Dave Wodka Leads Lucas Oil PBA Bear Open in Milwaukee Going Into Matchplay

Dave Wodka of Henderson, NV, emerged at the top of the qualifying pile after six lead changes in the final six games in the Lucas Oil PBA Bear Open Monday at AMF Bowlero, averaging 223.5 to lead the field of 24 players who advanced to Tuesday’s match play rounds.

Wodka, 42, is trying for his first title since he won the 1999 Greater Detroit Open for his only PBA Tour win. He finished qualifying in front of a packed house at AMF Bowlero with a 10-game total of 2,235 pins on a demanding lane condition, rolling games of 229, 210, 216, 206 and 246 Monday night to take a 27–pin lead over Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas.

Qualifying third was PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, with 2,000 pins followed by 2013 Intercollegiate Singles Champion Aaron Lorincz of Belleville, MI, with a 2,195 total and Mike Fagan of Dallas with 2,184 pins.

“I really had only one bad game,” Wodka said. “I finished the first round with a 176. After that, I came in with a game plan of doing nothing other than making one good shot at a time. I know you’re always supposed to do that, but I really focused on that, and I only had two opens in the second block. Both of those were in the same game, but I still bailed out a 205 and that’s just as important when scores are like they were as anything.”

Wodka would love to end his 14-year winless drought, but isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“It’s been a lot of years (since I won), but there are a lot of games left,” he said. “It’s going to be a long day (Tuesday) and winning matches is going to be of utmost importance. Getting those 30 bonus pins for winning matches when the scores are as low as they are will be huge.”

The Bear Open is being contested on a flat 40-foot oiling pattern which is similar to the U.S. Open lane condition, considered the most challenging scoring environment on the PBA Tour schedule. The Bear Open is the third of four events that compose the GEICO PBA Summer Swing presented by Lucas Oil, and it was the final qualifying event for the Milwaukee Open which begins Wednesday at AMF Bowlero.

The top 28 qualifiers based on total pinfall after 30 qualifying games from the Badger, Wolf and Bear “animal pattern” events advance to the five-game Milwaukee Open cashers which will be contested on the Bear pattern at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Based on 35 games, the top 24 will then advance to three eight-game match play rounds at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday (Bear pattern), and 11 a.m. (Wolf pattern) and 5:30 p.m. (Badger pattern) on Thursday. There will be no competition on Friday.

Leading the Milwaukee Open qualifiers was Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., who averaged 229.1 for a 30-game total of 6,873 pins. Surviving the cut in 28th place was reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., who qualified 27th. The 28th and final berth in the Milwaukee Open went to Andrew Graff of Las Vegas by seven pins over Brett Cunningham of Clay, N.Y.

Five-player stepladder finals for the Badger, Wolf, Bear and Milwaukee Opens, plus the GEICO Summer King of the Swing special event, will be taped over two days by the CBS Sports Network Saturday and Sunday at AMF Bowlero for airing on five consecutive Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET beginning June 11.

The GEICO Summer King of the Swing will include the four Summer Swing event champions plus the next highest points leader who hasn’t won a title. Those five will compete in a $25,000 stepladder final for a $10,000 first prize, concluding the summer series on June 2.

LUCAS OIL PBA BEAR OPEN

AMF West, Milwaukee, Wis., May 27

FINAL QUALIFYING STANDINGS (after 10 games, top 24 advance to round robin match play Tuesday at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. CT)

LUCAS OIL PBA MILWAUKEE OPEN STANDINGS

1, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 2,235.
2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,208.
3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,200.
4, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 2,195.
5, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 2,184.
6, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,169.
7, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 2,167.
8, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 2,165.
9, Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., 2,155.
10, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,149.
11, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 2,148.
12, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,146.
13, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 2,129.
14, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,117.
15, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 2,109.
16, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 2,100.
17, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 2,099.
18, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 2,098.
19, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 2,095.
20, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 2,090.
21, Patrick Girard, Canada, 2,086.
22, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,085.
23, Dom Barrett, England, 2,082.
24, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 2,075.

Failed to advance:
25, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,068, $600.
26, Kenneth Kempf, Appleton, Wis., 2,059.
27, Mike Dole, Loves Park, Ill., 2,056.
28, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 2,052.
29, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 2,040.
30, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 2,037.
31, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 2,032.
32, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 2,031.
33, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,024.
34, Andrew DeCaluwe, Mt. Prospect, Ill., 2,022.
35, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 2,017.
36, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,016.
37, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 2,014.
38 (tie), Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., and Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,013.
40, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 2,010.
41, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,005.
42, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 2,000.
43, Bill Monce, Waukesha, Wis., 1,997.
44, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 1,991.
45, Christopher Glaz, Elmwood Park, Ill., 1,989.
46, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 1,985.
47, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 1,983.
48, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,980.
49, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 1,979.
50 (tie), Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga.; Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., and Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 1,978.
53, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,972.
54, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,970.
55, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,968.
56, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,959.
57, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 1,954.
58, Shannon Buchan, Waterloo, Iowa, 1,953.
59, T.P. Peterson, Evergreen Park, Ill., 1,951.
60, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,947.
61, Joseph Tomassoni, Iron Mountain, Mich., 1,939.
62, David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., 1,935.
63, Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 1,934.
64, Greg Thomas, Oak Creek, Wis., 1,931.
65, Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 1,902.
66, Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn., 1,899.
67, Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., 1,891.
68, Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., 1,889.
69, Matt Beyer, Manawa, Wis., 1,879.

70, Brian Gunn, Chicago, 1,875.
71, Jonathan Russell, Rockwood, Tenn., 1,874.
72, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 1,863.
73, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,858.
74, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,857.
75, Erik Gulbrandson, Superior, Wis., 1,854.
76, Paul Moor, England, 1,849.
77, Stephen Pavlinko Jr., Sewell, N.J., 1,836.
78, Gary Exner Jr., Racine, Wis., 1,822.
79, Kenneth Bland Jr., Lorton, Va., 1,808.
80, Scott Radtke, Milwaukee, 1,808.
81, Jacob Rubach, West Bend, Wis., 1,788.
82, Michael Zylius, Highland Park, Ill., 1,786.
83, Riley Smith, Kenosha, Wis., 1,784.
84, Van McNeil, West Allis, Wis., 1,766.
85, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 1,759.
86, Quinton Bohlen, Decorah, Iowa, 1,740.
87, Andrew Glass, Racine, Wis., 1,738.
88, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1,737.
89, Sam Figarino, Sussex, Wis., 1,726.
90, Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., 1,711.
91, Zack Carter, Chicago, 1,710.
92, Scott Weber, La Salle, Ill., 1,704.
93, Nick Kruml, Downers Grove, Ill., 1,699.
94, Armando Santacruz, Ecuador, 1,683.
95, Brandon Gronwoldt, LeRoy, Minn., 1,647.
96, Ron Williams, Austin, Texas, 1,635.
97, Lindell Woolard, Tallahassee, Fla., 1,614.
98, Ralleigh Grandberry III, Maryland Hts., Mo., 1,524.

FINAL QUALIFYING STANDINGS (after 30 games in Badger, Wolf and Bear Opens; top 28 advance to cashers round on Wednesday, May 28, at AMF Bowlero)

1, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 6,873.
2, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 6,829.
3, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 6,812.
4, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 6,752.
5, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 6,738.
6, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 6,710.
7, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 6,709.
8, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 6,705.
9, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 6,693.
10, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 6,626.
11, Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., 6,612.
12, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 6,608.
13, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 6,604.
14, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6,602.
15 (tie), Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., and Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 6,583.
17, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 6,578.
18, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 6,544.
19, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 6,537.
20, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 6,534.
21, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 6,531.
22, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 6,528.
23 (tie), Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., and Patrick Girard, Canada, 6,513.
25, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 6,509.
26, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 6,472.
27, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 6,452.
28, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 6,428.

Failed to advance:29, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 6,421.
30, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 6,412.
31, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 6,407.
32 (tie), Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., and Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 6,400.
34, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 6,398.
35, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 6,389.
36, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 6,364.
37, Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 6,353.
38, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 6,351.
39, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 6,331.
40, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 6,328.
41, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 6,327.
42, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 6,320.
43, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 6,316.
44, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 6,302.
45, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6,297.
46, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 6,286.
47, Dom Barrett, England, 6,267.
48, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 6,246.
49, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 6,232.
50, Mike Dole, Loves Park, Ill., 6,231.
51, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 6,202.
52, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 6,173.
53, Kenneth Kempf, Appleton, Wis., 6,167.
54, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 6,164.
55, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 6,125.
56, T.P. Peterson, Evergreen Park, Ill., 6,070.
57 (tie), Greg Thomas, Oak Creek, Wis., and Paul Moor, England, 6,057.
59, Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 6,030.
60, Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., 6,019.
61, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 5,989.
62, David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., 988.
63, Brian Gunn, Chicago, 5,982.
64, Christopher Glaz, Elmwood Park, Ill, 5,947.
65, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 5,936.
66, Andrew DeCaluwe, Mt. Prospect, Ill., 5,901.
67, Erik Gulbrandson, Superior, Wis., 5,876.
68, Quinton Bohlen, Decorah, Iowa, 5,837.
69, Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., 5,798.
70, Gary Exner Jr., Racine, Wis., 5,767.
71, Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., 5,764.
72, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 5,756.
73, Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn., 5,678.
74, Kenneth Bland Jr., Lorton, Va., 5,674.
75, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 5,639.
76, Stephen Pavlinko Jr., Sewell, N.J., 5,614.
77, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 5,563.
78, Armando Santacruz, Ecuador, 5,481.
79, Matt Beyer, Manawa, Wis., 5,467.
80, Jonathan Russell, Rockwood, Tenn., 5,397.
81, Van McNeil, West Allis, Wis., 5,222.
82, Lindell Woolard, Tallahassee, Fla., 5,062.
83, Ralleigh Grandberry III, Maryland, Hts., Mo., 4,995.
84, Brandon Gronwoldt, LeRoy, Minn., 4,898.