Dream Bowl 2002: Bohn Opens Season Red Hot

　

Parker Bohn III

Parker Bohn III began the 2002-2003 PBA Tour season exactly where he ended the last -- on top. He rolled to a first-round lead Saturday in Shin Yokohama, Japan.

Bohn, the 2002 PBA Player of the Year, scored a 2,009 eight-game pinfall total for a 251.12 average. The Jackson, N.J., resident bowled 258, 258, 237, 248, 245, 233, 270 and 260 games and opened the tournament out-averaging his nearest foe by 12 pins.

"If you look at my track record, I come out strong at the beginning of seasons," said the 39-year-old left-hander who won the first event of the 2001-2002 season. "I think a lot of it has to do with all of the work I do (in the off season)."

Bohn traditionally bowls more out-of-season exhibitions than any of his fellow PBA competitors.

"It all helps to keep you a pinch sharper," he commented. "By bowling in different places you have to keep your thinking cap on, always making little adjustments. I think a lot of bowlers hurt themselves in the off season by bowling only in one center."

Last season (2001-2002), Bohn earned his second player of the year award (1999). He won five times including one major title (ABC Masters) and pushed his career total to 29 victories, ranking fourth all-time.

Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., trails Bohn by 96 pins in the second position. Duke, a 19-time PBA champion, finished second in this event last year. He finished the round with a 279 high game. Defending champion and Japan Pro Bowling Association (JPBA) member Kengo Tagata sits tied in 88th place (1,673). The 2000 champion, PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., is in fifth with 1,856 pins. Williams owns 34 PBA titles and is tied with Mark Roth for second all-time.

The entire field returns Sunday for the second, eight-game round of qualifying. The top 112 scorers advance to single-elimination match play beginning Sunday night. All matches are two-games, total pins format. Players qualifying in positions 1-16 will be seeded directly into the second round. The final is set for 3:20 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2. Top prize is $40,000.

This year marks the third Dream Bowl tournament, but the first time it is included as part of the PBA Tour season. Representatives in the event include PBA, JPBA, Korea Professional Bowling Association (KPBA) and amateurs from Japan and China. Along with next week's 18th Annual Oronamin C Japan Cup in Tokyo, Dream Bowl counts as a title for PBA Members (should any win the event) and toward all official statistics.

The 2002-2003 PBA Tour season features 22 events (two in Japan). The 20-week PBA Tour season within the U.S. begins in October, televised exclusively on ESPN, and culminates with the PBA World Championship in March.

　

玉置幸一郎

The 2002-2003 PBA Tour begins in Japan with Dream Bowl 2002 and the 18th Annual Oronamin C Japan Cup. Nearly 40 PBA Players are on hand for this week s Dream Bowl. PBA.com will feature exclusive coverage of both championships, culminating with the Japan Cup finals on Sept. 8.

One-hundred and seventy-seven players participated in the Dream Bowl 2002 Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ) Friday with the top 55 scorers advancing to the tournament proper beginning Saturday. Among the top 55 was PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli. Monacelli and Randy Pedersen were the only PBA bowlers in the PTQ. Pedersen failed to qualify.

2002 marks the third year of the Dream Bowl, but the first year the field was open to additional PBA members. Those who bowled in one-third of the 2001-2002 PBA Tour events were eligible to participate. In the past, only Japan Cup qualifiers were eligible. Walter Ray Williams Jr. claimed the inaugural title in 2000 and Japan Pro Bowling Association (JPBA) member Kengo Tagata defeated Norm Duke for last year s trophy.

For the first time, Dream Bowl 2002 will count as a PBA Tour title for PBA Members. The tournament is the official start to the 2002-2003 PBA Tour season and, along with Japan Cup, also counts toward all season statistics and points.

Tournament qualifying begins Saturday at 9:15 a.m. (Japan Standard Time is 13 hours ahead of U.S. ET). The entire field bowls eight games after which a cut is made to the top 112 for match play. Single-elimination match play commences on Sunday, Sept. 1, and Monday, Sept. 2, and will feature two-game matches with the highest total pinfall advancing. The top 16 qualifiers are seeded into the second round of match play. The semifinals and final are Monday, beginning at 2:30 p.m. (1:30 a.m. U.S. ET).

The highest finishing professional player, not already qualified for the Japan Cup, will earn the 16th and final position on the JPBA/International squad. Pro representatives in Dream Bowl 2002 include PBA (38 [36 exempt players directly into qualifying]), JPBA (229 [48 exempt]) and Korea Professional Bowling Association (KPBA, 10 [3 exempt]). Also participating in the tournament are two amateur representatives from China and 96 amateurs from the Bowling Proprietors Association of Kanto (Japan).

　　

アマ　吉沢　満

　

　　

アマ　田中　真

　　

アマ　塩川民雄

　　

アマ　板倉奈智美

　

　　

吉田真由美

　　

吉田真由美

　　

　　

　　

　　

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