Smallwood Moves into The Lead at The 51st Firelake PBA Tournament of Champions

by Bill Vint February 3, 2016 08:22

SHAWNEE, OK – Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, who has made a career out of bowling well in major championships, averaged 231.4 for 16 games to move into the lead at the end of qualifying in the 51st FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions at FireLake Bowling Center Wednesday.

Smallwood, 38, posted games of 258, 258, 203, 259, 260, 200, 206 and 231 Wednesday for a 16-game total of 3,703 pins, advancing from 10th place to first in a hotly contested battle for the top 27 berths in Thursday’s eight-game cashers round.

Among those who remained in title contention was Australia’s two-handed star, Jason Belmonte, who advanced from 48th place to qualify 13th for the cashers round. Belmonte is trying to equal PBA Hall of Famer Jason Couch’s record as the second player to win the Tournament of Champions three consecutive times.

Trailing Smallwood at the end of qualifying was 2014 PBA Rookie of the Year Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., with 3,665 pins, 38 pins behind Smallwood, followed by PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., at 3,662; EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind., at 3,661 and Dom Barrett of England at 3,633.

Smallwood, who made national news when he won the 2010 PBA World Championship after losing his job at General Motors during the recession, has done his best work in PBA majors. He finished second in the 2011 Tournament of Champions, fourth in the 2014 United States Bowling Congress Masters and fifth in the 2012 PBA World Championship in addition to winning his second PBA title in the 2012 PBA Scorpion Championship.

“I don’t put any more time or effort into the majors, but it’s only natural to put a little more emphasis on them because they pay more and they’re more prestigious,” Smallwood said. “For whatever reason my ball decides to strike more in the majors, which is fine with me.”

Smallwood said he found a way to play the lanes that other players weren’t playing, and they actually helped move the oil around to his favor.

“Usually I’m playing the wrong part of the lane, but I played a little farther right of everybody tonight and it worked,” he said. “The first six games, I only moved four boards with my eyes, and that was it. Everyone else was playing farther inside than I was, and they actually gave me more hold area which allowed me to stay where I was.”

Among the players advancing to Thursday’s cashers round was reigning Professional Women’s Bowling Association Player of the Year Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, NY, who also is the first woman ever to advance to the PBA national telecast and the only woman ever to accomplish that feat twice. Johnson qualified in a tie for 20th place.

“I never really put a PBA Tour title on my bucket list, but it would be nice to win one,” Johnson said. “The thing I realized this week is that I bowled my first women’s pro tournament 20 years ago this week, and to think I’m still out here doing what I’m doing is pretty amazing to me.”

Johnson was one of four women in the TOC field. Kelly Kulick of Union, NJ, who won the 2010 Tournament of Champions to become the only woman ever to win a PBA Tour title, was in contention Wednesday but faltered down the stretch, finishing 31st and missing the cut by 14 pins.

At the conclusion of Thursday’s cashers round, the top 24 based on 24-game pinfall totals will advance to three eight-game rounds of head-to-head match play to determine the top five for Sunday’s live ESPN finals at 2 p.m. ET. PBA’s Xtra Frame online video-streaming service will cover the cashers round and all three match play rounds live. Rounds start at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST Thursday and Friday.

FIRELAKE PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

FireLake Bowling Center, Shawnee, Okla., Wednesday

Final Qualifying Standings (after 16 games)
1, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3,703.
2, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 3,665.

3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,662.
4, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 3,661.
5, Dom Barrett, England, 3,633.
6, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 3,631.
7, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,627.
8, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3,606.
9, D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, 3,595.
10, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 3,594.
11, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,580.
12, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,579.
13, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,575.
14, Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 3,569.
15, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 3,567.
16, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3,560.
17, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 3,525.
18, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,522.
19, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 3,512.
20, (tie) Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., and f-Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,497.
22, Anthony Simonsen, Princeton, Texas, 3,496.
23, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,495.
24, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,493.
25, Jason Sterner, Covington, Ga., 3,483.
26, A.J. Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 3,480.
27, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,476.

Failed to advance
28, Stuart Williams, England, 3,470.
29, (tie) Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., and Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,468.
31, f-Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,462.
32, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,458.
33, Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz., 3,457.
34, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,454.
35, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 3,453.
36, Cameron Weier, Tacoma, Wash., 3,447.
37, Sean Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 3,435.
38, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,433.
39, Shawn Maldonado, Houston, 3,431.
40, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,427.
41, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 3,422.
42, Paul Moor, England, 3,416.
43, Will Barnes, Wichita, Kan., 3,414.
44, Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn., 3,405.
45, Patrick Allen, South Salem, N.Y., 3,379.
46, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 3,359.
47, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,353.
48, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 3,352.
49, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 3,346.
50, David Scardaville, Houston, Texas, 3,341.
51, Anthony Pepe, Elmhurst, N.Y., 3,325.
52, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 3,313.
53, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 3,296.
54, Dave Wodka, Beavercreek, Ohio, 3,294.
55, Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., 3,286.
56, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 3,276.
57, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 3,269.
58, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,265.
59, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 3,244.
60, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 3,222.
61, (tie)  f-Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, and Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 3,210.
63, f-Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 3,207.
64, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,202.
65, Scott Greiner, Platte City, Mo., 3,193.
66, Blake Demore, Springfield, Mo., 3,189.
67, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 3,180.
68, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 3,150.
69, Paul Brewbaker , Midwest City, Okla., 3,141.
70, Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 3,133.
71, Brandon Bivens, East Ridge, Tenn., 3,083.
72, David Williams Jr., Omaha, Neb., 3,067.
73, Lee White, Odessa, Texas, 3,048.
74, Joe Salvemini, Nevada City, Calif., 2,987.
75, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 2,890.
76, Carmen Salvino, Schaumburg, Ill., 2,887.
77, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 2,369.

f-denotes female

PBA Scorpion Championships Lead by Collegian Marshall Kent

Two-time Collegiate Bowler of the Year Marshall Kent of Yakima, WA, the only amateur in the field, won the top berth for the stepladder finals of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)’s Scorpion Championship Tuesday at South Point Bowling Center.

 

Kent, a student at Robert Morris University-Illinois  in Chicago, averaged 227.79 for 14 games on the Scorpion lane condition, finishing with a 3,189 pinfall total to claim the top rung in the stepladder finals by 12 pins over 2012 PBA World Champion Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI. Josh Blanchard of Gilbert, AZ, qualified third with a 3,162 total and Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC, earned the fourth spot in the finals with 3,146 pins, 23 ahead of three-time PBA50 Player of the Year Tom Baker of King, NC.

 

Blanchard and Jones, bowling on the same pair of lanes, rolled matching 269 final games to earn their shots at the title. The Scorpion Championship finals will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. ESPN will air the finals on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 1 p.m. ET. The Scorpion Championship was the fourth of five PBA Tour events that compose the PBA World Series of Bowling.

 

Kent, who finished fourth in Bowling’s U.S. Open in July, was invited to bowl in the World Series on a PBA Commissioner’s Exemption because he is still in college.

 

Earlier Tuesday, England’s Dom Barrett led the field of 24 players who advanced to the PBA World Championship round-robin match play finals Wednesday and Thursday based upon combined 28-game qualifying pinfall totals from the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion rounds. Barrett averaged 237.67 in compiling a 6,655 pinfall total for 28 games, topping Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, by 209 pins. Maldonado qualified third with 6,405 pins.

 

The match play rounds of the PBA World Championship Wednesday and Thursday will be covered live on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel, and via “live scoring” on pba.com. For daily, monthly or yearly subscriptions to Xtra Frame, click on the Xtra Frame link on the pba.com home page.

 

PBA  SCORPION CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Tuesday

 

SEMIFINAL ROUND STANDINGS (after 14 games; top 4 advance to ESPN stepladder finals at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 2)

1, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 3,189.
2, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3,176.
3, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,162.
4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,146.
5, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,123, $4,000.
6 (tie), D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, and Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,113, $3,250.
8, Keith Laing, Culver City, Calif., 3,111, $2,500.
9, Shawn Maldonado, Houston, 3,103, $2,200.
10, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 3,094, $2,000.
11, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,093, $1,800.
12, Dom Barrett, England, 3,089, $1,800.
13, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 3,084, $1,650.
14, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,079, $1,600.
15, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 3,047, $1,550.
16, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,042, $1,500.
17, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,024, $1,450.
18, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,019, $1,400.
19, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 2,994, $1,350.
20, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,991, $1,300.
21, Joonas Jehkinen, Finland, 2,964, $1,275.
22, Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., 2,948, $1,250.
23, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 2,915, $1,225.
24, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 2,913, $1,200.

 

300 Games: Dom Barrett, PJ Haggerty.

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.

PBA Detroit Open Win #35 For Norm Duke



Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Norm Duke won the PBA Detroit Open presented by Track Sunday for his first win of the 2011-12 season and the 35th of his career.

Duke, of Clermont, FL, defeated reigning PBA Player of the Year and No. 1 seed Finland native Mika Koivuniemi, 266-217, in the championship match at Thunderbowl Lanes to win the $10,000 first prize which pushed his career earnings over the $3 million mark. 

Koivuniemi, who now makes his home in Hartland, MI, was trying for his 10th career Tour title. Duke joins fellow Hall of Famers Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Pete Weber as the only players to earn more than $3 million and his 35 wins also moved him into fourth on the all-time career list for titles won.

Williams is PBA’s all-time career titles leader with 47 followed by Earl Anthony with 43 and Weber with 36. Williams holds the all-time career earnings mark with $4.35 million followed by Weber with $3.52 million.

“At this point in my career I feel just blessed to be able to compete,” said the 47-year-old Duke. “It’s just so hard to win out here that at this point in my career I’m just blessed — that’s all I can say. I’m jealous of what the young guys can do so it makes it all the more special.”

Duke, the No. 2 seed, soundly defeated 2009 PBA World Championship winner Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, in the semi-final match 288-178 to advance to the championship match.

Duke attributed his success to reducing the amount of practice he took before each match. “Usually, everyone wants as much practice as they can get but for me that’s not always the case,” Duke said. “Sometimes you need the practice but other times you have to know when to get out of there.

“The guys with the big rev rates will just burn up the lane and I didn’t want to add to that. Fortunately, I was able to play outside on the lane where I like to play. I had to make a one-board adjustment in the first game but even in the championship match I had to make a three and a half board adjustment.”

In the opening stepladder match, Smallwood, who was trying for his second career title, defeated three-time Tour titlist Bill O’Neill of Southampton, PA, 245-214, to advance to the semifinal against Duke.

The Detroit Open was the third PBA Tour event streamed live exclusively on pba.com’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. 

The next stop for the PBA Tour will be the Dick Weber Playoffs from Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, IN March 30-April 1 which will also be streamed live on Xtra Frame.

PBA DETROIT OPEN PRESENTED BY TRACK
Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich., Sunday

FINAL STANDINGS:
1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., two games, 554 pins, $10,000.
2, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, one game, 217 pins, $5,000.
3, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., two games, 423 pins, $3,200.
4, Bill O’Neill, Southampton, Pa., one game, 214 pins, $2,500.

PLAYOFF RESULTS: Match One – Smallwood def. O’Neill, 245-214. Semifinal match – Duke def. Smallwood, 288-178. Championship match – Duke def. Koivuniemi, 266-217.

MATCH PLAY RESULTS After 22 games, including match play records and total pinfall including bonus pins. Top four advanced to stepladder finals.

1, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 10-3, 5,629.
2, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 11-2, 5,598.
3, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 10-3, 5,499.
4, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 9-4, 5,484.
5, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 7-6, 5,373, $2,300.
6, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 5-7-1, 5,372, $2,000.
7, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 10-3, 5,299, $1,900.
8, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 6-6-1, 5,296, $1,800.
9, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 7-6, 5,264, $1,750.
10, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 8-5, 5,241, $1,700.
11, Jeffrey Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 6-7, 5,227, $1,750.
12, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 5-8, 5,209, $1,600.
13, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 4-9, 5,201, $1,550.
14, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 7-6, 5,200, $1,500.
15, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 4-9, 5,195, $1,450.
16, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 7-6, 5,147, $1,400.
17, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 8-5, 5,121, $1,350.
18, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 5-8, 5,117, $1,300.
19, Corey Miller, Grand Blanc, Mich., 6-7, 5,067, $1,275.
20, Troy Stus, South Lyon, Mich., 5-8, 5,023, $1,250.
21, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 4-9, 5,015, $1,225.
22, Mike Williams II, Montgomery, Ala., 4-9, 4,956, $1,200.
23, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 5-8, 4,940, $1,275.
24, Justin O'Hara, Westland, Mich., 2-11, 4,613, $1,150.

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.