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.

McCune Defends PBA Cheetah Title

Throwing his traditional rocket to the pocket, Eugene McCune of Munster, IN, successfully defended his Professional Bowlers Association Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite title Sunday at Fountain Bowl. 

McCune, who was the top qualifier for the stepladder finals, defeated PBA Hall of Famer and 35-time Tour titlist Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, 245-229, in the championship match for his third career win. 

“Anytime I can play outside on the lane and throw it hard it plays in my favor,” said McCune who estimated he was throwing the ball at a little over 20 miles per hour. 

“It’s old school and that’s where I feel most comfortable.” McCune won his second career title last season when, as tournament leader, he defeated Norm Duke, 238-237, to win the Cheetah Championship. It was during the match play round of that event that McCune broke the PBA nine-game scoring record with a 2,468 pinfall (274.22 average). In this year’s Cheetah Open, conducted on PBA’s Cheetah lane conditioning pattern, he averaged 253 for the tournament. 

“When I bowl on this condition there’s a little pressure because I know I need to take advantage of it,” he added. “I was a little worried after the first two frames of the tournament when I had open frames but I went to a different ball and made a couple of other adjustments and got back on track.” 

McCune was the first player to successfully defend a Tour title since Chris Barnes won back-to-back events in Columbus, Ohio, in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. The landmark Cheetah Open was the first PBA Tour event streamed live exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel.

Three more Xtra Frame events are scheduled during the remainder of the season. 

“It was going to be a good match because he’s one of the best on this pattern and I match up real well in this house,” said Weber, who was trying for his 36th Tour title. 

“It was a good match for a while until I had a couple bad shots.” In the semifinal match Weber defeated former Wichita State University star Josh Blanchard of Gilbert, AZ, 248-165. Blanchard was rebounding after his fall on the approach during the PBA World Championship Mike Aubly Division final seen on ESPN two weeks ago. Blanchard went on to finish 16th in the World Championship. In the opening stepladder match, Weber defeated fellow Hall of Famer Duke, 237-226, to advance to the semifinal. 

PBA CHEETAH OPEN PRESENTED BY EBONITE Fountain Bowl, Fountain Valley, Calif., Sunday 

FINAL STANDINGS: 1, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., one game, 245 pins, $10,000. 

2, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., three games, 714 pins, $5,000. 

3, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., one game, 165 pins, $3,000. 

4, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., one game, 226, $2,500. 

PLAYOFF RESULTS: Match One – Weber def. Duke, 237-226. Semifinal match – Weber def. Blanchard, 248-165. Championship match – McCune def. Weber, 245-229. MATCH PLAY RESULTS After 22 games, including match play records and bonus pins. 

Top four advanced to stepladder finals 1, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 8-5, 5,814. 

2, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 10-3, 5,809. 

3, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 7-6, 5,806. 

4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 7-6, 5,692. 

5, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 9-4, 5,684, $2,300. 

6, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 6-7, 5,651, $2,100. 

7, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 6-7, 5,641, $2,100. 

8, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 7-6, 5,620, $1,800. 

9, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6-7, 5,606, $1,750. 

10, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 8-5, 5,602, $1,800. 

11, Stuart Williams, England, 8-5, 5,596, $1,650. 

12, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 8-5, 5,592, $1,800. 

13, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 5-8, 5,554, $1,550. 

14, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 3-10, 5,535, $1,700. 

15, a-Shigeo Saitoh, Japan, 8-5, 5,515, $1,450. 

16, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 5-8, 5,475, $1,600. 

17, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 6-7, 5,424, $1,550. 

18, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 8-5, 5,417, $1,300. 

19, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 4-9, 5,364, $1,275. 

20, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 5-8, 5,338, $1,238. 

20, a-Lowell Huber, Westminster, CA, 7-6, 5,338, $1,238. 

22, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 6-7, 5,313, $1,300. 

23, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 6-7, 5,259, $1,175. 

24, a-Takashi Kudoh, Japan, 3-10, 5,147, $1,150. 

a = amateur

Texan Castillo Leads the PBA Cheetah Open

Dino Castillo of Carrollton, Texas, bowled two 300 games and averaged 257.33 Saturday to lead qualifying in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite at Fountain Bowl. 

Castillo had games of 300, 258, 256, 279, 238, 235, 192, 300 and 258 for a 2,316 nine-game pinfall total on the high-scoring PBA Cheetah lane conditioning pattern to top 24 players who advanced to Sunday morning’s match play round. In all, 13 300 games were bowled in Saturday’s qualifying. 

“It’s a high-scoring pace, of course, which means you really have to concentrate on staying one step ahead.” said Castillo, who has a previous best PBA Tour finish of second that came in the 2010 Japan Cup. 

“Your concentration really has to focus on not just hitting the pocket but getting the ball through the pins. “For me that requires getting the ball to go right on the lane so I can get the best angle to the pocket,” he added. “I tried so hard to do that a couple of times I threw it in the gutter—I guess I tried too hard.” 

Castillo finished 21 pins ahead of PBA Hall of Famer and 34-time Tour titlist Norm Duke of Clermont, FL, in second with 2,295. Rounding out the top five were Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, AZ, 2,273; defending Cheetah Open champion Eugene McCune, Munster, IN, 2,268, and two-time Tour winner Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, AZ, 2,257. 

The landmark Cheetah Open is the first PBA Tour event to be streamed live exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. Three more Xtra Frame events are scheduled during the remainder of the season. 

After Sunday morning’s match play round, the field will be cut to the top four players who will compete in a stepladder final at 9 p.m. ET. 

Xtra Frame subscription information is available by visiting pba.com. 

PBA CHEETAH OPEN PRESENTED BY EBONITE Fountain Bowl, Fountain Valley, Calif., Saturday QUALIFYING RESULTS After 9 games, top 24 advance to match play  

1, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,316 

2, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 2,295. 

3, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 2,273. 

4, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,268. 5, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 2,257. 

6, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,256. 

7, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,249. 8, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 2,247. 

9 (tie), Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 2,246. 

11, Shigeo Saitoh, Japan, 2,242. 

12 (tie), Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., and PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 2,215. 

14, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,209. 

15, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 2,206. 

16, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,205. 

17, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 2,189. 

18, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,188. 

19, Takashi Kudoh, Japan, 2,184. 

20, Lowell Huber, Westminster, Calif., 2,182. 

21, Stuart Williams, England, 2,179. 

22, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 2,177. 

23, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,176. 24, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2,175. 

Did not advance 

25, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 2,167, $900. 

26, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 2,166, $890. 

27, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 2,164, $980. 28, Dom Barrett, England, 2,162, $870. 

29 (tie), Dale Eagle, Laguna Niguel, Calif., and Steven Smith, San Diego, 2,159, $955. 

31, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,158, $840. 

32, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,152, $830. 33, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,148, $820. 

34, George Gaucin, El Paso, Texas, 2,141, $810. 

35, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 2,134, $800. 

36, Bobby Campagnale, Highland, Calif., 2,127, $790. 

37 (tie), Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif., and Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,124, $775. 

39, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,122, $760. 

40, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 2,118, $850. 

41, Manuel Otalora, Colombia, 2,113, $740. 

42, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,108, $730. 

43, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2,105, $720. 

44, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 2,103, $710. 

45, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 2,102, $700. 

46, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 2,098, $700. 

47, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 2,092, $700. 

48, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 2,091. 

49, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 2,083. 

50, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 2,082. 

51 (tie), Robert Piroozshad, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Tony Knuth, Oceanside, Calif., 2,077. 

53, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 2,075. 

54 (tie), Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., Paul Varela, Carson, Ca, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 2,072. 

57, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 2,069. 

58, Eddie Katz, Costa Mesa, Calif., 2,068. 

59, Craig Kisro, Granada Hills, Calif., 2,067. 

60, Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 2,063. 

61, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 2,061. 

62, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 2,058. 

63, Will Hubner, Huntington Beach, Calif., 2,055. 

64, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 2,053. 

65, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 2,035. 

66, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 2,032. 

67, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 2,028. 

68, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 2,026. 

69 (tie), Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., and Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,025. 

71, Richard Horsley, Morrisville, N.C., 2,021. 

72, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,018. 

73, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 2,017. 

74, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 2,015. 75, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 2,014. 

76, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 2,009. 

77, Keith Laing, Los Angeles, 2,007. 

78, David Williams Jr., Omaha, Neb., 2,003. 

79, Chad Newman, Richardson, Texas, 1,997. 

80 (tie), Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio and Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,992. 

82, Mike Danielson, Portland, Ore., 1,990. 

83, Robert McBride, Plano, Texas, 1,989. 

84, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,987. 

85, John Conroy, Mahopac, N.Y., 1,980. 

86, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 1,976. 

87, Wesley Low Jr., Palmdale, Calif., 1,975. 

88, Brian Jones, Riverside, Calif., 1,970. 

89, Toshiyuki Kaneko, Japan, 1,968. 

90, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,967. 

91, Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 1,959. 

92, Paul Herrera, San Jose, Calif., 1,958. 

93 (tie), Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., and Stephen Pavlinko, Sewell, N.J., 1,957. 

95, Pete Milkovich, Hercules, Calif., 1,955. 

96 (tie), Joe Findling, Mesquite, Texas, and Paul Nilsen Sr., Murrieta, Calif., 1,948. 

98, Chris Grulke, Irvine, Calif., 1,944. 

99, Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif., 1,941. 

100, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,940. 

101 (tie), Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, and Tom Sorce, Blasdell, N.Y., 1,939. 

103, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,936. 

104, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,935. 

105, Vayle Floria, Cerritos, Calif, 1,931. 

106, Dennis Horan Jr., Temecula, Calif., 1,924. 

107, Liwei Liu, Pasadena, Calif., 1,913. 

108, Shinichiro Tamai, Japan, 1,905. 

109, Chris Williams, Reseda, Calif, 1,902. 

109, Bill Ireland, Absecon, N.J., 1,902. 

111, Jim Harvey, Los Angeles, 1,901. 

112, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,900. 

113, Raul Rosales, El Monte, Calif., 1,898. 

114, Scott LaRiviere, Murrieta, Calif., 1,890. 

115 (tie), Naoyuki Iguchi, Japan, and Jorge Gutierrez, Las Cruces, N.M., 1,889. 

117, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,882. 

118, Ramon Estrada, San Diego, 1,881. 

119, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,879. 

120, Brian Cooper, Visalia, Calif., 1,868. 

121, Randy Svendsen, Volin, S.D., 1,865. 

122, Scott Hatmaker, Winchester, Calif., 1,864. 

123, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,863. 

124, Tracy Teeters, Beaverton, Ore., 1,853. 

125, Ross Larsen, Riverside, Calif., 1,850. 

126, Stephen Gaucin, Los Angeles, 1,849. 

127, Ray Cobb, Highland, Calif., 1,848. 

128, Lorrie Sims, Oakley, Calif., 1,845. 

129, Harold Hill, Lakeside, Calif., 1,840. 

130, Mitchell Caldwell, Burbank, Calif., 1,828. 

131, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 1,819. 

132, Russ Simmons, Fontana, Calif., 1,817. 

133, Tim Ursillo, Spring Valley, Calif., 1,792. 

134, Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 1,779. 

135, Demetrius Cash, Costa Mesa, Calif., 1,759. 

136, John Sowell, Vista, Calif., 1,738. 

137, Brent Ilagan, Laguna Niguel, Calif., 1,734. 

138, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1,699. 

139, Carl Labayan, Long Beach, Calif., 1,677. 

140 (tie), Glen Nakagawa, Highland Village, Texas, 1,643. 

140, Tetsuya Kobayashi, Japan, 1,643. 

142, John Murth, Simi Valley, Calif, 1,629. 

143, Jaime Orozco, Santa Ana, Calif, 1,548. 

300 games Jason Couch, Nathan Bohr, Tom Smallwood, Dino Castillo (2), Sean Rash, Mike Edwards, John Szczerbinski (2), Marv Sargent, Will Hubner, Dale Eagle, Eddie VanDaniker Jr.