PBA Chameleon Championship Sunday

 

The stepladder finals of the third “animal pattern” PBA Tour event of the 2012-13 season from the South Point Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, NV takes on an international flavor and features the return of Walter Ray Williams Jr. to a televised final.

In the opening match of the PBA Chameleon Championship, 2010-11 Rookie of the Year Scott Norton of Costa Mesa, CA, takes on Fawaz Abdulla, the first bowler from the Middle East country of Bahrain ever to make a PBA finals telecast.

Norton made a memorable debut in the 2010 World Series of Bowling Chameleon Championship, qualifying as tournament leader in his first TV appearance and then stringing eight consecutive strikes on his way to a 256-181 win over Sean Rash for his first career title.

Abdulla went from 11th to fourth in the final qualifying round, slipping past
PBA stars Tommy Jones and Norm Duke in the final game to take the last TV spot. Suffering from a chronic case of gout prior to the finals, Abdulla required an overnight hospital stay but recovered enough to make his first TV appearance. Abdulla is part of a seven-man Bahrain contingent coached by longtime international competitor and PBA member Tim Mack of Indianapolis.

The winner of the opening match will take on Williams in the semifinal. The
PBA’s all-time leader in Tour wins with 47, is making his first TV appearance in
more than a season. In 2011-12, for the first time in a record 26 seasons, the
PBA Hall of Famer failed to make a TV show.

The winner of the semifinal match will then take on 2011-12 Player of the Year challenger and five-time Tour winner Jason Belmonte of Australia. Belmonte, who won three titles in last year’s WSOB, lost a close vote for Player of the Year honors to Sean Rash last season.

The next two Sundays after the Chameleon telecast will feature World Series of Bowling finals with 90-minute programs airing at 1 p.m. ET. The Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship will air on Jan. 6, and the PBA World Championship on Jan. 13.

George Gohagan Wins PBA All Regions Title In Las Vegas

Amateur George Gohagan III of Roswell, GA, defeated former PBA Women’s Series champion Shannon Pluhowsky of Kettering, Ohio, in a one-ball sudden death roll-off, 10-9, that concluded a record-setting PBA All Regions South Point Open at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 10.

The Gohagan-Pluhowsky roll-off followed a 224-224 tie. After each player threw three matching strikes, Gohagan broke the tie for the win. But there was a great deal of additional drama leading up to the title match.

Gohagan, who earned $3,500, defeated England’s Dom Barrett, 300-298, in a nail-biting semifinal round match when Barrett left a pocket 7-10, ending a personal string of 32 consecutive strikes that began in the Round of 8. Pluhowsky ousted Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL, 247-236, in the other semifinal match.

In the Round of 8, Barrett won his best-of-three-game match against Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, NC, 2-0, by winning an 11-ball roll-off after they tied at 280-280 in game two. Both players threw 10 strikes in a row before Troup left a pin standing on his 11th attempt while Barrett threw his 11th strike.

In the Round of 16, Gohagan and amateur Ron Nelson Jr. of Bridgeview, IL, battled to a 300-300 tie in the second game of their best-of-five match, and each then threw three more strikes in the roll-off before Gohagan’s fourth strike eliminated Nelson’s seven-count. Gohagan went on to win the contest, 3-2, with a 268-253 win in game five.

In a companion event held in conjunction with the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, amateur Adam Ishman of Las Vegas and Barrett defeated amateur Raul Rosales of El Monte, CA and Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, AZ, 502-459, to win the $4,000 top prize in the PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles on Sunday, Nov. 11.

The All Regions South Point Open drew an international field of 157 competitors while the Member/Non-Member Doubles drew a field of 66 teams. Both events were conducted in conjunction with the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV.

Kelly Kulick Tops WSOB IV Female Players

Four women were among the capacity field of 240 players who competed in WSOB IV, and PBA Tournament of Champions winner Kelly Kulick of Union, NJ, had the best showing among them. Kulick finished PBA World Championship qualifying in 53rd place, averaging 221.13 for her 32 games. She also cashed in the Viper (21st) and missed cashing in the Chameleon by one pin, finishing 37th.

How International Players Fared in WSOB IV

The field of 66 international players representing a record 17 countries (including the U.S.) acquitted themselves well during WSOB IV. Here’s how the best from each country finished in the four animal pattern events:

● Australia: Jason Belmonte, qualified first for Chameleon finals.

● Bahrain: Fawaz Abdulla, qualified fourth for Chameleon finals.

● Canada: Dan MacLelland, sixth in Viper.

● Colombia: Andres Gomez, 12th in Scorpion.

● Costa Rica: Alejandro Reyna, 140th in Scorpion.

● Denmark: Mik Stampe, eighth in Chameleon.

● England: Dom Barrett, sixth in Scorpion.

● Finland: Osku Palermaa, qualified first in Scorpion.

● Germany: Manuel Mrosek, Germany, 157th in Scorpion.

● Iceland: Hafthor Hardarson, 80th in Cheetah.

● Korea: Hyun Bum Kim, 57th in Cheetah.

● Mexico: Julio Cesar Blancas, 37th in Cheetah.

● Phillipines: Paolo Joquico, 212th in Viper.

● Saudi Arabia: Ahmed Saad Alhaydan, 80th in Chameleon.

● Sweden: Johan Hellden, 18th in Cheetah.

● Venezuela: Amleto Monacelli, 49th in Viper.

 

 

Three Players Make ESPN Debut at WSOB IV

 

Veteran PBA Central Region competitor Jeff Roche of Dearborn, MI; fifth-year PBA Tour competitor Jason Sterner of McDonough, GA, and Bahrain’s Fawaz Abdulla will make their ESPN television debuts in WSOB IV. Roche qualified No. 2 for the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship finals. Abdulla will be the first Middle East player to appear on national television in the U.S. as the No. 4 qualifier in the Chameleon Championship. Sterner is the No. 3 qualifier in the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship field.

Those three, along with Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio (Cheetah) and Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL. (Scorpion), are trying for their first PBA Tour title.

 

Historic Field for the PBA Viper Finals at WSOB IV

The Chameleon Championship, the third of four “animal pattern” events being conducted a central part of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas, produced an historic television finals field – including the first Middle East player to make a PBA TV final – and a truly international semifinal field.

Six countries were represented in the six-game semifinal round Monday night: the U.S., Australia, Canada, Denmark, England and Bahrain. Three of the players who emerged from the 16-player semifinal field to Sunday’s stepladder finals were no surprise. Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte powered his way into the No. 1 berth. Ageless Walter Ray Williams Jr., at age 53, qualified No. 2 for his 192nd career television appearance. Left-handed California attorney Scott Norton, who won his only PBA Tour title in the Chameleon Championship two years ago in WSOB II, will be No. 3.

But the surprise was Bahrain’s Fawaz Abdulla, 35, who rolled games of 249, 235, 278, 258, 234 and 239 in the semifinal round to advance from 11th to fourth, slipping past PBA stars Tommy Jones and Norm Duke in the final game while a contingent of Bahraini teammates celebrated every shot in support.

Abdulla, who bowled in WSOB III as a non-member, finished 18th in the 2011 Scorpion Championship with a 300 game, 44th in the Chameleon, 125th in the Viper and 162nd in the Shark Championship. Teammate Yousif Falah also cashed in 2011, finishing 27th in the Shark Championship. Both are members of the seven-man Bahrain national team which is coached by long-time international competitor Tim Mack of Indianapolis.

Loschetter Leads Qualifying in First Stage of World Series of Bowling

Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, averaged 253.25 to take the qualifying round lead in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship, the opening event of the GEICO Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling IV, at South Point Bowling Center Saturday.

Loschetter, a 32-year-old PBA veteran who is seeking his first PBA Tour title, rolled games of 249, 278, 236, 222, 244, 279, 289 and 258 on his way to a 2,026 total in front of a packed crowd at South Point. He held a nine-pin lead over Mike Wolfe of New Albany, IN. Loschetter and Wolfe led a field of 16 qualifiers who advanced to Saturday night’s six-game semifinal round.

The top four players based upon 14-game pinfall totals will advance to 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. The finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 16.

“It was pretty high scoring. There was lots of striking going on,” said Loschetter, who has finished second three times in 127 previous PBA Tour events. “I’ve been working on being more aggressive at the bottom of my arm swing, which helped my pin carry. Today the key was to not get down on yourself if you had a 220 game. I did a good job of keeping my composure.”

Rounding out the top five were Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY, in third place with 2,002 pins; and Eddie VanDaniker Jr. of Chatsworth, CA, and Jeff Roche of Dearborn, MI, tied for fourth with 1,997 pins.

After winning seven of eight titles in the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, none of the 66 international players in this year’s capacity field of 240 qualified for the Cheetah semifinal round.

The eight-game qualifying totals from the Cheetah Championship also will count as the first of four qualifying rounds in the PBA World Championship. Eight-game qualifying totals from Sunday’s Viper, Monday’s Chameleon and Tuesday’s Scorpion Championships will be added to Cheetah qualifying scores to produce the 32-game totals that will determine the 24 players who will advance to the PBA World Championship match play rounds Wednesday and Thursday.

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

QUALIFYING ROUND (after 8 games; top 16 advanced to six-game semifinal round Saturday night; top four after 14 games advance to ESPN stepladder finals)

1, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,026.
2, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,017.
3, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,002.
4 (tie), Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., and Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 1,997.
6, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,990.
7, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 1,984.
8, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,982.
9, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,971.
10, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 1,964.
11, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 1,961.
11, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 1,961.
13, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,958.
14, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,956.
15, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 1,946.
16, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,942.

Other Cashers:
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.

Failed to Cash:
37, Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 1,900.
38 (tie), Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., and Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,899.
40, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,898.
41, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,897.
42, Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1,891.
43, Dennis Eklund, Sweden, 1,885.
44, Perttu Jussila, Finland, 1,882.
45 (tie), Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., and Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif., 1,880.
47, Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., 1,877.
48 (tie), Osku Palermaa, Finland, and Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla., 1,875.
50, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,870, $100.
51, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,869.
52, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,868.
53 (tie), Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., and Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,865.
55, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,856.
56, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,854.
57, Hyun Bum Kim, Korea, 1,849.
58 (tie), Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas; Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., and Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,846.
61 (tie), Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 1,845.
63 (tie), Andrew Frawley, Australia, and Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 1,843.
65, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,842.
66, Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 1,840.
67 (tie), Kevin Morillo, Venezuela; Jason Miller, Portland, OR, Dick Allen, Columbia, SC, 1,837.
70 (tie), Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., and Daniel Falconi, Mexico, 1,835.
72, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,827.
73, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,826.
74, Robert McBride, Plano, Texas, 1,825.
75, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,824.
76 (tie), Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., and Chad Vendeville, Arlington, Texas, 1,823.
78 (tie), D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, and Kevin Henderson, Albany, Ore, 1,822.
80 (tie), Hafthor Hardarson, Iceland; Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., and Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,816.
83 (tie), Erik Andersin, Sweden, and Meen Woo Kim, Korea, 1,814.
85, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 1,809.
86 (tie), Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio; Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 1,808.
89, Roberto Silva, Mexico, 1,807.
90, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1,803.
91, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 1,802.
92 (tie), Fawaz Abdulla, Bahrain, and Jason Stadtler, Cherry Hill, N.J., 1,799.
94, Adam Monks, Conway, S.C., 1,798.
95 (tie), Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., and Kim Bolleby, Sweden, 1,797.
97 (tie), David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., and Mattias Olsson, Sweden, 1,796.
99, Yeo Jin Yoon, Korea, 1,794.
100 (tie), Jacob Heger, Houston, and Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,791.
102, Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 1,790.
103, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 1,787.
104, Chris Groom, Lancaster, Calif., 1,786.
105, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 1,785.
106, Doug Scheidig, Royersford, Pa., 1,781.
107 (tie), Mik Stampe, Denmark, and Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,779.
109, Mike Williams II, Montgomery, Ala, 1,778.
110 (tie), Hyun Suk Kim, Korea, and Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,777.
112, Helen Johnsson, Sweden, 1,776.
113, Mike Bailey, Allen, Texas, 1,772.
114, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,770.
115 (tie), Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., and Scott Halvarson, Lakewood, Wash., 1,768.
117 (tie), Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., and Kirk Sauro, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 1,767.
119 (tie), Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., and Mathias Arup, Sweden, 1,766.
121 (tie), Hernan Ramirez, Venezuela; Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, and Greg Knolton, Bartlett, Tenn., 1,763.
124, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,758.
125, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,755.
126, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,754.
127 (tie), Thomas Ault Jr., Portland, Ore., and Mikael Kanold, Sweden, 1,752.
129, Travis Celmer, Wernersville, Pa., 1,751.
130, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 1,748, $100.
131, Eric Forkel, Henderson, Nev., 1,747.
132 (tie), Chad Pojas, Wahiawa, Hawaii, and Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 1,746.
134 (tie), Andrew Cain, Phoenix, and Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 1,741.
136, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 1,740.
137 (tie), Wayne Stellick, Aurora, Colo., and Ahmed Saad Alhadyan, Saudi Arabia, 1,736.
139, Brett Cooper, Newburyport, Mass., 1,735.
140, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 1,732.
141, Kevin Brophy, Oakhurst, N.J., 1,731.
142, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 1,729.
143, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,728.
144, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 1,727.
145, Erik Gulbrandson, Superior, Wis., 1,725.
146, Frank Guccione, Castle Rock, Colo., 1,724.
147 (tie), Mike Armstrong Jr., Battle Ground, WA, and Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,722.
149, Lee Rucker, Fort Myers, Fla., 1,720.
150, Kim Ojala, Sweden, 1,717.
151, Kelvin Wiggins, Rocky Mt., N.C., 1,716.
152, John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., 1,715.
153 (tie), Chris Hans, Rocky Mount, N.C., and Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 1,712.
155, Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 1,710.
156, Giorgio Clinaz Jr., Venezuela, 1,705.
157, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 1,704.
158, Ernest Lukacs Jr., Manville, N.J., 1,699.
159, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 1,698.
160, Matt Ramshaw, Longview, Wash., 1,697.
161 (tie), Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., and Nathan Urrutia, Banning, Calif., 1,695.
163, Robert Piroozshad, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1,694.
164 (tie), Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., and Evan Nash, Kennewick, Wash., 1,689.
166, Ji Hyun Cha, Korea, 1,688.
167, Peter Hellstrom, Sweden, 1,676.
168, Allen Blansette, Napa, Calif., 1,674.
169, Shawn Lee, Centennial, Colo., 1,673.
170, Rob Gotterbarn Jr., Garden City South, N.Y., 1,671.
171, Eduardo Yzcaray Jr., Venezuela, 1,670.
172 (tie), Travis Anderson, Washington, Ill., and Nam Yi Jo, Korea, 1,666.
174, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,665.
175, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,661.
176, Alejandro Reyna, Costa Rica, 1,658.
177, Kyle Leiffer, Weed, Calif., 1,655.
178, Justin Stevens, Aiea, Hawaii, 1,654.
179, Patrick Bohm, Sweden, 1,651.
180, Bryan Viator, Friendswood, Texas, 1,650.
181 (tie), Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn., and Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 1,649.
183, Jimmy Mortensen, Denmark, 1,646.
184, Manuel Mrosek, Germany, 1,644.
185, Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., 1,640.
186, Glenn Morgan, Carson City, Nev., 1,637.
186, Frederik Ohrgaard, Denmark, 1,637.
188, Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif., 1,632.
189, Hakim AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,627.
190, Thomas Biniek Jr., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., 1,625.
191 (tie), Mahdi Assad, Bahrain, and Myles Duty, Modesto, Calif., 1,619.
193, Magnus Johnson Jr., Sweden, 1,618.
194 (tie), Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., and Isaac Amkie, Mexico, 1,616.
196, Kasey Normandin, Canada, 1,614.
197, Gustavo Salinas, Mexico, 1,607.
198, Matt Meyer, Alexandria, Minn., 1,605.
199, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,598.
200, Mohamed Sultan, Bahrain, 1,597.
201, Michael Menard, Canada, 1,595.
202, Carlos Cottone, Venezuela, 1,581.
203, James Hobson, Converse, Texas, 1,579.
204, Michael Smith, Centenniel, Colo., 1,576.
205, Tim Arnold, Las Vegas, 1,572.
206, John Cicero, Colorado Springs, Colo., 1,564.
207, Jeff Evans, Supply, N.C., 1,561.
208 (tie), Mohamed Al Jahrami, Bahrain, and Kenneth Bland Jr., Germany, 1,556.
210, Sean Daniels, Aloha, Ore., 1,538.
211, Jamar Lee, Livermore, Calif., 1,523.
212, Dave Gillson, Phoenix, 1,521.
213, Jin Han Kim, Korea, 1,507.
214, Diego Lopez, Colombia, 1,506.
215, Philip Medley, Washington, Mich., 1,502.
216, Dustin Ochoa, Cibilo, Texas, 1,501.
217 (tie), Paul Nilsen Sr., Murrieta, Calif., and Mohammed AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,497.
219, Masood Saberi, Bahrain, 1,495.
220, Hameed Taqi, Bahrain, 1,491.
221, Chris DosSantos, Fairhaven, Mass., 1,489.
222 (tie), Josh Lewis, Asheville, N.C., and Kyle Martinez, Broken Arrow, Okla., 1,487.
224, Josh Willis, Orleans, Ind., 1,474.
225, Steve Ford, Seaside, Ore., 1,461.
226, Wes Newman, Panama City, Fla, 1,446.
227, John Perry, Nuevo, Calif., 1,440.
228, Adam James, Redmond, Wash., 1,439.
229, Ben Davis, Ashland, Ky., 1,437.
230, Glen Nakagawa, Highland Village, Texas, 1,412.
231, Shawn St. Andre, Garden Grove, Calif., 1,407.
232, Richard Rezendes, Cumberland, R.I., 1,394.
233, Ted Sidehamer Jr., Newport News, Va., 1,382.
234, Troy Behanna, Pasadena, Texas, 1,377.
234, Mickey Fry, Akron, Ohio, 1,377.
236, Branden Lee, Chicago, 1,359.
237, Chris Ashworth, Gallatin, Tenn., 1,353.
238, Paolo Joquico, Philippines, 1,300.
239, Gradie Merritt-Foster, Park Forest, Ill., 1,220.
240, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1,173.

300 Games (11): Daniel Falconi, Johan Hellden, Mike Fagan, PJ Haggerty, Carsten Hansen, Jason Belmonte, Thomas Larsen, Jeff Roche, Chris Hans, Tommy Jones, Jesse Buss.

PBA World Series “ARENA” To Introduce Stub Lane PRACTICE

The special Brunswick bowling lane installation in South Point Exhibition Hall A in Las Vegas that will house the ESPN-televised finals of all six GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV events will include a change this year with the introduction of a stub lane for use in practice between stepladder matches, PBA Commissioner Tom Clark has announced.

In addition to the two lanes that will be used for the actual competition, Clark said the shortened lane will be built in an off-camera area by the Brunswick crew.
 “When you conduct stepladder finals, there is a significant dynamic of lane conditions changing by the time the top qualifier returns to the lanes,” Clark said. “The advantage of being the top qualifier, and only having to bowl one match, is diminished because the player who progresses up the stepladder has a much better opportunity to see how the conditions are changing.

“This year, the winner of each match will not be able to practice on TV pair after the game,” Clark continued. “Only the oncoming player will be allowed to practice on the TV pair. The player who is continuing in the competition will go to the stub lane to stay loose. Reducing the amount of practice on the TV pair also will help maintain the integrity of the lane conditioning pattern.

“I want everyone to understand how important the integrity of the competition is to us,” he added. “There are enough other situations that are not ideal when you involve television, such as moving to an arena instead of being in the bowling center where qualifying was held. Our goal is to manage what we can in the interest of fairness and integrity; the addition of the stub lane is a significant step in accomplishing that goal.”

Three World Series telecasts will be conducted in the South Point arena setting on Saturday, Nov. 10 (at 10 a.m., 1 and 4 p.m.), and three more finals will be conducted on Sunday, Nov. 11 (at noon, 2 and 5 p.m.). All times are Pacific. Tickets are available at no cost. Visit pba.com for ticket information.