Parker Bohn III Sets USBC 8-Game Series Record in PBA Northwest Region Win

On his way to winning his 21st PBA Regional title Sunday May 21st in Puyallup, WA, PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, NJ, rolled the highest eight-game series in United States Bowling Congress (USBC) history.

 

Bohn rolled games of 267, 278, 300, 300, 289, 258, 279 and 258 for a 2,229 series in the round-robin match play portion of the PBA Chevrolet Northwest Open at Daffodil Bowl. He averaged 278.62 in breaking the USBC overall record of 2,203 set by women’s hall of famer Tish Johnson in Panorama City, CA, in 1990. Bohn said he had one open frame in the series – an unconverted 7-10 split – and actually lost one of his eight matches.

 

The series is certified by USBC under the PBA’s blanket-certification program, but PBA scoring records involve PBA Tour and PBA50 Tour events only; the PBA doesn’t track records for regional competition. The PBA Tour 8-game record is the oldest scoring record remaining in the PBA record book: a 2,165 bowled by the late Billy Hardwick in the 1968 Japan Cup.

 

Bohn, who was in the area on a business trip, used his stunning series to run away from Blaine Weninger of Happy Valley, OR, by 469 pins for the Puyallup title, finishing with a 16-game total of 4,495 pins, including match play bonus pins.

 

In the companion PBA50 U.S. Foods Northwest Open at Daffodil Bowl, Bob Davidson of Mountlake Terrace, WA, went 4-2 in match play and knocked down 3,601 total pins for 14 games to top Kurt Bogner of Longview, WA, for his first PBA50 Northwest title. Bogner had a 4-2 match play record and 3,427 pins.

Chris Barnes Earns Top Berth at PBA Wolf Open

After averaging 256.5 for his first six qualifying games, Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, started Monday night’s final qualifying round in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Wolf Open at FireLake Bowling Center with a 279 game and never looked back in earning the top berth for Saturday’s stepladder finals.

 

Barnes, a 17-time PBA Tour title-winner, completed the 12-game qualifying portion of the Wolf Open with an overall 249 average and 2,989 pins to win the top spot in the finals by 136 pins over Mike Fagan of Fort Worth, Texas. In 12 games, Barnes had only one open frame – a split he failed to convert in the ninth frame of his final game.

 

Also advancing to the stepladder finals will be Sweden’s Martin Larsen in third place with 2,838 pins, Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, in fourth with a 2,835 total and defending Wolf Open winner Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio. Loschetter rallied to make it into the 18-player second-round field by five pins and then finished the second round with back-to-back 257-258 games to win the fifth seed in the finals by four pins over Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC.

 

The Wolf Open is the first of five events that comprise Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing. All five events (Wolf, Bear, Badger and Oklahoma Opens plus the Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing) will be televised by CBS Sports Network on consecutive Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. ET, beginning with the Wolf Open finals on June 3.

 

“I had a strong enough ball to control the gutter shot, and I took some of the patchy spots out of play,” Barnes said. “I didn’t have nearly as much difference in ball reaction from pair to pair as the other guys had.

 

“Last year (in Milwaukee) I made some mistakes and I didn’t use my equipment to my advantage,” he added. “This year I came into the Wolf Open more determined to stay in control of the pocket rather than worry about my pin carry, and it worked out.”

 

Barnes finished 17th in last year’s Wolf Open, the worst of his five 2013 Summer Swing events, and he won the Milwaukee Open – last year’s version of this year’s Oklahoma Open – with a 246-237 decision over Norm Duke in the title match.

 

Former major league pitching star John Burkett of Southlake, Texas, finished 91st in his first PBA Tour appearance since 2007. Burkett, 49, is preparing for his debut in PBA50 Tour competition in 2015.

 

Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing continues Tuesday with the PBA Bear Open on a demanding U.S. Open-type flat 40-foot lane condition.

 

PBA WOLF OPEN

FireLake Bowling Center, Shawnee, Okla., May 19

 

Final Qualifying Standings (after 12 games; top five advance to stepladder finals Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at the Grand Event Center in Shawnee)

1, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,989.
2, Mike Fagan, Ft. Worth, Texas, 2,853.
3, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2,838.
4, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,835.
5, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,756.
6, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,752, $2,000.
7, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 2,751, $1,800.
8, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 2,732, $1,600.
9, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 2,726, $1,400.
10, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 2,703, $1,300.
11, Sean Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 2,659, $1,150.
11, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,659, $1,150.
13, Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 2,638, $1,000.
14, Dom Barrett, England, 2,618, $900.
15, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 2,615, $800.
16, Roger Petrin, BelAire, Kan., 2,593, $700.
17, Shannon O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 2,565, $600.
18, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 2,557, $500.

 

Failed to advance (after six games):

19, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,342.
20 (tie), Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,329.
22, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,328.
23, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,325.
24, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 1,321.
25, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,314.
26, Stephen Pavlinko Jr., Sewell, N.J., 1,312.
27 (tie), Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla.; Bryant Ezell, Fayetteville, Ark., and Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,310.
30, Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., 1,309.
31, Jason Sterner, Covington, Ga., 1,307.
32 (tie), Osku Palermaa, Finland, and Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,302.
34 (tie), Shawn Maldonado, Houston, and Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,300.
36, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,298.
37, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,296.
38 (tie), Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, and Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 1,294.
40, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,293.
41, Jeff Campbell II, Amarillo, Texas, 1,292.
42, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,290.
43 (tie), Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., and Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 1,286.
45, Aaron Lorincz, Saginaw, Mich., 1,283.
46 (tie), Brett Cooper, Denver; Dick Allen, Columbia, SC, and Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,282.
49, Mike DeVaney, Winchester, Calif., 1,281.
50, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 1,278.
51 (tie), D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, and Giorgio Clinaz Jr., Venezuela, 1,272.
53, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,267.
54 (tie), James Cantere, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 1,265.
56, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,264.
57 (tie), Tim Mack, Indianapolis, and Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 1,259.
59, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,250.
60, Stuart Williams, England, 1,248.
61, Adam Monks, Conway, S.C., 1,246.
62, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,241.
63, Barry McKee, Maxwell, Texas, 1,239.
64, Billy Rogers, Mesquite, Texas, 1,237.
65, John Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 1,235.
66, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,233.
67, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 1,230.
68 (tie), Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla.; Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, and Michael Austin, Magnolia, Texas, 1,229.
71, Joe Findling, Mesquite, Texas, 1,223.
72, Anthony Simonsen, Mesquite, Texas, 1,220.
73, Jake Peters, Henderson, Nev., 1,219.
74, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,216.
75 (tie), Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio; Miguel Lopez, Wichita, Kan., and Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 1,213.
78, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,208.
79, Kyle Biggs, Sapulpa, Okla., 1,201.
80, Chris Skillings, Shawnee, Okla., 1,199.
81 (tie), Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., and Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz., 1,198.
83, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,194.
84, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 1,193.
85, Thomas Patterson, Owasso, Okla., 1,192.
86, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 1,188.
87, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,186.
88, Eric Odette, Killeen, Texas, 1,182.
89, Manuel Otalora, Colombia, 1,180.
90, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,176.
91, John Burkett, Southlake, Texas, 1,174.
92, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,167.
93, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 1,166.
94, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 1,161.
95, Jason Romeiser, Quanah, Texas, 1,159.
96, Kenneth Bland Jr., Lorton, Va., 1,157.
97, Brian Nicodemus, Akron, Ind., 1,156.
98 (tie), Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., and Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 1,151.
100, Andy Patterson, Tyler, Texas, 1,149.
101, Clint Land, Richmond, Texas, 1,142.
102 (tie), Jeff Hatt, Oklahoma City, and Mark Morgan, Killeen, Texas, 1,141.
104 (tie), Paul Brewbaker, Midwest City, Okla., and Dylan Macon, Ennis, Texas, 1,132.
106, Chad Lusche, Arvada, Colo., 1,131.
107, John Furey, Freehold, N.J., 1,121.
108, Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn., 1,118.
109, Tim Dooley, Van Buren, Ark., 1,098.
110, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,097.
111, Hernan Ramirez, Venezuela, 1,095.
112, Justin Morris, McLoud, Okla., 1,048.
113, Armando Santacruz, Ecuador, 1,038.
114, Will Hoge, Sand Springs, Okla., 954.
115, Jayden Warner, Muskogee, Okla., 850.

 

300 Games: Mike Austin, Ryan Shafer, Bill O’Neill, Sean Lavery-Spahr.

Tommy Jones Top Qualifier at PBA Bear Open

One day after missing the stepladder finals of the PBA Wolf Open by four pins, 15-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC, raced away with the top qualifying berth for the finals of the PBA Bear Open at Fire Lake Bowling Center Tuesday.

Jones, who hasn’t won a PBA Tour title on American soil since the 2008 GEICO Championship in West Babylon, NY, averaged 220.5 for 12 games on the most difficult of the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing lane conditioning patterns, a flat 40-foot condition that is almost identical to the U.S. Open lane oiling pattern. Jones finished with a 2,646 pinfall total to top No. 2 qualifier Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, PA, by 24 pins.

Also advancing to the Bear Open stepladder finals Saturday will be No. 3 Ronnie Russell of Marion, IN, with 2,620 pins; Rhino Page of Dad City, FL, with 2,608 pins and No. 5 Dick Allen of Columbia, SC, with a 2,606 total. The Bear Open finals will be contested at 2:30 p.m. CT on the special lane installation at the Grand Event Center. The finals will air on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. ET.

Pacing the Bear field was a bit of redemption for Jones after Monday’s disappointment.

“It wasn’t the finish that bothered me as much as I threw a couple of shots into the gutter and missed the TV show by four pins,” he said. “Leaving those pins out there is what leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.”

Jones also is aware it’s been six years since he has won a title in the U.S. He has won three PBA International Tour events since then, but overcoming hip and neck injuries over the past five-or-so years has been frustrating.

“To win in the U.S. is definitely a goal, and to go in feeling healthy is a good thing,” he added. “Some of my problems have been bad bowling and some of it has been being overly cautious about my health issues. But so far this week, everything’s been good.”

The Bear Open is the second of five events that compose Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing. All five events will be televised on CBS Sports Network on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET, beginning with the Wolf Open on June 3.

The Bear Open also was the second of three qualifying legs in determining the field of 18 who will advance to the round-robin match play segment of the Oklahoma Open. After 12 of 18 qualifying games, the top five were Dom Barrett, England, 2,744; Jones, 2,741; Mike Fagan, Ft. Worth, Texas, 2,737; Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, PA, 2,722, and Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,721. The first six games in Wednesday’s Badger Open will determine the Oklahoma Open match play finalists.

The Badger Open, which features a 52-foot lane conditioning pattern, gets

underway Wednesday when Squad A bowls six qualifying games at 8 a.m. followed by Squad B at 2 p.m. The top 18 after six games advance to an additional six-game qualifying round at 7:30 p.m. to determine the five Badger Open stepladder finalists.

PBA BEAR OPEN
FireLake Bowling Center, Shawnee, Okla., May 20

Final Qualifying Standings (after 12 games; top five advance to stepladder finals at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Grand Event Center in Shawnee)
1, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,646.
2, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 2,622.
3, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 2,620.
4, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 2,608.
5, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2,606.
6, Dom Barrett, England, 2,553, $2,000.
7, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,551, $1,800.
8, Mike DeVaney, Winchester, Calif., 2,543, $1,600.
9, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 2,529, $1,400.
10, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,528, $1,300.
11, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,527, $1,200.
12, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,525, $1,100.
13, Shawn Maldonado, Houston, 2,487, $1,000.
14, D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, 2,483, $900.
15, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,469, $800.
16, Jason Sterner, Covington, Ga., 2,468, $700.
17, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,456, $600.
18, John Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 2,420, $500.

PBA Rookie of The Year E. J. Tackett Tops Oklahoma Open Finalists

Professional Bowlers Association 2013 Rookie of the Year E.J. Tackett of Huntington, IN, tamed the PBA’s Bear lane condition Thursday afternoon and used that momentum to capture the No. 1 position in the PBA Oklahoma Open stepladder finals Thursday night at FireLake Bowling Center.

 

Tackett, a 21-year-old in search for his first PBA Tour title, averaged 223.255 for 36 games on the PBA’s Wolf, Bear and Badger lane conditions, and as top qualifier, selected the flat, 40-foot Bear lane condition for the Oklahoma Open finals. The finals in all five Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing events will be contested Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Resort Event Center for telecast on CBS Sports Network beginning June 3.

 

Tackett, who finished the Oklahoma Open with a 36-game total of 8,367 pins, including 330 bonus pins for winning 11 of his 18 matches. It’s the first time he has led a traditional PBA Tour event, although he was the leading qualifier in the United States Bowling Congress Masters – a double-elimination match play tournament – earlier in the year before losing to reigning PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte in the title match, 221-177.

 

Also advancing to the Oklahoma Open stepladder finals were Chris Loschetter of

Avon, Ohio, with 8,358 pins; Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, PA, with an 8,307 total; Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC, with 8,297 pins, and Belmonte, who rallied from seventh place in the final game to qualify fifth with 8,257 pins.

 

“I think the only lane condition I’ve bowled on that was more difficult than the Bear pattern today was in the U.S. Open,” Tackett said. “I don’t know why I bowled better than the other guys. I don’t think I threw the ball that much better than anyone. I think my bowling ball just matched up with the condition better."

 

“It feels really good to lead the field,” Tackett continued. “The only way to learn how to deal with the pressure of bowling for a title is to put yourself in position to win, so I’ll try to do what I did today – stay positive and make good shots."

 

“I watched my performance in the Masters finals a couple of times,” he added. “I started okay, but I didn’t make moves fast enough. It comes with experience. The Masters was mine to win. Belmo got a couple of breaks, but he made shots when he had to and I didn’t. I didn’t beat myself up over losing, but we’ll see what happens this time.”

 

The Summer Swing concludes Saturday and Sunday with the stepladder finals in five events: the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens on Saturday, and the Oklahoma Open and Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing special event on Sunday. All finals will be contested on a special lane installation in the Grand Resort Events Center.

 

PBA OKLAHOMA OPEN

FireLake Bowling Center, Shawnee, Okla., May 22

 

FINAL MATCH PLAY STANDINGS (after 36 games, including match play bonus pins; top five after 36 games advance to stepladder finals Sunday at noon at Grand Event Center)

1, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 11-7, 8,367.
2, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 12-6, 8,358.
3, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 8-9-1, 8,307.
4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 10-8, 8,297.
5, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 11-7, 8,257.
6, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 11-6-1, 8,200, $4,000.
7, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 11-7, 8,185, $3,500.
8, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 6-11-1, 8,178, $3,000.
9, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 8-10, 8,160, $2,800.
10, Mike Fagan, Ft. Worth, Texas, 9-9, 8,149, $2,500.
11, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 9-9, 8,139, $2,300.
12, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 8-10, 8,107, $2,100.
13, Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 9-9, 8,100, $2,000.
14, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 10-8, 8,017, $1,900.
15, Dom Barrett, England, 9-9, 8,013, $1,800.
16, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 9-9, 7,990, $1,700.
17, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 5-12-1, 7,921, $1,600.
18, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 4-14, 7,538, $1,500.

  
 
 

300 Games: Mika Koivuniemi, Chris Loschetter.

O'Neill Leads PBA Badger Open Field in OK

Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, PA, charged out of 11th place Wednesday night to capture the top qualifying berth for Saturday’s finals in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Badger Open at FireLake Bowling Center in a battle that saw the top five players separated by only 18 pins, and defending champion Jake Peters eliminated from the stepladder finals by another three pins.

 

O’Neill, a four-time PBA Tour champion, averaged 230.33 to finish the 12-game Badger Open qualifying rounds with 2,764 pins, winning the top spot in the stepladder finals by two pins over PBA Hall of Famer and 37-time champion Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, PBA rookie Marshall Kent of Yakima, WA, who joined the PBA the week before Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing started, qualified third with a 2.761 total – one pin behind Weber. Two-handed player Brian Valenta of Lockport, Ill., qualified for his first PBA television show in fourth place with 2,750 pins, and 13-time PBA Tour winner Mika Koivuniemi, a Finnish native now living in Hartland, MI, fired a 257 final game to nip Peters for the fifth spot in the finals.

 

“If you don’t like matches being close and games coming down to final frame, you’re in the wrong business,” O’Neill said. “That’s why we do what we do. If you lead by 100 pins, when it’s over, it’s over; it’s kind of anticlimactic. When it’s tight like this was and you lead, there’s no better feeling.”

 

O’Neill, who has admittedly been in a funk over the past couple of years, said he

discovered a flaw in his game only a couple of weeks ago, and that was the difference here.

 

“On my fourth step in my delivery, I was drifting to the right instead of going straight,” he said, “so my arm swing was going off to the right which means the ball could go either direction. When I straightened out my fourth step, the ball fell right into place. Now if I throw a bad shot, I know exaxtly what to do to fix it.”

 

Earlier Wednesday, with a big first round in the Badger Open, Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL, led the field of 18 players who qualified for the Oklahoma Open based on combined six-game rounds in the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens. Three rounds of match play in the Oklahoma Open will be contested Thursday at 10 a.m., 2 and 6:30 p.m. at FireLake with the top five advancing to the stepladder finals Sunday at noon at the Grand Events Center.

 

After a total of 36 games, the 18 Oklahoma Open match play finalists will be reduced to the top five for the Oklahoma Open finals Sunday at noon at the Grand Event Center. In leading the Oklahoma Open field, Daugherty averaged 227.33 across the three “animal” lane conditions for a 4,092 total. O'Neill, who also qualified third for the Bear Open finals, is second with 4,088 pins followed by Mike Fagan, Ft. Worth, Texas, at 4,069; Bear Open qualifying leader Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., at 4,054, and Koivuniemi with 4,031 pins.Thursday’s Oklahoma Open match play rounds will be covered live on PBA’s  online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link. Live scoring of all preliminary rounds also will be available at no cost on pba.com.

 

PBA BADGER OPEN

FireLake Bowling Center, Shawnee, Okla., May 21

 

Final Qualifying Standings (after 12 games; top five advancee to stepladder finals Saturday at Grand Event Center)

1, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 2,764.
2, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,762.
3, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 2,761.
4, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 2,750.
5, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 2,746.
6, Jake Peters, Henderson, Nev., 2,743, $2,000.
7, Stuart Williams, England, 2,730, $1,800.
8, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,705, $1,600.
9, Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 2,703, $1,400.
10, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,666, $1,300.
11, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,647, $1,200.
12, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 2,638, $1,100.
13, Mike Fagan, Ft. Worth, Texas, 2,623, $1,000.
14, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,602, $900.
15, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 2,601, $800.
16, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,600, $700.
17, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,555, $600.
18, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 2,521, $500.

 

PBA OKLAHOMA OPEN

(Top 18 after 18 games advance to round-robin match play Thursday at 10 a.m., 2 and 6:30 p.m.; top five after 36 games advance to stepladder finals Sunday at Grand Event Center)

1, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 4,092.
2, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 4,088.
3, Mike Fagan, Ft. Worth, Texas, 4,069.
4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 4,054.
5, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 4,031.
6, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 4,019.
7, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 4,013.
8, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,992.
9, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 3,987.
10 (tie), E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., and Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 3,977.
12 (tie), Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, and Dom Barrett, England, 3,967.
14, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,960.
15, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3,959.
16, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,941, $100.
17, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,938.
18, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 3,931.

Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing at a Glance

The PBA Tour returns to Oklahoma for the first time since 2005 when the Grand Casino Resort and Hotel host the Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing at FireLake Bowling Center and the Grand Event Center in Shawnee, OK, May 17-25. Four PBA Tour events conducted in one week: The Summer Swing will include four PBA Tour title events – the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens, the PBA Oklahoma Open – and the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort Summer King of the Swing special event involving the four tour event winners plus a “wild card” player.
 

Understanding the PBA “animal patterns”:  The Badger, Wolf and Bear Open tournaments are an expansion of events using animal pattern-themed lane conditions which the PBA introduced in 2005. A variety of lane conditioning patterns test the versatility of the players and demonstrate the variety of scoring challenges PBA players face. The use of animal names give PBA members, grassroots league bowlers and fans an easier way to identify specific types of conditions.

           

The Badger is the longest animal pattern ever used in PBA competition (it features an application of oil 52 feet down a 60-foot lane). Conversely, the Wolf is the shortest animal pattern ever (32 feet). The Bear uses a flat pattern of oil applied across the lane to a medium length (40 feet). It is similar to the U.S. Open pattern which is considered the most difficult test in professional bowling.

           

The way lane oil is applied (in shape and volume) to the playing surface of a lane is a strong factor in the scoring pace of a professional bowling tournament, testing the skills necessary for success and the strategic approach the players must employee: angle of attack, ball speed, amount of hook and other considerations.

 
CBS Sports Network telecasts: The finals of all five events will be conducted in a stadium setting on lanes installed in the Grand Events Center. Finals will be conducted on Saturday, May 24, at 11 a.m. (Wolf Open), 2:30 p.m. (Bear Open) and 6 p.m. (Badger Open) and on Sunday at noon (Oklahoma Open) and 3:30 p.m.) Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing. Finals will be recorded for delayed broadcast by CBS Sports Network. 

US Open Not Cancelled

The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) have joined forces to secure the future of one of bowling's most important brands - Bowling's U.S. Open.

In an agreement announced Friday, USBC and BPAA have agreed to a three-year deal that will see USBC operate and conduct the U.S. Open for men and women in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

"USBC as the national governing body for bowling is committed to supporting competitive bowling and the U.S. Open brand plays an important role," USBC President Andrew Cain said. "We are proud to work alongside our partners at BPAA to secure a certain future for the U.S. Open."

As part of the agreement, USBC and BPAA each will contribute at least $100,000 annually toward operating the events; further details will be announced at a later date.

"BPAA and USBC are dedicated to working together to better the sport of bowling and this partnership is just another example of that cooperation," BPAA President Cathy DeSocio said. "BPAA is proud the U.S. Open brand can continue for years to come and that the sport's greatest athletes will have an opportunity to compete for this prestigious title."

The agreement does not include a broadcast television partner for the events. If a sponsor for television is not secured, live streaming coverage of the events will be provided.

"A television package is certainly not out of the question and something we will work to acquire moving forward," Cain said. "We will be re-engaging partners and other sponsors in an effort develop a model that will benefit the entire industry."

Storm Reveals Two Balls Coming in July

The Storm Optimus bowling ball will be shipping in July 2014. Wrapping the new Optimus is a Red/White/Blue R2X™ Pearl Reactive cover finished 1500-grit and polished around the Tri-Sphere™ Core.  Fragrance is Berries N Cream.

 

After more than 5 years on the market, the very successful Hy-Road was joined by a pearl version in 2013. Now Storm will be adding a sold R2S™ reactive cover to the trusty Inverted Fe² weightblock. Storm's Thunder line gets a Hy-Road solid with Red and Black color, a 2000 grit cover and Cherry fragrance.  

Parker Bohn III Wins His First PBA50 Title Defeating Pete Weber

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, NJ, finished the championship match of the PBA50 Miller High Life Classic presented by Columbia 300 with six consecutive strikes to win his first PBA50 Tour title Wednesday at George Pappas’ Victory Lanes.

Overcoming a 4-6-7-8-10 split and open in the third frame, Bohn defeated fellow Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, 232-229 in the championship match. With Weber finishing the match first, Bohn needed a double and eight pins in the 10th frame to win but threw three solid strikes to pull out the victory.

“It was a good example of never giving up,” said Bohn, who ranks sixth on the
PBA Tour career titles list with 33 wins. “I trailed the whole game until the
last ball. All you can ask for is an opportunity and I was able to take
advantage of it.

“For the fans, that’s what they come to see,” the two-time PBA Player of the
Year continued. “In a match that comes down to the last shot for the title, you
can’t ask for much more than that.”

Early in the match, Bohn was wrestling with two issues, struggling with the shot
on the left lane and getting a clean release from the ball he was using.

“I was going back and forth between the two balls I had but finally I just had
to go with the one that would release off my hand the best,” he said.

Bohn’s win came after fifth and fourth-place finishes in the first two
tournaments of the season.  He is also the third consecutive Hall of Famer to
win a PBA50 Tour tournament with Amleto Monacelli winning the season-opening Pasco County (FL) Open and Norm Duke winning last week’s UnitedHealthcare Sun Bowl In The Villages.

In the semifinals, Bohn defeated three-time PBA50 Tour winner Harry Sullins,
247-224, to advance to the title match. Weber, who dominated qualifying and was trying for his third PBA50 Tour title, beat Hall of Famer and four-time PBA50 Player of the Year Tom Baker, 189-161.

“With the competition out here the way it is, I didn’t imagine it would happen
this early,” Bohn said. “Whenever you bowl another Hall of Famer you have to
bring it all to the table and that’s what I had to do tonight.”

The PBA50 Tour takes a four-week break before returning for the tour’s two
majors in Las Vegas. The Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Dexter will be conducted June 1-6 at the Suncoast Bowling Center to be followed by the USBC Senior Masters June 8-13 at the South Point Bowling Center.

PBA50 MILLER HIGH LIFE CLASSIC PRESENTED BY COLUMBIA 300
Wednesday’s Final Results At George Pappas’ Victory Lanes Mooresville, N.C.

Championship Match Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J. ($7,500) def. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo. ($4,000), 232-229.

Semifinal Round (one-game matches, losers earn $2,500)
Bohn def. Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 247-224.
Weber def. Tom Baker, King, N.C., 189-161.

Round of 8 (best-of-three games, losers eliminated, earn $1,700)
Weber def. Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 2-1.
Baker def. Gary Morgan, Marrietta, Ga., 2-0.
Bohn def. Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 2-0.
Sullins def. Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 2-0.

Round of 16 (best-of-five games, losers eliminated, earn $1,300)
Weber def. Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 3-0.
Boresch def. Bob Learn Jr., Macomb, Mich., 3-0.
Sullins def. Dennis Lane, Kingsport, Tenn., 3-1.
Bohn def. Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 3-1.
Morgan def. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3-2.
Baker def. Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 3-2.
Mohr def. Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 3-2.
Parks def. Walter Ray Williams, Ocala, Fla., 3-2.

Round of 24 (best-of-five games, losers eliminated, earn $1,150)
Boresch def. Tommy Brodowski, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 3-2.
Metzner def. Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 3-0.
Rakauskas def. Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3-1.
Duke def. Roy Brunt Jr., Ft. Pierce, Fla., 3-0.
Mohr def. Chuck Walker, Blaine, Tenn., 3-0.
Goebel def. Greg McMahan, Dandridge, Tenn., 3-1.
Parks def. Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, 3-2.
Lane def. Dale Csuhta, Wadsworth, Ohio, 3-2.

Round of 32 (best-of-three games, losers eliminated, earn $1,075)
Brodowski def. Johnny Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 2-0.
Metzner def. Dick Gran, Hartville, Ohio, 2-1.
Jurek def. Tom Ream, Tampa, Fla., 2-1.
Duke def. Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 2-0.
Walker def. Tim Kauble, Marion, Ohio, 2-0.
McMahan def. Stony Baker, Canton, Ga., 2-1.
Parks def. Ken Gibson, Greenville, S.C., 2-1.
Csuhta def. Chris Keane, Cape Coral, Fla.,  2-0

Round of 40 (best-of-three games, losers eliminated, earn $1,000)
Brodowski def. Jeff Schrum, Cherryville, N.C., 2-0.
Metzner def. David Kneas, Annapolis, Md., 2-0.
Ream def. Doug O’Bryant, Jasper, Ga., 2-0.
Ventura def. Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 2-1
Walker def. Ray Johnson, Battle Creek, Mich., 2-1.
McMahan def. Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 2-0.
Parks def. Steve Easterday, Strasburg, Ohio, 2-0.
Keane def. Joe Biscardi, Wantagh, N.Y., 2-1.