Sean
Rash, now living in Suburban Chicago (Montgomery) IL, the runaway qualifying leader in the
Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) World Championship preliminary rounds,
advanced to the Jan. 15 final round with a victory in the Johnny
Petraglia Division finals that aired Sunday on ESPN.
Rash,
who won his only major title in the 2007 United States Bowling Congress
Masters, defeated PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO,
246-222, to capture the third of four berths in the World Championship
finals at South Point Hotel Exhibition Hall.
The
divisional finals consist of three one-game rounds, starting with four
players. The lowest-scoring player after each game is eliminated.
Rash
will join Finland’s Osku Palermaa, winner of the Don Carter Division;
Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, NY, winner of the Billy Hardwick Division,
and the winner of next Sunday’s Mike Aulby Division finals in the World
Championship finals on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 1 p.m. ET. The PBA
World Championship offers a $50,000 first prize and the first major
title of the 2011-12 PBA Tour season.
Rash,
a four-time PBA Tour winner who is trying to end a four-year title
slump, survived a high-scoring opening game led by Weber’s 279.
Left-hander Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY, was second with a 267
and Rash posted a 257. Nathan Bohr of Wichita, KS, rolled a
respectable 236 in his PBA television debut, but was eliminated.
Rash
took command in game two, starting with nine strikes before leaving the
6-10 on his first shot in the 10th frame and finishing with a 278 game.
Weber was right behind, starting with eight strikes on his way to a
268. Ciminelli was ousted after rolling a 219 game.
In
the final game, Weber lost the strike pocket for four frames, allowing
Rash to jump into a 34-pin lead after five frames, and he never let the
35-time PBA Tour titlist back into the match.
“I
think we broke down the lanes extremely well,” Rash said. “Ciminelli
was all by himself on the left side. Nathan played a little right of
where Pete and I were playing. We were in the track area and just chased
the transition to the left. Pete’s got a phenomenal ball roll. He can
do things the rest of us can’t. But I got into a little groove and my
confidence got higher and higher.”
Rash said beating Weber was a “special thing” because of a bond the two have developed ever since Rash arrived on the scene.
“Pete
and I have been friends since I came out on tour,” he said. “A lot of
people figure I’m the new bad-(boy), the role Pete played for 25-or-so
years. He has given me a lot of great advice, to be who I am, not worry
about what people think and not try to change. When I’m on the lanes I’m
by myself. The only people I care about are my wife and family. But to
beat Pete is a special thing.”
Rash
also will head into the PBA World Championship finals with a dark cloud
hanging over his head. He has not won a title in his last eight
television appearances.
“I’ve
had some mental issues over the years. Everyone knows that,” he said.
“I’ve had some things come up bowling-wise, family-wise that get in the
way of the sport sometimes. And some personal things. Physically, I
bowled well for several years, but I remember Chris Barnes made 12 shows
in a row and never won. Look at Amleto (Monacelli) and Walter (Ray
Williams Jr.) and they had years between titles. Chris Barnes told me a
long time ago – and Parker Bohn the same thing – that you have to put
yourself in position to win. No one remembers who bowled Friday night in
the Round of 32. You remember the guys who got to TV on Sunday and had a
chance to win. And now I’m in position to win again.”
Rash
also noted he was inspired during the Petraglia round by the presence
of new-found friend Dan McCarty, an 8-year-old who was born with a
medical condition commonly called “brittle bone disease.” Rash met the
youngster during a “Best Buddies” gathering in Las Vegas prior to the
PBA World Series of Bowling, struck up a friendship and invited McCarty
to attend the television show.
“It
was a thrill to have Danny at the show,” Rash said. “When you realize
what that kid’s been through, what he lives with his entire life, he’s
such an inspiration.”
The Petraglia finals were conducted on the PBA’s Scorpion lane condition, selected by Rash as the high qualifier.
The
Mike Aulby Division finalists will be the final group to bowl, on
Sunday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. Australia’s Jason Belmonte is top
qualifier for that group which also includes Brian Kretzer of Dayton,
OH; PBA Tour rookie Josh Blanchard of Gilbert, AZ, and Mike Fagan
of Dallas, TX.
Special
pre-game shows for each World Series of Bowling telecast will be
webcast beginning on the Wednesday preceding the ESPN finals on
pba.com’s Xtra Frame and a post-game Xtra Frame interview with the
winners will immediately follow the Sunday telecasts.
Lane #1 announced the new Droid. The Droid’s “Cyborg Diamond” Core should generate 4 inches of track flare on Radius of Gyration (RG) of 2.521 and medium RG Differential of .045 and the “Bionic (Blended Ion)” neon green and black coverstock is finished at 2000 Abralon. Look for the Lane #1 Droid on January 23rd, 2012.
New from
MOTIV, the high performance THRASH. The Deep Ocean Blue Z-Max™ Solid Reactive veneer
finished to 1000-grit wet sand features the NEOMARK white
label with the “Quadfire™” core inside generating a Radius of Gyrations (RG)
of: 2.55 in a #15 ball, with Differential of .043. World Wide Release Date: January 13th, 2012.
