BARRETT BATTLES TO OCTOBER IBMA BOWLER OF THE MONTH

      

Dom Barrett, Colchester, England, has been named the October 2018 Kegel Bowler of the Month by the International Bowling Media Association.

 

Barrett defeated Jakob Butturff, Chandler, Arizona, 207-206, for the 2018 U.S. Open title, his second major and seventh PBA title.  

           

After finishing the qualifying round in third place, Barrett maintained that position before dropping to fourth after the round robin match play.

 

The television stepladder finals began as the fourth-seed Barrett downed the fifth-seed Marshall Kent, Yakima, Washington, 258-203. Barrett outstruck the third-seed E.J. Tackett, Bluffton, Indiana, 264-248 in the semifinal, setting up the title match with the top seed Butturff.

 

The Arizona left-hander led the U.S. Open by over 600 pins going into the television finals for the second straight year. Butturff was defeated by Rhino Page, 256-222, in the 2017 U.S. Open title match

 

Barrett's U. S. Open crown is also his second PBA title this season, following the season-opening DHC Japan Invitational.      

 

Others obtaining votes in close voting this month were Liz Johnson, winner, 20th SamHo Korea Cup 2018, Stuart Williams, winner, PBA Tulsa Open, Anthony Simonsen, winner, FloBowling PBA Wolf Open, E.J. Tackett, winner, PBA Bear Open

 (Photos Courtesy of USBC)

BUTTURFF EARNS TOP SEED AT U.S. OPEN FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

WICHITA, Kan. – Jakob Butturff of Chandler, Arizona, once again finds himself one win away from his first major title after earning the top seed for the stepladder finals of the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year on Tuesday.

Butturff will be joined in the stepladder at Northrock Lanes by Kristopher Prather of Plainfield, Illinois; EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana; Dom Barrett of England; and Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington.

CBS Sports Network will have live coverage of Wednesday’s stepladder finals starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. The champion will take home the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket.

Butturff shined in match play on Monday and Tuesday, averaging more than 243 and posting a 19-5 record to finish with a 13,452 total, including bonus pins, to lead Prather (12,900) by 552 pins. Prather had led for every round heading into Tuesday’s competition.

“I’m speechless,” said Butturff, who is a four-time champion on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. “Kris had bowled so well, and I knew I had a lot of work to do. I worked as hard as I could to repeat shots and keep it going, and now I only have one more game to go.”

Butturff displayed a similar performance leading to the top seed at the 2017 event in Liverpool, New York. He posted a 20-4 match-play record to lead the field by 617 pins but fell in the title match to Rhino Page of Orlando, Florida, 256-222.

Page advanced to match play at Northrock Lanes this week and finished his title defense in 13th place with a 12,056 total.

The 24-year-old left-hander now finds himself in elite company, joining PBA and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Earl Anthony as the only bowlers since 1971 to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals in back-to-back years.

Anthony led by 578 pins in 1979 and 551 pins in 1980 but was unable to come away with the title either year.

Last year’s stepladder at Flamingo Bowl featured three left-handers, as Page and Graham Fach of Canada joined Butturff on the left side. This year, he’ll have the left side of the lane to himself and knows he can take advantage of it.

“Last year was a learning experience,” said Butturff, who has won two titles this season. “This week, when I’ve been the only left-hander on the lane, I’ve performed much better. So, now I need to make sure I’m able to go out there and make the best shots I possibly can.”

Tackett earned the No. 3 seed with a 12,644 total, while Barrett (12,402) and Kent (12,363) will face off in the opening match of Wednesday’s stepladder finals.

Prather is in search of his first career PBA Tour title, while Tackett is looking to add a third major, the Triple Crown and another PBA Player of the Year award to his mantle.

Tackett captured the PBA World Championship in 2016 and PBA Tournament of Champions in 2017, and a win Wednesday would make him the seventh player in PBA history to complete the Triple Crown. His victory at the World Championship also helped him claim player of the year.

Tackett’s the only player on tour this season to win three titles, and a fourth win would put him as the front-runner for the 2018 award.

Barrett has six career titles, including the 2013 World Championship. He advanced to the stepladder finals at the 2015 U.S. Open but lost to top-seed Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, New York, in the title match, 236-223.

Kent was the top seed at the 2016 U.S. Open but fell to Canada’s Francois Lavoie in the championship match, 228-194. Kent has four career PBA Tour titles and is looking for his first major.

All competitors bowled 24 qualifying games over three days to determine the 36 players advancing to a cashers’ round. After eight additional games, the field was cut to the top 24 players for round-robin match play.

The five finalists were determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the USBC and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.

Each round of the 2018 U.S. Open leading up to the stepladder finals was broadcast live on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame on FloBowling.

Dom Barrett signs with Track Bowling

Track Bowling is proud to announce the signing of Dom Barrett to its national pro staff. Barrett, nicknamed "The Dominator", is a four-time PBA title winner, claiming the 2011-12 Scorpion Open, 2012-13 Qatar Open, and 2014 Qatar Open titles, as well as a major title with the 2012-13 World Series of Bowling V PBA World Championship. Barrett feels not only is the timing right to sign with Track, but it also represents a return to his roots. "I'm extremely excited to be part of the Track and EBI (Ebonite Bowling International) family," Barrett said. "I was briefly on Ebonite staff in 2008 and it feels really good to be back where I started my international career." "I've always been a huge fan of Track and I had a lot of success as a youth with the Freak series, Threat (an original Heat variation) and Stomp series," he said. "Track has some of the best products on the market, ranging from the Paradox to the Heat remake. I'm very excited for the new releases to be announced in Las Vegas at Bowl Expo."  Full Press Release

Dom Barrett #1 Berth for PBA Chameleon Championships

England’s Dom Barrett advanced from sixth place to first Monday night, claiming the No. 1 berth in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)’s Chameleon Championship stepladder finals at South Point Bowling Center, in Las Vegas, NV, the third of five events that compose the PBA World Series of Bowling V.

 

Barrett, who won his only PBA Tour title in the 2011 Scorpion Championship, will lead a field of four into the Chameleon Championship finals on Saturday, Nov. 2. ESPN will air the finals on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 1 p.m. ET. Also winning berths in the championship round were Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio; Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY, and 2010 PBA World Champion Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI.

 

Barrett rolled the only 300 game in the semifinal round Monday night, finishing with a 14-game total of 3,246 pins to win the top seed in the stepladder finals by 13 pins over Kretzer, who also is a one-time PBA Tour title winner. Ciminelli, who earned the top berth in the Viper Championship presented by PBA Bowling Challenge Sunday night, is the first player in World Series V to qualify for two telecasts. Smallwood won the fourth spot by four pins over Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, FL, who earlier in the round called a foul on himself, costing him a place in the stepladder finals.

 

“It was a great run, perfect, couldn’t have worked out better,” Barrett said. “I won my title on the old Scorpion pattern, which is very similar to the new Chameleon lane condition, and it really matched up well to my game. I used the knowledge I’ve gotten from bowling in this center before and it helped me a lot.

 

“I’m over the moon,” he said with a grin. “I’ve bowled the best this week that I’ve ever bowled in my life, and this is the World Series, the biggest event there is. I had a couple of down moments in (the Viper Championship semifinal round) last night, but I went to bed, thought about it and woke up with a new attitude.”

 

Barrett went into the Viper semifinal round Sunday night as the tournament leader, but fell to 13th place by the end of the round.

 

Earlier Monday, the field of 235 players completed the third of four qualifying rounds for the PBA World Championship. The combined seven-game qualifying scores from the four animal pattern tournaments – Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Tuesday’s Scorpion Championship – will determine the top 24 players who will advance to World Championship round-robin match play on Wednesday and Thursday. After the Chameleon round, Barrett led World Championship qualifying with 5,046 pins, followed by Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, with a 4,905 total and Jason Belmonte of Australia in third place with 4,836 pins.

 

All qualifying rounds from the World Series are being covered live on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel, and via “live scoring” on pba.com.  Tuesday’s schedule includes Scorpion Championship qualifying squads at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. PT, and the top 24 semifinal round starting at 7:30 p.m.

 

PBA  CHAMELEON CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Monday

 

FIRST ROUND STANDINGS (after 7 games, top 24 advance to semifinal round)

1, Dom Barrett, England, 3,246.
2, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,233.
3, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,211.
4, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3,198.
5, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,194, $4,000.
6, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3,171, $3,500.
7, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,154, $3,000.
8, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 3,127, $2,500.
9, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,104, $2,200.
10, Todd Book, Russells Point, Ohio, 3,083, $2,000.
11, D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, 3,064, $1,800.
12, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,061, $1,700.
13, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 3,051, $1,650.
14, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,042, $1,600.
15, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 3,018, $1,550.
16, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,017, $1,500.
17, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 3,008, $1,450.
18, Giorgio Clinaz Jr., Venezuela, 3,004, $1,400.
19, Carsten Hansen, Denmark, 2,978, $1,350.
20, Alan Mojado, Pala, Calif., 2,973, $1,300.
21, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2,972, $1,275.
22, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 2,958, $1,250.
23, Shawn Maldonado, Houston, 2,902, $1,225.
24, Paul Moor, England, 2,869, $1,200.

 

300 Games: Alan Mojada, DJ Archer, Johnathan Bower, Dom Barrett.

England's Barret Leads PBA World Championship Qualifying

England’s Dom Barrett, a second-year Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) player, charged into the lead in the PBA World Championship Wednesday night at South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, NV behind a 237 average and a 10-6 match play record.

Barrett, who won his only PBA Tour title in the Scorpion Championship during the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, entered the PBA World Championship as the No. 7 qualifier after a disappointing finish in the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship a day earlier. Barrett was the leading qualifier in the Scorpion event, but slipped to sixth place in the semifinal round, missing the cut to the ESPN stepladder finals by seven pins.

Wednesday night, however, he advanced from fifth place into a six-pin lead over Australia’s Jason Belmonte, finishing with a 48-game total of 11,687 pins, including match play bonus pins. Barrett rolled games of 280, 247, 277, 268, 210, 247, 245 and 235, and needed every pin to hold off Belmonte, who finished with a 11,681 total. Rhino Page of Dade City, FL, was third at 11,658 followed by fourth-round leader Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, at 11,597 and Canada’s Dan MacLelland at 11,506.

The final eight games of match play to determine the five players who will advance to Sunday’s ESPN stepladder finals begins at for 2 p.m. PT on Thursday.

The PBA World Championships is the concluding event to the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, and the PBA’s first major championship of the 2012-13 season. ESPN will air the finals on Sunday, Jan. 13.

“When I played the finals of the Scorpion, I couldn’t get my ball through the pins,” Barrett said. “I left a lot of corner pins, but today the condition was more like what I’m used to seeing in Europe and I was able to get the corner pins out.

“I actually thought I bowled quite well in the Scorpion semifinal round, but I just couldn’t get my ball to match up. I made the adjustments today and they worked.

“Bowling here on the PBA Tour the last year, I’ve learned so much,” the three-time World Bowling Writers Bowler of the Year added. “It’s really a steep learning curve, but it’s also really special when you see the results of your hard work pay off.

“My game plan worked well today. I’m just going to try to keep striking. I know these other guys are coming after me. They’re going to bowl well, so I need to bowl well, too.”

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition concludes with the final round of match play at 2 p.m. PT Thursday. Complete coverage of the final round will be available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Wednesday

Round Five (after 48 games, including match play bonus pins; top five after 56 games will advance to PBA World Championship finals)

 

1, Dom Barrett, England, 10-6, 11,687.
2, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 8-8, 11,681.
3, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 11-5, 11,658.
4, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 10-6, 11,597.
5, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 11-5, 11,506.
6, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 6-10, 11,503.
7, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 11-5, 11,452.
8, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 8-8, 11,448.
9, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 9-6-1, 11,422.
10, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 8-8, 11,408.
11, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 10-5-1, 11,403.
12, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 10-6, 11,390.
13, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 10-6, 11,330.
14, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 10-6, 11,327.
15, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 9-6-1, 11,275.
16, Stuart Williams, England, 6-10, 11,272.
17, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 8-8, 11,265.
18, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 6-10, 11,224.
19, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 8-8, 11,101.
20, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 5-11, 11,062.
21, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 5-10-1, 11,015.
22, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 5-11, 10,871.
23, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3-12-1, 10,861.
24, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2-13-1, 10,855.

300 Games: Dom Barrett, Tommy Jones, Pete Weber.

England's Barrett Top Qualifiers for PBA Bowlers Journal Scorpion Pattern

England’s Dom Barrett, with a 279 final game, earned top qualifier honors in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship at South Point Bowling Center Tuesday by 14 pins over Jason Sterner of McDonough, GA.

Barrett, who won his only PBA Tour title in the 2011 Scorpion Championship during PBA World Series of Bowling III, rolled games of 222, 235, 218, 276, 199, 258, 257 and 279 for an eight-game total of 1,944 pins to lead the field of 16 qualifiers who advanced to Tuesday night’s six-game semifinal round.

After six more games, the top four players will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. in the World Series arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The Scorpion Championship finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 6.

Rounding out the top five Scorpion qualifiers were Mike Devaney of Hemet, CA, in third place with 1,920 pins; PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, in fourth at 1,913 and PBA Senior Tour standout Hugh Miller of Mercer Island, WA, at 1,905.

Barrett finally broke through to reach the semifinals after finishing 18th in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship, missing the top 16 cut by seven pins, and finishing 17th in the Viper Championship, missing the cut by four pins. He wasn’t nearly as close in Monday’s Chameleon Championship. “I didn’t like that one so much,” he said.

But he made sure he wasn’t going to let the Scorpion get away from him.
“Around game five, you have to start lofting the ball because the condition breaks down,” Barrett said. “I’m not the best lofter, but after what I learned here last year, I’ve gotten a lot better at it, practicing hard at home.

“I won the Scorpion last year, so I’m still alive, and I’m hoping I can defend. I like the length of this pattern. It has a little more oil volume than the other patterns we bowl on,” he continued. “At home I’m used to playing on slicker surfaces, and this pattern kind of comes into that range.”

The Scorpion Championship is also was the fourth and final qualifying leg for the PBA World Championship. Combined eight-game qualifying round scores from the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion Championships determined the 24 players who will advance to three eight-game World Championship match play rounds Wednesday and Thursday.

After 32 qualifying games, Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, won World Championship top qualifier honors, averaging 239.44 for a 7,662 pinfall total. Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC, was second with 7,598 followed by Australia’s Jason Belmonte at 7,544; Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, at 7,522 and Dan MacLelland of Canada at 7,504.

Complete GEICO WSOB IV coverage is available 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 Wednesday with the first two of three eight-game match play rounds in the PBA World Championship at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The final round of match play is scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m.

PBA BOWLERS JOURNAL SCORPION CHAMPIONSHIP South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Tuesday

QUALIFYING ROUND (after 8 games; top 16 advanced to six-game semifinal round Tuesday night; top four after 14 games advance to ESPN stepladder finals)
1, Dom Barrett, England, 1,944.
2, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,930.
3, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 1,920.
4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,913.
5, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 1,905.
6, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 1,904.
7, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,893.
8 (tie), Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., and Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,875.
10, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,874.
11, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,871.
12, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,856.
13 (tie), Andres Gomez, Colombia, and Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,852.
15 (tie), Matt Ramshaw, Longview, Wash., and Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1,850.

Other Qualifying Round Cashers (after 8 games):
17, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,842, $1,000.
18, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,836, $970.
19, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,830, $940.
20, Mikael Kanold, Sweden, 1,828, $920.
21, Paul Koehler, Stuart, Fla., 1,824, $900.
22, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,823, $890.
23, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,816, $880.
24, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 1,815, $870.
25, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,814, $860.
26, Stuart Williams, England, 1,808, $850.
27 (tie), Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., and Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 1,803, $835.
29, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,798, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 1,798, $810.
32, Dennis Eklund, Sweden, 1,797, $790.
33, D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, 1,796, $780.
34, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,795, $770.
35, Chris Hans, Rocky Mount, N.C., 1,791, $760.
36, Magnus Johnson Jr., Sweden, 1,787, $750.
Failed to Cash:
37, Patrick Girard, Canada, 1,786.
38 (tie), David Haynes, Las Vegas, and Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 1,784.
40, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 1,782.
41, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,780.
42 (tie), Frederik Ohrgaard, Denmark, and Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,779.
44, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 1,778.
45, Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 1,777.
46, Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., 1,772.
47, Dustin Ochoa, Cibilo, Texas, 1,763.
48, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 1,762.
49, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,761.
50, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 1,749.
51, Mattias Olsson, Sweden, 1,748.
52 (tie), Thomas Ault Jr., Portland, Ore., and Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 1,747.
54, Jimmy Mortensen, Denmark, 1,746.
55 (tie), Eric Forkel, Henderson, Nev., and Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., 1,745.
57, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,740.
58 (tie), Shawn Lee, Centennial, Colo., and Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,738.
60, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,736.
61, Ernest Lukacs Jr., Manville, N.J., 1,734.
62 (tie), Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif.; Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., and Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,733.
65 (tie), Jason Stadtler, Cherry Hill, N.J., and Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 1,732.
67 (tie), Daniel Falconi, Mexico, and Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,731.
69, Evan Nash, Kennewick, Wash., 1,727.
70, Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,726.
71, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 1,723.
72, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,720.
73 (tie), Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y.; Mike Fagan, Dallas, and Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 1,719.
76, Kim Bolleby, Sweden, 1,716.
77, Carlos Cottone, Venezuela, 1,712.
78, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,710.
79, Mik Stampe, Denmark, 1,709.
80, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,708.
81 (tie), Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif., and Nam Yi Jo, Korea, 1,707.
83, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,704.
84 (tie), Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn.; Hafthor Hardarson, Iceland, and Jin Han Kim, Korea, 1,702.
87 (tie), Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, and Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,699.
89 (tie), Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, and Ji Hyun Cha, Korea, 1,697.
91, Peter Hellstrom, Sweden, 1,694.
92 (tie), Bryan Viator, Friendswood, Texas, and Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., 1,688.
94, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 1,685.
95, Hyun Bum Kim, Korea, 1,684.
96 (tie), Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., and Matt Taylor, Knightdale, N.C., 1,678.
98, Justin Stevens, Aiea, Hawaii, 1,677.
99 (tie), Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., and Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 1,674.
99, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,674.
102 (tie), Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan.; Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla.; Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, and Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,670.
106, Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 1,668.
107 (tie), Mike Williams II, Montgomery, Ala., and Johan Hellden, Sweden, 1,667.
109, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,666.
110 (tie), Perttu Jussila, Finland, and Kelvin Wiggins, Rocky Mt., N.C., 1,665.
112, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,661.
113, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,659.
114, Kyle Martinez, Broken Arrow, Okla., 1,657.
115, Robert Piroozshad, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1,656.
116 (tie), John Cicero, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,654.
118, Erik Andersin, Sweden, 1,653.
119, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,649.
120, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 1,648.
121, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1,647.
122 (tie), Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, and Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,644.
124 (tie), Allen Blansette, Napa, Calif., and Mike Bailey, Allen, Texas, 1,642.
126, Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 1,639.
127, Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 1,637.
128, Kasey Normandin, Canada, 1,636.
129, Yeo Jin Yoon, Korea, 1,635.
130, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,634.
131 (tie), Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, and Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 1,632.
133, Greg Knolton, Bartlett, Tenn., 1,631.
134, Myles Duty, Modesto, Calif., 1,630.
135 (tie), Ben Davis, Ashland, Ky., and Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., 1,628.
137, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,627.
138, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 1,626.
139, Robert McBride, Plano, Texas, 1,625.
140, Alejandro Reyna, Costa Rica, 1,623.
141, Adam Monks, Conway, S.C., 1,622.
142, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 1,621.
143, Helen Johnsson, Sweden, 1,620.
144, Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., 1,618.
145, Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 1,612.
146, Travis Celmer, Wernersville, Pa., 1,609.
147, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,608.
148, Chad Pojas, Wahiawa, Hawaii, 1,607.
149, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,605.
150, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 1,604.
151, Giorgio Clinaz Jr., Venezuela, 1,603.
152, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.V., 1,597.
153, Fawaz Abdulla, Bahrain, 1,596.
154, Kim Ojala, Sweden, 1,595.
155, Carsten Hansen, Denmark, 1,593.
156, Mathias Arup, Sweden, 1,591.
157 (tie), Travis Anderson, Washington, Ill.; Paul Nilsen Sr., Murrieta, Calif., and Manuel Mrosek, Germany, 1,589.
160, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 1,587.
161, Scott Halvarson, Lakewood, Wash., 1,585.
162 (tie), John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., and Philip Medley, Washington, Mich., 1,584.
164, Ted Sidehamer Jr., Newport News, Va., 1,583.
165 (tie), MahdI Assad, Bahrain, and Kevin Brophy, Oakhurst, N.J., 1,581.
167, Masood Saberi, Bahrain, 1,579.
168 (tie), Nathan Urrutia, Banning, Calif., and Erik Gulbrandson, Superior, Wis., 1,577.
170, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 1,576.
171, Mohammed AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,569.
172, Andrew Frawley, Australia, 1,564.
173 (tie), Glenn Morgan, Carson City, Nev., and Jason Miller, Portland, Ore., 1,562.
175, Brett Cooper, Newburyport, Mass., 1,560.
176, Lee Rucker, Fort Myers, Fla., 1,559.
177 (tie), Jacob Heger, Houston, and David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., 1,558.
179, Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 1,553.
180, Mike Armstrong Jr., Battle Ground, Wash., 1,550.
181 (tie), Isaac Amkie, Mexico, and Michael Smith, Centenniel, Colo., 1,548.
183, Kevin Henderson, Albany, Ore, 1,545.
184, Gustavo Salinas, Mexico, 1,544.
185, Chris Groom, Lancaster, Calif., 1,541.
186 (tie), Kyle Leiffer, Weed, Calif., and Michael Menard, Canada, 1,537.
188 (tie), Doug Scheidig, Royersford, Pa.; Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., and Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 1,536.
191, Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif., 1,534.
192, Wes Newman, Panama City, Fla, 1,525.
193, Ahmed Saad Alhadyan, Saudi Arabia, 1,518.
194, Mohamed Sultan, Bahrain, 1,513.
195, Roberto Silva, Mexico, 1,511.
196, Frank Guccione, Castle Rock, Colo., 1,509.
197, Hernan Ramirez, Venezuela, 1,507.
198, Patrick Bohm, Sweden, 1,505.
199, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,504.
200, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 1,502.
201, Kevin Morillo, Venezuela, 1,501.
202, Eduardo Yzcaray Jr., Venezuela, 1,498.
203, Jeff Evans, Supply, N.C., 1,496.
204, Rob Gotterbarn Jr., Garden City South, N.Y., 1,495.
205, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 1,494.
206, Kenneth Bland Jr., Germany, 1,491.
207, Chad Vendeville, Arlington, Texas, 1,490.
208, Mohamed Al Jahrami, Bahrain, 1,489.
209, Adam James, Redmond, Wash., 1,488.
210, Meen Woo Kim, Korea, 1,487.
211, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1,485.
212, Hyun Suk Kim, Korea, 1,479.
213, Thomas Biniek Jr., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., 1,476.
214, John Perry, Nuevo, Calif., 1,466.
215, Sean Daniels, Aloha, Ore., 1,465.
216, Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,463.
217, Wayne Stellick, Aurora, Colo., 1,459.
218, Richard Rezendes, Cumberland, R.I., 1,458.
219 (tie), Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., and James Hobson, Converse, Texas, 1,456.
221, Hameed Taqi, Bahrain, 1,448.
222, Glen Nakagawa, Highland Village, Texas, 1,419.
223, Josh Lewis, Asheville, N.C., 1,415.
224, Chris Ashworth, Gallatin, Tenn., 1,409.
225, Steve Ford, Seaside, Ore., 1,405.
226, Troy Behanna, Pasadena, Texas, 1,404.
227, Branden Lee, Chicago, 1,397.
228, Chris DosSantos, Fairhaven, Mass., 1,391.
229, Tim Arnold, Las Vegas, 1,384.
230, Dave Gillson, Phoenix, 1,378.
231, Paolo Joquico, Philippines, 1,373.
232, Kirk Sauro, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 1,367.
233, Shawn St. Andre, Garden Grove, Calif., 1,361.
234, Josh Willis, Orleans, Ind., 1,360.
235, Jamar Lee, Livermore, Calif., 1,247.
236, Gradie Merritt-Foster, Park Forest, Ill., 1,242.
237, Hakim AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,070.
238, Diego Lopez, Colombia, 472.

300 Games: PJ Haggerty, Jon VanHees.
PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
FINAL QUALIFYING STANDINGS (after 32 games; top 24 advance to PBA World Championship round robin match play)
1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 7,662.
2, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 7,598.
3, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 7,544.
4, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 7,522.
5, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 7,504.
6, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 7,471.
7, Dom Barrett, England, 7,465.
8, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 7,449.
9, Stuart Williams, England, 7,404.
10, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 7,392.
11, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 7,378.
12, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 7,361.
13, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 7,331.
14, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 7,327.
15, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 7,315.
16, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 7,305.
17, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 7,286.
18, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 7,272.
19, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 7,254.
20, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 7,253.
21, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 7,238.
22, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 7,236.
23, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 7,232.
24, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 7,225.
Other Cashers (after 32 games): 25, Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 7,222, $2,400.
26, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 7,210, $2,350.
27, D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, 7,208, $2,300.
28, Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif., 7,204, $2,350.
29, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 7,188, $2,200.
30, Mik Stampe, Denmark, 7,184, $2,150.
31, Johan Hellden, Sweden, 7,166, $2,200.
32 (tie), Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., and Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 7,162, $2,025.
34, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 7,149, $1,950.
35 (tie), Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, and Patrick Girard, Canada, 7,138, $1,875.
37, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., 7,130, $1,800.
38, Dennis Eklund, Sweden, 7,126, $1,750.
39, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 7,124, $1,800.
40, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 7,122, $1,650.
41, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 7,114, $1,600.
42, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 7,107, $1,550.
43, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 7,104, $1,500.
44 (tie), Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C.; Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., and Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 7,099, $1,460.
47, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 7,098, $1,420.
48, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 7,095, $1,400.
49, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 7,092, $1,380.
50, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 7,088, $1,460.
51 (tie), Paul Koehler, Stuart, Fla., and Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 7,078, $1,330.
53, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 7,076, $1,300.
54, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 7,070, $1,280.
55, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 7,068, $1,260.
56, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 7,061, $1,240.
57, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 7,047, $1,220.
58, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 7,046, $1,200.
59, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 7,043, $1,180.
60, Matt Ramshaw, Longview, Wash., 7,041, $1,160.

The PBA Scorpion Open Sunday on ESPN

England’s Dom Barrett, fully recovered from a broken collar bone sustained nine months earlier in a near-tragic all-terrain vehicle accident in Saudi Arabia, will lead the field of four finalists into the battle for the Professional Bowlers Association’s Scorpion Open title Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Also on Sunday, PBA fans will be able to watch the final rounds of the Xtra Frame Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 live on the Internet from Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.

The Scorpion Open is the third of four PBA “animal pattern” championships conducted during the World Series of Bowling at South Point Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

Barrett’s Scorpion Open opponents will include Dave Wodka of Henderson, NV, who won his only PBA Tour title in the 1999 Greater Detroit Open; Sean Rash of suburban Chicago (Montgomery,) IL, who qualified for the ESPN finals in a record six PBA World Series of Bowling events, and 13-time PBA Tour titlist Patrick Allen of Baltimore, who is seeking his first title in two years.

Barrett earned the top qualifier position for the Scorpion finals by averaging 233.14 over 14 qualifying games, posting a 3,264 pinfall total. Wodka finished 17 pins behind, followed by Rash and Allen.

Barrett, who qualified for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions by winning a PBA West Regional title in Reno, NV, just before the World Series of Bowling, hopes to join fellow British competitor Stuart Williams as the second English player to win a PBA Tour title. Williams won his first PBA Tour title in the Bayer Viper Open.

“I came (to the United States) to win one of these tournaments,” Barrett said. “Winning the regional gave me a lot of confidence. This is going to be my first (PBA) show and I couldn’t be happier.”

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 title match, the two surviving players will bowl for a $15,000 first prize, a PBA Tour title and a berth in the Round of 36 for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions.

In addition to the other benefits, Barrett hopes to become the fourth straight international player to win a World Series of Bowling title. Rash, a four-time PBA Tour champion, is trying for his first title since the 2007 USBC Masters.

The Xtra Frame Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 will be webcast live in its entirety on pba.com’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame, including Saturday’s qualifying rounds and Sunday’s match play competition. Saturday’s schedule includes nine-game qualifying rounds for Squads A and B at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET, with the top 24 qualifiers advancing to match play Sunday. Sunday’s live coverage will include round-robin match play sessions at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with the top four advancing to the live stepladder finals at 6 p.m.

A Scorpion Open 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.

Palermaa First Finalist For PBA World Championships

Finland’s Osku Palermaa took a big step forward in his quest to win his second Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) title, advancing to the finals of the PBA World Championship by eliminating PBA Tour veteran Jack Jurek of Lackawanna, NY, and England’s Stuart Williams and Dom Barrett in the Don Carter Division finals that aired Sunday on ESPN. 

Palermaa, Europe’s premier two-handed bowling star, won the first of four PBA World Championship elimination rounds at South Point Hotel Exhibition Hall in Las Vegas, NV, with a 223-188 victory over Barrett in the final game of the Carter finals. The divisional finals consist of three one-game rounds, starting with four players, and eliminating the lowest-scoring player after each game with the surviving player advancing to the PBA World Championship finals on Jan. 15.

In the opening game, Barrett led the group with a 257 game, Williams followed with a 215, Palermaa posted a 187 and Jurek was the first man eliminated with a 169. Back-to-back unconverted splits in the second and third frames contributed to Jurek’s early exit.

Barrett again led the group in the second game with a 201, Palermaa was second with a 188 and Williams was eliminated with a 170 game. In game three, three splits which he failed to convert doomed Barrett’s bid to advance to the World Championship final round.

The Carter finals were conducted on the PBA’s Viper lane condition, selected by Williams as the highest qualifier in the field of four.

Palermaa, who won his first PBA Tour title in the GEICO Shark Championship during the 2010 PBA World Series of Bowling, will join the winners of the Billy Hardwick, Johnny Petraglia and Mike Aulby Division finals in the PBA World Championship finals on Jan. 15 on ESPN. The PBA World Championship offers a $50,000 first prize and the first major title of the 2011-12 PBA Tour season.

“It was difficult today,” Palermaa said. “We didn’t make the lane condition easy. The key was to try to bowl a clean game, because no one was going to strike a lot.”

Palermaa, one of 52 international players who represented 16 countries in the World Series of Bowling, said his international experience was a big help in Las Vegas.

“We bowl on everything in all different kinds of environments,” Palermaa said of his world-wide experience. “We have to be good on all kinds of conditions or we don’t get a paycheck.

“I’ve been battling a flu-like virus for almost two months,” he added. “I’m feeling better, but if I can bowl like this in the finals, maybe I’ll want to be sick again.”

The Billy Hardwick Division finalists will be the next World Championship group to bowl. Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, who won the 2009 PBA World Championship for his only PBA Tour title, is the top qualifier in the Hardwick group and selected the Scorpion pattern as the lane condition for the second eliminator round. Other Hardwick Division players will be Venezuela’s Ildemaro Ruiz, Colombia’s Andres Gomez, and four-time PBA Tour titlist Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, NY. Ruiz, who is making his PBA television debut, and Gomez are both seeking their first PBA Tour titles.

The Hardwick Division finals air Sunday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. A special pre-game show will be webcast beginning Wednesday on pba.com’s Xtra Frame and a post-game Xtra Frame interview with the winner will immediately follow Sunday’s telecast.


PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DON CARTER DIVISION FINALSSouth Point Exhibition Hall, Las Vegas

Round One (lowest score eliminated): Dom Barrett, England, 257; Stuart Williams, England, 215; Osku Palermaa, Finland, 187; Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 169 ($4,000).

Round Two (lowest score eliminated): Barrett 201, Palermaa 188, Williams 170 ($4,500).

Championship (winner advances to PBA World Championship finals): Palermaa def. Barrett ($5,000), 223-188.

PBA World Championships on ESPN