Two Handers Land Top Spots for PBA Bowlers Journal Scorpions Championships

Two-handed power players Osku Palermaa of Finland and Jason Belmonte of Australia claimed the top two qualifying berths in GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship at South Point Bowling Center Tuesday night in Las Vegas, NV.

Palermaa, the defending PBA World Champion, fired games of 244, 259, 236, 222, 204 and 226 in the six-game semifinal round to finish with a 14-game total of 3,295 pins, nipping Belmonte by two pins for the top spot. Belmonte, who led the Chameleon Championship field on Monday, was trying for back-to-back No. 1 stepladder berths.

Rounding out the Scorpion stepladder finals field will be Jason Sterner of McDonough, GA, with a 3,262 total, and Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, FL, who generates power by throwing the ball without using his thumb, with 3,261 pins.

Sterner and Daugherty are trying for their first PBA Tour title. Daugherty will be making his first television appearance since rolling a PBA-record low 100 game during the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions finals.

The Scorpion ESPN stepladder finals will take place on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. in a special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 6.

“When I got here a week ago, I kind of tore my right bicep a little during practice,” Palermaa said. “By Thursday, I didn’t know if I could make a spare at all (he shoots at spares one-handed, using his right arm), but it’s better. It’s stiff and sore, but I can bowl.

“I started the World Series with the wrong ball, and dug myself a hole,” he added. “I got that fixed, and yesterday I wasn’t even mad when I missed the (Chameleon Championship) cut by five pins. If I had to bowl another eight games in the semifinals yesterday, I don’t know if I could have bowled today at all.

“Today I decided to bowl hard and straight to spare my arm. Now I only have one more game to bowl on Sunday for the Scorpion title, but tomorrow (the start of PBA World Championship match play) means more. I have 24 more games, so I will just have to make the best of it.”

The Scorpion Championship qualifying round earlier Tuesday was the 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.

Based on 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 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
SEMIFINAL ROUND (after 14 games; top four advance to stepladder finals Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. PT)
1, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 3,295.
2, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,293.
3, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,262.
4, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,261.
Other Semifinal Round Cashers (after 14 games): 5, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,257, $4,000.
6, Dom Barrett, England, 3,254, $3,600.
7, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,246, $3,300.
8, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 3,201, $3,000.
9, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,189, $2,700.
10, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 3,179, $2,500.
11, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,177, $2,300.
12, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,176, $2,100.
13, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3,135, $2,000.
14, Matt Ramshaw, Longview, Wash., 3,106, $1,900.
15, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 3,078, $1,800.
16, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 3,050, $1,700.
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.; Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and 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, AZ, 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, FL, 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, SC; Norm Duke, Clermont, FL, and Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, MI, 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, Belevidere, 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.

Historic Field for the PBA Viper Finals at WSOB IV

The Chameleon Championship, the third of four “animal pattern” events being conducted a central part of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas, produced an historic television finals field – including the first Middle East player to make a PBA TV final – and a truly international semifinal field.

Six countries were represented in the six-game semifinal round Monday night: the U.S., Australia, Canada, Denmark, England and Bahrain. Three of the players who emerged from the 16-player semifinal field to Sunday’s stepladder finals were no surprise. Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte powered his way into the No. 1 berth. Ageless Walter Ray Williams Jr., at age 53, qualified No. 2 for his 192nd career television appearance. Left-handed California attorney Scott Norton, who won his only PBA Tour title in the Chameleon Championship two years ago in WSOB II, will be No. 3.

But the surprise was Bahrain’s Fawaz Abdulla, 35, who rolled games of 249, 235, 278, 258, 234 and 239 in the semifinal round to advance from 11th to fourth, slipping past PBA stars Tommy Jones and Norm Duke in the final game while a contingent of Bahraini teammates celebrated every shot in support.

Abdulla, who bowled in WSOB III as a non-member, finished 18th in the 2011 Scorpion Championship with a 300 game, 44th in the Chameleon, 125th in the Viper and 162nd in the Shark Championship. Teammate Yousif Falah also cashed in 2011, finishing 27th in the Shark Championship. Both are members of the seven-man Bahrain national team which is coached by long-time international competitor Tim Mack of Indianapolis.

Rash Leads First Round of PBA Viper Championships

Reigning Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, averaged 254.37 Sunday to take the qualifying round lead in the PBA Viper Championship, the second event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center, in Las Vegas, NV.

Rash bowled games of 234, 280, 257, 233, 269, 257, 248 and 257 for an eight-game total of 2,035 pins to lead the field of 16 qualifiers who advanced to Sunday night’s six-game semifinal round. After six more games Sunday night, the top four players will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The Viper Championship will air on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 23.

Rash was a dominant force in WSOB III in 2011 when he qualified a record five consecutive television shows and six out of seven during the World Series. He finished 30th in Saturday’s Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship, but didn’t make any major changes for Sunday’s Viper event.

“I used the same philosophy today as I did Saturday – get as many pins as possible. This is stage two of four. The World Championship is what matters,” Rash said. “If you can make it into one of the animal pattern shows along the way, so much the better.”

The eight-game qualifying totals from the Viper Championship will be added to qualifying totals from Saturday’s Cheetah, Monday’s Chameleon and Tuesday’s Scorpion Championships to produce the 32-game totals that will determine the 24 match play finalists for the PBA World Championship. Three eight-game World Championship match play rounds will take place Wednesday and Thursday at South Point.

After 16 of 32 qualifying games, Rash was advanced from 30th place to first in the PBA World Championship race with a 3,949 total, 19 pins ahead of Cheetah qualifying leader Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio.

“I made an unbelievable ball change in game four, and it definitely helped me,” Rash said. “The team behind me helped a lot. You’ve got to have some help if you’re going to succeed here.”

Rounding out the top five heading into Sunday night’s Viper semifinal round were 30-year-old attorney Scott Norton of Cost Mesa, CA, in second place with 1,943 pins; Dan MacLelland of Canada in third with a 1,923 total; Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC, fourth with 1,920 and rookie Craig Nidiffer of Trenton, MI, in fifth place with 1,914.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Monday with Chameleon Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Chameleon semifinal round at 8 p.m.

PBA VIPER CHAMPIONSHIP
South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Sunday
QUALIFYING ROUND (after 8 games; top 16 advanced to six-game semifinal round Sunday night; top four after 14 games advance to ESPN stepladder finals)
1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,035.
2, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 1,943.
3, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,923.
4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,920.
5, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 1,914.
6, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,909.
7, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,907.
8, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,906.
9, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 1,905.
10, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 1,880.
11, (tie) Osku Palermaa, Finland, and Mohamed Sultan, Bahrain, 1,879.
13, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,866.
13, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,866.
15, (tie) Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, and Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif., 1,861

Other Qualifying Round Cashers (after 8 games):
17, Dom Barrett, England, 1,857, $1,100.
18, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,855, $970.
19, David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., 1,851, $940.
20, Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 1,844, $920.
21 (tie), Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, and Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,839, $895.
23, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,838, $880.
24, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,831, $870.
25, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,820, $860.
26, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 1,815, $850.
27, (tie) Matt Meyer, Alexandria, Minn., and Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,808, $835.
29, (tie) Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., and Peter Hellstrom, Sweden, 1,803, $815.
31, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,800, $800.
32, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,799, $790.
33, Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 1,787, $780.
34, Johan Hellden, Sweden, 1,786, $770.
35 (tie), Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., and D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, 1,782, $755.

Failed to Cash:
37, (tie) Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., and Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,781.
39, Paul Koehler, Stuart, Fla., 1,778.
40, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,776.
40, Travis Anderson, Washington, Ill., 1,776.
42, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,774.
42, Stuart Williams, England, 1,774.
44, Mik Stampe, Denmark, 1,773.
45, Mikael Kanold, Sweden, 1,772.
46, Kevin Brophy, Oakhurst, N.J., 1,771.
47, (tie) John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,770.
49, (tie) Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., and Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,768.
51, Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1,766.
52, (tie) Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, and Matt Ramshaw, Longview, Wash., 1,764.
54, Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,763.
55, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 1,761.
56, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,759.
57, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,757.
58, Scott Halvarson, Lakewood, Wash., 1,755.
59, Ji Hyun Cha, Korea, 1,754.
60, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,753.
61, Dennis Eklund, Sweden, 1,750.
62, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,748.
63, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,745.
64, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 1,744.
65, (tie) Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., and Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,740.
67, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1,739.
68, John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., 1,738.
69, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,736.
70, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 1,734.
71, Kim Ojala, Sweden, 1,730.
72, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 1,729.
73, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 1,726.
74, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,721.
75, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,720.
76, Ben Davis, Ashland, Ky., 1,719.
77, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 1,716.
78, Andrew Frawley, Australia, 1,713.
79, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,712.
80, (tie) Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., and Magnus Johnson Jr., Sweden, 1,709.
82, (tie) Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., and Patrick Bohm, Sweden, 1,708.
84, Jeff Evans, Supply, N.C., 1,707.
85, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 1,706.
86, (tie) Thomas Larsen, Denmark, and Kevin Morillo, Venezuela, 1,705.
88, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 1,704.
89, Perttu Jussila, Finland, 1,702.
90, Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 1,695.
91, Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,692.
92, (tie) Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., and Travis Celmer, Wernersville, Pa., 1,690.
94, (tie) Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., and Erik Andersin, Sweden, 1,686.
96, (tie) Carsten Hansen, Denmark; Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., and Thomas Biniek Jr., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., 1,684.
99, (tie) Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn., and Frank Guccione, Castle Rock, Colo., 1,682.
101, Hernan Ramirez, Venezuela, 1,681.
102, (tie) Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, and Patrick Girard, Canada, 1,676.
104, (tie) Hyun Bum Kim, Korea, and Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,674.
106, Chad Pojas, Wahiawa, Hawaii, 1,672.
107, (tie) Mathias Arup, Sweden, and Kyle Martinez, Broken Arrow, Okla., 1,671.
109, (tie) Alejandro Reyna, Costa Rica, and Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,669.
111, John Cicero, Colorado Springs, Colo., 1,666.
112, (tie)Mike Bailey, Allen, Texas, and Kasey Normandin, Canada, 1,665.
114, (tie) Isaac Amkie, Mexico, and Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,664.
116, (tie) Andrew Cain, Phoenix, and Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 1,659.
118, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 1,658.
119, (tie) Jason Stadtler, Cherry Hill, N.J., and Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 1,656.
121, Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 1,654.
122, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 1,652.
123, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,651.
124, (tie) Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., and Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 1,644.
126, (tie) Matt Taylor, Knightdale, N.C., and Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla., 1,640.
128, (tie) Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., and Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,637.
130, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,635.
131, Hyun Suk Kim, Korea, 1,631.
132, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 1,629.
133, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,628.
134, Thomas Ault Jr., Portland, Ore., 1,627.
135, (tie) Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., and Wayne Stellick, Aurora, Colo., 1,624.
137, Jimmy Mortensen, Denmark, 1,623.
138, Mike Armstrong Jr., Battle Ground, Wash., 1,621.
139, (tie) Mattias Olsson, Sweden, and Eric Forkel, Henderson, Nev., 1,620.
141, (te) Wes Newman, Panama City, Fla., and Kevin Henderson, Albany, Ore, 1,617.
143, (tie) Evan Nash, Kennewick, Wash., and Eduardo Yzcaray Jr., Venezuela, 1,614.
145, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,612.
146, (tie) MahdI Assad, Bahrain, and Justin Stevens, Aiea, Hawaii, 1,610.
148, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,606.
149, Hafthor Hardarson, Iceland, 1,605.
150, Roberto Silva, Mexico, 1,604.
151, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,602.
152, (tie) Mike Williams II, Montgomery, Ala.; Robert McBride, Plano, Texas, 1,601, and Meen Woo Kim, Korea, 1,601.
155, Helen Johnsson, Sweden, 1,600.
156, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,599.
157, Kelvin Wiggins, Rocky Mt., N.C., 1,594.
158, Kim Bolleby, Sweden, 1,593.
159, (tie) Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif., and Shawn Lee, Centennial, Colo., 1,590.
161, Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 1,589.
162, Glenn Morgan, Carson City, Nev., 1,587.
163, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,584.
164, (tie) Robert Piroozshad, Brooklyn, N.Y., Erik Gulbrandson, Superior, Wis., and Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,583.
167, (tie) Nathan Urrutia, Banning, Calif., and Brett Cooper, Newburyport, Mass., 1,579.
169, Manuel Mrosek, Germany, 1,574.
170, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,573.
171, Adam Monks, Conway, S.C., 1,571.
172, (tie) Lee Rucker, Fort Myers, Fla., Carlos Cottone, Venezuela, and Chris Hans, Rocky Mount, N.C., 1,570.
175, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., 1,565.
176, Jacob Heger, Houston, 1,563.
177, Nam Yi Jo, Korea, 1,562.
178, Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 1,556.
179, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 1,549.
180, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1,546.
181, (tie) Frederik Ohrgaard, Denmark, and Chad Vendeville, Arlington, Texas, 1,544.
183, Jin Han Kim, Korea, 1,543.
184, (tie) Michael Smith, Centenniel, Colo., and Daniel Falconi, Mexico, 1,541.
186, (tie) Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, and James Hobson, Converse, Texas, 1,540.
188, Dave Gillson, Phoenix, 1,527.
189, Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 1,520.
190, Myles Duty, Modesto, Calif., 1,518.
191, Hameed Taqi, Bahrain, 1,517.
192, Chris DosSantos, Fairhaven, Mass., 1,515.
193, (tie) Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., Ahmed Saad Alhadyan, Saudi Arabia, 1,514.
195, Greg Knolton, Bartlett, Tenn., 1,509.
196, Mohammed AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,508.
197, Dustin Ochoa, Cibilo, Texas, 1,504.
198, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 1,503.
199, Kirk Sauro, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 1,497.
200, John Perry, Nuevo, Calif., 1,495.
201, Ted Sidehamer Jr., Newport News, Va., 1,494.
202, Ernest Lukacs Jr., Manville, N.J., 1,489.
203, Allen Blansette, Napa, Calif., 1,484.
204, Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., 1,480.
205, (tie) Rob Gotterbarn Jr., Garden City South, N.Y., and Salinas, Mexico, 1,478.
207, Michael Menard, Canada, 1,477.
208, Masood Saberi, Bahrain, 1,471.
209, (tie) Josh Lewis, Asheville, N.C.; Fawaz Abdulla, Bahrain, and Mohamed Al Jahrami, Bahrain, 1,463.
212, Paolo Joquico, Philippines, 1,461.
213, Jason Miller, Portland, Ore., 1,460.
214, Doug Scheidig, Royersford, Pa., 1,457.
215, Giorgio Clinaz Jr., Venezuela, 1,451.
216, Sean Daniels, Aloha, Ore., 1,449.
217, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1,446.
218, Jamar Lee, Livermore, Calif., 1,443.
219, Yeo Jin Yoon, Korea, 1,442.
220, (tie) Diego Lopez, Colombia, and Kenneth Bland Jr., Germany, 1,439.
222, Richard Rezendes, Cumberland, R.I., 1,433.
223, (tie) Paul Nilsen Sr., Murrieta, Calif., and Shawn St. Andre, Garden Grove, Calif., 1,430.
225, Josh Willis, Orleans, Ind., 1,419.
226, Bryan Viator, Friendswood, Texas, 1,417.
227, (tie) Glen Nakagawa, Highland Village, Texas, and Steve Ford, Seaside, Ore., 1,397.
229, Tim Arnold, Las Vegas, 1,392.
230, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 1,383.
231, Adam James, Redmond, Wash., 1,380.
232, (tie) Chris Groom, Lancaster, Calif.; Troy Behanna, Pasadena, Texas, and Philip Medley, Washington, Mich., 1,372.
235, Gradie Merritt-Foster, Park Forest, Ill., 1,368.
236, Hakim AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,363.
237, Chris Ashworth, Gallatin, Tenn., 1,336.
238, Kyle Leiffer, Weed, Calif., 1,331.
239, Branden Lee, Chicago, 1,329.
240, Mickey Fry, Akron, Ohio, 713.

300 Games (4): Stuart Williams, Dom Barrett, Jeff Frankos, Matt Meyer.
PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
QUALIFYING STANDINGS (top 50 after 16 of 32 games; top 24 after 32 games will advance to PBA World Championship match play)
1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3,949.
2, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,933.
3, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,864.
4, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,855.
5, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,839.
6 (tie), Dan MacLelland, Canada and Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 3,824.
8, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 3,809.
9, Dom Barrett, England, 3,792.
10, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,777.
11, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,763.
12, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 3,762.
13, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 3,754.
14, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3,747.
15, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,745.
16, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,742.
17, Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif., 3,741.
18, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 3,737.
19, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,730.
20, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 3,728.
21, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,723.
22, Johan Hellden, Sweden, 3,721.
23, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,707.
24, Stuart Williams, England, 3,706.
25, Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 3,689.
26, Paul Koehler, Stuart, Fla., 3,688.
27, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 3,687.
28, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 3,682.
29, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,677.
30, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,674.
31, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 3,672.
32, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,668.
33, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,665.
34, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 3,660.
35 (tie), Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, and Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 3,657.
37, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,651.
38, David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., 3,647.
39, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,641.
40, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,639.
41, Dennis Eklund, Sweden, 3,635.
42, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,633.
43, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,631.
44, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,630.
45 (tie), Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, and Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 3,624.
47, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., 3,620.
48, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,618.
49, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,617.
50, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 3,607.

Norton Leads Early First Round of PBA Viper Championship

California attorney Scott Norton averaged Sunday to take the early first round lead in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)’s Viper Championship, the second of five GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV events being conducted at South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, NV.

Norton, a 30-year-old left-hander who won his only PBA Tour title in the 2010 Chameleon Championship, rolled games of 222, 252, 228, 226, 238, 279, 229 and 269 for an eight-game total of 1,943 pins and a 29–pin edge over rookie Craig Nidiffer of Trenton, MI, among the early finishers in the Viper qualifying round. The other half of the 240-player field will bowl its Viper qualifying round later Sunday.

After the full field has bowled the eight-game round, the top 16 players will return Sunday night for a six-game semifinal round to determine the top four players who will bowl for the Viper Championship title on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. PT in a special arena setting inside South Point’s Exhibition Hall A.
Norton, the 2010-11 PBA Rookie of the Year, said improved focus was the key to Sunday’s performance after finishing 105th in Saturday’s Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship qualifying round.

“Yesterday I had a little trouble on one side of the center, and by the time I figured it out, it was too late,” he said. “So I tried to improve my focus level today and it was much higher. It seems like sometimes when it’s a little tougher on the left side of the lane, I have the magic ball roll that works. That doesn’t always happen, but sometimes, and today it worked.”

The Costa Mesa, CA, resident also said he returned to PBA Tour competition this season with a new attitude.

“I took the summer off, except for bowling a mixed doubles league with my mother (hall of famer Virginia Norton). I kind of went back to my roots and asked myself why I do this in the first place,” he said. “The idea is to have fun and that’s sometimes that’s hard to remember out here.

“I moved into a new house, I’m getting settled into my life, and it’s just a new perspective. As passionate as I am about this game, and as much as I love to compete, at the end of the day I still have family and friends who love me.”

Rounding out the top five among the early finishers were Nidiffer in second place with 1,914 pins, Brad Angelo of Lockport, NY, in third with 1,909 pins, Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, in fourth with a 1,907 total and Finnish native Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, MI, in fifth with 1,880 pins.

Sunday’s B squad qualifying and Viper Championship semifinal round will be webcast live on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel.

Finals Set for The PBA Cheetah Championship

Four-time Professional Bowlers Association title winner Mike Wolfe of New Albany, IN, averaged 253 for 14 games to earn the top berth in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship stepladder finals, the opening event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center Saturday.

Wolfe, a 36-year-old 12-year PBA Tour veteran who is seeking his first PBA Tour title in four years, rolled games of 233, 269, 268, 289, 227 and 247 in front of a packed crowd at South Point Saturday night to finish the Cheetah Championship qualifying and semifinal rounds with a 14-game total of 3,550 pins. He will be joined in the ESPN stepladder finals by Jeffrey Roche of Dearborn, Mich.; qualifying leader Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, and three-time PBA Tour titlist Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, PA.

Roche, who will make his ESPN debut, finished second with 3,499 pins. Loschetter, a 10-year veteran who also is trying for his first title, qualified third with a 3,478 total. O’Neill charged out of 16th place at the start of the six-game semifinal round to earn the fourth spot in the finals with a 3,477 total.

The ESPN stepladder finals which will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area for delayed telecast on Sunday, Dec. 16.

Wolfe, who won his last title in the 2008 Ultimate Scoring Championship in Taylor, MI, said a look into the past helped him get back on top of his game.

“I went back to a lot of things I did in 2004 and that was be myself, not try to bowl like other guys,” he said. “I told myself to just do what got you here and bowl.”

Wolfe said he had been trying for a couple of years to change his ball tilt, trying to get his thumb out of the ball faster “and turns out I couldn’t hold onto the ball.”

On the Cheetah lane condition, “Everyone has a chance,” he said, “so you have to pay attention to the ball motion and throw strikes, and I was able to do that pretty well today.”

PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking 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 Sunday with Viper Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Viper Championship semifinal round at 8 p.m.

PBA ALKA SELTZER PLUS COLD CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Saturday

SEMIFINAL ROUND (after 14 games; top four advance to stepladder finals Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. PT)

1, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,550.
2, Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 3,499.
3, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,478.
4, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,477.

Other Semifinal Round Cashers (after 14 games):

5, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,449, $4,000.
6, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,445, $3,600.
7, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,408, $3,300.
8, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,379, $3,000.
9, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., 3,376, $2,700.
10, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,371, $2,500.
11, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 3,367, $2,300.
12 (tie), Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, and Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,362, $2,050.
14, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,349, $1,900.
15 (tie), Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., and Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,308, $1,750.

Other Qualifying Round Cashers (after 8 games):
17, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1,940, $1,000.
18 (tie), Dom Barrett, England, and Johan Hellden, Sweden, 1,935, $955.
20, Stuart Williams, England, 1,932, $920.
21 (tie), Patrick Girard, Canada, and Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,930, $895.
23, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,927, $880.
24 (tie), Carsten Hansen, Denmark, and Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,922, $865.
26, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1,921, $850.
27, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,920, $840.
28, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,919, $830.
29, Matt Taylor, Knightdale, N.C., 1,916, $820.
30, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,914, $810.
31 (tie), Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., and Paul Koehler, Stuart, Fla., 1,910, $795.
33, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,907, $780.
34 (tie), Mike Fagan, Dallas, and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,904, $765.
36, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,901, $750.

Loschetter Leads Qualifying in First Stage of World Series of Bowling

Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, averaged 253.25 to take the qualifying round lead in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship, the opening event of the GEICO Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling IV, at South Point Bowling Center Saturday.

Loschetter, a 32-year-old PBA veteran who is seeking his first PBA Tour title, rolled games of 249, 278, 236, 222, 244, 279, 289 and 258 on his way to a 2,026 total in front of a packed crowd at South Point. He held a nine-pin lead over Mike Wolfe of New Albany, IN. Loschetter and Wolfe led a field of 16 qualifiers who advanced to Saturday night’s six-game semifinal round.

The top four players based upon 14-game pinfall totals will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals which will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 16.

“It was pretty high scoring. There was lots of striking going on,” said Loschetter, who has finished second three times in 127 previous PBA Tour events. “I’ve been working on being more aggressive at the bottom of my arm swing, which helped my pin carry. Today the key was to not get down on yourself if you had a 220 game. I did a good job of keeping my composure.”

Rounding out the top five were Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, NY, in third place with 2,002 pins; and Eddie VanDaniker Jr. of Chatsworth, CA, and Jeff Roche of Dearborn, MI, tied for fourth with 1,997 pins.

After winning seven of eight titles in the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, none of the 66 international players in this year’s capacity field of 240 qualified for the Cheetah semifinal round.

The eight-game qualifying totals from the Cheetah Championship also will count as the first of four qualifying rounds in the PBA World Championship. Eight-game qualifying totals from Sunday’s Viper, Monday’s Chameleon and Tuesday’s Scorpion Championships will be added to Cheetah qualifying scores to produce the 32-game totals that will determine the 24 players who will advance to the PBA World Championship match play rounds Wednesday and Thursday.

PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking 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 Sunday with Viper Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Viper Championship semifinal round at 8 p.m.

PBA ALKA SELTZER PLUS COLD CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Saturday

QUALIFYING ROUND (after 8 games; top 16 advanced to six-game semifinal round Saturday night; top four after 14 games advance to ESPN stepladder finals)

1, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,026.
2, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,017.
3, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,002.
4 (tie), Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., and Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 1,997.
6, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,990.
7, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 1,984.
8, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,982.
9, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,971.
10, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 1,964.
11, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 1,961.
11, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 1,961.
13, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,958.
14, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,956.
15, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 1,946.
16, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,942.

Other Cashers:
17, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1,940, $1,000.
18 (tie), Dom Barrett, England, and Johan Hellden, Sweden, 1,935, $955.
20, Stuart Williams, England, 1,932, $920.
21 (tie), Patrick Girard, Canada, and Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,930, $895.
23, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,927, $880.
24 (tie), Carsten Hansen, Denmark, and Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,922, $865.
26, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1,921, $850.
27, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,920, $840.
28, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,919, $830.
29, Matt Taylor, Knightdale, N.C., 1,916, $820.
30, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,914, $810.
31 (tie), Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., and Paul Koehler, Stuart, Fla., 1,910, $795.
33, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,907, $780.
34 (tie), Mike Fagan, Dallas, and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,904, $765.
36, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,901, $750.

Failed to Cash:
37, Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 1,900.
38 (tie), Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., and Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,899.
40, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,898.
41, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,897.
42, Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1,891.
43, Dennis Eklund, Sweden, 1,885.
44, Perttu Jussila, Finland, 1,882.
45 (tie), Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., and Jeff Frankos, Daly City, Calif., 1,880.
47, Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., 1,877.
48 (tie), Osku Palermaa, Finland, and Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla., 1,875.
50, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,870, $100.
51, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,869.
52, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,868.
53 (tie), Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., and Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,865.
55, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,856.
56, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,854.
57, Hyun Bum Kim, Korea, 1,849.
58 (tie), Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas; Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., and Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,846.
61 (tie), Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 1,845.
63 (tie), Andrew Frawley, Australia, and Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 1,843.
65, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,842.
66, Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 1,840.
67 (tie), Kevin Morillo, Venezuela; Jason Miller, Portland, OR, Dick Allen, Columbia, SC, 1,837.
70 (tie), Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., and Daniel Falconi, Mexico, 1,835.
72, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,827.
73, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,826.
74, Robert McBride, Plano, Texas, 1,825.
75, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,824.
76 (tie), Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., and Chad Vendeville, Arlington, Texas, 1,823.
78 (tie), D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, and Kevin Henderson, Albany, Ore, 1,822.
80 (tie), Hafthor Hardarson, Iceland; Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., and Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,816.
83 (tie), Erik Andersin, Sweden, and Meen Woo Kim, Korea, 1,814.
85, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 1,809.
86 (tie), Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio; Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 1,808.
89, Roberto Silva, Mexico, 1,807.
90, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1,803.
91, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 1,802.
92 (tie), Fawaz Abdulla, Bahrain, and Jason Stadtler, Cherry Hill, N.J., 1,799.
94, Adam Monks, Conway, S.C., 1,798.
95 (tie), Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., and Kim Bolleby, Sweden, 1,797.
97 (tie), David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., and Mattias Olsson, Sweden, 1,796.
99, Yeo Jin Yoon, Korea, 1,794.
100 (tie), Jacob Heger, Houston, and Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,791.
102, Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 1,790.
103, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 1,787.
104, Chris Groom, Lancaster, Calif., 1,786.
105, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 1,785.
106, Doug Scheidig, Royersford, Pa., 1,781.
107 (tie), Mik Stampe, Denmark, and Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,779.
109, Mike Williams II, Montgomery, Ala, 1,778.
110 (tie), Hyun Suk Kim, Korea, and Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,777.
112, Helen Johnsson, Sweden, 1,776.
113, Mike Bailey, Allen, Texas, 1,772.
114, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,770.
115 (tie), Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., and Scott Halvarson, Lakewood, Wash., 1,768.
117 (tie), Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., and Kirk Sauro, Dearborn Heights, Mich., 1,767.
119 (tie), Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., and Mathias Arup, Sweden, 1,766.
121 (tie), Hernan Ramirez, Venezuela; Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, and Greg Knolton, Bartlett, Tenn., 1,763.
124, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,758.
125, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,755.
126, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,754.
127 (tie), Thomas Ault Jr., Portland, Ore., and Mikael Kanold, Sweden, 1,752.
129, Travis Celmer, Wernersville, Pa., 1,751.
130, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 1,748, $100.
131, Eric Forkel, Henderson, Nev., 1,747.
132 (tie), Chad Pojas, Wahiawa, Hawaii, and Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 1,746.
134 (tie), Andrew Cain, Phoenix, and Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 1,741.
136, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 1,740.
137 (tie), Wayne Stellick, Aurora, Colo., and Ahmed Saad Alhadyan, Saudi Arabia, 1,736.
139, Brett Cooper, Newburyport, Mass., 1,735.
140, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 1,732.
141, Kevin Brophy, Oakhurst, N.J., 1,731.
142, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 1,729.
143, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,728.
144, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 1,727.
145, Erik Gulbrandson, Superior, Wis., 1,725.
146, Frank Guccione, Castle Rock, Colo., 1,724.
147 (tie), Mike Armstrong Jr., Battle Ground, WA, and Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,722.
149, Lee Rucker, Fort Myers, Fla., 1,720.
150, Kim Ojala, Sweden, 1,717.
151, Kelvin Wiggins, Rocky Mt., N.C., 1,716.
152, John Furey, East Windsor, N.J., 1,715.
153 (tie), Chris Hans, Rocky Mount, N.C., and Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 1,712.
155, Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 1,710.
156, Giorgio Clinaz Jr., Venezuela, 1,705.
157, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 1,704.
158, Ernest Lukacs Jr., Manville, N.J., 1,699.
159, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 1,698.
160, Matt Ramshaw, Longview, Wash., 1,697.
161 (tie), Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., and Nathan Urrutia, Banning, Calif., 1,695.
163, Robert Piroozshad, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1,694.
164 (tie), Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., and Evan Nash, Kennewick, Wash., 1,689.
166, Ji Hyun Cha, Korea, 1,688.
167, Peter Hellstrom, Sweden, 1,676.
168, Allen Blansette, Napa, Calif., 1,674.
169, Shawn Lee, Centennial, Colo., 1,673.
170, Rob Gotterbarn Jr., Garden City South, N.Y., 1,671.
171, Eduardo Yzcaray Jr., Venezuela, 1,670.
172 (tie), Travis Anderson, Washington, Ill., and Nam Yi Jo, Korea, 1,666.
174, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,665.
175, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,661.
176, Alejandro Reyna, Costa Rica, 1,658.
177, Kyle Leiffer, Weed, Calif., 1,655.
178, Justin Stevens, Aiea, Hawaii, 1,654.
179, Patrick Bohm, Sweden, 1,651.
180, Bryan Viator, Friendswood, Texas, 1,650.
181 (tie), Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn., and Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 1,649.
183, Jimmy Mortensen, Denmark, 1,646.
184, Manuel Mrosek, Germany, 1,644.
185, Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., 1,640.
186, Glenn Morgan, Carson City, Nev., 1,637.
186, Frederik Ohrgaard, Denmark, 1,637.
188, Kevin Gallagher, Torrance, Calif., 1,632.
189, Hakim AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,627.
190, Thomas Biniek Jr., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., 1,625.
191 (tie), Mahdi Assad, Bahrain, and Myles Duty, Modesto, Calif., 1,619.
193, Magnus Johnson Jr., Sweden, 1,618.
194 (tie), Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., and Isaac Amkie, Mexico, 1,616.
196, Kasey Normandin, Canada, 1,614.
197, Gustavo Salinas, Mexico, 1,607.
198, Matt Meyer, Alexandria, Minn., 1,605.
199, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,598.
200, Mohamed Sultan, Bahrain, 1,597.
201, Michael Menard, Canada, 1,595.
202, Carlos Cottone, Venezuela, 1,581.
203, James Hobson, Converse, Texas, 1,579.
204, Michael Smith, Centenniel, Colo., 1,576.
205, Tim Arnold, Las Vegas, 1,572.
206, John Cicero, Colorado Springs, Colo., 1,564.
207, Jeff Evans, Supply, N.C., 1,561.
208 (tie), Mohamed Al Jahrami, Bahrain, and Kenneth Bland Jr., Germany, 1,556.
210, Sean Daniels, Aloha, Ore., 1,538.
211, Jamar Lee, Livermore, Calif., 1,523.
212, Dave Gillson, Phoenix, 1,521.
213, Jin Han Kim, Korea, 1,507.
214, Diego Lopez, Colombia, 1,506.
215, Philip Medley, Washington, Mich., 1,502.
216, Dustin Ochoa, Cibilo, Texas, 1,501.
217 (tie), Paul Nilsen Sr., Murrieta, Calif., and Mohammed AlSaud, Saudi Arabia, 1,497.
219, Masood Saberi, Bahrain, 1,495.
220, Hameed Taqi, Bahrain, 1,491.
221, Chris DosSantos, Fairhaven, Mass., 1,489.
222 (tie), Josh Lewis, Asheville, N.C., and Kyle Martinez, Broken Arrow, Okla., 1,487.
224, Josh Willis, Orleans, Ind., 1,474.
225, Steve Ford, Seaside, Ore., 1,461.
226, Wes Newman, Panama City, Fla, 1,446.
227, John Perry, Nuevo, Calif., 1,440.
228, Adam James, Redmond, Wash., 1,439.
229, Ben Davis, Ashland, Ky., 1,437.
230, Glen Nakagawa, Highland Village, Texas, 1,412.
231, Shawn St. Andre, Garden Grove, Calif., 1,407.
232, Richard Rezendes, Cumberland, R.I., 1,394.
233, Ted Sidehamer Jr., Newport News, Va., 1,382.
234, Troy Behanna, Pasadena, Texas, 1,377.
234, Mickey Fry, Akron, Ohio, 1,377.
236, Branden Lee, Chicago, 1,359.
237, Chris Ashworth, Gallatin, Tenn., 1,353.
238, Paolo Joquico, Philippines, 1,300.
239, Gradie Merritt-Foster, Park Forest, Ill., 1,220.
240, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1,173.

300 Games (11): Daniel Falconi, Johan Hellden, Mike Fagan, PJ Haggerty, Carsten Hansen, Jason Belmonte, Thomas Larsen, Jeff Roche, Chris Hans, Tommy Jones, Jesse Buss.

The Professional Bowler's League Will Draft Friday

 

Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Hall of Famer Norm Duke of Clermont, FL, won the No. 1 pick in the first PBA League Draft Lottery Friday among the eight Franchise Players who will draft teammates for the inaugural PBA League.

The PBA League makes its debut in suburban Detroit in January. The first PBA League Draft will be held Friday at 10 a.m. PT at South Point Bowling Center and will be webcast live on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel.

The lottery to determine draft order involved the top eight players from 2011-12 PBA Tour points. Those eight will select four additional players (plus a supplemental player) to fill out their teams for the PBA League. As of the deadline Friday, 141 PBA members declared themselves eligible for the draft.

Based on the lottery, Duke, who finished sixth in points last season, will get the first pick next Friday. He’ll be followed, in draft order, by:

2) Pete Weber, St. Ann, MO (fourth in 2011-12 points);

3) Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, PA (seventh in 2011-12 points);

4) Jason Belmonte, Australia (second in 2011-12 points);

5) Mike Fagan, Dallas, TX (third in 2011-12 points);

6) Sean Rash, Montgomery, IL (first in 2011-12 points);

7) Chris Barnes, Double Oak, TX (eighth in 2011-12 points);

8) Osku Palermaa, Finland (fifth in 2011-12 points).