Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championships

Ronnie Russell of Marion, IN, with a 24-game total of 5,850 pins, claimed the fourth-round lead in the Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship Tuesday by 86 pins over Colombia’s Andres Gomez at South Point Bowling Center. Both players are trying to win their first PBA Tour title.

Russell and Gomez jockeyed for the lead for 12 games before Russell moved in front behind games of 231, 255, 226, 235, 247 and 249 in Tuesday’s fourth round.  Russell maintained a 243.75 average for the first 24 games of Elite Players Championship and overcame Gomez’s 64-pin third-round lead.

“Round to round it seems like we need to move left on the lanes quicker and I’ve been able to stay on top of those changes in conditions with my adjustments and equipment,” Russell said. “There’s more friction on the conditions we’re bowling on now and that’s a situation I’m more comfortable with. I just need to continue to make good shots, not press and finish off each round.”

“I’m doing well on the medium length patterns, which is generally where I have my best success,” Gomez said. “The two finals I’ve made have been on medium patterns and I’m usually confident I can finish in the top 10 whenever we bowl on those conditions.”

Russell and Gomez had previously qualified for the Carmen Salvino Classic finals. Gomez also has qualified for the PBA World Championship finals.

The Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship began with an exclusive field of 49 PBA Tour exempt players. The field has been reduced to the top 32 for a final six-game qualifying round Wednesday morning.

After round five, the top 16 players based on 30 games will advance to the Eliminator Round of 16 Wednesday afternoon where they will compete for four spots in the Elite Players Championship finals. The same 16 players will compose the field for the Lumber Liquidators Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship which will be contested on Sunday as part of a four-day PBA World Series of Bowling television extravaganza at South Point.

Beginning Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Pacific, the PBA will produce the first of 14 television shows for delayed telecast on ESPN in a special arena in South Point’s Exhibition Hall A. Admission is free for all of the shows.

PEPSI PBA ELITE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Nov. 15

Round Four (after 24 games; top 32 advance to Round Five)

1, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 5,850.
2, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 5,764.
3, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 5,761.
4, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 5,688.
5, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 5,679.
6, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 5,638.
7, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 5,558.
8, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 5,536.
9, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 5,519.
10, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 5,512.
11, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 5,511.
12, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 5,487.
13, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 5,479.
14, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 5,475.
15, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., 5,452.
16, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 5,451.
17, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 5,446.
18 (tie), Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., and Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 5,403.
20, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 5,402.
21, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 5,345.
22, Patrick Allen, Baltimore, 5,344.
23, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 5,342.
24, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 5,325.
25 (tie), Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., and Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 5,324.
27, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 5,320.
28, Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 5,308.
29, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 5,297.
30, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 5,295.
31, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 5,294.
32, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 5,266.

Did not advance:
33, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 5,240, $2,150.
34, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 5,231, $2,140.
35, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 5,210, $2,130.
36, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 5,201, $2,120.
37, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 5,200, $2,110.
38, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 5,193, $2,100.
39, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 5,191, $2,090.
40, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 5,190, $2,080.
41, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 5,163, $2,070.
42, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 5,156, $2,060.
43, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 5,150, $2,050.
44, Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, 5,022, $2,040.
45, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 5,013, $2,030.
46, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 4,978, $2,020.
47, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 4,804, $2,010.
48, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 4,717, $2,000.
49, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., withdrew, $2,000.

PBA World Series of Bowling Events Roll On

Live coverage of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) World Series of Bowling competition on Xtra Frame revs up Monday with qualifying rounds for the Carmen Salvino Classic. The six-game Round of 16, which will decide the four ESPN finalists, will dominate pba.com’s online bowling channel Monday evening, starting at 8 p.m. PT.

Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship six-game qualifying rounds (also airing on Xtra Frame)  are set for 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Those 12 games, combined with the first 12 games from the Salvino Classic, will determine the top 32 who will bowl a fifth six-game qualifying round Wednesday at 9 a.m.

After 30 games, things really get interesting. Not only will the Elite Players field be cut to the top 16, but those 16 players also will become the field for the new Lumber Liquidators Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship. Teams will be decided during a draft whereby the top qualifier will be first to select a partner. The No. 2 qualifier will then select his partner and so on until all eight teams are determined.

To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com. Special one-day rates are available exclusively during the WSOB for $3.99. A full-year subscription to Xtra Frame is also available for $64.99.

PBA fans also can follow the action from the World Series of Bowling on PBA's Facebook page and through Twitter.

PBA World Championships Update

An important advantage of finishing among the top four PBA World Championship qualifiers was the right to select the lane condition that will be used for each of the divisional finals Saturday in Exhibition Hall A at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

As the top qualifier in the Don Carter Division, England’s Stuart Williams has selected the Viper pattern for the 10:30 a.m. PT finals. His opponents will be Osku Palermaa, Dom Barrett and Jack Jurek.

For the 12:30 p.m. group, Billy Hardwick Division top qualifier Tom Smallwood has selected the Scorpion pattern. Smallwood’s group includes Ildemaro Ruiz, Andres Gomez and Ryan Shafer.

As the overall qualifying leader, Sean Rash of Montgomery, IL, has also selected the Scorpion pattern for the Johnny Petraglia Division finals at 3:30 p.m. Rash’s opponents will be Pete Weber, Ryan Ciminelli and Nathan Bohr.

The Mike Aulby Division final will be contested on the Shark pattern at 5:30 p.m., selected by top qualifier Jason Belmonte. His group includes Brian Kretzer, Josh Blanchard and Mike Fagan.

The winner of each division final will advance to the PBA World Championship finals at 8:30 p.m. The highest seeded player in that field will select the lane conditioning pattern for the final round.

All of the television shows are open to the public at no cost. The World Series television production schedule includes the men’s and women’s World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the PBA on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. PT. Friday’s schedule includes the Bayer Viper Open finals at 1 p.m., Chameleon Open finals at 3 p.m., Scorpion Open finals at 6 p.m. and GEICO Shark Open finals at 8 p.m.

Saturday is PBA World Championship day. The 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling concludes on Sunday with the Lumber Liquidators Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles preliminary round at 10 a.m., doubles finals at noon, Carmen Salvino Classic finals at 3:30 p.m. and the Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship at 5:30 p.m.

● The total number of unique participants in the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling swelled to 316 over the weekend with an influx of 112 PBA Regional and amateur bowlers who came to South Point to bowl in the All Regions South Point Open singles event and the PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles.

● Out of the composite field of 316 bowlers, 119 different individuals (37.65 percent) have cashed in at least one World Series event.

● With his win in Sunday’s PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles with amateur partner Alex Aguiar, PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III has now won every kind of doubles event the PBA has offered. He won the 1992 PBA Doubles Classic with Hugh Miller, the 1993 Merit Mixed Doubles with Aleta Sill, and the 2001 National Bowling Stadium National/Senior Doubles with Rohn Morton.

● During the first week of World Series competition, the PBA’s ball drilling staff drilled nearly 650 new bowling balls.

Radical Bowling Introduces a Hybrid

Radical’s Slant Hybrid is a strong asymmetrical core ball featuring the soaker additive which reportedly removes oil from the surface of the ball 54% quicker than balls with out the additive.

Look for the “Booster” core featured in the original Slant and Slant Solid, which is surrounded with a Hybrid coverstock yielding 4-6 boards more ball reaction than the original Radical Slant. The new Slant Hybrid is Purple Pearl and Black solid veneer. Radical’s Phil Cardinale offered “The Slant Hybrid is cleaner through the front than Slant Solid yet more angular down the lane.”


Release date for the new Radical Slant Hybrid is early December.

PBA West Region’s Member/Non-Member Doubles

Reigning Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, MI, and amateur Hyun Bum Kim of South Korea led a field of 16 teams into Sunday’s single-elimination match play finals in the PBA West Region’s Member/Non-Member Doubles at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Kim and Koivuniemi combined for 3,649 pins over eight games to lead Saturday’s qualifying field of 64 teams, taking the top spot by three pins over amateur Adam Ishman of Las Vegas and Dom Barrett of England.

The doubles events is part of the PBA World Series of Bowling, a multi-event festival of bowling that continues through Sunday, Nov. 20, at South Point. Complete qualifying standings are posted on pba.com, the PBA’s official website.

PBA Tour competition resumes Monday with six-game qualifying rounds in the Carmen Salvino Classic.

PBA WEST REGION MEMBER/NON-MEMBER DOUBLES QUALIFYING ROUND

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Nov. 12

Final Qualifying Standings (after 8 games; top 16 advance to single elimination match play finals)

1, a-Hyun Bum Kim, South Korea/Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,649.

2, a-Adam Ishman, Las Vegas/Dom Barrett, England, 3,646.

3, a-Jeff Fehr, Cincinnati/Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,589.

4, a-Curtis Woods Jr., Santa Rosa, Calif./Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,565.

5, a-Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass./Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,544.

6, a-George Gohagan III, Austell, Ga./PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,543.

7, a-Yousif Falah/Fawaz Abdullah, Bahrain, 3,540.

8, a-Paul Moor, England/Martin Larsen, Sweden, 3,529.

9, a-Chris Klerk, Chandler, Ariz./Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,500.

10, a-Raul Rosales, El Monte, Calif./Michael Haugen Jr., Cave Creek, Ariz., 3,495.

11, a-Rick Benard, Henderson, Nev./Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 3,481.

12, a-Greg Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif./Patrick Allen, Baltimore, 3,473.

13, a-Toby Sambueno, Saginaw, Mich./Dan MacLelland, Canada, 3,447.

14, a-Carlos Cottone/Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 3,411.

15 (tie), a-Terry Leong, Henderson, Nev./Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., and a-John Congro/Eric Forkel, Las Vegas, 3,403.

Other Cashers (after 8 games, $800 each)

17, a-Jimmy Dan Mortensen/Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 3,399.

18, a-Sui Hong Wu, Hong Kong/Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 3,397.

19, a-Brett Wolfe, Tempe, Ariz./Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 3,391.

20, a-Joel Ricketts, Hemet, Calif./Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 3,389.

21, a-Andrew Burke, St. Clair Shores, Mich./Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 3,387.

a – denotes amateur

Malott Wins PBA All Regions South Point Open

Six-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour winner Wes Malott of Pflugerville, TX, defeated rookie Josh Blanchard of Gilbert, AZ, 266-214, to win the PBA All Regions South Point Open Saturday at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Malott, the 2008-09 PBA Player of the Year, collected his 14th career PBA Regional title and a $4,000 prize. Blanchard, who has been a PBA member for just over a week, earned $2,200.

Malott defeated Chris Hayden of Las Vegas, 268-228, and Blanchard eliminated Mike Fagan of Dallas, 251-224, in the semifinal round to set up the championship match.

The All Regions South Point Open is the first of two PBA Regional events taking place over the weekend. Qualifying in the PBA West Region’s Member/Non-Member Doubles will take place Saturday afternoon with the top 16 teams advancing to single-elimination match play Sunday morning. PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel will cover the qualifying and match play rounds.

PBA Tour action resumes in the PBA World Series of Bowling with the Carmen Salvino Classic on Monday.

PBA ALL REGIONS SOUTH POINT OPEN

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 12

Championship: Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas ($4,000) def. Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz. ($2,200), 266-214.

Semifinal Round (losers earned $1,200):

Blanchard def. Mike Fagan, Dallas, 251-224.

Malott def. Chris Hayden, Las Vegas, 268-228.

Round of 8 (best of three games, losers earned $1,000 each):

Malott def. Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2-0.

Hayden def. Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 2-0.

Fagan def. David Haynes, Las Vegas, 2-0.

Blanchard def. Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 2-1.

Round of 16 (best of five games, losers earned $800):

Malott def. Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3-2.

Larsen def. John Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y., 3-2.

Hayden def. Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 3-1.

Warren def. Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3-1.

Haynes def. Brandon Mathews, Santa Maria, Calif., 3-2.

Fagan def. Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3-2.

Blanchard def. Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 3-1.

Sterner def. Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3-0.

Weekend Professional Bowlers Association Action

Former Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) touring player Jason Sterner of McDonough, GA, led a field of 15 players who qualified Friday for berths in the PBA’s Carmen Salvino Classic which got underway today, Monday at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas NV.

In a concurrent event, six-time PBA Tour titlist Wes Malott of Pflugerville, TX, led a group of 16 players out of a field of 175 into Saturday’s best-of-five-game single-elimination match play finals in the PBA All Region South Point Open.

 

Both events are part of the PBA World Series of Bowling, a multi-event festival of bowling that continues through Sunday, Nov. 20, at South Point. Complete standings for both events are posted on pba.com, the PBA’s official website.

Saturday’s All Region South Point Open match play competition gets underway at 8 a.m. and continues until a winner is decided. Qualifying in the PBA West Region’s Member/Non-Member Doubles will follow the singles event at 1:30 p.m., with the top 16 doubles teams advancing to best-of-five match play Sunday at 8 a.m.

Saturday’s All Region and Sunday’s Member/Non-Member Doubles match play rounds will be webcast live on pba.com’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. For subscription information, visit pba.com.

PBA Tour competition resumes Monday with six-game qualifying rounds in the Carmen Salvino Classic, a third six-game qualifying round for the top 16 players at 8 p.m.

CARMEN SALVINO CLASSIC TOUR QUALIFYING ROUND

South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Nov. 11

Final Standings (after 8 games; top 15 advance to PBA Carmen Salvino Classic Round of 64)

1, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,980.
2, Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 1,947.
3, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,943.
4, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,942.
5, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,924.
6, Chris Hayden, Las Vegas, 1,907.
7, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,905.
8, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,895.
9 (tie), Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., and Andy Mortensen, Tulsa, Okla., 1,892.
11, Yong-Jin Gu, South Korea, 1,890.
12, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 1,887.
13, Adam Monks, San Diego, 1,882.
14, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,871.
15, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,869.

PBA ALL REGION SOUTH POINT OPEN

Final Qualifying Standings (after 8 games; top 16 advance to best-of-five-game single elimination match play finals)

1, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,983.
2, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,980.
3, Walter Ray Williams Jr, Ocala, FL, 1,958.
4, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,950.
5, Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 1,947.
6, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,943.
7, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,942.
8, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,929.
9, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,924.
10, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,918.
11, Brandon Mathews, Santa Maria, Calif, 1,915, $100.
12, Chris Hayden, Las Vegas, 1,907.
13, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,905.
14, Mike Fagan, Dallas, Texas, 1,899.
15, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,895.
16, Brad Angelo, Lockport, NY, 1,894.

Other Cashers (after 8 games):
17 (tie), Andy Mortensen, Tulsa, Okla., and Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,892, $450.
19, Yong-Jin Gu, South Korea, 1,890, $450.
20, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 1,887, $450.
21, Adam Monks, San Diego, 1,882, $450.
22, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,877, $450.
23, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,871, $450.
24, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,869, $450.
25, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,867, $425.
26, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 1,866, $425.
27, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,864, $525.
28, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 1,862, $425.
29, Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, 1,859, $425.
30, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., 1,857, $425.
31, Dennis Horan Jr., Temecula, Calif., 1,854, $425.
32, Steve Cook, Granite Bay, Calif., 1,853, $425.
33, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,852, $425.
34, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,849, $425.
35, Richard Horsley, Morrisville, N.C., 1,848, $425.
36, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,845, $425.
37, Steven Villanueva, North Las Vegas, NV, 1,844, $400.
38, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,840, $400.
39, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 1,834, $400.
40, Dom Barrett, England, 1,833, $500.
41, Paul Moor, England, 1,831, $400.
42, Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, IN, 1,830, $400.
43, Vayle Floria, Cerritos, Calif, 1,827, $400.
44, Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass., 1,820, $400.
45, Manuel Otalora, Colombia, 1,817, $400.
46, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,806, $400.
47, Stuart Williams, England, 1,805, $400.
48, Michael Caverley, Las Vegas, 1,802, $400.
49 (tie), Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, and Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 1,800, $400.