Monacelli Leaves Ebonite, Returns To Brunswick

Monacelli, a 20-time PBA Tour champion and PBA Hall of Famer, confirmed to FloBowling today is the first day of a new two-year contract with Brunswick. The native of Venezuela had been with Ebonite since 2012.

Amleto Monacelli has left Ebonite and signed with Brunswick in a move that bolsters Brunswick’s already deep roster of legendary PBA stars.

At Brunswick, Monacelli, 57, joins PBA Hall of Famers Johnny Petraglia, Parker Bohn III, and Walter Ray Williams Jr. to create a world-class team of bowling’s biggest stars.

“I’m really grateful to Ebonite for their support through the years and extremely happy to be with Brunswick,” Monacelli said. “In the back of my mind, I always wanted to finish my career with Brunswick because I had some of my best years with them.”

Monacelli joined Brunswick in 1988 and left in 1996 but during that stretch, he won 15 of his PBA titles. He also won both of his PBA Player of the Year awards (1989, 1990) while on staff with Brunswick.

“My first contract was with Brunswick when Johnny Petraglia brought me in,” Monacelli said. “They did my green card and helped me with the process to become legal to stay in the United States. To me, that was a big thing and it meant a lot those years with Brunswick. I won more titles with them than anybody.”

Monacelli continues to be active on both the PBA Tour and the PBA50 Tour. His most recent PBA Tour title came in 2016 at the DHC PBA Japan Invitational. He has also won eight PBA50 titles, including four majors, since turning 50 seven years ago.

During the 2018 U.S. Open, Monacelli made news when he was excluded from the exempt list from the event and was forced to bowl the qualifier. He went on to advance to not only advance through the qualifier but made the first cut and narrowly missed match play, finishing in 28thplace.

Duke Retains Inside Track in PBA50 Player of the Year Race

With the inside track in the PBA50 Player of the Year race on the
tour for players 50 and older, PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke of Clermont, Florida, averaged 229.3 to lead qualifying Tuesday in the PBA50 Treasure Island Resort & Casino Open presented by Hammer at Island Xtreme Bowl, Welch, MN.

Duke, who has won two titles this season including the PBA Senior U.S. Open and has already earned PBA50 Rookie of the Year honors, finished qualifying with a 3,670 pinfall total for 16 games to hold a 25-pin lead over two-time PBA50 Tour winner Lennie Boresch Jr. of Kenosha, Wisconsin, in second with 3,645. Duke had games of 210, 277, 201, 248, 215, 258, 230 and 247 in Tuesday’s second round.

“That’s the reason we’re here,” said the 37-time PBA Tour winner about his quest for PBA50 Player of the Year. “There were some great players battling for it all season and it’s what we all want.”

The two other players in contention for PBA50 Player of the Year – Hall of
Famers Pete Weber and Tom Baker – also advanced to match play finishing
qualifying in eighth and ninth, respectively, but Weber and Duke will receive a
one-round bye in match play as a result of finishing in the top eight.

“It’s really a tournament inside of a tournament,” Duke added. “With the race
coming down to the last tournament of the year, it makes it fun. I’ll have to be
at my best because I know they’ll be prepared.”

If Duke can win PBA50 Player of the Year, he would join Baker as the only
players to earn Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season.  Baker, who is trying for his fifth PBA50 Player of the Year title, accomplished the feat in 2005.

Duke leads the PBA50 Player of the Year race with 56 points, holding an
eight-point lead over Weber in second with 48 points. Baker is in third with 44
points. In the Player of the Year competition, 16 points are awarded to the
tournament winner, the runner-up gets eight points, third-place is worth four
points and the fourth-place finisher earns two points.

In the final tournament of the 2014 season, the field has been cut to the top 24
players for Wednesday’s match play which will culminate with the championship
rounds at 5 p.m. CT.

The top eight players in competition points (not player of the year points) will
also earn an entry into World Series of Bowling VI in Las Vegas Oct. 24-Nov. 2 and a special PBA50 qualifier preceding the World Series which will determine
the two players who will face off in the WSOB Challenge telecast on ESPN.

The final day of the tournament can be seen live on pba.com’s online bowling
channel Xtra Frame. Click on the Xtra Frame logo on the pba.com homepage for subscription information.

PBA50 TREASURE ISLAND RESORT & CASINO OPEN PRESENTED BY HAMMER
Tuesday’s second round results after 16 games
Top 24 advance to match play At Island Xtreme Bowl, Welch, Minn.
a-Denotes amateur
s-Denotes super senior out of the regular prize fund cashing for $700

1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,670.
2, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,645.
3, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 3,620.
4, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 3,607.
5, Randy Pedersen, Orlando, Fla., 3,585.
6, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3,583.
7, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 3,546.
8, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,517.
9, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,510.
10, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,474.
11, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 3,457.
12, David Axon, Bellevue, Neb., 3,456.
13, Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 3,441.
14, Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 3,426.
15, Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 3,410.
16, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 3,373.
17, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 3,342.
18, Jeff Richgels, Madison, Wis., 3,338.
19, Don Breeden, Clive, Iowa, 3,329.
20, Kevin Foley, Reno, Nev., 3,309.
21, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 3,306.
22, Darron Peters, Murrieta, Calif., 3,292.
23, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 3,288.
24, John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 3,280.

Missed Cut:

25, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 3,260.
26, a-Dana Wright, St. Paul, Minn., 3,241.
27, s-Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 3,236, $700.
28, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 3,231.
29, a-Sam Lantto, Eden Prairie, Minn., 3,229.
30, Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., 3,225.
31, a-Alan Harteneck, Red Wing, Minn., 3,202.
32, s-Timothy Kauble, Marion, Ohio, 3,195, $700.
33, a-Bob Markiewicz, San Diego, 3,192.
34, Gary Livingston, Papillion, Neb., 3,183.
35, s-Lucien Casagrande, Canada, 3,180, $700.
36, a-John Brockland, St. Charles, Mo., 3,151.
37, Tim Pierce, Portland, Ore., 3,150.
38, (tie) Steven Jansson, Barnes, Wis., and s-Phillip Moros, Lombard, Ill., 3,144, $700.
40, Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 3,140.
41, s-Harv Pallas, Stevensville, Mich., 3,123, $700.
42, a-Curtis Matlock, Cloquet, Minn., 3,117.
43, Rick Francis, Linden, Calif., 3,107.
44, Bill Sell, Menasha, Wis., 3,105.
45, s-Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 3,093, $700.
46, (tie) Jerry Lau, St. Peters, Mo., and a-James Martin, Vero Beach, Fla., 3,077.
48, Bill Idzior, Crown Point, Ind., 3,049.
49, Michael Chrzanowski, Shepherd, Mich., 3,039.
50, Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 3,036.
51, Dan Schmerbach, St. Joseph, Mo., 3,031.
52, William Keenan, Jr., Orlando, Fla., 3,027.
53, a-Gilbert Kuchta, West Allis, Wis., 3,013.
54, Tracy Teeters, Salem, Ore., 3,011.
55, Dale Eagle, Newport Beach, Calif., 3,005.
56, Darryl Traber, Waterford, Wis., 2,994.
57, a-Mike Schmid, St. Paul, Minn., 2,962.
58, a-Tom Havlish, Coon Rapids, Minn., 2,895.
59, Paul Mielens, Menomonie, Wis., 2,854.
60, Don Birkentall, Omaha, Neb., 2,820.
61, a-Gary Ring, Woodbury, Minn., 2,804.
62, Allen Meskan, Addison, Ill., 2,780.
63, Rich Kleinman, Reno, Nev., 2,768.
64, Will Friedrich, Green Bay, Wis., 2,750.
65, Galen Keas, Alda, Neb., 2,736.
66, Howard Frostman, Washburn, Wis., 2,732.
67, a-Dean Bruinsma, Clear Lake, S.D., 2,730.
68, a=Joe Kolodziejczak, Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada, 2,699.
69, Dave Sill, Titusville, Fla., 1,489 (withdrew).

300 Games - Dave Axon

PBA 50 South Shore Open Lead by Harry Sullins in Round One

Hoping to end a streak of three seasons without a PBA50 Tour win, Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Township, Mich., averaged 249 to lead first round qualifying Tuesday in the PBA50 South Shore Open presented by DV8 at Olympia Lanes.

Sullins, whose last PBA50 Tour win came at Olympia Lanes in August of 2011,
bowled a 1,995 eight-game pinfall with games of 215, 258, 236, 244, 268, 277,
245 and 252 to lead two-time PBA Tour winner Jack Jurek of Lackawanna, N.Y., in second with a 1,988 pinfall.

“It’s been a while since I’ve hoisted a trophy in a tour event,” said Sullins,
who has won five PBA Tour titles and three PBA50 Tour titles. “I’ve done pretty
well at this center so I’d like nothing better than to end my winless streak
here.”

Sullins, has three top-five finishes this season including fourth-place finishes
in the Miller High Life Classic and Grants Pass Open, and a fifth-place finish
in last week’s Dayton Classic.

“My game is where I want it to be but the competition gets so tough in match
play,” Sullins said. “I’m working hard, just need to keep hammering away at it.”

Jurek, trying for his first PBA50 Tour win, is coming off a fourth-place finish
in the Dayton Classic and a second-place finish in the USBC Senior Masters in
his last two PBA50 tournaments.

Rounding out the top eight after the first round were Hall of Famers Parker Bohn
III, Jackson, N.J., 1,969; Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,953 and Amleto Monacelli,
Venezuela, 1,944, followed by John Chapman, Canada, 1,942; Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 1,927, and Hall of Famer Randy Pedersen, Orlando, Fla., 1,925.

Defending champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., who rolled the
round’s only 300 game, finished in ninth with 1,922.

The 77-player field will return Wednesday for another eight-game qualifying
round which will determine the top 24 players who will advance to Thursday’s
match play rounds. The championship rounds are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday.

The South Shore Open, which is the second to last tournament of the 2014 season, can be seen on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame.  For subscription and schedule information click on the Xtra Frame logo on the pba.com homepage.

PBA50 SOUTH SHORE OPEN PRESENTED BY DV8
Tuesday’s first round results after eight games
At Olympia Lanes
Hammond, Ind.
a-Denotes amateur

1, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 1,995.
2, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,988.
3, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,969.
4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,953.
5, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,944.
6, John Chapman, Canada, 1,942.
7, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 1,927.
8, Randy Pedersen, Orlando, Fla., 1,925.
9, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,922.
10, Brad Snell, Mount Prospect, Ill., 1,915.
11, a-Bob Markiewicz, San Diego, 1,913.
12, Michael Chrzanowski, Shepherd, Mich., 1,890.
13, Kevin Foley, Reno, Nev., 1,888.
14, Tracy Teeters, Salem, Ore., 1,886.
15, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 1,874.
16, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,871.
17, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 1,864.
18, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 1,859.
19, Jeff Richgels, Madison, Wis., 1,856.
20, Bill Idzior, Crown Point, Ind., 1,851.
21, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 1,838.
22, Kent Wagner, Palmetto, Fla., 1,837.
23, Leroy Johnson, Chicago, 1,830.
24, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,825.
25, Bob Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 1,824.
26, Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 1,822.
27, (tie) Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., and Don Breeden, Clive, Iowa, 1,814.
29, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,813.
30, George Lord, Lakeland, Fla., 1,800.
31, Mark Medler, Waterloo, Ind., 1,799.
32, Dale Eagle, Newport Beach, Calif., 1,797.
33, Rick Francis, Linden, Calif., 1,791.
34, Dave Bernhardt, Romeo, Mich., 1,787.
35, (tie) Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., and Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 1,782.
37, (tie) Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., and John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 1,777.
39, Tim Pierce, Portland, Ore., 1,774.
40, Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,767.
41, Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, 1,762.
42, Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 1,753.
43, Darron Peters, Murrieta, Calif., 1,752.
44, Rick Thomas, Willowbrook, Ill., 1,751.
45, (tie) Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., and Galen Keas, Alda, Neb., 1,742.
47, Paul Mielens, Menomonie, Wis., 1,729.
48, Ken Waters, Kingsport, Tenn., 1,726.
49, Bill Neumann, Rensselaer, NY, 1,722.
50, Richard Hunt, Valparaiso, Ind., 1,718.
51, a-Mike Schmid, St. Paul, Minn., 1,704.
52, Timothy Kauble, Marion, Ohio, 1,695.
53, Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 1,680.
54, (tie) Dean Billings, Rootstown, Ohio, and William Peters, Dayton, Ohio, 1,677
56, Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,668.
57, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 1,656.
58, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 1,650.
59, Harv Pallas, Stevensville, Mich., 1,649.
60, Gary Kammes, Winfield, Ill., 1,647.
61, William Keenan, Jr., Orlando, Fla., 1,646.
62, Brendan Bierch, Grafton, Mass., 1,635.
63, Robert Kicmal, LaGrange, Ill., 1,634.
64, Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, 1,630.
65, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 1,619.
66, Lyle Zikes, Arlington Heights, Ill., 1,612.
67, Rich Wilkinson, Bennington, Neb., 1,602.
68, Lee Brosius, Ashburn, Va., 1,598.
69, Rick Woloszyn, Griffith, Ind., 1,597.
70, Ray Johnson, Battle Creek, Mich., 1,596.
71, Don Holmes, Itasca, Ill., 1,535.
72, Kevin Vostry, Bolingbrook, Ill., 1,507.
73, Larry Salvati, Canada, 1,502.
74, Peter Brainard, Tampa, Fla., 1,498.
75, Rich Kleinman, Reno, Nev., 1,410.
76, Allen Meskan, Addison, Ill., 1,401.
77, Larry Helton, Bolingbrook, Ill., 1,367.

300 Games - Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Monacelli Joins Elite Group as Third Two-Time PBA Senior U.S. OPEN Winner

 

In winning his second consecutive PBA Senior U.S. Open title, Venezuela’s Amleto Monacelli joins Tom Baker and Wayne Webb as the third two-time winner of the event. All three are PBA Hall of Famers and all three have won the PBA50 Tour major in back-to-back years.

 

Baker won the Senior U.S. Open in 2005 and ’06, Webb won in 2008 and ’09 and Monacelli in 2012 and ’13.

 

● The Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open, presented by Storm, featured challenging lane conditions and failed to produce a 300 game. The high game in the tournament was 299, shot by Monacelli in qualifying and Tulsa’s Mike Edwards in match play.

 

● Among the match play finalists, Monacelli led the field with 218.2 average for the tournament, nearly seven pins more than Walter Ray Williams Jr., who had the second best average of 211.92. Ron Winger was the top super senior in the field, at age 71, making match play and finishing 24th. Robin Romeo was the top woman, finishing among the 53 cashers in 49th place.

 

Monacelli Leading After Round 2 of PBA50 Pasco County Suncoast Open Benefiting Wounded Warriors

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli retained his lead in the PBA50 Pasco County Suncoast Open benefiting Wounded Warriors after Tuesday’s second round but standout woman amateur Lucy Sandelin of Tampa made a statement by finishing qualifying in third.

Monacelli, the 2012 PBA50 Senior Rookie of the Year, finished qualifying with a 3,819 16-game pinfall total (238.6 average) to outdistance PBA Hall of Famer and four-time PBA50 Player of the Year Tom Baker by 117 pins who was second with 3,702.

In Monacelli’s second eight-game round Tuesday, he bowled games of 276, 269,
245, 255, 239, 235, 181 and 266. He leads a field of 40 players who advanced to Wednesday’s match play rounds.

“Overall I’m bowling real well and I feel good,” said Monacelli, who won the
2012 Senior U.S. Open and is a 19-time PBA Tour champion. “My whole life I’ve worked hard to stay in shape and combine that with the right amount of practice which is working well for me now."

“Another thing that is working well for me is to not wasting time making a
change whether it be with my equipment or with ball speed and where to play on the lane,” he added.

Sandelin, a member of the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, qualified third with a 3,651 pinfall total (228.1 average) and will be hoping to add another chapter to Professional Bowlers Association history as she tries to become the first woman to win a PBA50 Tour (formerly known as PBA Senior Tour) tournament. She had games of 236, 224, 211, 242, 216, 257, 258 and 214 in the second round.

Her job will be made easier as she earned byes for three match play rounds as a
result of finishing in the top eight in qualifying.

“When I entered the tournament I was hoping to make match play because I
thought, hey, I can make it to the top 40,” said Sandelin, who was the 1996
women’s national amateur champion and United States Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year for bowling in 1992 and 1996. “But then as qualifying went on I was bowling better and I thought maybe I can make the top 30 or top 20 but here I am in the top eight."

“One thing that really helped today was I studied my equipment and knew when I needed to throw which ball,” the 10-time Team USA member added. “I wasn’t having to fish for what balls would work during the second block. Heading into match play I need to continue to be smart about my equipment and just stay in the moment.”

Sandelin is trying to become the first woman to win a PBA50 Tour tournament. The highest finishes by women in a PBA50 event are ninth by Linda Kelly in the 2006 Senior Decatur Open and Robin Romeo who finished 22nd in the 2007 USBC Senior Masters.
Kelly Kulick of Union, NJ became the only woman to win a PBA Tour event when she won the PBA Tournament of Champions in 2010.

PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame is providing start to finish coverage

of the Pasco County Suncoast Open. For subscription and schedule information visit the pba.com homepage and click on the Xtra Frame logo.

Match play continues all day Wednesday with championship rounds scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET.

PBA50 PASCO COUNTY SUNCOAST OPEN BENEFITING WOUNDED WARRIORS  Lane Glo Bowl, New Port Richey, Fla., Tuesday

Second Round Qualifying (after 16 games)
Top 40 advance to match play
a-amateur, s-super seniors out of the regular prize list cashing for $700

1, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3,819.
2, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,702.
3, a-Lucy Sandelin, Tampa, Fla., 3,651.
4, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp, Mich., 3,629.
5, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 3,579.
6, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 3,560.
7, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,554.
8, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 3,548.
9, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,544.
10, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 3,540.
11, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 3,539.
12, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 3,506.
13, John Shreve Sr., Elyria, Ohio, 3,475.
14, a-Widmar Vargas, Riverview, Fla., 3,465.
15, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., 3,457.
16, Peter Knopp, Germany, 3,445.
17, Ron Mohr, Eagle River, Alaska, 3,442.
18, Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., 3,439.
19, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 3,386.
20, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 3,375.
21, Dave Bernhardt, Romeo, Mich., 3,365.
22, Joel Carlson, Omaha, Neb., 3,358.
23, Timothy Kauble, Marion, Ohio, 3,356.
24, Steve Neff, Homosassa Springs, Fla., 3,351.
25, Dale Eagle, Tavares, Fla., 3,349.
26, William Peters, Dayton, Ohio, 3,347.
27, a-Larry Barwick, Wauchula, Fla., 3,346.
28, Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 3,327.
29, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 3,324.
30, Robert Harvey, Boise, Idaho, 3,316.
31, Bob Brady, Santa Monica, Calif., 3,300.
32, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 3,292.
33, Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 3,284.
34, Doug O'Bryant, Jasper, Ga., 3,270.
35, Tom Howison, Chillicothe, Ohio, 3,265.
36, Marc Lineberry, Camanche, Iowa, 3,264.
37, Steve Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 3,262.
38, (TIE) Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., and Joe Scarborough, Mars Hill, N.C., 3,260.
40, Guppy Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 3,254.

FAILED TO ADVANCE
41, a-Duane Podgorski, Lakeland, Fla., 3,250
42, (TIE) Randy Robertson, Evansville, Ind., s-Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 3,231, $700
44, David Zelger, Red Lion, Pa., 3,227.
45, s-Bob Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 3,226, $700.
46, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 3,224.
47, s-Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 3,223, $700.
48, (TIE) Lee Rucker, Fort Myers, Fla., and Michael Owen, Gainesville, Fla., 3,209
50, Jeffrey Herman, Bonaire, Ga., 3,208.
51, a-Jeffery Roberson, Land O'Lakes, Fla., 3,206.
52, Kevin Foley, Reno, Nev., 3,189.
53, (TIE)a-Edgar Gomez, Colombia, and Ron Dixon, Boynton Beach, Fla., 3,185.
55, s-Rick Minier, Houston, Texas, 3,179, $700.
56, (TIE) Christopher Keane, New City, N.Y., and s-Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., 3,178, $700.
58, Gary Morgan, Marietta, Ga., 3,166.
59, Tom Kennedy, Shepherdsville, Ky., 3,165.
60, s-Lee Brosius, Ashburn, Va., 3,164, $700.
61, a,s-Robert Morrison, New Port Richey, Fla., 3,161, $700.
62, (TIE) Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., a-Patrick Trudeau, St. Petersburg, Fla., 3,158.
64, Wayne Bolin, Lumberton, N.C., 3,154.
65, s-Nick Panicaro, Ocala, Fla., 3,142, $700
66, Henry Gonzalez, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3,139.
67, Sal Bongiorno, Hollywood, Fla., 3,134.
68, Richard Esposito, Clearwater, Fla., 3,129.
69, Vince Mazzanti Jr., Levittown, Pa., 3,128.
70, Bob Handley, Winter Park, Fla., 3,127.
71, Dan Ahlquist, Sweden, 3,118.
72, Leif Sjoberg, Sweden, 3,095.
73, Ed Cutter, Manassas Park, Va., 3,088.
74, a-Philip Frey, Lutz, Fla., 3,087.
75, Ron Woods, Hudson, Fla., 3,084.
76, Larry Graybeal, Elizabethton, Tenn., 3,056.
77, Don Sylvia, Lady Lake, FL, 3,048.
78, Dale Lee, Brandon, Fla., 3,044.
79, Ken Waters, Kingsport, Tenn., 3,042.
80, Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 3,038.
81, Chuck Gardner, Charlotte, N.C., 3,037.
82, Dave Sill, Titusville, Fla., 3,034.
83, Keith Glasgow, St. Petersburg, Fla., 3,024.
84, Michael Truitt, Orland Park, Ill., 3,022.
85, (TIE) Paul Lemond, Jasper, Ind, and Andy Ippolito, Forest Hills, N.Y., 3,012.
87, William Keenan, Jr., Orlando, Fla., 3,000.
88, (TIE) Mark Scime, Winter Garden, Fla., and Brian Cooper, Visalia, Calif., 2,995.
90, Garry Blanton, Owensboro, Ky., 2,988.
91, Peter Brainard, Tampa, Fla., 2,985.
92, Bob Chamberlain, The Villages, Fla., 2,968.
93, a-Dave Titer, Land O' Lakes, Fla., 2,958.
94, Ron Glick, Morganville, N.J., 2,947.
95, John Younger, Ledyard, Conn., 2,940.
96, Sam Perrotta, Lincoln Park, N.J., 2,934.
97, Timothy Bates, Orlando, Fla., 2,932.
98, Dave Schultz, Jackson, Wis., 2,925.
99, a-Donald Helsel, Tampa, Fla., 2,920.
100, Tommy King, Oakdale, N.Y., 2,909.
101, Danny Gould, Palm Bay, Fla, 2,908.
102, Patsy DellaPenna, Palm Harbor, Fla., 2,907.
103, Steven Boxerman, University City, Mo., 2,903.
104, Daniel Miner, East Moline, Ill., 2,900.
105, Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 2,899.
106, a-Nicholas Crisafulli, Tarpon Springs, Fla., 2,857.
107, Don Michaelsen Sr., Plant City, Fla., 2,855.
108, Bob Pazur, Venice, Fla, 2,844.
109, Douglas Weese, Carson City, Mich., 2,838.
110, Larry Montgomery, Safety Harbor, Fla., 2,837.
111, Jim Heintz, St. Charles, Mo., 2,801.
112, George Lord, Lakeland, Fla., 2,779.
113, Dan Howsmon, Lutz, Fla., 2,775.
114, Bob Andersen, Forest City, N.C., 2,770.
115, Steve Bova, Massapequa, N.Y., 2,760.
116, Stephen Lippman, Palm Harbor, Fla., 2,749.
117, Lindell Woolard, Tallahassee, Fla., 2,718.
118, Dennis Amato, Pine Brook, N.J., 2,704.
119, Ray Randall, Dearborn, Mich., 2,585.
120, a-Rolando Sebelen, Dominican Republic, 2,490.

 300 Games, 1 - Todd Kjell

Belmonte Leads Weber by 7 For Lead of Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions

Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte, with a 279 final game, jumped into the lead as the Barbasol Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tournament of Champions (TOC) field headed into the final round of match play Friday at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, IN.

Belmonte, who won his sixth career title and first major title in the United States Bowling Congress Masters in February, spent the fifth round in either second or third place before overtaking PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, by seven pins in the final game of the fifth round. Belmonte averaged 238.05 for 40 games, posting a modest 8-7-1 match play record and a 9,777 pinfall total.

“It’s such a long format, I find myself slowing down in the middle, missing a few spares that I’m not proud of,” Belmonte said, “but I refocused and went back to my basics, made good shots and I was proud of the way I finished the round.
“I’m finishing every round strong, which gives me a lot of confidence heading into the final eight games,” he added. “I feel like I’ll be able to throw that big game if I need it.”

Weber, who is trying for a record-tying 10th major title and a chance to complete the PBA’s Triple Crown for an unprecedented second time, had a 10-6 match play record and 9,770 pins. Weber ranks fourth on the all-time PBA Tour titles list with 36, and his nine major titles is second only to the late Earl Anthony’s 10 major wins. He has won the U.S. Open a record five times and the PBA World Championship twice; those events are the other two legs in the PBA Triple Crown.

Finland’s Osku Palermaa, who led after four rounds, fell to third place with a 9,643 total followed by reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, at 9,585 and Colombia’s Andres Gomez at 9,495.
The top five players after Friday night’s final eight-game match play round will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals on Sunday.

Friday’s final match play round (and the PBA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Saturday night) will be covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. For subscription information, visit pba.com.

BARBASOL PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Friday

Round Five (after 40 games, including match play bonus pins)
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 8-7-1, 9,777.
2, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 10-6, 9,770.
3, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 8-7-1, 9,643.
4, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 8-8, 9,585.
5, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 10-6, 9,495.
6, Dom Barrett, England, 9-7, 9,448.
7, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 11-4-1, 9,415.
8, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 9-7, 9,385.
9, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 7-9, 9,363.
10, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 8-7-1, 9,350.
11, Stuart Williams, England, 8-8, 9,347.
12, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 8-8, 9,314.
13, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 8-8, 9,255.
14, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 7-9, 9,199.
15, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 10-6, 9,174.
16, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 8-8, 9,150.
17, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 7-9, 9,135.
18, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 8-8, 9,129.
19, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 7-9, 9,088.
20, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 7-9, 9,045.
21, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 6-9-1, 8,958.
22, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 5-11, 8,948.
23, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6-9-1, 8,863.
24, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 6-10, 8,836.

300 Game: Andres Gomez.

Koivuniemi Wins European Bowling Tour Qatar Open

Two-time Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi, a native of Finland now living in the United States, continued to expand his unprecedented international bowling portfolio when he won the 12th annual Qatar Open Saturday at Qatar Bowling Center, making Qatar the 19th different country in which he has won a bowling title.

Koivuniemi defeated fellow Finn Tony Ranta, 544-471, in the two-game total pinfall title match to win a first prize of US$39,480.

 

The tournament was part of the growing World Tenpin Bowling Association-PBA International Tour series, and it was the final event of the 2012 European Bowling Tour season.

Koivuniemi, who led the Qatar field of 142 players from 26 countries through the preliminary qualifying rounds, defeated Sweden’s Martin Larsen, 442-385, to advance to the title match while Ranta eliminated 13-time PBA Tour titlist Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., 389-361.

"This is my first title in this part of the world and I'm glad I finally broke that jinx," the 45-year-old Koivuniemi said.

Koivuniemi, a long-time member of Finland’s national bowling team before joining the PBA and moving to Hartland, MI, had previously won titles in his home country, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, China, Colombia, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Slovenia, England and Germany as well as the United States. The 2003-04 and 2010-11 PBA Player of the Year and Venezuela’s Amleto Monacelli (1989 and 1990) are the only international players to win Player of the Year honors twice.

The WTBA-PBA International Tour’s next tournament will be the International Bowling Championships presented by DHC in Aichi-ken, Japan, Jan. 17-19.

QATAR OPEN

Qatar Bowling Center, Doha, Qatar, Dec. 16

Championship (two games total pinfall): Mika Koivuniemi, Finland ($39,480) def. Tony Ranta, Finland ($18,950), 544-471.

Semifinal Round (two games total pinfall, losers earned $6,580): Koivuniemi def. Martin Larsen, Sweden, 442-385. Ranta def. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 389-361.

Other PBA Finalists (after 6 games): 5, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 1,330, $3,290. 6, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,325, $3,290. 7, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,324, $3,290. 8, Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 1,318, $3,290. 10, Dom Barrett, England, 1,299, $3,290.

13, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,283, $2,360. 15, Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,268, $2,360. 16, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,254, $2,360. 17, Jesper Agerbo, Denmark, 1,248, $2,360. 18, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,242, $2,360.

Monacelli 2012 PBA Senior Rookie of the Year

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Hall of Famer Amleto
Monacelli, a two-time Player of the Year on the PBA Tour, was selected as the
2012 PBA Senior Rookie of the Year, becoming the first international player to earn the award.

The 51-year-old native of Venezuela also became the first international player
to win the Etonic Senior U.S. Open last June when he defeated fellow Hall of
Famer and 2012 Senior Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr., 255-247, in the championship match at the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas.

He also finished third in the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters and compiled four other top 20 finishes which included a 10th, 11th, 15th and 19th in his six Senior Tour appearances.

“I quickly found that you still have to be bowling at a top level to do well on
the Senior Tour,” said Monacelli. “The competition was very tough and I feel
fortunate to do as well I did in my first year.”

During his career on the PBA Tour, Monacelli won 19 titles and was the first
foreign-born player to win PBA Player of the Year earning the honor back-to-back in 1989 and 1990.  He is the only foreign-born member of the PBA Hall of Fame and was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 2012.

“One of my first impressions of bowling on the Senior Tour was how fast time has gone by,” he added. “Bowling with some of the guys I bowled against on Tour brought back a lot of memories.”

Also receiving votes for Senior Rookie of the Year were Bob Learn Jr., Mike
Edwards and Lennie Boresch who each won one title during the season, and Bryan Goebel, Rick Minier, Paul McCordic, Joel Carlson, Brian Cooper, Randy Shewmake and Todd Kjell.

Hall of Famer Dave Soutar of Bradenton, FL, who retired after more than 50
years of competing on the PBA Tour and Senior Tour, was voted the winner of the Senior Tour’s Dick Weber Sportsmanship Award.

In a career that started in 1961, Soutar won 18 titles on the PBA Tour and seven on the Senior Tour and becomes the first player to win sportsmanship awards from both Tours.  He earned the PBA Tour’s Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner in 1970.

“I’ve always respected my competitors and felt that if someone beat me they
bowled better than I did and they did the job they were supposed to do,” said
the 72-year-old Soutar, who bowled in a record 259 Senior Tour tournaments.
“I’ve always been pretty low key. If I got beat or wasn’t bowling well I usually
directed my anger at myself and not my opponents.”

The Senior Rookie of the Year award was voted on by PBA members and selected bowling writers while the Sportsmanship award was voted on by Senior Tour players.

International PBA Stars To Compete For World Games Berths

Mixed doubles teams from 19 WTBA American Zone countries will compete for berths in the 2013 World Games during the Pan American Bowling Confederation Champion of Champions event May 9-12 at Kegel Training Center in Babson Park, Fla.

Team USA will be presented by amateur Steve Smith of San Diego and two-time PBA Women’s Series titlist Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, NY. Venezuela’s team will include PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli, PBA Tour titlist Andres Gomez will bowl for Colombia, and PBA Tour competitor Dan MacLelland will be on Team Canada. At stake are eight spots in the World Games, which will be held in Cali, Colombia.

The Champion of Champions event will award medals in men's and women’s singles, mixed doubles, men's and women’s all-events, national all-events, men’s and women's Masters, and mixed doubles Masters. The top eight teams in the national all-events will join Colombia in qualifying for the World Games, an international showcase for more than 30 sports that are not included in the Olympics Games.