Brooklyn, N.Y., 3,258.
237 (tie), Kerry Painter, Henderson, NV; John Conroy, Mahopac, NY, and Noel Pabilonia, Jersey City, NJ, 3,257.
240, Diante Fields, Mount Royal, N.J., 3,253.
241, Shane Holbert, Clifton Heights., Pa., 3,252.
242, George Kruse, Clifton, N.J., 3,246.
243, Joel Larche, Canada, 3,244.
244, Gregory Krumnow, Vickery, Ohio, 3,243.
245, Eric Page Sr., Templeton, Mass., 3,240.
246, Jason Wilt, San Diego, 3,238.
247, Michael Santonastaso, Lebanon, N.J., 3,235.
248, Frank Gray Jr., North East, Md., 3,224.
249 (tie), Chris Knappenberger, Slatington, Pa., and Lawrence King, Billerica, Mass., 3,223.
251, Melissa Kammerer, Staten Island, N.Y., 3,222.
252 (tie), Kirk Trahan, Houma, LA; Terry Krawec, Canada, & Chris Tomlinson, Franklin, TN 3,218.
255 (tie), David Carroll, Carbondale, Pa., and Joe Krajkovich, North Brunswick, N.J., 3,217.
257 (tie), Richard Horsley, Morrisville, N.C., and Kevin Williams, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3,214.
259 (tie), Devin Golden, Bethlehem, Pa., and Tony Johnson, Canton, Ohio, 3,213.
261, Cory Nichols, Hudson Falls, N.Y., 3,212.
262 (tie), Michael Dutkiewicz, Nicholson, Pa., and Mike Deckelman, Milford, Del., 3,210.
264, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 3,206.
265, Corey Kistner, Decatur, Ill., 3,205.
266, Mark McNear, Altamonte Springs, Fla., 3,198.
267, Michael Healy, Yonkers, N.Y., 3,196.
268 (tie), Greg Rottengen, Washington, N.J., and Jose Marte, Elmwood Park, N.J., 3,191.
270, Nicolas Forestier, France, 3,189.
271 (tie), Nicole Toto, Piscataway, N.J., and Dave Martorella, Meriden, Conn., 3,185.
273, Chico Santiago, Tuckahoe, N.Y., 3,184.
274, Steven Maruffi, Brooklyn, N.Y., 3,183.
275, Eddie Torres, Port Ewen, NY, 3,182.
276 (tie), Paul Lemond, Jasper, Ind., and Chris Blaison, Newburgh, N.Y., 3,181.
278, Jack Pieraccini, Pittsfield, Mass., 3,180.
279 (tie), Daniel Gassera, Port Charlotte, Fla., and Rob Sperling, Livingston, N.J., 3,178.
281, Robert Fusik III, Hamilton, N.J., 3,172.
282, Michelle Arrington, Philadelphia, 3,170.
283, Taylor Swartz, Windsor, N.Y., 3,167.
284, Tim Panek, Randolph, N.J., 3,166.
285, Ron Glick, Morganville, N.J., 3,165.
286, Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 3,163.
287, Daniel Dunleavy, Staten Island, N.Y., 3,159.
288 (tie), Greg Stahora, West Hazelton, Pa., and Raymond Johnston Jr., Leonardtown, Md.,3,157.
290, Philip Karl, Jackson, Ohio, 3,156.
291, David Rosengarten, Gardendale, Ala., 3,153.
292, Frank Bellavia Jr., Niagara Falls, N.Y., 3,151.
293, Keith DeCambra, Quincy, Mass., 3,148.
294, Cedric Anthor, France, 3,142.
295, Sylvain Brisson, Canada, 3,137.
296, Bernard Vandermeersch, France, 3,133.
297 (tie), Brian DiCicco, Agawam, Mass., and Douglas Tonucci, Waldorf, Md., 3,127.
299, Joseph Auger, Newburgh, N.Y., 3,126.
300, Stephen Habel, Dubuque, Iowa, 3,124.
301, Cyril Assie, France, 3,122.
302, Jimmy Clark, Corinna, Maine, 3,120.
303, Brian Sulzbach, Levittown, N.Y., 3,118.
304, Thomas McLane, Lusby, Md., 3,116.
305, Leon Platt, Summerville, S.C., 3,115.
306, Art Swain Jr., Philadelphia, 3,111.
307, Bryan Eaton, Wyoming, Mich., 3,107.
308, Kevin Cartier, Beverly, N.J., 3,106.
309, Larry Del Vecchio, Chalfont, Pa., 3,103.
310 (tie), Richard Page II, Hillsborough, N.J., and Brian Crater, Hudson, Mich., 3,100.
312, Marty Kirsten Jr., Greentown, Pa., 3,098.
313, Thomas Grunwald, Astoria, N.Y., 3,096.
314, Gary Smalling, Johnson City, Tenn., 3,091.
315, Jason Phillips, Greenwood, Ind., 3,089.
316 (tie), Michael Ciardulli Jr., Valley Stream, N.Y., and Scott Salem, Oradell, N.J., 3,088.
318 (tie), Gregory Matera, Staten Island, N.Y., and Pierre-Luc Larouche, Canada, 3,085.
320, Christopher Lee, Brooklyn, N.Y., 3,082.
321, Jim Dilyard, Burbank, Ohio, 3,081.
322, Charles Harris, Macungie, Pa., 3,078.
323, Robert Wade, Winter Springs, Fla., 3,075.
324, Maverick Mackovic, Oak Ridge, N.C., 3,070.
325 (tie), Yves Crouzat, France, and David Perry, Fairfield, Maine, 3,066.
327, Richard Ayers, Union, N.J., 3,064.
328, Gaetano Sereno, Ridgewood, N.Y., 3,062.
329 (tie), Mike Carmean, Georgetown, Del., and John Touhey, Miamisburg, Ohio, 3,061.
331, Ryan Funk, Midlothian, Ill., 3,059.
332, Ken Karamichael, Somerset, N.J., 3,058.
333, Jonathan Sellers, Stratford, Conn., 3,054.
334, Al Giolat, Florissant, Mo., 3,052.
335, Brandon Robertson, Clinton, Conn., 3,048.
336, Michael McCord, Bayonne, N.J., 3,042.
337, Bradley Branam, Bloomington, Ind., 3,035.
338, Mark Cornelius, Peru, Ind., 3,034.
339, Andrew Wojcik, Doylestown, Pa., 3,032.
340 (tie), Sun Kim, Flushing, N.Y., and Michael Robey, Morrisville, Pa., 3,030.
342, Ralph Ehrlich, N.Massapequa, N.Y., 3,026.
343, Chris Boyd, Brick, N.J., 3,025.
344, Jerry Bohlman, Milton, Fla., 3,011.
345, Christopher Keane, New City, N.Y., 2,998.
346, Michael LoBianco, Brick, N.J., 2,994.
347, Chris Helton, Fountain, Colo., 2,990.
348, Joaquim Fernandes, France, 2,986.
349 (tie), Michael Sucena, Philadelphia, and Armando Santacruz, Ecuador, 2,979.
351, David Zeitz, Philadelphia, 2,976.
352, M. Humphrey, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 2,974.
353, Robert Brownie, Richmond, Va., 2,971.
354, Chris Liotta, Dix Hills, N.Y., 2,966.
355, Shaun English, Lebanon, Pa., 2,963.
356, Matt Vancil, Dexter, Mo., 2,955.
357, Brandon Boyer, Hudson Falls, N.Y., 2,952.
358, Steven Landry, Oakville, Conn., 2,944.
359, Joel Eyssen, Manville, N.J., 2,941.
360, Emmanuel Rigas, Trenton, N.J., 2,929.
361, Kevin Dziuba, Howell, N.J., 2,925.
362, Jean Marie Gaudin, France, 2,918.
363, Jason Lowery, Baltimore, 2,917.
364, Joseph Truchan Jr., Ringwood, N.J., 2,915.
365, Sylvie LaLancette, Canada, 2,905.
366, Amanda Warren, Naperville, Ill., 2,904.
367, Jonathan Glattstein, North Bergen, N.J., 2,860.
368, Anssi Valtonen, Finland, 2,845.
369, Domenico Curra, Mahopac, N.Y., 2,843.
370, Greg Eskow, Syosset, N.Y., 2,836.
371, Steve Wilstein, Boston, 2,808.
372, Chris Riolo, Springfield, N.J., 2,780.
373, Beau Geier, Watertown, S.D., 2,774.
374, Thomas VanGorden, Hamilton, N.J., 2,772.
375, Giovanny Jimenez, Plainsboro, N.J., 2,755.
376, Christopher Gillette, Scotia, N.Y., 2,753.
377, Michael Shaw, Maple Shade, N.J., 2,735.
378, J. Marc Rougelin, France, 2,714.
379, Minh-Duc Le, France, 2,710.
380, Mike Gossman, Emmaus, Pa., 2,705.
381, Shane Cunningham, Claryville, N.Y., 2,693.
382, Joseph Gentile, Huntington Station, N.Y., 2,607.
383, Kevin Junice, Old Bridge, N.J., 2,518.
384, Roy Cadoo Jr., Matawan, N.J., 2,454.
385, Aaron Knoll, Plainview, N.Y., 2,441.

Shafer Knocking on The Door of a PBA Major AGAIN

Ryan Shafer, the ultimate bridesmaid in professional bowling major championship tournaments, is once again poised to grasp the title he covets most.

Shafer, a 45-year-old 25-year veteran of Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) competition, is the early second round leader in the 69th U.S. Open Wednesday after averaging 225.17 through the first 12 qualifying games at Brunswick Zone-Carolier.

On the freshly-oiled lane condition Wednesday morning, the Horseheads, NY, resident rolled games of 236, 188, 250, 255, 255 and 229 to finish with 2,702 pins and a 37-pin cushion over co-runners-up Mike Fagan of Dallas and Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio. Amateur Ron Nelson Jr. of Bridgeview, IL, was fourth with 2,654 pins. First round leader Dan MacLelland of Canada, who led Shafer by 140 pins going into Wednesday’s round, dropped to fifth place with a 2,651 total.

Defending champion Norm Duke of Clermont, FL, was in 33rd place among the early finishers with 2,478 pins.

The final one-third of the field of 394 players completed their second round Wednesday evening.

Shafer’s goal is to end a PBA-record string of 13 television finals in major championships without a title. He has finished second in majors five times, including the PBA World Championship earlier this season, and he has three additional top five finishes in majors when fewer than five players advanced to the TV finals.

In the U.S. Open alone, he has six top five finishes.

While Shafer has made at least one television appearance for 15 consecutive years, and has won four standard PBA Tour titles, he has never won a major.

He also realizes the only way he can end the streak is to continue putting himself into position to win one.

“This tournament is too long to worry about Sunday,” Shafer said. “You can’t think ahead.”

“Ahead” is the four-player stepladder finals which will be contested live on ESPN Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. There also is a $60,000 carrot dangling in front of the winner, but there are still 14 qualifying games plus another 24 games of match play on the sport’s most demanding bowling conditions to get through. Shafer just hopes to be one of the final four.

“I love this tournament,” he said. “It can be frustrating at time, but house knowledge helps a lot. We’ve bowled a lot of tournaments here (at Brunswick Zone-Carolier) and I remember characteristics of the center that help. There are certain sections of the house where I know I can’t use the same ball on both lanes. You’re taking a chance when you do that, but I know I’ll shoot 160 if I don’t do it.

“You don’t expect to bowl that well on the fresh condition,” he said. “But I got a good night’s sleep and came in feeling good. I had one bad game, but for the most part, everything went as planned and I carried the pocket. That was the big thing.”

The entire field will bowl six more qualifying games Thursday. The top 98 players after 18 games will then advance to the eight-game cashers’ round Friday morning. After a total of 27 games, the top 24 will advance to three eight-game round robin match play rounds Friday evening and Saturday to decide the four stepladder finalists. 

All preliminary rounds leading up to Sunday’s ESPN finals are being webcast live on the PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, click on the logo on the home page of pba.com.

69TH U.S. OPEN

Brunswick Zone-Carolier, North Brunswick, NJ, Wednesday

EARLY SECOND ROUND (top 64 after 12 games; one-third of the field had yet to complete the second round)

1, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,702.
2 (tie), Mike Fagan, Dallas, and Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 2,665.
4, Ron Nelson Jr., Bridgeview, Ill., 2,654.
5, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 2,651.
6, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,620.
7, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 2,607.
8, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 2,591.
9, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 2,589.
10, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,580.
11, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2,566.
12 (tie), Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, and John Janawicz, Winter Haven, Fla., 2,560.
14, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,555.
15, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 2,554.
16, Shannon Buchan, Waterloo, Iowa, 2,553.
17, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 2,541.
18, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 2,537.
19, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 2,529.
20, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,527.
21, Rusty Thomsen, Morgan, N.J., 2,526.
22 (tie), Daniel Farish, Louisville, Ky., and Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 2,518.
24, Adam Chase, Seaford, N.Y., 2,510.
25, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 2,498.
26 (tie), Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., and John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 2,494.
28, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,489.
29, Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 2,486.
30, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 2,482.
31, David Stouffer, Fort Myers, Fla., 2,480.
32, Stephen Haas, Enola, Pa., 2,479.
33, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 2,478.
34, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2,477.
35, Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 2,470.
36, Brandon Tarabek, Cleveland Hts., Ohio, 2,459.
37, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 2,458.
38 (tie), Rob Gotterbarn, Garden City South, N.Y., and Carleton Chambers, Detroit, 2,457.
40, Dom Barrett, England, 2,456.
41, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,455.
42, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 2,450.
43, T.J. Schmidt, Osceola, Ind., 2,449.
44, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,446.
45, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 2,445.
46, Stephen Pavlinko, Sewell, N.J., 2,441.
47, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 2,433.
48, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 2,431.
49, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 2,428.
50 (tie), Andrew Burke, St. Clair Shores, Mich., and Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,427.
52, Anthony Colosimo, Pembroke Pines, Fla., 2,417.
53, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 2,412.
54 (tie), Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn.; Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio; Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, and Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, 2,411.
58, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 2,408.
59 (tie), Alex Aguiar, N. Dartmouth, Mass., and Kenneth Lane, Rosedale, Md., 2,406.
61, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2,401.
62, Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland, 2,400.
63, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 2,396.
64, John Briggs, Warwick, N.Y., 2,395.

Scott Newell Wins PBA Ricart Ford Open

Despite rolling a gutter ball on his first shot of the opening stepladder match, Scott Newell of Deland, FL, quickly regained his composure to win three consecutive matches for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 title Sunday at Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus, Ohio. 

The 28-year-old Newell won his first Tour title by defeating tournament leader and one-time Tour winner Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY, 247-245, in a title match that went down to the 10th frame. 

Leaving the tricky 2-8 on the first ball of the 10th frame, Newell was able to make the spare and then strike on the final ball for the victory. 

“I may have looked composed on the outside but I was shaking on the inside,” said Newell, who owns three regional Tour titles and a best previous Tour finish of 12th. “I just had to take a deep breath and remind myself to stay focused and do what I do best.” 

In the semi-final match, Newell survived another nail biter when he defeated three-time Tour titlist Rhino Page of Dade City, FL, 238-237. In that match he had to convert a 10-pin on the final shot to secure the win. 

“You try to prepare yourself the best you can for pressure situations but you never know how you’re going to perform until those situations present themselves,” Newell said. “A lot of people say you have the ability and you can get it done but it’s just a great relief when you finally do.” 

In the first frame of the opening stepladder match against Dom Barrett of England, Newell threw the gutter ball after it hit his ankle which he admitted was a sign of his nervousness. He regained his composure enough to then make the spare and went on to defeat Barrett 255-202. 

“It was just a matter of getting too quick with my feet and my timing was off,” Newell said. “It was probably good that I made that mistake right away because I could then put it behind me and get on with the rest of the match.” 

Barrett was looking for his second PBA Tour title after winning the PBA Scorpion Open which, ironically, was aired on an ESPN taped-delayed telecast earlier in the day. The Ricart Ford Open was the second PBA Tour event streamed live exclusively on pba.com’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. Two more Xtra Frame events are scheduled during the remainder of the season. 

The next stop for the PBA Tour will be the 69th U.S. Open—the third major of the season— from Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, NJ, Feb. 20-26. 

PBA RICART FORD OPEN PRESENTED BY COLUMBIA 300 Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Sunday 

FINAL STANDINGS: 

1, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., three games, 740 pins, $10,000 

2, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., one game, 245 pins, $5,000 

3, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., one game, 237 pins, $3,000 

4, Dom Barrett, England, one game, 202 pins, $2,500 

PLAYOFF RESULTS: Match One – Newell def. Barrett, 255-202 Semifinal match – Newell def. Page, 238-237 Championship match – Newell def. Ciminelli, 247-245.

MATCH PLAY RESULTS After 22 games, including match play records and total pinfall including bonus pins. Top four advanced to stepladder finals. 

1, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 7-6, 5,569. 

2, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 11-2, 5,527. 

3, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 10-3, 5,343. 

4, Dom Barrett, England, 8-5, 5,302. 

5, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 8-5, 5,260, $2,200. 

6, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 9-4, 5,215, $1,950. 

6, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 9-4, 5,215, $1,950. 

8, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 6-7, 5,196, $1,800. 

9, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 9-4, 5,152, $1,750. 

10, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 5-8, 5,145, $1,700. 

11, Jason Lundquist, Groveport, Ohio, 6-7, 5,105, $1,650. 

12, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 5-8, 5,089, $1,600. 

13, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 5-8, 5,054, $1,550. 

14, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 6-7, 5,051, $1,500. 

15, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 6-7, 5,040, $1,450. 

16, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 7-6, 5,038, $1,400. 

17, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 5-7-1, 5,018, $1,350. 

18, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 7-6, 5,012, $1,300. 

19, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 6-7, 4,939, $1,275. 

20, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 5-8, 4,936, $1,250. 

21, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 5-7-1, 4,794, $1,225. 

22, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 4-8-1, 4,793, $1,200. 

23, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3-9-1, 4,670, $1,175. 

24, Chuck Tompkins, New Albany, Ohio, 2-11, 4,406, $1,150.

Storm Bowling Featured in ESPN the Magazine February 20th

Page and Ciminelli Lead PBA Ricart Ford Open

Left-handers Rhino Page of Dade City, FL and Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY, averaged 244 to lead qualifying Saturday in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 at Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus Ohio.

Both players had a 2,199 nine-game pinfall with Ciminelli bowling games of 220, 246, 257, 219, 289, 204, 256, 245 and 263 and Page games of 225, 266, 280, 236, 259, 280, 226, 227 and 200.

“This is not normally a shot I would do real well on,” Ciminelli said of the new PBA 45-foot Don Johnson lane condition pattern. “The key for me is to take advantage of the condition right off the bat where there is a good hook spot right around the 6-8 board. But then you really have to pay attention to the
motion of the ball to keep pace with the changing conditions throughout the block and I was able to stay ahead of the transitions.”

Ciminelli is trying for his second career PBA Tour title having won his first title in last season’s Earl Anthony Memorial Open in Dublin, Calif. This season his best finish was 10th in the PBA World Championship.

Page, a three-time Tour champion, with his last win coming in the 2009 PBA Viper Championship, has a best finish of 17th this season which also came in the PBA World Championship.

“I’ve been practicing a lot and really working on my mental game,” Page said. “I’m working on not getting so emotional and eliminate the ups and downs. This is the first time in a long time that I’ve really felt as prepared as I should be going into a tournament.”

Ciminelli and Page topped 22 other players who advanced to Sunday’s match play round which will determine the four finalists for Sunday's stepladder finals which will get underway at 6 p.m. ET. Rounding out the top five in qualifying were PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber, 2,083; and Dom Barrett and Patrick Dombrowski both with 2,077.

The Ricart Ford Open is the second PBA Tour event of the season to be streamed 
live exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. Two more Xtra Frame 
events are scheduled during the remainder of the season. Xtra Frame subscription 
information is available by visiting pba.com.
PBA RICART FORD OPEN PRESENTED BY COLUMBIA 300
Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Saturday

QUALIFYING RESULTS
After 9 games, top 24 advance to Sunday’s match play

1 (tie), Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla. and Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,199.
3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,083.
4 (tie) Dom Barrett, England and Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 2,077.
6, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 2,064.
7, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,056.
8, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,055.
9, Jason Lundquist, Groveport, Ohio, 2,049.
10, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 2,035.
11, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 2,019.
12, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,015.
13, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2,012.
14, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 2,011.
15, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 2,002.
16, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,992.
17, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,987.
18, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 1,983.
19, Chuck Tompkins, New Albany, Ohio, 1,968.
20 (tie), Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, and Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,966.
22, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 1,961.
23, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,953.
24, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,951.

Did not advance
25 (tie), Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,950 and John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., 1,950, $840.
27, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,933, $820.
28 (tie), Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich. and Art Oliver Jr., Hamilton, Ont. Canada, 1,932, $805.
30, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,924, $790.
31 (tie), Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., and Jonathan Russell, Rockwood, Tenn., 1,923, $775.
33, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,905, $760.
34, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 1,904, $750.
35, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,903.
36, Stuart Williams, England, 1,901.
37, Ed Carter, Akron, Ohio, 1,896.
38, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 1,895.
39, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,893.
40 (tie), Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind. and Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,891.
42, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 1,883.
43, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,879.
44 (tie), Kyle Jones, Groveport, Ohio and Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 1,877.
46, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,869.
47, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 1,867.
48, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,861.
49, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,860.
50, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,858.
51 (tie), Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas and Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 1,857.
53, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,850.
54, Greg VanGundy, Canal Winchester, Ohio, 1,845.
55, Steve Rogers, Manteno, Ill., 1,838.
56, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,833.
57, Rick Zakrajsek, Lorain, Ohio, 1,830.
58, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,820.
59, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,817.
60, Adam Monks, Conway, S.C., 1,816.
61, Michael Ahlquist, Sweden, 1,810.
62, Chad Roberts, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 1,808.
63, Jerry Kessler, Englewood, Ohio, 1,795.
64, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 1,791.
65, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 1,790.
66, Kevin Leach, Columbus, Ohio, 1,787.
67, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,780.
68, Jason Flaugh, Avilla, Ind., 1,774.
69, Mason Brantley, Detroit, 1,760.
70, Stephen Haas, Enola, Pa., 1,759.
71, Brian Fite, Grayson, Ky., 1,757.
72, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,747.
73, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,742.
74, Timothy Miller, Bowling Green, Ky., 1,735.
75, Kirby Allen, Ironton, Ohio, 1,727.
76, Ellis Breeden, Hilliard, Ohio, 1,724.
77, Carleton Chambers, Detroit, 1,717.
78 (tie), Josh Stephens, Leavenworth, Kan. And Robert Gatas, Buffalo, N.Y., 1,716.
80, Carl See, Warrensburg, Mo., 1,715.
81, Larry Cross, Richardson, Texas, 1,712.
82, Charles McClellan, Grandview Hts., Ohio, 1,711.
83, David Harold II, Canal Winchester, Ohio, 1,709.
84, Ernest Lukacs, Manville, N.J., 1,706.
85, Christine Bator, Warren, Mich., 1,705.
86, Aaron Gall, New Castle, Pa., 1,704.
87, Ernest Lukacs Jr., Manville, N.J., 1,702.
88, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,688.
89, Fred Augustin, Burlington, Ky., 1,682.
90, Dustin Baker, Melbourne, Ky, 1,672.
91, Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, 1,669.
92, Joshua Lewis, Asheville, N.C., 1,647.
93, Robert Wade, Winter Springs, Fla., 1,645.
94, Steven Kammerman, Cincinnati, 1,638.
95, Tim Wingate, Ft. Wayne, Ind., 1,618.
96, Jason Schaub, Polk, Ohio, 1,567.
97, Jason Phillips, Greenwood, Ind., 1,559.
98, Thomas Parker III, Columbus, 1,553.
99, Sean Johnson, Moundsville, W.Va., 1,542.
100, Diego Lopez, Colombia, 1,537.
101, Scott Karnes, Columbus, Ohio, 1,531.
102, Phillip Collins, Columbus, Ohio, 675.

Video on the Storm Vivid Coming March 1st

The PBA Scorpion Open Sunday on ESPN

England’s Dom Barrett, fully recovered from a broken collar bone sustained nine months earlier in a near-tragic all-terrain vehicle accident in Saudi Arabia, will lead the field of four finalists into the battle for the Professional Bowlers Association’s Scorpion Open title Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Also on Sunday, PBA fans will be able to watch the final rounds of the Xtra Frame Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 live on the Internet from Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.

The Scorpion Open is the third of four PBA “animal pattern” championships conducted during the World Series of Bowling at South Point Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

Barrett’s Scorpion Open opponents will include Dave Wodka of Henderson, NV, who won his only PBA Tour title in the 1999 Greater Detroit Open; Sean Rash of suburban Chicago (Montgomery,) IL, who qualified for the ESPN finals in a record six PBA World Series of Bowling events, and 13-time PBA Tour titlist Patrick Allen of Baltimore, who is seeking his first title in two years.

Barrett earned the top qualifier position for the Scorpion finals by averaging 233.14 over 14 qualifying games, posting a 3,264 pinfall total. Wodka finished 17 pins behind, followed by Rash and Allen.

Barrett, who qualified for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions by winning a PBA West Regional title in Reno, NV, just before the World Series of Bowling, hopes to join fellow British competitor Stuart Williams as the second English player to win a PBA Tour title. Williams won his first PBA Tour title in the Bayer Viper Open.

“I came (to the United States) to win one of these tournaments,” Barrett said. “Winning the regional gave me a lot of confidence. This is going to be my first (PBA) show and I couldn’t be happier.”

Sunday’s ESPN eliminator-format finals will feature three one-game rounds. All four players bowl the opening game, with the lowest-scoring player after each game being eliminated. In the two rounds to follow, the same “low man out” format applies. In the title match, the two surviving players will bowl for a $15,000 first prize, a PBA Tour title and a berth in the Round of 36 for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions.

In addition to the other benefits, Barrett hopes to become the fourth straight international player to win a World Series of Bowling title. Rash, a four-time PBA Tour champion, is trying for his first title since the 2007 USBC Masters.

The Xtra Frame Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 will be webcast live in its entirety on pba.com’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame, including Saturday’s qualifying rounds and Sunday’s match play competition. Saturday’s schedule includes nine-game qualifying rounds for Squads A and B at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET, with the top 24 qualifiers advancing to match play Sunday. Sunday’s live coverage will include round-robin match play sessions at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with the top four advancing to the live stepladder finals at 6 p.m.

A Scorpion Open pre-event show will be webcast at no cost on pba.com’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel starting Wednesday, with a follow-up post-game show immediately following Sunday’s ESPN telecast. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.

Belmonte Wins Second PBA Titile

Australia’s Jason Belmonte ended his nearly three-year quest for his second Professional Bowlers Association title, stringing eight strikes to run away from Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, 268-191, in the finals of the Chameleon Open at South Point Casino and Hotel.

The Chameleon Open finals, the second of four PBA “animal pattern” championships contested during the third annual PBA World Series of Bowling, aired Sunday on ESPN.

Belmonte, who came into the Chameleon elimination-format finals as the leading qualifier, barely survived the first two games before finding his groove in the title match.

In the opening game, Belmonte’s two-handed rival, Osku Palermaa of Finland, led the four-man field with a 213. Rash was second with a 201, and Belmonte nipped Venezuela’s Ildemaro Ruiz, 189-187, to avoid elimination as low man in the round. 

In game two, Rash led the survivors with a 226 while Belmonte edged Palermaa, 200-190, to advance to the title match. Belmonte had lost to Palermaa in the only two previous meetings of the two-handed rivals, and barely escaped a third loss. After throwing a strike on his first ball in the 10th to take the lead over Palermaa, Belmonte left the 3-6-9-10 on his next shot to hand a one-pin lead back to the Finn. But Palermaa then left a 10 pin on his first shot in the 10th frame and failed to convert the spare to hand the game back to Belmonte.

In the title match, the Australian kicked in the afterburners. After converting the 6-10 spare in the first frame, the 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year ran off a string of eight consecutive strikes to run away with the $15,000 first prize and a berth in the Round of 36 for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions. Belmonte won his only previous PBA Tour title in the 2009 Bowling Foundation Long Island Open.

“This feels a million times better than my first title,” Belmonte beamed. “I bowled one of the best games of my life.

“In the second match, I got very lucky,” he added. “When you get a break like that, you have to take it, pardon the expression, in both hands and I was able to do that.”

By winning the Chameleon Open, Belmonte became the third straight international player to win a PBA World Series of Bowling title. In two previous events, Palermaa captured the PBA World Championship and England’s Stuart Williams won the Bayer Viper Open.

The third “animal pattern” championship, the Scorpion Open, will be settled next Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. The finalists will be England’s Dom Barrett; Dave Wodka of Henderson, NV; Rash and Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, FL.

PBA CHAMELEON OPEN

South Point Exhibition Hall, Las Vegas

Round One (lowest score eliminated): Osku Palermaa, Finland, 213; Sean Rash, Montgomery, IL, 201; Jason Belmonte, Australia, 189; Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 187 ($4,000).

Round Two (lowest score eliminated): Rash 226, Belmonte 200, Palermaa 190 ($4,500).

Championship: Belmonte ($15,000) def. Rash ($7,500), 268-191.

Rookie Blanchard and Bryon Smith Win Doubles

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour rookie Josh Blanchard and 2003 United States Bowling Congress Masters champion Bryon Smith teamed up 

to win the  PBA Regional Players Doubles Championship presented by Hammer Saturday at The Orleans Bowling Center.

With the win, both bowlers earn an Elite Round berth in the PBA Tournament of Champions April 8-15 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas.

Blanchard, of Gilbert, AZ, and Smith of Roseburg, OR, had a 4-4 match play record and combined for a 5,629 16-game overall pinfall total which included 
match play bonus pins.  Finishing second 115 pins behind were Andrew Loose of Chicago and Michael Steil of Wheeling, IL. with 5,514.

Blanchard has been on the comeback trail after taking a hard fall during a delivery in a PBA World Championship Mike Aulby Division final match. But not 
long after that misfortune, he finished third in the PBA Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite in Orange County, CA, in January.

“It feels good to be back on a positive note,” said Blanchard. “I knew the fall at the World Championship was just something I was going to have to shake off.  
I never felt it was going to be something that I couldn’t come back from.”

Both players were looking for a partner to compete in the RPC doubles when their paths crossed at the World Series of Bowling in November.

“Whenever you’re in a team or doubles format you want a player who matches up with your game,” Smith said. “Josh and I are very compatible because we play 
similar angles and throw the ball with a similar roll. It made it very easy for us to read the lanes and make the adjustments we needed to make.”

Competition included an eight-game qualifying round after which the top eight teams advanced to an eight-game Baker format doubles match play round.

PBA REGIONAL PLAYERS DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY HAMMER
The Orleans Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Saturday

FINAL RESULTS
(After 16 games. Match play record, total pins with bonus and prize money.)

1, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz./Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 4-4, 5,629, $8,000.
2, Andrew Loose, Chicago/Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 5-3, 5,514, $4,500.
3, Stuart Williams, England/Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 4-4, 5,478, $3,000.
4, Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif./PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 1-6-1, 5,468, $2,500.
5, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga./ Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 4-4, 5,441, $2,300.
6, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y./Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 4-4, 5,421, $2,100.
7, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif./Ben Laughlin, Phoenix, 6-2, 5,395, $2,050.
8, Alan Grobmeier, Gilbert, Ariz./Carey Lee Hofmann, Phoenix, 3-4-1, 5,284, $2,000.

QUALIFYING RESULTS
(Combined totals for eight games. Top eight teams advance to match play.)

1, Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif. /PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,674.
2, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz./Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,660.
3, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y./ Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 3,629.
4, Stuart Williams, England/Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev.,  3,555.
5, Andrew Loose, Chicago/ Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 3,512.
6, Gregory Thompson Jr./Ben Laughlin, Phoenix, 3,510.
7, Alan Grobmeier, Gilbert, Ariz./Carey Lee Hofmann,  Phoenix, 3,504.
8, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga./Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md. , 3,460.
9, Craig Tuholski, Washougal, Wash. /Mike Danielson, Portland, Ore., 3,460.
 10, Jason Weaver, Denver, Pa./Rick Graham, Lancaster, Pa., 3,454.
 11, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo./Mike Keily, Golden, Colo., 3,425.
 12, Thomas Ault Jr., Portland, Ore./Blaine Weninger, Aurora, Ore., 3,413.
 13, Floyd Raymond, Gaylord, Mich./Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 3,388.
 14, David Haynes, Las Vegas/Eric Forkel, Las Vegas, 3,385.
 15, Ray Cobb, Highland, Calif./Tony Rodriguez Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 3,361.
 16, Chad Maas, Waukesha, Wis./David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., 3,351.
 17, Brad Bufkin, Citrus Heights, Calif./Noel Vazquez, Sacramento, Calif., 3,350
 18, Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa./Tommy Gollick, Oberlin, Pa. 3,341
 19, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis./Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 3,341.
 20, Mason Sherman, Moorpark, Calif./ Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 3,322.
 21, Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif./Andre Eubanks, Los Angeles, 3,316.
 22, Don Moser, Murrieta, Calif./Robert Piroozshad, Ranch Santa Margarita, Calif., 3,293.
 23, Doug Becker, Clermont, Fla./Ronnie Horton, Christiansburg, Va.,  3,288.
 24, Randy Shewmaker, Fort Worth, Texas/Paul McCordic, Sugarland, Texas, 3,237.
 25, Jim Roubidoux, Shawnee, Okla./Kevin Washington, Moore, Okla., 3,229.
 26, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla./Neil Croinex, Port Orange, Fla., 3,203.
 27, Kurt Gengelbach, Carrollton, Texas/Danny Neill, Allen, Texas, 3,192.
 28, Tim Arnold, Las Vegas/Joshua Williams, Henderson, Nev., 3,123.
 29, Chris Groom, Lancaster, Calif./Katz Tochin, Lancaster, Calif., 3,058.
 30, Scott Hansel, Stockton, Calif./Bill Nichols, Roseville, Calif., 3,043.
 31, Lyndon Harrison, Citrus Heights, Calif./Steve Cook, Granite Bay, Calif., 3,004.

PBA Chameleon Open Sunday at 3 p.m. ET

This Sunday on ESPN: PBA Chameleon Open at 3 p.m. ET. from the South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas. The PBA Chameleon Open is the second of four PBA “animal pattern” championships conducted during the World Series of Bowling.  
Four finalists will bowl a one-game match. The player with the lowest score will be eliminated. The three survivors will bowl another game, with the low man ousted. The two finalists will then bowl a final game for the title. 

Sean Rash, who qualified for the ESPN finals in a record six PBA World Series of Bowling events, will meet two-handed rivals Jason Belmonte of Australia and Osku Palermaa of Finland in the Chameleon Open finals Sunday on ESPN. Rounding out the field of four will be Venezuelan Ildemaro Ruiz, making his third career PBA television appearance. 

Rash, a four-time PBA Tour champion who is trying for his first title since the 2007 USBC Masters, will try to derail the two international two-handed stars who finished one-two in Chameleon Open qualifying. Belmonte averaged 236.29 to pace the Chameleon field with Palermaa averaging at a 235.14 pace. Rash was another 25 pins behind Palermaa while Ruiz qualified fourth for the four-man eliminator format finals. 

Belmonte, the 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year, is trying for his second career title. He won his only Tour title in the 2009 Bowling Foundation Long Island Open. In the meantime, Palermaa has won twice including the 2012 PBA World Championship. Ruiz is trying for his first PBA title. 

In their only two previous meetings in PBA Tour televised competition, Palermaa is 2-0 vs. Belmonte. Palermaa defeated Belmonte, 182-176, in the 2010 GEICO Shark Championship semifinal match and he nipped the Aussie, 10-6, in a one-ball rolloff after they tied at 203-203 in round one of the PBA World Championship elimination finals, knocking Belmonte out of title contention in that event. 

Last Season: Rookie Scott Norton of Costa Mesa, CA, started the title match at the South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas with eight strikes before converting a 4-7 spare in the eighth frame to defeat Sean Rash of Wichita, KS, 256-181. Rash had won three consecutive matches to reach the championship contest. 

PBA:39X60 Pre-game Show: (Free on PBA.com, PBA YouTube Channel) Tune into PBA.com’s Xtra Frame for interviews with the finalists as they give their insight into strategy and equipment selection. All World Series of Bowling preview shows on Xtra Frame are available the Wednesday before each Sunday ESPN telecast for free.  

PBA:39X60 Post-game Show: (Free on PBA.com, PBA YouTube Channel) Sunday 4:30 p.m. ET – Xtra Frame interviews the winning player and provides in-depth ball rep analysis of the winner’s equipment selection and ball preparation.

Ebonite Introduces the Pursuit Series

Ebonite introduces a new High Performance Series, the Pursuit with the all new Pursuit and Pursuit S.

The Pursuit is a Mass Bias bowling ball, with a Mass Bias Rating of .008. The Pursuit core is named the Empire Core. The Pursuit S is the Symmetric version of the Pursuit core, with a Mass Bias Rating of .000 and will be named the Empire S Core design.

Ebonite reports: “The Pursuit coverstock, this is the most exciting part of the new Pursuit Series, the new chemistry."

1) Chemically Treated Surface – As each Pursuit ball makes its way off of the finish line, each ball is treated chemically in order to open the pores and achieve optimal performance.

2) Ultra Robust Surfacing – Through the testing phase, we worked on multiple surface options that would allow the Pursuit balls to maintain length, but still offer strong backend continuation. The best possible surface that we tested is 800 Abralon and 1500 Abranet.

3) Hyper Branched MDI Technology – This new cover system offers more performance, longer than any other industry MDI covers currently used.

4) All New Components – The Ebonite Pursuit Product Line is using materials that NO OTHER BOWLING BALLS are currently using!.