Fifteen-time Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)Tour champion
Jason Couch and hometown star Ryan Ciminelli earned the No. 1 and 2 seeds
for Sunday’s stepladder finals of the PBA Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship
at AMF Thruway Lanes. Couch had a 13-5 match play record and 7,891 32-game
overall pinfall total to earn the top seed for Sunday’s finals which will air Sunday
at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Couch, the only bowler to win three consecutive PBA Tournament of Champions
titles, will be looking for his first Tour win since winning back-to-back events
in Las Vegas and Fountain Valley, CA in 2007. His last television appearance
was in the 2010 U.S. Open where he finished fourth.
“I was a little amped up in that last round of match play and had to use my 20
years of experience to settle myself down,” Couch said. “I’ve been here before
and I just need to get out of my own way and not over-think it for one game on
Sunday.”
Ciminelli, who turns 25 on Monday, also had a 13-5 match play record and a 7,807
32-game pinfall to earn the No. 2 seed. He will be looking for his second Tour
title with his first coming in January at the PBA One A Day Earl Anthony
Memorial in Dublin, Calif.
“The hometown crowd kept the adrenaline pumping that’s for sure and I was really
feeding off of it,” Ciminelli said of bowling in his hometown of Cheektowaga. “I
was more nervous than I thought I would be in the last round but I was able to
settle myself down. My goal was to win matches and 13-5 will usually do it
every time.”
Opening up Sunday’s stepladder final will be No. 3 qualifier Parker Bohn III of
Jackson, NJ, who had an 11-7 match play record and 7,644 pinfall and No. 4
qualifier Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, MI, who went 11-6-1 with a 7,560 pinfall.
Bohn, a PBA Hall of Famer, will be looking for his 33rd Tour title with his last
win coming in the Cheetah Championship here in December of 2008. Smallwood won
the 2009 PBA World Championship not long after being laid off from his job with
General Motors. He also finished second in the recent PBA Tournament of
Champions where he won $100,000.
The Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship, which requires players to use identical
“throwback” polyester (plastic) ball technology, is named in honor of the PBA
Hall of Famer who dominated the plastic ball era in the 1970s. The concept
behind the plastic ball tournament is to put a premium on knowledge of changing
lane conditions, subtle adjustments in hand positions and delivery techniques,
and other skills rather than relying on advanced bowling ball technology.
LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR MARK ROTH PLASTIC BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
AMF Thruway Lanes, Cheektowaga, N.Y., March 4
FINAL MATCH PLAY STANDINGS
(After 32 games including match play bonus pins; top four advance to Sunday’s
stepladder finals)
ROUND OF 16
1, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 13-5, 7,891.
2, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 13-5, 7,807.
3, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 11-7, 7,644.
4, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 11-6-1, 7,560.
5, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 9-8-1, 7,502, $4,000.
6, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 9-9, 7,499, $3,600.
7, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 9-9, 7,461, $3,400.
8, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 11-7, 7,402, $3,200.
9, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 9-9, 7,389, $3,100.
10, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 10-8, 7,368, $3,000.
11, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 7-11, 7,324, $2,900.
12, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 11-7, 7,291, $2,800.
13, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 8-9-1, 7,255, $2,700.
14, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 9-8-1, 7,211, $2,600.
15, Tommy Gollick, Oberlin, Pa., 7-11, 7,119, $2,500.
16, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 7-9-2, 7,102, $2,400.
ROUND OF 32 ( After 23 games, top 16 advanced to Friday evening’s match play
round)
1, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 7-2, 5,639.
2, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 7-2, 5,478.
3, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 6-3, 5,416.
4, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 5-4, 5,390.
5, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 5-4, 5,375.
6, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 5-3-1, 5,368.
7, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 4-5, 5,326.
8, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 5-4, 5,305.
9, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 5-4, 5,304.
10, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 6-3, 5,295.
11, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 4-5, 5,271.
12, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 5-4, 5,226.
13, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 6-3, 5,189.
14, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 5-4, 5,188.
15, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 5-3-1, 5,166.
16, Tommy Gollick, Oberlin, Pa., 4-5, 5,161.
17, Brian Ziesig, Levittown, N.Y., 3-6, 5,158, $2,250.
18, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 5-4, 5,126, $2,200.
19, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 5-4, 5,120, $2,150.
20, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 5-4, 5,101, $2,100.
21, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 3-6, 5,082, $2,050.
22, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 5-4, 5,077, $2,000.
23, Tommy Jones, Greenville, S.C., 3-6, 5,065, $1,950.
24, Christopher Collins, Savannah, Ga., 4-5, 5,058, $1,900.
25, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 4-5, 5,049, $1,850.
26, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3-6, 5,044, $1,800.
27, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3-6, 5,014, $1,750.
28, Mike Rose Jr, West Henrietta, N.Y., 5-4, 4,990, $1,700.
29, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 4-5, 4,988, $1,650.
30, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3-1, 4,822, $1,500*.
31, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2-7, 4,774, $1,550.
32, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 1-8, 4,642, $1,500.
33, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 1-4, 4,045, $1,450.
*Mike Fagan withdrew after five matches and was replaced by Chris Barnes.
