プロボウリング情報


2012/11/30

 

 

長谷 宏

 

 

長谷 宏

 

 

Walter Ray Williams Jr.

優勝回数男子世界第1位、そして只一人 Japan Cup 連続出場の Walter Ray Williams Jr .がトップで準決勝トーナメントへ!2位にJPBA吉田文啓(35期:アソビックス)が続く。

 

 

宮内圭次郎


 

2012/11/29

 

 

呉竹博之

 

アマチュア選抜大会で3名がパーフェクト達成!

ボウリングファン待望のROUND1 JAPANCUP BOWLING 2012が本日いよいよ開幕!

大会初日の本日は2会場に分かれてプロアマ選抜大会が行われ、そのアマチュア選抜大会でなんと4個ものパーフェクトが達成されました!

まずは秋元優志 選手が1G目・2G目にいきなり連続パーフェクトを達成。この快挙に続けとばかりに3G目で松下昭史 選手、ラスト8G目に齋藤剛一 選手が達成しました。

3名にはレセプションパーティーの席上で(公社)日本ボウリング場協会より記念品の目録が贈られました。

本大会に出場を決めた3名のさらなる活躍が期待されます!

 

下田順子が優勝!

さる11/24(土)にメリーランドタケオボウル(佐賀)にて開催されました、第4回佐賀レディースにて、下田順子が優勝しましたのでご報告致します。

予選6G、決勝3Gの9Gトータルピンで競う試合形式で、下田は予選で26位と出遅れましたが、決勝にて猛チャージをかけて一挙に浮上。上位4名が10ピン差でひしめく混戦をホストプロの意地で制しました!

またアマチュアの部では塩月利恵選手が優勝されました。


 

2012/11/21

 

さる11/17(土)・18(日)の二日間にわたり、広島・ミスズボウルにて開催されました第20回中国新聞杯広島オープンにて、女子の部は西村美紀、男子の部は児島都史が優勝しましたのでご報告致します。

女子の部優勝決定戦、西村は2年連続トップシードで優勝決定戦に進出した名和 秋と対戦。名和がオープンフレームを出す一方で西村はノーミスを守り、終盤ターキーを決めて追い上げる名和をわずか3ピン差で振り切っての優勝となりました。

男子の部では決勝シュートアウトで小原照之とのワンショットプレーオフを制して勝ち上がった児島がトップシードの川添奨太と対決。川添が滑り出しから5連続ストライクを決めてリードを取りますが、児島も地元の応援を背に後半から猛然とストライクを決め、6連続ストライクに成功。ワンマーク差で川添を追い越して大会初制覇を飾りました。

また女子の部では石本未来選手が2大会連続のベストアマ獲得。男子は決勝進出を果たした佐々木勢介選手が獲得しました。

 

 【JPBA】 ガンバレ!上山和巳トーナメント 【承認大会】

先日11/3(土)に名古屋グランドボウル(愛知)で開催されました、承認大会・ガンバレ!上山和巳トーナメントにて遠藤 誠が優勝。またアマチュア部門では夏目美和選手が優勝されましたのでご報告します。

キッチンMO-MO-オーナーの上山氏には、承認大会の開催や各トーナメントでのご協賛をはじめとして、常よりボウリングおよびプロボウラーへの多大なるご支援を賜っております。その上山氏が今夏に病の宣告を受けて現在は闘病中と聞き、東海地方のプロボウラー達が発起人となり、ボウリングを通じて上山氏を励ましたいという思いから今回開催の運びとなりました。

大会には東海地方のみならず日本全国、また韓国からもボウラーが参加。本大会の他に上山氏指名によるプロ3名と上山氏のドリームマッチなども催され、楽しいボウリングタイムとなりました。


 

2012/11/11

 

地元東海勢の坂田の優勝に続かんと、女子クィーンズ優勝決定戦のステージへ登場したのは、一度は敗者ゾーンに落ちたものの松永裕美を下して頂上決戦への切符を手に入れた吉野 操。

その吉野の前に立ちはだかったのが、プロ入り3年目の進 博美でした。

これまでに2度、初優勝に王手をかけてきた進でしたが、トップシードに立ったのははじめて。最後の最後で追い上げきれない詰めの甘い部分があっただけに、「一度負けてももう一度チャンスがある」ダブルイルミネーションでは再優勝決定戦で仕切り直せるという、無敗のトップシードが持つアドバンテージが嬉しいところ。しかも3位決定戦では辛抱強くスペアを拾った吉野が、優勝決定戦はスタートからいきなりの連続オープン。立て直してダブルを持ってきましたが、進はターキーを決めてリードを稼ぎます。

一度勝てば優勝が決まる余裕、そしてこのターキーで稼いだリードでようやく初優勝を手に入れられるかと思われた進でしたが、6フレーム目でスプリットを出してしまいます。

ここから雲行きが怪しくなった進、スプリットに果敢に攻め込むもオープン。さらに勝負どころの9フレーム目でノーヘッドの5本カウントから再びオープンにしてしまい、もはや再優勝決定戦へ持ち越しかと思われましたが、吉野もストライクが繋がらず今ひとつ差を詰めることができません。

先輩プロの愛甲恵子や川口富美恵に「優勝したいという欲を考えない、自分のボウリングに集中すること」とアドバイスを受け、勝利を意識すればこわばる腕をなだめつつ、対戦相手の吉野がどこに投げて何本倒したかも意識してなかったという進。吉野が185ピンでフィニッシュするとギリギリでの逃げ切りがほぼ確定し、ラスト投球でようやく晴れ晴れとした笑顔を浮かべました。

8月のレディース新人戦は肉離れを起こして欠場し、初めて試合に出られない無念を噛みしめてから、ボウリングができる喜びを改めて考えた今年。詰めの甘かった進は消えて、日本最大の舞台で初優勝を果たした新たなニューヒロインが誕生しました!

 

 【JPBA】 ABS ジャパンオープンボウリング選手権 【男子決勝】

男女プロアマ総勢1100名を超えるボウラーが世界最大のレーン数を誇る稲沢グランドボウル(愛知)に集結した、日本最大のボウリングの祭典、ABSジャパンオープン。

今年は隣接するフットサルスタジアムにて「ギャラリープラザ」がオープンし、愛知・稲沢のご当地グルメブースの他、プロボウラーのサイン会や写真撮影、ご当地アイドルの「ラヴィーナサーティ」と「NNG」による生ライブなど様々な楽しいイベントが催される中、連日たくさんのお客様にご参加頂き大変な賑わいとなりました。

そんなお祭り気分で盛り上がる一方、四日間にわたる長い戦いもいよいよクライマックスを迎え、頂点を決する決勝ダブルイルミネーションの幕が上がります。

一度負けても敗者ゾーンに回って勝ち上がれば3位決定戦に進出できるダブルイルミネーション方式で、無敗を守ってトップシードで優勝決定戦へ進んだのは東海勢の大声援を背負う坂田重徳。

故障から低迷が続き、一時は引退も考えたという坂田でしたが、病気を抱える知人を通じて「投げたくても投げられない人がいるのに、投げられる自分が格好悪い姿を見せたくないなんて見栄からボウリングをやめてもいいのか」という思いを抱え、このジャパンオープンに参戦。ほとんどの選手が苦戦したレーンコンディションも苦に感じず、マスターズ予選から首位を守って全日本ナショナルチームの現役選手・佐々木智之選手を迎え撃ちます。

佐々木選手はアマチュアといえども国内外を問わず大活躍中のトップボウラー。優勝したいという欲よりも、ただ決勝で良い試合をしたいと願い、「アマチュアとは思わない、トッププロを相手にするつもり」で全力で倒しに行ったという坂田でしたが、滑り出しはストライクだったものの繋げることができず、3フレーム目はスプリット。一方で佐々木選手は3フレーム目からターキーを決めてリードを取ります。

佐々木選手優勢でゲームは中盤を迎え、これは再優勝決定戦へ持ち込まれるかと観客のみならず坂田本人も思いましたが、7フレーム目から坂田がようやくストライクを繋ぎはじめ、佐々木選手との差を徐々に詰めていきます。

そして9フレーム目、佐々木選手が10番ピンカバーをミス。パンチアウトを決めても216ピンが最高スコアとなった時、坂田に勝利の目が見えてきました。

ぴりぴりと緊張感が張り詰める、痛いほどの集中を見せて坂田の10フレーム1投目はストライク。もう一つ持って来れればほぼ優勝が決まるという展開のなか、坂田は心の中で愛する妻子の名を呼びます。そして2投目、坂田曰く「俺に力を貸してくれと祈ったら力貸され過ぎて」ボールはブルックリンへ。しかしブルックリンながらもストライクはストライク。結果、わずか4ピン差で佐々木選手をまくって2006年のSAP埼玉オープン以来6年ぶりの4勝目、そして16年ぶりのジャパンオープンV2をつかみ取りました!  

 

 【JPBA】 ABS ジャパンオープンボウリング選手権 【女子クイーンズ準決勝】

 

姫路 麗

姫路 麗

 

 

坂田重徳

坂田重徳


 

2012/11/10

 

 

姫路 麗

姫路 麗

 

 

坂田重徳

坂田重徳

 

 

吉田真由美

 

 

川口富美恵


 

2012/11/09

 

 

山本優介

 

 

豊田 清

 

 

長縄多禧子・菊地教子

 

 

松尾星伽・浅野真唯・大嶋有香・平野志帆


 

2012/11/08

 

 

山本優介

山本優介

 

 

佐々木智之・山本 勲

 

 

平山陽一・吉井昌幸・辻本博樹・田中清隆

 

Belmonte Keeps World Series “Three-Peat” Hopes Alive as Top Qualifier in PBA World Championship

Australia’s Jason Belmonte, who won three of his five career Professional Bowlers Association titles during the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, kept his hopes for a three-title repeat alive Thursday when he ran away from the field to claim the top qualifying position for the PBA World Championship finals at South Point Bowling Center.

Belmonte, a 29-year-old two-handed bowler, averaged 240.27 for the 56 games of World Championship qualifying and match play to finish with a 13,455 pinfall total, 29 pins ahead of his fiercest rival, reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill. Belmonte entered the final round of match play in second place, but locked up the lead with a 279 in game six and a 300 in game seven.

Earlier in GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, Belmonte qualified for the Chameleon Championship finals in the No. 1 stepladder position and he earned the No. 2 berth for the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship finals.

During World Series III, Belmonte won the Chameleon, Shark and PBA Elite Players Championships. He came into World Series IV fresh off a victory over Rash in the Australian Masters, a PBA International Tour event.

Completing the field for Sunday’s five-man stepladder finals will be Dan MacLelland, who hopes to win his first title which would make him the first Canadian ever to win a PBA Tour event; 2007-08 PBA Rookie of the Year Rhino Page of Dade City, Fla., and PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., who ranks sixth on the all-time PBA titles list with 32 career victories.

Belmonte, who is trying for his first major title, said, “I’m very, very happy right now. I’d love to win my first major here, and I’d love to win three titles again.

“I knew the other guys would come out firing tonight and I wanted to be one of them,” he continued. “The key was in that 279 game I bowled against Parker. I almost changed balls after that game, but I decided to give the ball I was using one more frame, and I struck, and I followed that with a 300 game. I was one frame away from making a big mistake.”

The sentimental favorite Sunday may be Bohn, who missed the practice session for the World Series because he stayed home an extra day to help his neighbors deal with the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy. He then qualified for the 24th and final position for the match play finals, and battled his way into the finals, striking in the 10th frame to edge Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., by nine pins for the final spot in the stepladder finals. Bohn, 49, is trying for his first title since winning the Cheetah Championship in December 2008.

The PBA World Championships was the concluding event to the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, and is the PBA’s first major championship of the 2012-13 season. ESPN will air the finals on Sunday, Jan. 13.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV competition will conclude with six television finals for delayed airing on ESPN Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s lineup, in a special two-lane arena setting in South Point Exhibition Hall A, includes the Bayer Advanced Aspirin World Bowling Tour men’s and women’s finals presented by the PBA at 10 a.m., the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship finals at 1 p.m. and the Viper Championship finals at 4 p.m.

Sunday’s lineup includes the Chameleon Championship at noon, the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship at 2 p.m. and the PBA World Championship finals at 5 p.m. ESPN will air all six 90-minute finals on consecutive Sundays at 1 p.m. ET, beginning on Dec. 9.

The final live Xtra Frame event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling will be the PBA League Draft Friday. Eight PBA League franchise players, based upon their finishes in the 2011-12 PBA competition points race, will select four players each to complete their teams for the new PBA League, which makes its debut in Detroit in January. Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel, will webcast the entire draft beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific.


 

2012/11/07

 

England’s Dom Barrett Charges into Lead in Race for PBA World Championship Stepladder Finals

England’s Dom Barrett, a second-year Professional Bowlers Association player, charged into the lead in the PBA World Championship Wednesday night at South Point Bowling Center behind a 237 average and a 10-6 match play record .

Barrett, who won his only PBA Tour title in the Scorpion Championship during the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, entered the PBA World Championship as the No. 7 qualifier after a disappointing finish in the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship a day earlier. Barrett was the leading qualifier in the Scorpion event, but slipped to sixth place in the semifinal round, missing the cut to the ESPN stepladder finals by seven pins.

Wednesday night, however, he advanced from fifth place into a six-pin lead over Australia’s Jason Belmonte, finishing with a 48-game total of 11,687 pins, including match play bonus pins. Barrett rolled games of 280, 247, 277, 268, 210, 247, 245 and 235, and needed every pin to hold off Belmonte, who finished with a 11,681 total. Rhino Page of Dade City, Fla., was third at 11,658 followed by fourth-round leader Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., at 11,597 and Canada’s Dan MacLelland at 11,506.

The final eight games of match play to determine the five players who will advance to Sunday’s ESPN stepladder finals begins at for 2 p.m. PT on Thursday.

The PBA World Championships is the concluding event to the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, and the PBA’s first major championship of the 2012-13 season. ESPN will air the finals on Sunday, Jan. 13.

“When I played the finals of the Scorpion, I couldn’t get my ball through the pins,” Barrett said. “I left a lot of corner pins, but today the condition was more like what I’m used to seeing in Europe and I was able to get the corner pins out.

“I actually thought I bowled quite well in the Scorpion semifinal round, but I just couldn’t get my ball to match up. I made the adjustments today and they worked.

“Bowling here on the PBA Tour the last year, I’ve learned so much,” the three-time World Bowling Writers Bowler of the Year added. “It’s really a steep learning curve, but it’s also really special when you see the results of your hard work pay off.

“My game plan worked well today. I’m just going to try to keep striking. I know these other guys are coming after me. They’re going to bowl well, so I need to bowl well, too.”

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition concludes with the final round of match play at 2 p.m. PT Thursday. Complete coverage of the final round will be available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

 

Rash Wins Five of Eight Matches, Retains Lead in Race for PBA World Championship Stepladder Finals

Reigning Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., won five of his first eight matches Wednesday to retain his lead in the PBA World Championship Wednesday at South Point Bowling Center.

Rash, who entered the round-robin match play portion of the World Championship with a 64-pin lead over Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., expanded his lead by only 14 pins after the first of 24 round-robin matches. The second round was scheduled for 6 p.m. PT Wednesday and the final eight games, to determine the five players who will advance to Sunday’s ESPN stepladder finals, is set for 2 p.m. Thursday.

The PBA World Championships is the concluding event to the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, and the PBA’s first major championship of the 2012-13 season.

Rash led with a 40-game total of 9,668 pins, including match play bonus pins. Jones had a 9,590 total. Canada’s Dan MacLelland was in third place at 9,577 followed by Australia’s Jason Belmonte at 9,539 and England’s Dom Barrett at 9,498. Defending champion Osku Palermaa of Finland was sixth, five pins behind Barrett.

Complete GEICO WSOB IV coverage is available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Wednesday night with the second of three eight-game match play rounds.


 

2012/11/06

 

Two-Handed Power Players Palermaa, Belmonte Top Stepladder Field for PBA Scorpion Championship

Two-handed power players Osku Palermaa of Finland and Jason Belmonte of Australia claimed the top two qualifying berths in GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship at South Point Bowling Center Tuesday night.

Palermaa, the defending PBA World Champion, fired games of 244, 259, 236, 222, 204 and 226 in the six-game semifinal round to finish with a 14-game total of 3,295 pins, nipping Belmonte by two pins for the top spot. Belmonte, who led the Chameleon Championship field on Monday, was trying for back-to-back No. 1 stepladder berths.

Rounding out the Scorpion stepladder finals field will be Jason Sterner of McDonough, Ga., with a 3,262 total, and Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla., who generates power by throwing the ball without using his thumb, with 3,261 pins.

Sterner and Daugherty are trying for their first PBA Tour title. Daugherty will be making his first television appearance since rolling a PBA-record low 100 game during the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions finals.

The Scorpion ESPN stepladder finals will take place on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. in a special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 6.

“When I got here a week ago, I kind of tore my right bicep a little during practice,” Palermaa said. “By Thursday, I didn’t know if I could make a spare at all (he shoots at spares one-handed, using his right arm), but it’s better. It’s stiff and sore, but I can bowl.

“I started the World Series with the wrong ball, and dug myself a hole,” he added. “I got that fixed, and yesterday I wasn’t even mad when I missed the (Chameleon Championship) cut by five pins. If I had to bowl another eight games in the semifinals yesterday, I don’t know if I could have bowled today at all.

“Today I decided to bowl hard and straight to spare my arm. Now I only have one more game to bowl on Sunday for the Scorpion title, but tomorrow (the start of PBA World Championship match play) means more. I have 24 more games, so I will just have to make the best of it.”

The Scorpion Championship qualifying round earlier Tuesday was the final qualifying leg for the PBA World Championship. Combined eight-game qualifying round scores from the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion Championships determined the 24 players who will advance to three eight-game World Championship match play rounds Wednesday and Thursday.

Based on 32 qualifying games, Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., won World Championship top qualifier honors, averaging 239.44 for a 7,662 pinfall total. Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., was second with 7,598 followed by Belmonte at 7,544; Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, at 7,522 and Dan MacLelland of Canada at 7,504.

Complete GEICO WSOB IV coverage is available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Wednesday with the first two of three eight-game match play rounds in the PBA World Championship at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The final round of match play is scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m.

 

 【PBA】 Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship 【Qualifying Round】

Big Finish Makes England’s Barrett Top Qualifier in Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship

England’s Dom Barrett, with a 279 final game, earned top qualifier honors in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship at South Point Bowling Center Tuesday by 14 pins over Jason Sterner of McDonough, Ga.

Barrett, who won his only PBA Tour title in the 2011 Scorpion Championship during PBA World Series of Bowling III, rolled games of 222, 235, 218, 276, 199, 258, 257 and 279 for an eight-game total of 1,944 pins to lead the field of 16 qualifiers who advanced to Tuesday night’s six-game semifinal round.

After six more games, the top four players will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. in the World Series arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The Scorpion Championship finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 6.

Rounding out the top five Scorpion qualifiers were Mike Devaney of Hemet, Calif., in third place with 1,920 pins; PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., in fourth at 1,913 and PBA Senior Tour compete Hugh Miller of Mercer Island, Wash., at 1,905.

Barrett finally broke through to reach the semifinals after finishing 18th in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship, missing the top 16 cut by seven pins, and finishing 17th in the Viper Championship, missing the cut by four pins. He wasn’t nearly as close in Monday’s Chameleon Championship. “I didn’t like that one so much,” he said.

But he made sure he wasn’t going to let the Scorpion get away from him.

“Around game five, you have to start lofting the ball because the condition breaks down,” Barrett said. “I’m not the best lofter, but after what I learned here last year, I’ve gotten a lot better at it, practicing hard at home.

“I won the Scorpion last year, so I’m still alive, and I’m hoping I can defend. I like the length of this pattern. It has a little more oil volume than the other patterns we bowl on,” he continued. “At home I’m used to playing on slicker surfaces, and this pattern kind of comes into that range.”

The Scorpion Championship is also was the fourth and final qualifying leg for the PBA World Championship. Combined eight-game qualifying round scores from the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion Championships determined the 24 players who will advance to three eight-game World Championship match play rounds Wednesday and Thursday.

After 32 qualifying games, Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., won World Championship top qualifier honors, averaging 239.44 for a 7,662 pinfall total. Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., was second with 7,598 followed by Australia’s Jason Belmonte at 7,544; Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, at 7,522 and Dan MacLelland of Canada at 7,504.

Complete GEICO WSOB IV coverage is available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Wednesday with the first two of three eight-game match play rounds in the PBA World Championship at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The final round of match play is scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m.


 

2012/11/05

 

Australia’s Belmonte Overtakes Williams for Top Berth in PBA Chameleon Championship Stepladder Finals

Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte, ageless Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla.; California attorney Scott Norton and Bahrain’s Fawaz Abdulla advanced to the stepladder finals of the Professional Bowlers Association’s Chameleon Championship at South Point Bowling Center Monday.

In the third of four “animal pattern” championships that make up the qualifying portion of the PBA World Championship, Belmonte posted a 14-game total of 3,462 pins to claim the top berth in Sunday’s stepladder finals by 29 pins over the 53-year-old Williams, the all-time leader in PBA Tour titles with 47 victories.

Norton, who won his only title in the 2010 Chameleon Championship, qualified third with a 3,399 total and Abdulla, the first player from Bahrain to ever qualify for a PBA television final, advanced from sixth place in the final game to claim the fourth spot in the TV field with 3,333.

Belmonte, who won three of his five career PBA Tour titles during the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, made his first stepladder final in this year’s World Series after finishing 23rd in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship Saturday and 25th in the Viper Championship Sunday.

“I like to be on TV and I like to be No. 1,” Belmonte said.

“Every day is so different, so you just have to let go of what happened the day before. I was kind of bummed with the way I bowled on the Cheetah pattern. The Viper isn’t one of my favorites, but today I came in as though this was the first day of the tournament, and that’s the way I bowled.

“There was a lot of friction on the lanes today. Everyone moved in and with my speed and rev rate, it played right into my game plan. I got off to a great start tonight (278), but in the second game, I realized the lanes were changing, so I made a ball change that worked and I never looked back.”

Williams, who saw a string of 26 consecutive years with at least one television appearance end last season, held the lead through 12 games before Belmonte overtook him. But it was a great comeback after a less-than-stellar start to the World Series in the two previous events.

“After yesterday I was thinking I shouldn’t be bowling here,” the PBA Hall of Famer said. “But today I was able to do what I like to do – throw it nice and firm, get a good reaction, and I actually threw the ball pretty well. And I got some pin carry.

“I’d like to think I’m still competitive, but it’s a matter of doing the right things on the lanes,” Williams added. “Yesterday (in the Viper Championship) I didn’t; today I did. I still have to shoot a lot tomorrow (in the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship) to sneak into top 24 (the match play field for PBA World Championship is based on 32 games – eight games in each of four “animal pattern” events), but it’s possible.”

Williams said he’s well aware of his advancing years, but right now, coming from the East Coast to the Pacific time zone has been a bigger pain.

“I’ve been waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. every night. I’m still on Eastern time,” he said, “so I think I’ll go take a nap.

“I’ve got a few aches and pains,” he added. “(Sunday) night my shoulder ached, but I woke up this morning and felt fine. It’s not uncommon. I’ve dealt with that for a long time, not just the past few years, and it doesn’t seem to affect my play. Actually, most of my body parts are still pretty decent.”

With 47 titles, more than $4 million in career earnings and more PBA records than any player in PBA history, what’s left for him to accomplish?

“Win another title,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not a Senior Tour title. A regular one. That would be nice, especially after last year. That was definitely a negative on my radar.”

After three rounds of PBA World Championship qualifying, Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., maintained his lead, averaging at a 241.12 pace for a 24-game total of 5,787 pins, 60 pins ahead of Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C. Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, was third with 5,699.

Complete GEICO WSOB IV coverage is available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Tuesday with the fourth and final “animal pattern” event, the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship. Qualifying squads will begin at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Scorpion semifinal round at 8 p.m.

 

Ageless Walter Ray Williams Jr. Leads Chameleon Field; Rash Tops PBA World Championship Qualifiers

The ageless Walter Ray Williams Jr. demonstrated Monday that he still has some fuel in his 53-year-old tank, taking the eight-game qualifying lead in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Chameleon Championship at South Point Bowling Center.

In the third of four “animal pattern” championships that make up the qualifying portion of the PBA World Championship, the all-time PBA Tour titles leader with 47 career victories averaged 240.63 behind remarkably consistent games of 234, 245, 236, 247, 242, 258, 213 and 250 for a total of 1,925 pins to lead the 16 players who advanced to Monday night’s six-game semifinal round.

Two pins behind Williams was Denmark’s Mik Stampe. Australia’s Jason Belmonte was one pin behind Stampe.

After the semifinal round, the top four players based on 14 games will advance to Sunday’s ESPN television stepladder finals. Williams hopes to be among those four.

“After yesterday I was thinking I shouldn’t be bowling here,” the PBA Hall of Famer said. “But today I was able to do what I like to do – throw it nice and firm, get a good reaction, and I actually threw the ball pretty well. And I got some pin carry.”

After a dismal 2011-12 PBA Tour season when he failed to qualify for a television final for the first time in a PBA-record 26 years, Williams refused to give in to the years of physical abuse his body has endured in bowling more than 22,000 games in PBA Tour competition.

“I’d like to think I’m still competitive, but it’s a matter of doing the right things on the lanes,” he said. “Yesterday (in the Viper Championship) I didn’t; today I did. I still have to shoot a lot tomorrow (in the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship) to sneak into top 24 (the match play field for PBA World Championship is based on 32 games – eight games in each of four “animal pattern” events), but it’s possible. I figured I needed to be at least 300 over today (he was 325 pins above a 200 average Monday) and tomorrow, but we’ll see what happens.”

Williams said he’s well aware of his advancing years, but right now, coming from the East Coast to the Pacific time zone has been a bigger pain.

“I’ve been waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. every night. I’m still on Eastern time,” he said, “so I think I’ll go take a nap.

“I’ve got a few aches and pains,” he added. “(Sunday) night my shoulder ached, but I woke up this morning and felt fine. It’s not uncommon. I’ve dealt with that for a long time, not just the past few years, and it doesn’t seem to affect my play. Actually, most of my body parts are still pretty decent.”

With 47 titles, more than $4 million in career earnings and more PBA records than any player in PBA history, what’s left for him to accomplish?

“Win another title,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not a Senior Tour title. A regular one. That would be nice, especially after last year. That was definitely a negative on my radar.”

After three rounds of PBA World Championship qualifying, Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., maintained his lead, averaging at a 241.12 for a 24-game total of 5,787 pins, 60 pins ahead of Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C. Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, was third with 5,699.

Complete GEICO WSOB IV coverage is available on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Tuesday with the fourth and final “animal pattern” event, the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship. Qualifying squads will begin at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Scorpion semifinal round at 8 p.m.


 

2012/11/04

 

Angelo Wins No. 1 Berth in PBA Viper Championship Finals; Rash Takes World Championship Qualifying Lead

Brad Angelo of Lockport, N.Y., rolled a 279 final game Sunday to win the top berth in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Viper Championship stepladder finals during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling at South Point Bowling Center.

Angelo, who won his only PBA Tour title in the 2008 Pepsi Viper Championship, bowled games of 236, 258, 199, 227, 236 and 279 during the six-game semifinal round to finish the day with a 14-game total of 3,344 pins to top the field of four players who will compete for the Viper Championship title in the ESPN stepladder finals on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. at South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The Viper Championship will air on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 23.

He will be joined in the Viper finals by PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., 3,326; Finnish native Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., 3,283, and Mike Fagan of Dallas, 3,267. Fagan held on to win the fourth spot in the finals by one pin over Scott Norton of Costa Mesa, Calif.

“I’ve been executing well for the last few years, but getting that little half-pocket strike to keep a string going hasn’t been there,” Angelo said. “At this level, if you don’t get those strikes, you can’t compete. And today, I got some of those. I don’t know what it was, but the chips fell.

“If you don’t have speed and rev rate in today’s world, you can’t keep up. My little trick has been a slow float and still being able to get the ball through the pins. When I can do that, I’m pretty tough to beat. That’s my uniqueness, and it hasn’t been there for me lately. But to be the leader? You can’t beat that.”

Earlier Sunday, Rash, the reigning PBA Player of the Year, posted an eight-game qualifying total of 2,035 pins to advance from 30th place after Saturday’s Cheetah Championship round into first place in the PBA World Championship race with a 16-game, 3,949 pinfall total, 16 pins ahead of Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio.

Eight-game qualifying totals from Saturday’s Cheetah, Sunday’s Viper, Monday’s Chameleon and Tuesday’s Scorpion Championships will be combined to produce the 32-game totals that will determine the 24 PBA World Championship match play finalists. Three eight-game World Championship match play rounds will take place Wednesday and Thursday at South Point Bowling Center.

PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Monday with Chameleon Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Chameleon semifinal round at 8 p.m.

 

Rash Averages 254 to Lead PBA Viper Qualifiers, Jumps into First in World Championship Standings

Reigning Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., averaged 254.37 Sunday to take the qualifying round lead in the PBA Viper Championship, the second event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center.

Rash bowled games of 234, 280, 257, 233, 269, 257, 248 and 257 for an eight-game total of 2,035 pins to lead the field of 16 qualifiers who advanced to Sunday night’s six-game semifinal round. After six more games Sunday night, the top four players will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area. The Viper Championship will air on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 23.

Rash was a dominant force in WSOB III in 2011 when he qualified a record five consecutive television shows and six out of seven during the World Series. He finished 30th in Saturday’s Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship, but didn’t make any major changes for Sunday’s Viper event.

“I used the same philosophy today as I did Saturday – get as many pins as possible. This is stage two of four. The World Championship is what matters,” Rash said. “If you can make it into one of the animal pattern shows along the way, so much the better.”

The eight-game qualifying totals from the Viper Championship will be added to qualifying totals from Saturday’s Cheetah, Monday’s Chameleon and Tuesday’s Scorpion Championships to produce the 32-game totals that will determine the 24 match play finalists for the PBA World Championship. Three eight-game World Championship match play rounds will take place Wednesday and Thursday at South Point.

After 16 of 32 qualifying games, Rash was advanced from 30th place to first in the PBA World Championship race with a 3,949 total, 19 pins ahead of Cheetah qualifying leader Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio.

“I made an unbelievable ball change in game four, and it definitely helped me,” Rash said. “The team behind me helped a lot. You’ve got to have some help if you’re going to succeed here.”

Rounding out the top five heading into Sunday night’s Viper semifinal round were 30-year-old attorney Scott Norton of Cost Mesa, Calif., in second place with 1,943 pins; Dan MacLelland of Canada in third with a 1,923 total; Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., fourth with 1,920 and rookie Craig Nidiffer of Trenton, Mich., in fifth place with 1,914.

Norton, the 2010-11 PBA Rookie of the Year, said improved focus was the key to his performance after finishing 105th in Saturday’s Cheetah Championship qualifying round.

“Yesterday I had a little trouble on one side of the center, and by the time I figured it out, it was too late,” he said. “So I tried to improve my focus level today and it was much higher. It seems like sometimes when scoring conditions are a little tougher on the left side of the lane, I have the magic ball roll that works. That doesn’t always happen, but sometimes, and today is worked.”

PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Monday with Chameleon Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Chameleon semifinal round at 8 p.m.


 

2012/11/03

 

Mike Wolfe Averages 253, Earns Top Berth in Cheetah Championship Finals in GEICO WSOB IV Opener

Four-time Professional Bowlers Association title winner Mike Wolfe of New Albany, Ind., averaged 253 for 14 games to earn the top berth in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship stepladder finals, the opening event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center Saturday.

Wolfe, a 36-year-old 12-year PBA Tour veteran who is seeking his first PBA Tour title in four years, rolled games of 233, 269, 268, 289, 227 and 247 in front of a packed crowd at South Point Saturday night to finish the Cheetah Championship qualifying and semifinal rounds with a 14-game total of 3,550 pins. He will be joined in the ESPN stepladder finals by Jeffrey Roche of Dearborn, Mich.; qualifying leader Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, and three-time PBA Tour titlist Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa.

Roche, who will make his ESPN debut, finished second with 3,499 pins. Loschetter, a 10-year veteran who also is trying for his first title, qualified third with a 3,478 total. O’Neill charged out of 16th place at the start of the six-game semifinal round to earn the fourth spot in the finals with a 3,477 total.

The ESPN stepladder finals which will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area for delayed telecast on Sunday, Dec. 16.

Wolfe, who won his last title in the 2008 Ultimate Scoring Championship in Taylor, Mich., said a look into the past helped him get back on top of his game.

“I went back to a lot of things I did in 2004 and that was be myself, not try to bowl like other guys,” he said. “I told myself to just do what got you here and bowl.”

Wolfe said he had been trying for a couple of years to change his ball tilt, trying to get his thumb out of the ball faster “and turns out I couldn’t hold onto the ball.”

On the Cheetah lane condition, “Everyone has a chance,” he said, “so you have to pay attention to the ball motion and throw strikes, and I was able to do that pretty well today.”

PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Sunday with Viper Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Viper Championship semifinal round at 8 p.m.

 

Loschetter Averages 253 to Take Qualifying Lead in Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship

Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, averaged 253.25 to take the qualifying round lead in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship, the opening event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center Saturday.

Loschetter, a 32-year-old Professional Bowlers Association veteran who is seeking his first PBA Tour title, rolled games of 249, 278, 236, 222, 244, 279, 289 and 258 on his way to a 2,026 total in front of a packed crowd at South Point and took a nine-pin lead over Mike Wolfe of New Albany, Ind. Loschetter and Wolfe led a field of 16 qualifiers who advanced to Saturday night’s six-game semifinal round. The four ESPN finalists will be determined based upon 14-game pinfall totals.

The ESPN stepladder finals which will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area for delayed telecast on Sunday, Dec. 16.

“It was pretty high scoring. There was lots of striking going on,” said Loschetter, who has finished second three times in 127 previous PBA Tour events. “I’ve been working on being more aggressive at the bottom of my arm swing, which helped my pin carry. Today the key was to not get down on yourself if you had a 220 game. I did a good job of keeping my composure.”

Rounding out the top five were Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., in third place with 2,002 pins; and Eddie VanDaniker Jr. of Chatsworth, Calif., and Jeff Roche of Dearborn, Mich., tied for fourth with 1,997 pins.

The eight-game qualifying totals from the Cheetah Championship also will count as the first of four qualifying rounds in the PBA World Championship. Eight-game qualifying totals from Sunday’s Viper, Monday’s Chameleon and Tuesday’s Scorpion Championships will be added to Cheetah qualifying scores to produce the 32-game totals that will determine the 24 players who will advance to the PBA World Championship match play rounds Wednesday and Thursday.

PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.

GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Sunday with Viper Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Viper Championship semifinal round at 8 p.m.