2012 USBC Masters TV Finals are Set!
After a week of qualifying and matchplay, the TV finals are set for the 2012 USBC Masters. Earning the top TV spot, going undefeated in match play was Chris Barnes. In Barnes’ final match against Mike Fagan, he finished with an 806 series to seal the deal. Fagan earned the second spot, with his only loss being to Chris Barnes. Having the toughest road to the show was collegiate standout Dan MacLelland. MacLelland lost early in match play, but bounced back and won match after match to earn his spot in the TV finals. Bryon Smith earned the last spot on the telecast. Bryon has been around the PBA for a while, but we haven’t seen much of him lately. This should be a great event, with four great bowlers. This event will air on ESPN at 12:30 PM on Sunday, January 29, 2012.
Norm Duke Wins U.S. Open
The U.S. Open took place this past week, concluding on Sunday, February 27, 2011. This event is held on the toughest of all of the PBA patterns, the flat U.S. Open pattern. The difficulty of this pattern was shown in the TV finals this weekend.
The first match had two former Collegiate All-Americans and Bowlers of the Year at Saginaw Valley State University in Bill O’Neill and Dan MacLelland. O’Neill was able to take over this match early and won decisively, 204-150. O’Neill went on to bowl against Ryan Shafer in the last Saturday night match. In a close match, Shafer was able to win, 193-183, as O’Neill left a split in the 10th frame. Shafer moved on to bowl against Mika Koivuniemi in the first Sunday match. Both bowlers scored well, but Mika was able to pull ahead and win the match, 236-222, and advance to the semifinals against Tommy Jones. Mika Koivuniemi continued to bowl well, as Jones struggled, and won the match, 241-158.
Mika Koivuniemi went on to face tournament leader Norm Duke in the finals. In a close match that went back and forth, it came down to the 10th frame. Norm Duke threw all strikes in the 9th and 10th frames to force Mika to mark in the 10th. Mika threw a great shot in the 10th, but left a 10 pin. All that was left was to cover the spare and get 8 pins on the fill ball. Off his hand Mika knew he had made a bad shot, as the ball fell into the gutter in front of the 10 pin. Norm Duke had won the match, 225-216, and the tournament.
After the match was over, both bowlers were visibly sick to their stomachs. As Norm Duke was happy to win, his feelings of sympathy toward Mika Koivuniemi strongly overpowered his happiness.
“I sat there stunned, shocked,” Duke said. “I knew I had just won the U.S. Open, but at that moment, my only thought was Mika had just lost. I was just like a fan watching in the living room. How could you not feel badly for him.”
“Mika will be fine, he’ll bounce back. He’s going to be our Player of the Year,” Duke said. “But he’ll never forget that one.”
In winning the U.S. Open, Norm Duke has won his 34th career PBA title and his 7th career PBA Major title.
Osku Palermaa Wins Shark Championship
Osku Palermaa came from the #3 spot in the TV finals to win the PBA GEICO Shark Championship. It looked as Jason Belmonte was going to run the table to win the tournament, but he ran into Palermaa in the third round. Belmonte started the TV finals against Mike Fagan, winning 248-223. Belmonte went on to bowl against Tom Smallwood. Belmonte was able to overpower Smallwood and won the match, 208-192, to move on and bowl against fellow two-hander Osku Palermaa. Palermaa won the grueling match, 182-176, and went on to bowl against tournament leader Dan MacLelland as the lanes continued to get tougher. Palermaa was able to win the match, 173-149, as both bowlers struggled on the tough lane conditions. This win gave Osku Palermaa his first PBA Title.
Yong-Jin Gu Wins PBA Scorpion Championship
South Korean Yong-Jin Gu rolled through the TV finals to win the PBA Scorpion Championship. Gu had to climb the ladder to earn the title. The first match had Yong-Jin Gu bowling against Canadian Dan MacLelland, who was an All-American and USBC Collegiate Bowler of the Year at Saginaw Valley State University. Gu won the match, 245-204, and went on to bowl against another SVSU standout, Bill O’Neill. Gu also beat O’Neill, 256-208, to move on to the semifinals against Australian Jason Belmonte. Yong-Jin Gu beat Belmonte, 233-208, and went to the finals against fellow South Korean, Jun-Yung Kim. Gu continued to bowl well, as he had done all day, and beat Kim, 236-224.
This is Yong-Jin Gu’s first PBA title. He had not bowled any PBA events prior to the PBA World Series of Bowling this year.
Morgan, Futrell, Jaros, Baker Win PBA Regional Tournaments
Nick Morgan won the PBA West Region Palo Alto Lanes Open with a score of 4381 (+381, 219 Average) and a 5-2 record. Morgan defeated #1 qualifier Scott Norton, Steven Villanueva and Jeff Frankos on his way to winning the open. The PBA West Region Palo Alto Lanes Open was bowled on the PBA Cheetah pattern. See the full results at PBA.com
Jay Futrell won the PBA Midwest/Southwest Region Barney’s Open with a score of 4888 (+488, 222 Average) and a 7-2 record. Futrell defeated Marc Heninger and John Kay to win the tournament. J.R. Raymond qualified and won 2 matches to finish 4th. Derek Sapp qualified 1st with a score of 2885 (+285, 221 Average), but lost in the first round of matchplay. The PBA Midwest/Southwest Region Barney’s Open was bowled on the PBA World Championship pattern. See the full results at PBA.com
Steve Jaros won the PBA Central Region Boss Plows/Mid States Truck Open with a score of 4582 (+582, 229 Average) and a matchplay record of 9-3. Jeff Zaffino (4592) finished 2nd and Ken Abner (4553) finished 3rd. Saginaw’s Dan MacLelland bowled will and finished 5th in the tournament. The PBA Central Region Boss Plows/Mid States Truck Open was bowled on the PBA Scorpion pattern. See the full results at PBA.com
Tom Baker won the PBA South Region Camp LeJeune Open with a score of 4761 (+761, 238 Average) and a matchplay record of 9-3. Jason Mahr (4771) finished 2nd and Shawn McKee (4694) finished 3rd. The PBA South Region Camp LeJeune Open was bowled on the PBA Viper pattern. See the full results at PBA.com
PBA Shark Championship Underway
After the first two 7 game blocks, Norm Duke is leading the men with a score of 3105 (+305, 221.79 Average). Two time Collegiate Bowler of the Year Dan MacLelland is currently in 10th with a score of 2932 (+132, 209.43 Average). The top 28 make the cut with a cut score of 2849 (+49, 203.5 Average).
Over on the women’s side, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard is leading with a score of 3113 (+313, 222.36 Average). The top 8 make the cut with a cut score of 3016 (+216, 215.43 Average).
The top 28 men and top 8 women will begin bowling matchplay on Saturday morning at 10:00 at Thunderbowl Lanes.
DV8 Hell Raiser