Finals Set for The PBA Cheetah Championship

Four-time Professional Bowlers Association title winner Mike Wolfe of New Albany, IN, averaged 253 for 14 games to earn the top berth in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship stepladder finals, the opening event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center Saturday.

Wolfe, a 36-year-old 12-year PBA Tour veteran who is seeking his first PBA Tour title in four years, rolled games of 233, 269, 268, 289, 227 and 247 in front of a packed crowd at South Point Saturday night to finish the Cheetah Championship qualifying and semifinal rounds with a 14-game total of 3,550 pins. He will be joined in the ESPN stepladder finals by Jeffrey Roche of Dearborn, Mich.; qualifying leader Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, and three-time PBA Tour titlist Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, PA.

Roche, who will make his ESPN debut, finished second with 3,499 pins. Loschetter, a 10-year veteran who also is trying for his first title, qualified third with a 3,478 total. O’Neill charged out of 16th place at the start of the six-game semifinal round to earn the fourth spot in the finals with a 3,477 total.

The ESPN stepladder finals which will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area for delayed telecast on Sunday, Dec. 16.

Wolfe, who won his last title in the 2008 Ultimate Scoring Championship in Taylor, MI, said a look into the past helped him get back on top of his game.

“I went back to a lot of things I did in 2004 and that was be myself, not try to bowl like other guys,” he said. “I told myself to just do what got you here and bowl.”

Wolfe said he had been trying for a couple of years to change his ball tilt, trying to get his thumb out of the ball faster “and turns out I couldn’t hold onto the ball.”

On the Cheetah lane condition, “Everyone has a chance,” he said, “so you have to pay attention to the ball motion and throw strikes, and I was able to do that pretty well today.”

PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Sunday with Viper Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Viper Championship semifinal round at 8 p.m.

PBA ALKA SELTZER PLUS COLD CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Saturday

SEMIFINAL ROUND (after 14 games; top four advance to stepladder finals Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. PT)

1, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,550.
2, Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 3,499.
3, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,478.
4, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,477.

Other Semifinal Round Cashers (after 14 games):

5, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,449, $4,000.
6, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,445, $3,600.
7, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,408, $3,300.
8, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,379, $3,000.
9, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., 3,376, $2,700.
10, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,371, $2,500.
11, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 3,367, $2,300.
12 (tie), Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, and Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,362, $2,050.
14, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,349, $1,900.
15 (tie), Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., and Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,308, $1,750.

Other Qualifying Round Cashers (after 8 games):
17, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1,940, $1,000.
18 (tie), Dom Barrett, England, and Johan Hellden, Sweden, 1,935, $955.
20, Stuart Williams, England, 1,932, $920.
21 (tie), Patrick Girard, Canada, and Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,930, $895.
23, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,927, $880.
24 (tie), Carsten Hansen, Denmark, and Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,922, $865.
26, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1,921, $850.
27, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,920, $840.
28, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,919, $830.
29, Matt Taylor, Knightdale, N.C., 1,916, $820.
30, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,914, $810.
31 (tie), Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., and Paul Koehler, Stuart, Fla., 1,910, $795.
33, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,907, $780.
34 (tie), Mike Fagan, Dallas, and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,904, $765.
36, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,901, $750.

GEICO To Sponsor the World Series Of Bowling IV

GEICO, America’s third-largest automobile insurer with more than 17 million policyholders, will celebrate its 10th anniversary as a titled sponsor with the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) by serving as titled sponsor of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV.

The multi-event international bowling competition begins Friday and continues through Sunday, Nov. 11, at South Point Casino, Hotel and Bowling Center in Las Vegas. GEICO WSOB IV will produce six ESPN-televised events to kick off the PBA Tour’s 2012-13 season. The World Series telecast series will air on ESPN starting Sunday, Dec. 9, at 1 p.m. ET, and continue every Sunday through Jan. 13.

GEICO made its debut as a PBA Tour sponsor in the 2003 GEICO Open in West Babylon, NY, and has been title sponsor for at least one Tour event every year since, in addition to being one of the PBA Tour’s leading advertisers on its ESPN telecasts.

“We're deeply appreciative of GEICO’s commitment to the PBA,” said PBA CEO Geoff Reiss. “GEICO’s support allows us to bring the world's best bowling competition to fans everywhere and together we look forward to a great GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling.”

In addition to ESPN coverage of the GEICO PBA World Series finals, PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel will live-stream nearly 100 hours of qualifying and match play competition, reaching a global audience of PBA fans. International bowling fans also can follow the PBA and its individual stars on pba.com’s live scoring feature as well as on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“GEICO is proud to partner with the PBA again for the 2013 season,” said Bill Brower, Director of Media Advertising. “We’re thrilled to once again support the PBA as it carries on the rich tradition of championship bowling in the United States.”

“GEICO” is an acronym for “Government Employees Insurance Company,” dating back to the foundation of the company in 1936. Founder Leo Goodwin first targeted a customer base of U.S. government employees and military personnel. Today, the company provides insurance to a wide range of customers, in both the governmental and public sectors. In 1996, GEICO became a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, headed by Warren Buffett, one of the country's most successful investors. GEICO currently has assets valued at more than $28 billion.