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.

Rash Leads 24 Into TOC Championship Round

Sean Rash of west suburban Chicago (Montgomery, IL), completed the Elite Field qualifying portion of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)Tournament of Champions (TOC) Wednesday at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, NV with a 20-game total of 4,845 pins, leading a group of 25 players who will join 11 current-season title winners for the final dash toward Sunday’s live ESPN stepladder finals starting Thursday morning.

Competition for the TOC title and the $80,000 first prize starts fresh Thursday with two nine-game qualifying rounds. After Thursday’s 18 games, the top 18 will advance to two nine-game rounds of head-to-head match play on Friday. The top four players after 36 games will advance to the finals Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Rash, a four-time PBA Tour title winner, averaged 242.25 to finish 43 pins ahead of 2011 TOC runner-up Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI.

Leading the group of Elite Field qualifiers was no more meaningful than finishing 25th as far as Rash was concerned, other than giving him an opportunity to get his game fine-tuned for the 36-game dash to the finals.

“My tempo is what I’ve worked on all year and that’s what I worked on,” Rash said. “Leading right now doesn’t matter. There’s no added prize money, no points. We drop pins and start over. The goal was just to survive these two days.

“Tomorrow is when the tournament starts. It’ll be a lot different tournament tomorrow - different players, a different level of talent, different approach.”

The final five games in the Elite Field resulted in an intense battle for the final spots. With one game to go, nine players were within 33 pins of the 25th spot. After 20 games, four players wound up tied for 24th place, resulting in a one-game roll-off with two of the four advancing. In the roll-off, Eddie VanDaniker of Essex, MD (256) and defending champion Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, MI, with a strike on his final ball in the 10th frame (226), advanced. Kelly Kulick of Union, NJ, who became the first woman ever to win a PBA Tour title in the 2010 Tournament of Champions, lost by a pin to Koivuniemi with a 225. Jim Pratt of Glendale, AZ (213) also was eliminated.

Joining the Round of 36 field Thursday are three-time 2011-12 titlists Jason Belmonte of Australia and Norm Duke of Clermont, FL; U.S. Open champ Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO; two-time winners Osku Palermaa of Finland and Mike Fagan of Dallas, TX; England’s Stuart Williams and Dom Barrett; Colombia’s Andres Gomez; Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas; Eugene McCune of Munster, IN, and Scott Newell of Deland, FL.

Two of the longest-running streaks of television appearances in PBA history ended Wednesday night when PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, FL, missed the cut to the Round of 36, assuring that his PBA record streak of 26 consecutive years of TV appearances has ended. Steve Jaros of Yorkville, IL, also saw his streak of 20 consecutive years with at least one television final come to an end.

Bowling fans can follow progress in the Tournament of Champions through the PBA’s exclusive coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s online bowling channel; through live scoring on pba.com, and through the Professional Bowlers Association on Facebook and Twitter. Subscriptions to Xtra Frame are available on the pba.com home page.

PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Wednesday

ELITE FIELD STANDINGS (after 20 games; top 25 advance to Round of 36):

1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 4,845.
2, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 4,802.
3, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 4,784.
4, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 4,766.
5, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 4,691.
6, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 4,688.
7, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 4,662.
8, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 4,660.
9, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 4,631.
10, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 4,614.
11, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 4,600.
12, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 4,599.
13 (tie), Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., and Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 4,595.
15, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 4,593.
16, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 4,569.
17, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 4,567.
18, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 4,555.
19, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 4,543.
20, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 4,524.
21, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 4,521.
22, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4,512.
23, Robert Smith, Hong Kong, 4,510.
24 (tie), x-Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., and y- Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 4,509.

  x-VanDaniker (256) and y-Koivuniemi (226) won a one-game roll-off over Kulick (225) and Pratt (213) to advance to the Round of 36.

Did not advance:

26 (tie), Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., and Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 4,509.

28 (tie), Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 4,501.
30, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 4,497.
31 (tie), D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, and Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 4,486.
33, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 4,483.
34, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 4,480.
35, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 4,463.
36, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 4,458.
37, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 4,452.
38, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 4,444.
39, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 4,430.
40, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 4,416.
41, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 4,405.
42, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 4,399.
43, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 4,395.
44, Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, Kan., 4,390.
45, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 4,386.
46, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 4,379.
47, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 4,361.
48, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 4,360.
49, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 4,349.
50, Bryan Alpert, Northridge, Calif., 4,343.
51, Ron Mohr, Eagle River, Alaska, 4,341.
52, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 4,340.
53, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 4,336.
54, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 4,292.
55, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 4,285.
56, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 4,284.
57, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 4,269.
58, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 4,268.
59, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 4,251.
60, Chris Hayden, Las Vegas, 4,250.
61, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 4,246.
62, Eric Forkel, Henderson, Nev., 4,243.
63, Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 4,219.
64, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 4,209.
65, Mike Bailey, Frisco, Texas, 4,205.
66, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 4,201.
67, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 4,187.
68, Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 4,182.
69, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 4,166.
70, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 4,156.
71, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 4,146.
72, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 4,132.
73, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 4,118.
74, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 4,113.
75, Joe Salvemini, Henderson, Nev., 4,067.
76, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 4,003.
77, Carmen Salvino, Schaumburg, Ill., 3,791.

300 Games: PJ Haggerty, Dick Allen, Dan MacLelland.

Columbia's Gomez Leads Carmen Salvino Classic

Colombian native Andres Gomez, who has won titles around the world as a member of his national bowling team for more than a decade, will try to add a Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour title to his collection in the finals of the PBA’s Carmen Salvino Classic as part of the PBA Tour’s final “doubleheader” weekend of the 2011-12 season.

The seventh of eight PBA World Series of Bowling finals will air Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Also this weekend, the PBA Tour’s competition points leaders will join the best players from the PBA’s seven regional programs and the 2011 PBA Senior Tour points list for the Xtra Frame Tour Dick Weber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis. The PBA Playoffs will be covered live, exclusively by PBA’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame, including all qualifying and elimination rounds Saturday and Sunday.

Gomez, a 38-year-old veteran of four seasons of PBA Tour competition, earned top qualifier honors for the Carmen Salvino Classic by averaging 249.44 over 16 games at South Point Bowling Center. He will face 2008-09 PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott of Pflugerville, TX; non-titlist Ronnie Russell of Marion, IN, and Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte, who has already won two World Series of Bowling titles, in the four-player “eliminator” format finals.

Gomez, who now lives in the Miami area, came closest to victory during the 2010 PBA World Series of Bowling when he finished second in the Pepsi Viper Championship, losing to Bill O’Neill of Southampton, PA, 237-203, in the title match.

Malott won his seventh career PBA Tour title, and first in three years, when he teamed with Norm Duke to win the Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship earlier in the World Series. In the process of winning, Malott helped deny Russell his first PBA Tour title for the fourth time. Russell and Sean Rash of Suburban Chicago (Montgomery), IL, were top qualifiers in the doubles championship, but lost to Malott and PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke of Clermont, FL, 193-167.

Belmonte, now a three-time PBA Tour winner, has already won the 2012 Chameleon Open and GEICO Shark Open titles.

Sunday’s ESPN eliminator-format finals will feature three one-game rounds. All four players bowl the opening game, with the lowest-scoring player after each game being eliminated. In the two rounds to follow, the same “low man out” format applies.

In the Salvino title match, the two surviving players will bowl for $15,000 and a PBA Tour title. Gomez and Russell also have a chance to earn a berth in the Round of 36 for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions (TOC) if either wins (Belmonte and Malott have already qualified for the Round of 36 as title winners).

Malott and Russell will try for a second American title in World Series competition while Gomez and Belmonte will try to improve the international players’ domination in the World Series to six titles in seven events.

In the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer, the winner (if he hasn’t previously won a title during the 2011-12 season), also will earn a TOC Round of 36 berth along with $20,000 and a PBA Tour title. Dick Allen of Columbia, S.C., is defending champion.

A Carmen Salvino Classic pre-event show will be webcast at no cost on pba.com’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel starting Wednesday, with a follow-up post-game show immediately following Sunday’s ESPN telecast. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo. The monthly subscription rate is $7.99; a full-year subscription is $64.99.

Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, who won his only Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) title in the 2009 PBA World Championship, heads the field of four players who will do battle in the Billy Hardwick Division finals of the PBA World Championship Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in high-definition on ESPN.

The Hardwick Division is the second of four eliminator rounds that will trim the PBA World Championship field of 16 finalists down to four for a Sunday, Jan. 15, battle for the $50,000 first prize, the Earl Anthony Trophy and the PBA Tour’s first major title of the 2011-12 season.

All World Championship competition will be conducted on a pair of lanes specially installed in an exhibit hall at South Point Hotel and Casino.

Smallwood, 34, became an instant hero among America’s blue-collar work force when he defeated former PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott for the 2009 PBA World Championship. Smallwood, who had lost his job with General Motors, had decided to pursue his dream to become a professional bowler and stunned the bowling world with his upset victory in Wichita, KS. Last season, he won $100,000 as runner-up to Mika Kovuniemi in the PBA Tournament of Champions. 

Now Smallwood is back in position to try for another major title as the top qualifier in the Hardwick Division. He earned his place in the Hardwick group as the No. 2 qualifier over 40 games of World Championship qualifying on five different lane conditions, averaging 226.63 to finish 296 pins behind leader Sean Rash. As top qualifier in his group, Smallwood has selected the PBA’s Scorpion lane conditioning pattern for Sunday’s event when he will face Venezuela’s Ildemaro Ruiz, Colombia’s Andres Gomez and 25-year PBA Tour veteran Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, NY, in a battle for a berth in the World Championship finals.

Both South American players are trying for their first PBA Tour titles. Ruiz, who is making his PBA television debut, qualified for the elimination rounds in seventh place. Gomez was 10th and Shafer tied for 14th. No international player has ever won the PBA World Championship.

In Sunday’s eliminator round, all four players will bowl a one-game match. The player with the lowest score will be eliminated. The three survivors will bowl another game, with the low man knocked out. The two finalists will bowl a final game, with the survivor advancing to the World Championship finals.

The four World Championship divisional finals have been named for PBA superstars who excelled in the event during their careers. Finland’s Osku Palermaa has already won the Don Carter Division berth. The Johnny Petraglia and Mike Aulby Division finals, which will air on ESPN on Jan. 1 and Jan. 8, respectively, will complete the divisional elimination rounds. The championship trophy is named in honor of Anthony, the only player ever to win the event six times.

Second Bracket For PBA World Championships on Sunday



Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, who won his only Professional Bowlers Association title in the 2009 PBA World Championship, heads the field of four players who will do battle in the Billy Hardwick Division finals of the PBA World Championship Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in high-definition on ESPN.

The Hardwick Division is the second of four eliminator rounds that will trim the PBA World Championship field of 16 finalists down to four for a Sunday, Jan. 15, battle for the $50,000 first prize, the Earl Anthony Trophy and the PBA Tour’s first major title of the 2011-12 season.

All World Championship competition will be conducted on a pair of lanes specially installed in an exhibit hall at South Point Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV.

Smallwood, 34, became an instant hero among America’s blue-collar work force when he defeated former PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott for the 2009 PBA World Championship. Smallwood, who had lost his job with General Motors, had decided to pursue his dream to become a professional bowler and stunned the bowling world with his upset victory in Wichita, KS. Last season, he won $100,000 as runner-up to Mika Kovuniemi in the PBA Tournament of Champions.

Now Smallwood is back in position to try for another major title as the top qualifier in the Hardwick Division. He earned his place in the Hardwick group as the No. 2 qualifier over 40 games of World Championship qualifying on five different lane conditions, averaging 226.63 to finish 296 pins behind leader Sean Rash. As top qualifier in his group, Smallwood has selected the PBA’s Scorpion lane conditioning pattern for Sunday’s event when he will face Venezuela’s Ildemaro Ruiz, Colombia’s Andres Gomez and 25-year PBA Tour veteran Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, NY, in a battle for a berth in the World Championship finals.

Both South American players are trying for their first PBA Tour titles. Ruiz, who is making his PBA television debut, qualified for the elimination rounds in seventh place. Gomez was 10th and Shafer tied for 14th. No international player has ever won the PBA World Championship.

In Sunday’s eliminator round, all four players will bowl a one-game match. The player with the lowest score will be eliminated. The three survivors will bowl another game, with the low man knocked out. The two finalists will bowl a final game, with the survivor advancing to the World Championship finals.

The four World Championship divisional finals have been named for PBA superstars who excelled in the event during their careers. Finland’s Osku Palermaa won the Don Carter Division berth. The Johnny Petraglia and Mike Aulby Division finals, which will air on ESPN on Jan. 1 and Jan. 8, respectively, will complete the divisional elimination rounds. The championship trophy is named in honor of Anthony, the only player ever to win the event six times.

A special preview of the Hardwick Division finals will be webcast on pba.com’s Xtra Frame beginning Wednesday, and a post-game show will be presented on Xtra Frame Sunday immediately following the ESPN finals.