Harmen Second Round Leader of PBA Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator

Third-year touring player Steve Harman jumped from 14th place into the lead in
the Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator Thursday at Sequoia Pro Bowl, averaging
240.86 over 14 qualifying games to take a 45–pin lead over first-round leader
Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, AZ.

Harman, who is trying for his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title, averaged
255 during the second round in his best performance of the season, finishing
with a 3,372 pinfall total. Haugen, a two-time PBA Tour title winner, had 3,327
pins.

Bill O’Neill of Southampton, PA, who won the U.S. Open Sunday in Indianapolis
for his first major title and second of the 2009-10 season, was in third place
with 3,273 pins followed by Brian Kretzer of Dayton, OH, at 3,249 and Andres
Gomez of Colombia at 3,220.

“It was one of those nights. I really can’t explain it, but it was a big confidence
booster for me,” the 36-year-old Harman said. “I got off to a bad start this year in
the World Series of Bowling. I got down in the dumps, but lately I’ve been
bowling pretty well. Tonight I caught a couple of good breaks in the middle of big
strings of strikes in the first couple of games. Then I made a ball change, moved
way inside and it seemed like I had the whole lane to work with. Every time I hit
the 1-3 pocket, all of the pins fell.”

Two-time defending champion Chris Barnes of Double Oak, TX, was tied for
14th place after 14 games in his bid for a third straight title in Columbus. Jason
Couch of Clermont, FL, is the most recent of five players who have won the
same event three consecutive times. Couch won the PBA Tournament of 
Champions in 1999, 2000 and 2002 (the event was not contested in 2001).

The biggest game of the night was the tournament’s only 300 by Eugene McCune
of Munster, Ind., in the final game of the night. The perfect game moved him into
29th place, keeping his title hopes alive as the field of 64 was trimmed to 30.

The top 30 will bowl two more seven-game qualifying rounds Friday to narrow the
field to the 16 players who will be seeded into four groups of four for Saturday’s
Eliminator Rounds. In each of three Eliminator rounds, the bowler
with the lowest three-game, total pinfall score will be eliminated.

Saturday’s four surviving players will advance to Sunday’s live ESPN finals
starting at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. In Sunday’s finals, the player with the lowest
game bowled each round will be eliminated until the champion is decided.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR
ETONIC DON JOHNSON ELIMINATOR
Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Thursday

SECOND ROUND (after 14 games)
1, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 3,372.
2, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 3,327.
3, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,273.
4, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,249.
5, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,220.
6, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 3,189.
7, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 3,168.
8, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 3,155.
9, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,152.
10, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,143.
11, Joe Bailey, Doylestown, Ohio, 3,139.
12, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,135.
13, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,108.
14, (tie) Osku Palermaa, Finland, and Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,103.
16, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 3,091.
17, George Lambert IV, Canada, 3,081.
18, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,077.
19, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,076.
20, (tie) Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 3,064.
22, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3,054.
23, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,053.
24, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,052.
25, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,047.
25, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,047.
27, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,045.
28, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,039.
29, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,036.
30, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,034.

DID NOT ADVANCE
31, (tie) Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 3,027, and Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,027, $1,600.
33, Stuart Williams, England, 3,014, $1,600.
34, (tie) Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,011, and Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,011, $1,600.
36, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 2,989, $1,600.
37, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 2,979, $1,500.
38, Chad Kloss, West Allis, Wis., 2,970, $1,500.
39, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., 2,968, $1,500.
40, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 2,958, $1,500.
41, (tie) John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 2,947, and Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 2,947, $1,500.
43, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,944, $1,500.
44, (tie) Billy Oatman, Chicago, 2,943, and Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 2,943, $1,500.
46, Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., 2,938, $1,500.
47, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 2,936, $1,500.
48, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 2,924, $1,500.
49, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,890, $1,500.
50, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 2,884, $1,500.
51, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 2,876, $1,500.
52, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,873, $1,500.
53, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 2,869, $1,500.
54, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 2,860, $1,500.
55, Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 2,859, $1,400.
56, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,857, $1,400.
57, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,843, $1,400.
58, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2,834, $1,400.
59, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,813, $1,400.
60, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,787, $1,400.
61, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 2,778, $1,400.
62, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,729, $1,400.
63, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, withdrew (illness), $1,400.
64, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., withdrew (knee injury), $1,400.