U.S. Open TV Finals are set
Mike Scroggins made a great run during matchplay to move from 15th place all the way to the #1 spot for the TV stepladder finals of the U.S. Open. Bill O’Neill ended up getting the #2 seed, while Tommy Jones and Jason Couch took the #3 and #4 seeds. Couch and Jones will face off in the opening match of the stepladder finals. The winner of that match will face O’Neill in the semifinals. The winner of the semifinal match will go on to bowl Scroggins in the finals. Mike Scroggins averaged 216.80 and had a 16-8-0 record to earn the top position with a final score of 11537 (+1337, total pins + matchplay bonus points). The cut score ended up at 11282 (+1082, total pins + matchplay bonus points). A few bowlers came very close to making the TV finals, but fell just short. Walter Ray Williams, Jr. missed the cut by 2 pins, while Jason Belmonte couldn’t hold on to his lead and missed the show by 5 pins.
The U.S. Open TV finals will air live on ESPN at 12:30 PM tomorrow, Sunday, February 28, 2010.
Jason Belmonte Retains Lead in U.S. Open
Jason Belmonte used his 9 game score of 1934 (+134) to bring his total to 6051 (+651, 224.11 Average) and keep his lead in the U.S. Open. Belmonte will lead all bowlers going into match play this afternoon. Belmonte currently has an 85 pin lead on the second place bowler Andres Gomez’s score of 5966. Other bowlers currently in the top five include Bill O’Neill (5958), Jason Couch (5866), and Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (5850). The field will now be cut to the top 24 bowlers with a cut score of 5637 (+237, 208.78 Average). Matchplay will begin this afternoon and continue throughout the day tomorrow.
Jason Belmonte Takes Over Lead in U.S. Open
Jason Belmonte had a huge score of 1493 (+293, 248.83 Average) to take over the lead in the third round of qualifying in the U.S. Open. Belmonte’s final qualifying score was 4117 (+517, 228.72 Average). Qualifying second was David Beres with a score of 3939. Rounding out the top five were Andres Gomez (3920), Chris Barnes (3915), and Bill O’Neill (3914). The field will now be cut to the top 88 bowlers (25% of field) with the cut score being 3594 (-6, 199.67 Average)
The remaining bowlers will bowl 9 games on Friday and cut to the top 24. After cutting to the top 24 bowlers, the remaining bowlers will bowl 24 games of match play Friday night and Saturday.
Voss/Asbaty Win in PBA Mixed Doubles
Brian Voss and Diandra Asbaty came from the final qualifying position to run the ladder and win the PBA Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles tournament. Voss and Asbaty took on Tom Smallwood and Jodi Woessner in their first match, winning by a score of 276-224. The went on to face Rhino Page and Shannon Pluhowsky in the second match. Voss and Asbaty threw another big 276 game to beat their opponents’ 227 to go on and face Wes Malott and Shannon O’Keefe. Voss and Asbaty won the match 224-202 to earn their spot in the championship match against Jason Belmonte and Michelle Feldman. Voss and Asbaty were victorious, winning the match 234-212. See the equipment used by the pros on my InTheBag page for the PBA Don and Paula Johnson Mixed Doubles event.
In winning this tournament, Brian and Diandra won the first place prize of $50,000. This coming week, bowlers are headed to Indianapolis, Indiana for the U.S. Open. Good luck to everyone this week!
Loschetter Leads Going into Matchplay of USBC Masters
Chris Loschetter has retained the lead in the USBC Masters with a third block score of 1155 to bring his 15 game total score to 3498 (+498, 233.2 Average). Jason Belmonte has moved into second place with a score of 3421. Patrick Allen moved up into third at 3404. Chris Barnes and Ryan Shafer are in fourth and fifth with 3377 and 3369.
The field has been cut to the top 63 bowlers plus last year’s champion John Nolen. The cut score for the top 63 is 3068 (+68, 204.53 Average). Double Elimination matchplay will begin this evening at 4:00 Pacific Time, 7:00 Eastern Time. Matchplay will continue tomorrow (Friday) throughout the day. The TV Finals will be bowled Sunday afternoon on ESPN at 3:00 Eastern Time, 12:00 Pacific Time.
Chris Loschetter Takes Over Lead in USBC Masters
Chris Loschetter had a score of 1143 (+143, 228.6 Average) in the second block of the USBC Masters to take over the lead. Loschetter’s leading 10 game score is 2343 (+343, 234.3 Average). Wes Malott had the highest block 2 score of 1215 to move him into third place with a total of 2268. Chris Barnes is currently in second place at 2329. Jason Belmonte and Patrick Allen are in fourth and fifth with 2285 and 2268.
The field has been cut to the top 25% (67 bowlers) with the cut score at 2063 (+63, 206.3 Average). Today the bowlers will bowl 5 more games of qualifying. The field will be cut to the top 63 bowlers and last year’s champion John Nolen will be added as the 64th bowler to begin matchplay.
Chris Paul Celebrity Invitational Results
Chris Paul and Jason Belmonte were able to come from behind to win the Chris Paul Celebrity Invitational. The final match had Paul and Belmonte taking on Norm Duke and LaMarr Woodley. Chris Paul and Jason Belmonte ended up winning the match 180-177. The first semifinal match had Pete Weber teamed up with Ludacris taking on Chris Paul and Jason Belmonte. Paul and Belmonte won the match easily, 175-131. The other semifinal match had Norm Duke and LaMarr Woodley taking on Hines Ward and Wes Malott. Duke and Woodley won the match 165-149.
There was a little added pressure coming from Garth Brooks as well. Garth pledged to donate $1000 to the CP3 Foundation for every strike that was thrown by a celebrity.
Congratulations to Chris Paul and Jason Belmonte! Next week is the USBC Masters tournament, taking place in Reno, Navada.
Mike DeVaney Wins Scorpion Championship
In the finals, Mike DeVaney defeated Jason Belmonte, 189-170, to win the PBA Scorpion Championship. On the way to the finals, DeVaney beat Sean Rash, 182-162. Belmonte defeated Tom Smallwood, 222-175.
This is DeVaney’s first PBA title of the season and second of his career.
See PBA.com for the full results.
PBA Scorpion Championship Update
The TV finals field is set for the PBA Scorpion Championship. For the men, the four finalists are Tom Smallwood, Mike DeVaney, Jason Belmonte, and Sean Rash. For the women, the two finalists are Liz Johnson and Shannon Pluhowsky.
This tournament is Smallwood’s first TV finals appearance, coming after winning his exemption in the tour trials back in May.
For the full results, see PBA.com
