Pete Weber on ESPN's 30 for 30

The ESPN 30 for 30 Short on Bowling's Bad Boy Pete Weber. Click here to view.

PBA GEICO Summer Shootout on ESPN/ESPN2

ESPN’s coverage of the PBA GEICO Summer Shootout from 10pin bowling lounge in Chicago has been modified. The series of 15 30-minute shows will debut with four back-to-back shows on Saturday, July 7, at 2 p.m., followed by five consecutive shows on Saturday, July 14, starting at noon. All times are Eastern. The final six half-hour shows will air on Sunday, July 15, starting at 1 p.m.

ESPN2 will re-air the entire series starting with the first five shows on Sunday, July 8, at 1:30 p.m. Two shows will re-air on Saturday, July 21, at 4 p.m., and Saturday, July 28, at 3 p.m. Re-airs continue with five back-to-back shows on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 1 p.m. and two shows on Sunday, Aug. 5, starting at 3 p.m.

PBA Summer Shootout Returns to Chicago

Four of the top 2012 PBA Chris Schenkel Player of the Year candidates—Jason Belmonte, Mike Fagan, Sean Rash and Pete Weber — are among the star-studded players who will return to upscale 10pin bowling lounge in downtown Chicago May 27-29 for the 6th annual PBA Summer Shootout. 

The made-for-TV event will once again feature a battle of bowling stars representing bowling ball manufacturers in a fast-paced PBA Summer Shootout series for telecast on ESPN. 

The PBA Summer Shootout weekend will get underway with a special pro-am event at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 27. Eight Eliminator Round tapings will be conducted Monday, starting at noon. On Tuesday, the final two Eliminator Rounds get started at 1 p.m., followed by the Eliminator Doubles Shootout and four Baker Doubles stepladder finals matches. 

The preliminary Shootout telecast schedule begins on ESPN Saturday, July 7 and continues Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15. ESPN2 will carry re-airs of Shootout telecasts on Sunday, July 8, Saturday, July 21, Saturday, July 28, Saturday, Aug. 4, and Sunday, Aug. 5. 

Telecast times will be announced at a later date. 

“It’s great to get to come back to downtown Chicago for Memorial Day weekend,” said PBA Commissioner Tom Clark. “The city has a rich bowling history and last year's event had one of the best pro-ams I've ever seen in 10pin's cool surroundings with 20 of the top players in the world.” 

The 2012 installment of the PBA Tour’s post-season special will include the sport’s most accomplished players representing nine of the bowling industry’s best-known bowling ball franchises in a series of elimination and Baker doubles contests along with a pro-am event for Chicagoland grassroots league bowlers. 

Teams must include a minimum of two players and teams with more than two players on their roster may substitute at their discretion: Teams and players competing are: 

Storm: Jason Belmonte, Osku Palermaa and Pete Weber 

900 Global: Robert Smith, Missy Parkin and Brian Voss 

Roto Grip: Wes Malott, Brian Kretzer and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard 

DV8: Mike Machuga, Ronnie Russell and Brian Valenta 

Brunswick: Sean Rash, Ryan Ciminelli and Chris Loschetter 

Track: Mike Fagan and Mika Koivuniemi 

Columbia 300: Dan MacLelland and Chris Barnes 

Hammer: Mike Wolfe and Bill O’Neill 

Ebonite: Tommy Jones and Jason Couch 

The 2012 PBA Summer Shootout will get underway with one member of the nine ball-brand teams bowling in each of 10 “Eliminator Rounds.” 

In the Eliminator Rounds, each player will throw one shot, with the low score in each frame eliminated. In cases of ties, the players involved will bowl sudden-death until one survivor remains. 

“Make no mistake, while this event is guaranteed to be fun and exciting for fans to watch on site and as it plays out over the summer months on ESPN, the radical format means it will be a unique tightrope walk for players that will have them on edge fighting for survival from the first ball,” Clark said. 

“Players who represent the top bowling ball brands will be fighting for bragging rights and the prize money is significant, so it figures to be intense competition.” 

In each Eliminator Round, players will earn points for their respective teams based upon how long they survive. The winner of each round will earn 12 points, second place eight points, third seven points, etc., down to one point for the first player eliminated (ninth place). 

There will be 10 Eliminator Rounds, each resulting in a half-hour show for delayed telecast on ESPN. At the conclusion of the 10 shows, teams will be seeded for the Summer Shootout finals based upon their points totals. The top four teams automatically advance to the Baker Doubles stepladder finals. 

Teams seeded five through nine will then bowl in an “Eliminator Doubles Shootout” with the winning team claiming the fifth spot in the stepladder finals). 

In the Eliminator Doubles Shootout, both members of each team will throw one shot and their scores will be combined for the frame. The low doubles score each frame will be eliminated until one team remains. 

The final four half-hour shows will feature Baker format matches where one member of each team will bowl five frames per game. The No. 5 team will take on Team No. 4 in the first show. The winner will take on Team No. 3 in the second match. The match two winner will bowl Team No. 2 in the semifinal contest, and the semifinal match winner will meet Team No. 1 for the title. 

Admission will be free for the entire weekend. For pro-am entry information, visit pba.com and look for the PBA Summer Shootout logo.

Fagan Leads PBA Tournament of Champions Into Round of 18

Mike Fagan of Dallas made another statement in his bid to become Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Player of the Year, averaging 240.22 in building a 119-pin lead over defending champion Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, MI, after 18 qualifying games in the PBA Tournament of Champions Thursday at Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, NV.

Fagan finished Thursday’s Round of 36 qualifying with a total of 4,324 pins. Koivuniemi had a 4,205 pinfall total.

The 18 players who survived Thursday’s qualifying will bowl another 18 games of head-to-head match play Friday to decide the four players who will compete for the $80,000 first prize in the ESPN stepladder finals Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Tournament of Champions is the final event of the PBA Tour’s 2011-12 season.

Fagan, who had won only two titles in nine previous seasons as a PBA Tour player, is seeking his third title of the 2011-12 season, including his second major championship after winning the United States Bowling Congress Masters in January. He also finished second in the U.S. Open, another major, losing that title to Pete Weber by one pin in February, and the 31-year-old Long Island, NY, native won the Brunswick Euro Challenge in March for his fourth career PBA title.

Australia’s Jason Belmonte and Norm Duke of Clermont, FL, are the only players who have won three titles during the 2011-12 season. Finland’s Osku Palermaa has won twice. Belmonte and Palermaa remained in title contention. Duke finished 25th and missed the cut to match play.

Koivuniemi, who snuck into the Round of 36 by a single pin in a four-player roll-off at the close of Wednesday’s Elite Field round, bowled with Fagan throughout Thursday’s qualifying, advancing from third place to second during Thursday’s evening round while cutting Fagan’s early lead in half. Rhino Page of Dade City, FL, finished qualifying in third place with 4,172 pins followed by Belmonte in fourth place with 4,148 pins and Sean Rash of Suburban Chicago (Montgomery, IL), in fifth with a 4,124 total.

Bowling fans can follow the final 18 games of match play today through the PBA’s exclusive coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s online bowling channel; through live scoring on pba.com, and through the Professional Bowlers Association on Facebook and Twitter. Subscriptions to Xtra Frame are available on the pba.com home page.

PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Thursday

ROUND OF 36 STANDINGS (after 18 games; top 18 advance to Round of 36 match play finals on Friday):

1, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 4,324.
2, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 4,205.
3, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 4,172.
4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 4,148.
5, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 4,124.
6, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 4,105.
7, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 4,093.
8, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 4,086.
9, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 4,044.
10, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 4,034.
11, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4,027.
12, Robert Smith, Los Angeles, 4,016.
13, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 4,003.
14, Stuart Williams, England, 3,975.
15, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,965.
16 (tie), Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., and Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,957.
18, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,953.

Failed to advance:
19, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 3,940, $5,500.
20, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 3,914, $5,200.
21, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 3,896, $5,000.
22, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,887, $4,900.
23, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 3,862, $4,800.
24, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 3,854, $4,700.
25 (tie), Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., and Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3,853, $4,550.
27, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 3,847, $4,400.
28, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,806, $4,300.
29 (tie), Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 3,805, $4,150
31, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,801, $4,000.
32, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,754, $3,900.
33, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,730, $3,800.
34, Dom Barrett, England, 3,687, $3,700.
35, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 3,646, $3,650.
36, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 3,539, $3,600.

300 Games: Osku Palermaa, Stuart Williams.

Daugherty Leads Champions Field at PBA Tournament of Champions

Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL, who set one of the most infamous records in Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) history during the nationally-televised finals of the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, led the advance from the Champions Field to the Elite Field of the Tournament of Champions (TOC) Monday at Red Rock Lanes.

Daugherty, who bowled the lowest televised game in PBA history – a 100 game in a 299-100 loss to eventual champion Mika Koivuniemi in the 2011 semifinal match – averaged 244.07 for 14 games Monday finishing with a total of 3,417 pins to lead the 21 players who advanced to the start of Elite Field qualifying Tuesday. Daugherty, who throws the ball without using his thumb, won the Champions Field round by 179 pins over fellow “thumbless” player Jim Pratt of Glendale, AZ.

The Champions Field consisted of players who have won a PBA Regional, Senior Tour or Women’s Series title. Daugherty qualified for the TOC as a PBA South Region title winner. Players in the Elite Field include PBA Tour title winners and 2011-12 PBA Tour exempt players.

Still ahead of Daugherty if he hopes to return to the championship round are 20 games of Elite Field qualifying and the “Round of 36” games which will decide the four players who will compete for $80,000 and the PBA Tour’s most prestigious title live on ESPN Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

“I’m doing fine as long as there are no TV lights,” Daugherty said with a smile.

In order to return to Sunday’s television stage, Daugherty will have to duplicate a similar path he took last year when he worked his way through a 74-game gauntlet to reach the television stage for the first time in his career. This year, he’ll have to battle through 70 games.

“This center has nothing to do with the way I’m bowling,” Daugherty said. “It’s the lane condition. My ball reads this pattern right. I bowled on the same pattern back home and won two regionals.

“The number of games catches up as the week goes by,” he continued. “I finished third last year – that’s pretty good. I’d take third again this year.”

Daugherty said the last thing he thinks about is the 100 game he bowled in last year’s finals.

“That 100 game was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have no problem with it,” he said. “No one would remember me if I hadn’t bowled that game. No one remembers Tom Smallwood and he finished second last year.”

The 21-player Champions Field survivors will be joined by 56 PBA Tour title winners and exempt players for the start of Elite Field qualifying Tuesday. All Elite Field players will bowl two five-game qualifying rounds Tuesday and another pair of five-game rounds Wednesday, with the top 25 advancing to the Round of 36 along with 11 current season title winners.

PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Monday

CHAMPIONS FIELD STANDINGS 

(after 14 games; top 21 advance to Elite Field):

1, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,417.
2, Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 3,238.
3, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 3,219.
4, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 3,202.
5, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,106.
6, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,102.
7, D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, 3,091.
8, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,086.
9, Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 3,084.
10, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 3,057.
11, Mike Bailey, Frisco, Texas, 3,049.
12, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 3,042.
13, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,041.
14, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 3,031.
15, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,021.
16, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 3,018.
17, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 3,007.
18, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 2,966.
19, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 2,963.
20, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 2,946.
21, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 2,919.
Did not advance:

22, Tony Rodriguez Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 2,914.
23, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., 2,909.
24, David O'Sullivan, Sanford, Fla., 2,905.
25, John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., 2,894.
26, Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif., 2,878.
27, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 2,835.
28, Mark London, Gonzales, Texas, 2,769.
29, Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 2,768.
30, Corey Husted, Milwaukie, Ore., 2,763.
31, Thomas Patton Jr., Olathe, Kan., 2,730.
32, Joseph Greco, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., 2,693.

300 Game: Mike Bailey.

PBA Bayer Viper Open Sunday on ESPN

PBA World Championships on ESPN

GEICO World Bowling Tour Finals Kicks Off Bowling Coveage

An international journey that began in Helsinki, Finland, in January 2011 and ended 10 months later in Las Vegas will kick off the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)’s 2011-12 television season Sunday when the men’s and women’s finals of the inaugural GEICO World Bowling Tour (WBT) Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association airs at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The men’s field will feature reigning PBA Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi, a resident of Hartland, MI, who returned to his native Finland to win the Brunswick Ballmaster Open and take a lead in the WBT points race that he never gave up. The World Tenpin Bowling Association’s inaugural World Bowling Tour series included stops in France, Kuwait, Thailand, Korea and Australia, plus the U.S. Open and United States Bowling Congress Masters. 

 

In Sunday’s WBT men’s final, Koivuniemi will meet the winner of a one-game match between No. 2 qualifier Sean Rash of Suburban Chicago (Montgomery, IL), and No. 3 Jason Belmonte of Australia. Rash and Belmonte made news over the summer after a confrontation over distractions Belmonte allegedly made with his plastic water bottle during the PBA’s GEICO Team Shootout series in Chicago.

In the one-hour women’s finals which immediately follows the men’s finals on ESPN, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas, a PBA Women’s Series champion and 20-time Professional Women’s Bowling Association title winner, will meet the winner of a match between veteran Swedish star Nina Flack and her Team Sweden teammate, 20-year-old Sandra Andersson.

The winner in each division will receive $10,000. Second place will pay $6,000 and third will receive $4,000.

The GEICO World Bowling Tour Finals are the first shows in an 18-event PBA Tour series that will air on Sundays on ESPN, concluding with the live PBA Tournament of Champions telecast from Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas on April 15. In addition to the ESPN telecasts, the PBA will produce four Xtra Frame Tour events which will be webcast exclusively on the PBA’s online bowling channel.

Xtra Frame also will air a World Bowling Tour Finals pre-game show starting Wednesday and will immediately follow the ESPN telecast with a post-game show. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.