PBA Experience Showdown Takes Place This Weekend
The 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour’s regular season is over, but competition continues Sunday on ESPN with the first of two special events from the new International Training and Research Center located on the International Bowling Campus.
Eleven of the sport’s top players and six United States Bowling Congress league bowlers will compete in the PBA Experience Showdown and the PBA Women’s Series Showdown, both presented by BOWL.COM, which will air on ESPN on Sundays April 11 and April 18 at 1 p.m. Eastern, respectively.
The made-for-TV events will begin with the PBA Experience Showdown on Sunday. The PBA Experience Showdown is a unique competition, tying together USBC’s grassroots PBA Experience league program with the five PBA Tour champions who won the five PBA Experience “animal pattern” lane condition championships during the World Series of Bowling in Detroit, kicking off the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.
The five champions are Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla. (Cheetah), Rhino Page (Viper), Bill O’Neill (Chameleon), Mike DeVaney (Scorpion) and Jack Jurek (Shark).
The PBA stars were joined in Arlington by six USBC PBA Experience league bowlers – one each representing the five “animal patterns” and a sixth representing any other Sport Bowling lane condition. The six USBC Sport Bowling members who earned trips to Arlington through a national online voting process, along with their respective league secretaries and the proprietor/manager of the center that hosted the league, were: Bill Motovina, Clearwater, Fla.; Joe Petrowski, East Syracuse, N.Y.; Kevin Reuer, Hoffman Estates, Ill.; Pattie Riddle, Palatine, Ill.; Brent Watson, Parkersburg, W. Va., and Bobby Wenger, Wooster, Ohio. In a preliminary event, the six players bowled one game on each of six different PBA Experience lane conditions, and Reuer won the qualifier, advancing to the television final where he will bowl with the five PBA stars.
Sunday’s unique Showdown format will involve all six bowlers bowling one frame on each of five lanes, each featuring a different PBA Experience pattern. In order, the frames will be Shark, Chameleon, Viper, Scorpion and Cheetah. After five frames, the group will be re-ordered, from lowest score to highest, and they’ll bowl another five frames. After one full game, the top two players will advance to a five-frame title match following the same order. The fifth frame will act as a 10th frame.
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!
Kelly Kulick Wins 2009-2010 PBA Tournament of Champions
Kelly Kulick led all bowlers with a 225.63 Average and had a 14-9-1 matchplay record to qualify 2nd in the 2009-2010 PBA Tournament of Champions. 4th place qualifier Rhino Page took on 3rd place qualifier Mika Koivuniemi in the first stepladder match. Koivuniemi won the match, 255-215. Koivuniemi went on to face Kelly Kulick in the semifinal match. Kulick won the match, 227-223, and went on to face Chris Barnes in the final match. Kelly Kulick didn’t give Barnes a chance as she won the match, 265-195.
This win gives Kelly Kulick her first PBA Tour title. She has two PBA Women’s Series titles. Kulick has become not only the first woman to win a PBA Tour major title, but also the first woman to win any PBA Tour title. Kulick had earned her PBA Tour exemption by finishing sixth in the 2006 PBA Tour Trials. By winning the PBA Tournament of Champions, Kelly Kulick has earned herself a two year exemption for the PBA Tour. Kelly is a former Collegiate All-American and three time Collegiate Player of the Year.
See what equipment the pros were using on my InTheBag page for the PBA Tournament of Champions.
Tom Smallwood Wins PBA World Championship
Tom Smallwood won the PBA World Championship by defeating Wes Malott in the finals, 244-228. Malott beat Rhino Page in the semifinals, 203-191, to move on to bowl against Smallwood. Smallwood defeated Bill O’Neill, 211-159, to move on to the finals. The PBA World Championship is Smallwood’s first PBA Tour title, coming after a third place finish in the Scorpion Championship earlier this season.
The PBA World Championship was bowled on the PBA World Championship pattern, which is a modified version of the 41′ pattern D from the 2002-2003 season. Tom was throwing the Columbia 300 Pure Swing to win the World Championship. You can pre-order the full swing from BowlingBall.com. For the full list of equipment used in the PBA World Championship, see InTheBag.
Congrats to Tom Smallwood!
Doug Kent Wins Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge
Three Americans made the cut to the top 8 of the 7th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge. Rhino Page qualified in 4th while John Nolen and Doug Kent qualified 7th and 8th. Doug Kent led the round of 8, while Nolen qualified 4th and Page finished in 8th.
In the first stepladder finals match, Cha Mi Jung of Korea defeated Nolen, 210-200, to advance to the next round and face 15-year-old Michael Mak from Hong Kong. Mak shot an amazing 296 game to beat Jung’s 256. Mak didn’t have as much luck against Doug Kent in the finals. Kent won the match and the title, 192-180.
This is Doug Kent’s first Asian title of his career.
View the full results at abf-online.org
In other international bowling news, Team USA is bowling well in the PABCON Championships. Team USA has won gold medals in both the men’s and women’s trios. Team USA currently has all 3 medals wrapped up in both men’s and women’s all events. Bill O’Neill is leading men’s singles. I will post the final results as soon as they become available.
Americans Bowling Well in 7th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge
Six U.S. bowlers have made the cut to the second round of the 7th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge. Malaysia’s Zulmazran Zulkifli led round 1 with a score of 1957 (+357, 244.63 Average). The top 24 bowlers advance to round 2. The cut score was 1753 (+153, 219.13 Average). The six Americans making the cut are Doug Kent (2nd), Mike Wolfe (4th), Tom Smallwood (9th), Rhino Page (15th), Jeffrey Butler (17th), and John Nolen (19th). Lonnie Waliczek and Tim Mack fell short of the cut. 15-year-old Michael Mak of Hong Kong continues to bowl well finishing 5th in round one.
After round 2, the top 8 bowlers qualify for round 3, then the top 4 qualify for the stepladder finals. Two Michigan bowlers continue to prove themselves by making the top 24. Tom Smallwood continues to bowl well after making the TV finals in the PBA Scorpion Championship and the PBA World Championship. John Nolen is continuing to prove himself after winning the 2009 USBC Masters last year.
View the full results at abf-online.org
Rhino Page Wins Viper Championship
Rhino Page and Ryan Ciminelli squared off in the finals of the PBA Viper Championship. In the semifinals, Page defeated Steve Jaros, 221-180. Ciminelli beat Michael Haugen Jr., 238-236. In the finals, Page defeated Ciminelli 268-246. This is Rhino Page’s first title of the year, and 3rd PBA title of his career.
The Viper Championship is part of the World Series of Bowling, taking place in Detroit, MI.
View the full results on PBA.com
PBA World Championship Results
The finals are set for the PBA World Championship. The four finalists are Wes Malott, Rhino Page, Bill O’Neill, and Tom Smallwood.
In the Women’s World Championship, the finalists are Kelly Kulick and Shannon Pluhowsky. The finalists in the Senior World Championship are Hugh Miller and Harry Sullins.
The Women’s and Senior World Championship title matches will be contested Saturday at noon for delayed telecast to open the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season on ESPN on Sunday, Oct. 25. The men’s finals will be contested live on ESPN on Dec. 13 at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan.
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