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2006/03/31

Barnes Ends Williams' Run

Chris Barnes

Chris Barnes denied Walter Ray Williams Jr. a chance to break Earl Anthony's all-time Denny's PBA Tour titles record, knocking off the PBA Hall of Famer, four-games-to-three, Friday in the 2006 Great Lakes Classic at Spectrum Lanes.

Williams won the 2006 Denny's World Championship last week to win his 41st title to tie the record and was looking to make his fourth consecutive telecast. But Barnes (Flower Mound, Texas) outlasted Williams in a back-and-forth battle in which neither bowler won two games in a row.

Barnes, who used a Columbia Action Packed, jumped out to the early lead with a 279-206 win in game one. After they traded wins over the next four games and Barnes took a 3-2 lead, Williams forced game seven with a 275-257 win. Barnes advanced to his third championship round of the season with a 268-214 win in game seven.

"That's the best I've bowled all year," said Barnes, who withdrew from five events earlier in the season with a back injury. "I don't know if anyone had to work harder than me Friday, beating Tommy Jones and two Hall of Famers in Amleto Monacelli and Walter Ray. (Williams) is the hottest guy out here right now. He got my best game and he threw it right back at me. I was very fortunate. You know you have to throw your best stuff against him."

Barnes will face fellow former Wichita State All-American and Flower Mound native Patrick Healey Jr., who defeated Jeff Cater (Springfield, Ill.), 4-3.

The other semifinal features PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (St. Ann, Mo.) taking on 2005 PBA Player of the Year Patrick Allen (Tarrytown, N.Y.). Weber, who lost to Williams in last week's Denny's World Championship title match, defeated Jeff Lizzi (Sandusky, Ohio), 4-3.

Allen, making his career-high sixth TV appearance this season, defeated Tim Criss (Bel Air, Md.), 4-1.

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2006/03/30

Allen Leads, Bubble Boys Make Their Move

Patrick Allen

Patrick Allen will look to become the first top seed to win a standard Denny's PBA Tour event in over two years as he led the round of 64 Thursday with a 3,325 14-game pinfall in the 2006 Great Lakes Classic at Spectrum Lanes.

Allen was the top seed in match play for last season's event at Spectrum Lanes, but finished 14th. He was also the top seed earlier this season in the 2006 GEICO Classic, but lost in the round of 8.

"I wasn't throwing it very well tonight. I bowled well this morning, but for whatever reason I didn't execute very well tonight," said Allen (Tarrytown, N.Y.), the 2005 PBA Player of the Year. "I better throw it a lot better tomorrow. Being number one doesn't mean anything unless you bowl well Friday."

Allen, who used Ebonite's The One, will face Michael Haugen Jr. (Las Vegas) in Friday's round of 32. Haugen finished 32nd with 3,006, one pin ahead of Mike Machuga (Erie, Pa.).

The biggest story Thursday was that several bowlers needing to make the cut to earn exemptions for 2006-07 did just that. The top 37 in the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings will earn exemptions for next season, and this is the final event of the season which counts toward the point rankings.

Rick Steelsmith (Wichita), who came into the week 35th in the point rankings, fired a 279 in his final game Thursday to finish tied for 17th with 3,083. Also firing a 279 in the final game to make the cut was David Traber (Hebron, Ill.), who finished 24th with 3,045. Traber came into the week 42nd in points.

Other bowlers who needed to make the top 32 to give themselves a chance were Paul Fleming (Bedford, Texas) who came into the week 37th in points, Dale Traber (Cedarburg, Wis.) who came in 38th. Fleming finished 29th with 3,028 and Traber finished 22nd with 3,061.

Locking up an exemption by making the top 32 was Tim Criss (Bel Air, Md.). Though he did not make the top 32, Brian Kretzer (Dayton, Ohio) also locked up his exemption for 2006-07.

By virtue of Dennis Horan Jr. finishing outside the top 32, Eugene McCune clinched an exemption for the 2006-07 season as the highest non-exempt bowler in the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings. Horan had to finish in the top four to pass McCune.

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Absolute Allen

Patrick Allen

Reigning PBA Player of the Year Patrick Allen averaged 258.57 over his seven games Thursday to lead the first session of the round of 64 in the 2006 Great Lakes Classic at Spectrum Lanes.

Allen's 1,810 seven-game pinfall was one pin short of the highest seven-game pinfall this season, set by Jason Couch in November in the 2005 Greater Omaha Classic.

Allen, who used Ebonite's The One, came out sizzling Thursday with a 290 in game one. After averaging 239 over the next four games, he shot another 290 in game six and finished with a 274 in game seven.

Allen, who won four titles last season, won his lone title this season in the 2005 Keystone State Championship in Mechanicsburg, Pa., in December. That week's event used the Chameleon oil pattern, which also is being used this week.

"I've always bowled well this time of the year for some reason. Maybe it's because the weather is nice and you get in a better frame of mind," said Allen, who won the 2005 Denny's World Championship last April. "The lanes are playing a little different than they did in Mechanicsburg. The scores are a lot higher. They're actually playing like they were in Omaha."

Walter Ray Williams Jr. (Ocala, Fla.), who won his 41st career title in last week's Denny's World Championship to tie Earl Anthony for most career Tour titles, is 3rd with 1,662. Williams is looking to win back-to-back titles for the fifth time in his career and the first time since 2000 to break the all-time record.

Chris Barnes (Flower Mound, Texas) is 2nd with 1,696 while PBA Hall of Famer Tom Baker (King, N.C.) is 4th with 1,649. Amateur Lionel Lewis (Ontario, Canada) is 5th with 1,637. Though amateurs do cash in Tour events, they are not eligible to earn exemptions.

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2006/03/29

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2006/03/28

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2006/03/26

41!

Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. couldn't have picked a better time to finally tie Earl Anthony's all-time Denny's PBA Tour titles record.

Williams earned his 41st career Tour title to tie Earl Anthony for the all-time lead, defeating Pete Weber, 236-213, in the 2006 Denny's World Championship at Woodland Bowl.

Williams' seventh Major title also gives him $100,000 and a four-season Tour exemption.

"To win a title is great, to win a Major is even better and to win 41 is unbelievable," said Williams. "I'm just ecstatic. When I first came on Tour I never thought this would happen. It's been a great career but I'm not done yet. I have at least four more years to break the record."

Williams, who is now 4-0 in title matches against fellow PBA Hall of Famer Weber, finally won in his 7th attempt at tying Anthony's record. After winning the 2004 Uniroyal Tire Classic in Nov. 2004, Williams went 1-6 in his next seven matches on television.

This Sunday, however, Williams came out on a mission. Weber struggled early in the title match, converting three single-pin spares and a 4-7-9 split in the first four frames. Williams, meanwhile, struck four consecutive times after opening the match with a spare. Weber then left a 7-10 split in the 6th frame to give Williams a big cushion.

The Ocala, Fla. native struck in the 7th and 8th, then converted spares in the 9th and 10th to clinch the win.

Williams advanced to the title match with a 224-201 win over Ryan Shafer. Shafer left the 2-10 split twice and opened both times, the second coming in the 7th frame. Williams took advantage with strikes in frames 7-9, with the strike in the 9th clinching the win.

Weber advanced to the title match with a 227-214 win over Brad Angelo. The two were even through six frames, but Angelo was unable to strike in frames 7-9, while Weber struck in the 8th and spared in the 9th to take a two-pin lead. Weber then needed to double and knock down nine in the 10th frame to win. He did exactly that to clinch a berth in the title match.

Weber, who was looking to win his record-tying 8th career Major, took home $50,000 for 2nd. Shafer (Elmira, N.Y.) and Angelo (Lockport, N.Y.) earned $20,000 apiece for their 3rd and 4th place finishes, respectively.

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2006/03/24

Knock, Knock, Knockin' On Earl's Door

Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. will make his seventh attempt at tying the all-time Denny's PBA Tour career titles record Sunday, but this time there will be $100,000 and a four-season exemption on the line as well.

Williams will look to win his 41st career title and seventh Major title as he defeated Rick Steelsmith, four-games-to-one, Friday in the round of 8 in the 2006 Dennyfs World Championship at Woodland Bowl.

Williams (Ocala, Fla.) has won two World Championship titles among his six Majors, but none would be as sweet as a Major that would tie Earl Anthony's all-time record. The PBA Hall of Famer has failed in six attempts at tying the record, going 1-6 in those championship round matches.

"Last week I didn't do a very good job of playing the lanes properly and that cost me. The week before I threw a couple bad shots in the second match and that cost me," said Williams, who is making his third consecutive TV appearance. "Hopefully this time I can go out there and execute, and hope the pins fall for me."

Williams will face Ryan Shafer, who will be making his second appearance in a Major championship final this season. Shafer (Elmira, N.Y.), who finished 2nd in this season's 63rd U.S. Open, defeated Jeff Carter (Springfield, Ill.). 4-2.

Another PBA Hall of Famer and two-time World Champion, Pete Weber (St. Ann, Mo.), advanced to the finals with a 4-1 win over Mike Scroggins (Amarillo, Texas). Weber, who won his 32nd career title earlier this season, will also be chasing a record held by Anthony. A win would tie the legend's all-time record of eight Denny's PBA Tour Major titles.

Weber will face Brad Angelo (Lockport, N.Y.), who defeated Mike Machuga (Erie, Pa.), 4-1. Angelo will look to become the 18th bowler in Tour history to win a Major as his first career Tour title.

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2006/03/23

McCune Takes Over Top Spot in Non-Exempt Points Race

Eugene McCune

Eugene McCune may have bowled himself back onto the Denny's PBA Tour Thursday.

McCune took over the lead in the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings among non-exempt bowlers, defeating Tom Daugherty, four-games-to-none, Thursday in the round of 32 in the 2006 Denny's World Championship at Woodland Bowl.

The top non-exempt bowler in the point rankings earns an exemption for the 2006-07 season. McCune came into the week trailing Eric Forkel by nearly 4,000 points. This week's event, the third of four Majors on the Denny's PBA Tour, awards more points than standard events.

After Forkel (Las Vegas) missed the first cut in qualifying, McCune needed to finish at least 28th to pass him. McCune's win in the round of 32 guarantees him a spot in the top 24. With one event remaining which counts toward the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings, McCune can put some distance between himself and Forkel.

"It's not something I can control. I just have to go out there and make shots," said McCune, who was exempt in 2004-05 but finished 47th in the point rankings and was unable to regain his exemption through the 2005 Denny's PBA Tour Trials. "I made enough good shots to get through qualifying, and I made a lot of good shots tonight."

McCune will face Jeff Lizzi (Sandusky, Ohio) in the round of 16. Lizzi, also a non-exempt bowler, defeated Tommy Delutz Jr. (Flushing, N.Y.), 4-1.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. (Ocala, Fla.) defeated Tom Baker (King, N.C.), 4-1, in a battle of PBA Hall of Famers. Williams' reward will be a match-up with another PBA Hall of Famer, Parker Bohn III (Jackson, N.J.) in Friday's round of 16. Bohn defeated Ray Edwards, 4-0.

Another PBA Hall of Famer, Wayne Webb, advanced to the round of 16 with a 4-2 win over Brian Himmler (Cincinnati). Webb owns 20 Tour titles with his last coming in 1997.

The winners of Friday's round of 16 matches will join the top four from qualifying as well as the top four in the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings (Norm Duke, Tommy Jones, Mike Scroggins and Wes Malott) in the round of Super 16.

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Russell Shows Some Muscle

Ronnie Russell

Just three years ago, Ronnie Russell was bowling for his local college team. Now the 26-year-old is leading a Major tournament on the Denny's PBA Tour.

Russell, a 26-year-old from Indianapolis, averaged 226.78 in his nine games Thursday to finish qualifying as the top seed in the 2006 Denny's World Championship at Woodland Bowl.

The top four bowlers after the 27 games of qualifying earned a bye into Friday's round of Super 16, bypassing the rounds of 32 and 16.

Russell, who became a PBA member in 2003 after he was a First Team All-American at Vincennes University in Indiana, came into this week with just 30 Tour events under his belt. He finished the three days of qualifying with a 6,071 27-game pinfall.

"I felt like Walter Ray (Williams Jr.) because every time I picked up a 2- or 4-pin everyone was clapping," said Russell, whose highest career finish in a Tour event is 6th in the 2003 Toledo Open. "There's a lot of work to do. I have to keep going. I still have to win two matches against two great bowlers. If I make the show then I'll be happy, but there's too much work to do."

Russell has used Ebonite's The One and The Big One throughout the week.

Also earning byes into the round of Super 16 were Pete Weber (St. Ann, Mo.) who was 2nd with 6,037, Mike Machuga (Erie, Pa.) who was 3rd with 6,001 and Mike DeVaney (Temecula, Calif.) who was 4th with 5,973.

PBA Hall of Famer Tom Baker (King, N.C.) finished 36th with 5,635 and earned the final berth into tonight's best-of-seven games match play round of 32, beginning tonight at 6 p.m. EST.

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2006/03/22

Crunch Time

Chris Johnson

2004 PBA Rookie of the Year Chris Johnson did a lot Wednesday to improve his chances of earning an exemption for the 2006-07 Denny's PBA Tour season.

The 28-year-old averaged 228.22 over his nine games Wednesday to lead after the first two days of qualifying with a 4,030 18-game pinfall in the 2006 Denny's World Championship at Woodland Bowl.

Johnson (Garland, Texas), who is looking for his first career title, came into the week 41st in the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings with the cut line for an exemption for 2006-07 currently at 37th. Should Johnson finish in the top four after the 27 games of qualifying, he would earn a bye into Friday's round of Super 16 which would give him a minimum 11,338 points.

"The goal is to get to the top four. That would be huge," said Johnson. "That's what I need to salvage this season. It's been a rough season so far."

Johnson, 28, opened the day with a 216, but followed that with his lowest score of the day, a 160. He bounced back to average 239.71 with four games over 250 over the final seven games, including a 267 in game nine.

Mike DeVaney (Temecula, Calif.) averaged 225.11 over his second nine-game block to finish 2nd with 4,014. PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (St. Ann, Mo.), who is looking for his third career World Championship, is 3rd with 4,002.

Ryan Shafer (Elmira, N.Y.) is 4th with 3,938, while Indianapolis native Ronnie Russell is 5th with 3,936.

Ken Simard (Greenville, S.C.) struck out in the 10th frame to defeat Marc Massie (Ft. Wright, Ky.), 213-211, in a one-game roll-off to determine the 49th and final spot into Thursday's final nine-game qualifying set after they tied at 3,696 through 18 games.

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