KELLY KULICK WINS 2021 PWBA ALBANY OPEN

SOUTH GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, was in complete control of her game this week at the 

Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Albany Open, and her masterful performance concluded with a return to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2017.

The United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer defeated two-time reigning PWBA Player of the Year Shannon O’Keefe of Shiloh, Illinois, in a thrilling title match at Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center, 228-217, to record her seventh PWBA Tour victory.

The championship round was broadcast live on BowlTV.com, with Kulick earning $10,000 for the win. O’Keefe collected $5,000 for the runner-up finish.

Kulick’s last win on tour came at the 2017 PWBA Fountain Valley Open, and her victory Saturday was her second since the relaunch of the PWBA Tour in 2015.

The 44-year-old right-hander entered Saturday’s competition as the tournament leader and retained that spot through 12 more games to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals, averaging more than 240 for her 24 qualifying games.

O’Keefe never let her out of her sights, however, averaging more than 238 to finish qualifying in second place.

The 14-time tour champion continued to pressure Kulick as the title match got underway, rolling three consecutive strikes after a spare in the first frame to take the early advantage.

Kulick maintained her hold on the pocket on this week’s 36-foot oil pattern, but she didn’t record a double through the first five frames.

A small adjustment in her physical game helped her create a better angle through the pins, resulting in four consecutive strikes, starting in the sixth frame.

“I talked with my tour reps and wondered if I needed to make a ball change,” said Kulick, a 17-time Team USA member. “After talking about it, I told them I knew what I needed to do. I got my hand underneath the bowling ball and started to go around it a bit more, to create more angularity off the spot. I know I have the tools and the knowledge, but you have to trust what you’re able to do. I trusted myself, like I had all week long.”

Kulick entered the final frame with the opportunity to roll two more strikes to shut out O’Keefe, but a light hit on her first delivery resulted in a 7 pin. She converted the spare and struck on her fill ball to force O’Keefe to double for her second win of the season.

O’Keefe, who won the season-opening PWBA Bowlers Journal Classic, left a 3-10 split on the first shot of her 10th frame, allowing Kulick to raise the trophy.

Kulick had finished as the runner-up five times since her win in 2017, including earlier this season at the PWBA Lincoln Open.

Saturday’s run to the stepladder finals was her third championship-round appearance in five events this season, and her confidence is growing as she looks ahead at the rest of the year.

“I came out here for two reasons – to have fun and enjoy bowling again and to know I could win again,” Kulick said. “Age is just a number, and I still feel energetic, youthful and like I’m in great shape. With the way I’m throwing it right now, I’m building confidence, and I know the sky is the limit for the rest of the season. I’ve been bowling smart and trusting myself, and the fact that I’m making shows on multiple patterns means my versatility is still there, too.”

O’Keefe advanced to the title match by defeating her former student-athlete at McKendree University, Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, 247-193.

O’Keefe is the head coach for the women’s bowling program at McKendree, and Clemmer attended the university from 2016-2020. O’Keefe and Clemmer helped bring the Bearcats titles at the 2017 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship and Intercollegiate Team Championships.

Clemmer, a rookie on tour this season, made her second consecutive championship-round appearance after recording a third-place finish at last week’s PWBA BVL Open in Farmingdale, New York.

The 23-year-old right-hander advanced to the semifinals by defeating three-time PWBA Tour champion Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, in the opening game of the stepladder, 213-192. Clemmer closed with four strikes to shut out Johnson, who made her first championship-round appearance of 2021.

The 66-player field in South Glens Falls bowled 12 games Friday, before the first cut to the top 32 athletes. Advancers bowled an additional six-game block Saturday morning, with the top 12 competing in a final six-game round to determine the four bowlers for the stepladder, based on 24-game pinfall totals.

The PWBA Tour will head to Smyrna, Tennessee, next week for the PWBA Greater Nashville Open. The event will be held at the Smyrna Bowling Center and take place June 10-12. 

STEFANIE JOHNSON RETAINS LEAD AFTER TWO ROUNDS AT U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

ORLANDO, Fla. – Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, started a little slow during Tuesday’s second round of qualifying at the U.S. Women’s Open, but a strong finish allowed her to keep the lead for another day.

Bowling on the second squad of the day, Johnson finished her eight-game block at Boardwalk Bowl with a 279 game for a 1,736 total. While her 217 average on Tuesday was a little off the pace she set in the opening round, her 3,579 pinfall total was enough to hold off Shannon Sellens of Copiague, New York, for the lead.

“Today didn’t start out of the gate very well,” Johnson said. “The key for me today was staying patient. It got me to that big game at the end.”

Sellens posted the second-highest block of the day (1,857, a 232 average) to jump from 28th place to second.

“I watched a lot yesterday, so I kind of had an idea how people were playing the lanes,” Sellens said. “My definite goal is to make match play because I did not make the cut last year. I really wanted to come back and have a good showing and make all my spares. Literally, through 16 games, I’ve missed one, so that’s a win in my book.”

Also making big moves were Brandi Branka of Fairview Heights, Illinois, and Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York.

Branka posted two 278 games and averaged 233 during the final squad of the day to move from 62nd into eighth. Her 1,867 set not only was the highest for all squads, it was 251 pins more than her opening-round block.

“I used the same ball the whole block and just kept creeping left,” Branka said. “Luckily, I was able to carry a lot, and I was mostly clean. That was a big thing. I had quite a few clean games today, unlike yesterday. I knew I had to have somewhat of a big block.”

On the opening squad, McEwan, a four-time titlist on the PWBA Tour, used a 1,848 block (231 average) that included games of 279 and 299.
“Other than that, I just kind of grinded,” said McEwan, who moved from 65th to 11th. “I had a couple of low games in there where I got lost in transition. I took good notes and, hopefully, I’ll see fresh (conditions) again later in the event and not make the same mistakes.”

Four-time defending champion Liz Johnson of Palatine, Illinois, followed her opening set of 1,740 with a 1,759 set and sits in sixth place with a 3,499 total.

Competitors in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open will bowl their third eight-game qualifying block Wednesday after which the field will be cut to the top 36 players for the eight-game cashers' round. The 32-game pinfall totals will determine the 24 bowlers for round-robin match play. Players earn 30 bonus pins for each win in match play and the 56-game totals will decide the five players for the stepladder finals.

Xtra Frame, the online bowling channel of the Professional Bowlers Association, is live streaming all preliminary rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open, with CBS Sports Network providing live coverage of the stepladder finals on Saturday, June 30 at 5 p.m. (Eastern).

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN
At Boardwalk Bowl, Orlando, Fla.
Tuesday’s Second Round
(After 16 games)
      1, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 3,579; 2, Shannon Sellens, Copiague, N.Y., 3,561; 3, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 3,547; 4, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 3,520; 5, Thashaina Seraus, Aruba, 3,512; T6, Liz Johnson, Palatine, Ill., 3,499; T6, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 3,499;
      8, Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., 3,483; T9, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 3,482; T9, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 3,482; 11, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 3,457; 12, Li Jane Sin, Malaysia, 3,455; 13, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 3,452;
      14, Kayla Bandy, Salisbury, Md., 3,448; 15, Victoria Johansson, Sweden, 3,432; T16, Juliana Franco, Colombia, 3,429; T16, Daria Kovalova, Ukraine, 3,429; 18, Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 3,420; 19, Kristin Nieter, Homewood, Ill., 3,414; 20, Kamilah Dammers-Naddall, Aruba, 3,413;
      21, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 3,406; 22, Marcia Kloempken, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,402; 22, Stephanie Schwartz, Racine, Wis., 3,402; 24, Sydney Brummett, Wichita, Kan., 3,401; 25, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 3,398; 26, Nina Flack, Sweden, 3,377; T27, Giselle Poss, Nashville, Tenn., 3,367;
      T27, Cassandra Leuthold, Lincoln, Neb., 3,367; 29, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 3,366; 30, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 3,365; 31, Haley Richard, Tipton, Mich., 3,364; 32, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 3,362; 33, Sabrena Divis, Gillette, Wyo., 3,361.
      34, Sierra Kanemoto, Riverside, Ohio, 3,351; 35, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 3,350; 36, Siti Rahman, Malaysia, 3,349; 37, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 3,344; 38, Daria Pajak, Poland, 3,343; 39, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,339; 40, Bryanna Cote, Red Rock, Ariz., 3,338

Visit PWBA.com/Live for complete results.

STEFANIE JOHNSON GRABS LEAD IN OPENING ROUND OF U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

ORLANDO, Fla. – The first-round leader of the U.S. Women’s Open wasn’t determined until the final frames of the final squad were thrown at Boardwalk Bowl on Monday.

Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, fired a 225 final game for a 1,843 pinfall total (230.38) to overtake Missy Parkin of Laguna Hills, California, who set the bar with a 1,829 total on the day’s opening squad.

Johnson said staying patient was the key.

“I watched other people’s ball reaction because we don’t get a lot of practice on the pairs,” Johnson said. “That was kind of crucial, looking ahead to see where girls were playing and try to say ahead of any transition.”

Johnson said playing on the third squad of the day, after the 16 games had been rolled on the oil pattern, doesn’t affect what she is trying to accomplish.

“Whatever I can score on,” Johnson said. “I don’t prefer one (squad) or the other. It’s capitalizing when you can, and grinding when you have to.”

Parkin finished with a flourish to post a lead that would hold until Johnson’s final shots.

Tied with four-time defending champion Liz Johnson of Palatine, Illinois, heading into the final game, Parkin fired the lone 300 of the day to lead the block.

Parkin said it did take a little time to get going on Monday. At this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, players warm up on practice lanes before starting on their competition pair. That change, plus the fact it is a major, did contribute to make her a little nervous.

“I’ll be honest, to start I was not very relaxed,” Parkin said. “I did not start out bad, but it took me two full games to chill out and relax. I was really nervous, which is crazy. I was almost as nervous as being on a TV show, when I started today. After I relaxed, I was able to get in a groove.”

Parkin started with games of 197 and 186 before peeling off a 245 game. She would average 241 over her final six games.

Aruba’s Thashaina Seraus, who bowled her first PWBA event of 2018 last week, had the high block of the day’s second squad and sits in third with a 1,817 total (227.13 average). The runner-up at the 2017 Pepsi PWBA Lincoln Open, she is competing in her first U.S. Open.

“I’m just trying to have a good time and learn everything,” said Seraus. “Every day is a learning experience. At the end of the day, I just want to have fun, make good shots, and if it’s not a good shot, learn from it.”

Competition at the 2018 U.S. Women's Open continues Tuesday with the second of three days of qualifying. After 24 games, and the field then will be cut to the top 36 players for an eight-game cashers' round. The 32-game pinfall totals will determine the 24 bowlers for round-robin match play. The 56-game totals, including 30 bonus pins for each win in match play, will decide the five players for the stepladder finals.

Xtra Frame, the online bowling channel of the Professional Bowlers Association, is live streaming all preliminary rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open, with CBS Sports Network providing live coverage of the stepladder finals on Saturday, June 30 at 5 p.m. (Eastern).ORLANDO, Fla. – Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, started a little slow during Tuesday’s second round of qualifying at the U.S. Women’s Open, but a strong finish allowed her to keep the lead for another day.

Bowling on the second squad of the day, Johnson finished her eight-game block at Boardwalk Bowl with a 279 game for a 1,736 total. While her 217 average on Tuesday was a little off the pace she set in the opening round, her 3,579 pinfall total was enough to hold off Shannon Sellens of Copiague, New York, for the lead.

“Today didn’t start out of the gate very well,” Johnson said. “The key for me today was staying patient. It got me to that big game at the end.”

Sellens posted the second-highest block of the day (1,857, a 232 average) to jump from 28th place to second.

“I watched a lot yesterday, so I kind of had an idea how people were playing the lanes,” Sellens said. “My definite goal is to make match play because I did not make the cut last year. I really wanted to come back and have a good showing and make all my spares. Literally, through 16 games, I’ve missed one, so that’s a win in my book.”

Also making big moves were Brandi Branka of Fairview Heights, Illinois, and Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York.

Branka posted two 278 games and averaged 233 during the final squad of the day to move from 62nd into eighth. Her 1,867 set not only was the highest for all squads, it was 251 pins more than her opening-round block.

“I used the same ball the whole block and just kept creeping left,” Branka said. “Luckily, I was able to carry a lot, and I was mostly clean. That was a big thing. I had quite a few clean games today, unlike yesterday. I knew I had to have somewhat of a big block.”

On the opening squad, McEwan, a four-time titlist on the PWBA Tour, used a 1,848 block (231 average) that included games of 279 and 299.
“Other than that, I just kind of grinded,” said McEwan, who moved from 65th to 11th. “I had a couple of low games in there where I got lost in transition. I took good notes and, hopefully, I’ll see fresh (conditions) again later in the event and not make the same mistakes.”

Four-time defending champion Liz Johnson of Palatine, Illinois, followed her opening set of 1,740 with a 1,759 set and sits in sixth place with a 3,499 total.

Competitors in the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open will bowl their third eight-game qualifying block Wednesday after which the field will be cut to the top 36 players for the eight-game cashers' round. The 32-game pinfall totals will determine the 24 bowlers for round-robin match play. Players earn 30 bonus pins for each win in match play and the 56-game totals will decide the five players for the stepladder finals.

Xtra Frame, the online bowling channel of the Professional Bowlers Association, is live streaming all preliminary rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open, with CBS Sports Network providing live coverage of the stepladder finals on Saturday, June 30 at 5 p.m. (Eastern).

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN
At Boardwalk Bowl, Orlando, Fla.
Tuesday’s Second Round
(After 16 games)
      1, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 3,579; 2, Shannon Sellens, Copiague, N.Y., 3,561; 3, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 3,547; 4, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 3,520; 5, Thashaina Seraus, Aruba, 3,512; T6, Liz Johnson, Palatine, Ill., 3,499; T6, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 3,499;
      8, Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., 3,483; T9, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 3,482; T9, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 3,482; 11, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 3,457; 12, Li Jane Sin, Malaysia, 3,455; 13, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 3,452;
      14, Kayla Bandy, Salisbury, Md., 3,448; 15, Victoria Johansson, Sweden, 3,432; T16, Juliana Franco, Colombia, 3,429; T16, Daria Kovalova, Ukraine, 3,429; 18, Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 3,420; 19, Kristin Nieter, Homewood, Ill., 3,414; 20, Kamilah Dammers-Naddall, Aruba, 3,413;
      21, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 3,406; 22, Marcia Kloempken, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,402; 22, Stephanie Schwartz, Racine, Wis., 3,402; 24, Sydney Brummett, Wichita, Kan., 3,401; 25, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 3,398; 26, Nina Flack, Sweden, 3,377; T27, Giselle Poss, Nashville, Tenn., 3,367;
      T27, Cassandra Leuthold, Lincoln, Neb., 3,367; 29, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 3,366; 30, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 3,365; 31, Haley Richard, Tipton, Mich., 3,364; 32, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 3,362; 33, Sabrena Divis, Gillette, Wyo., 3,361.
      34, Sierra Kanemoto, Riverside, Ohio, 3,351; 35, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 3,350; 36, Siti Rahman, Malaysia, 3,349; 37, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 3,344; 38, Daria Pajak, Poland, 3,343; 39, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,339; 40, Bryanna Cote, Red Rock, Ariz., 3,338

Visit PWBA.com/Live for complete results.