プロボウリング情報


2015/06/28

 

EJ Tackett Strings Seven Strikes, Wins First PBA Tour Title in Xtra Frame Lubbock Southwest Sports Open

Top qualifier EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind., threw a string of seven consecutive strikes to defeated Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., 256-213, to win the PBA Xtra Frame Lubbock Sports Southwest Open and his first PBA Tour title Sunday at South Plains Lanes.

Tackett, PBA’s 2013 Rookie of the Year, opened the title match with three single-pin spares, but made a few adjustments and followed with his string of seven strikes to run away from O’Neill, who is arguably the hottest player in professional bowling this summer. O’Neill came into the Lubbock event fresh off wins in the PBA Badger Open and Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort King of the Swing, a multi-event summer series in which he also had two third-place finishes.

Tackett, 22, had previously finished second in the 2013 USBC Masters and the 2014 Oklahoma Open. Along with his first PBA Tour title, he won a $15,000 first prize.

“A lot of people took a chance on my when I first came out on tour, so I want to thank all of them,” Tackett said. “This one is for them.”

O’Neill advanced to the title match with a 267-235 victory over 2014 PBA Southwest Region Player of the Year Shawn Maldonado, a two-handed player from Houston, Texas. Maldonado was trying for his first PBA Tour title.

In the first match, Maldonado rallied from a 45-pin deficit in the fifth frame, finishing with seven consecutive strikes – including a cross-over strike on his first shot in the 10th frame – to eliminate defending Lubbock Southwest Open champion Mitch Beasley of Nashville, Tenn.

The Xtra Frame Lubbock Southwest Open, presented by Storm, was the fourth PBA Tour event covered exclusively live on by PBA’s exclusive online video-streaming service. Earlier in the year, Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, won the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in Tokyo – the first international event ever streamed live on Xtra Frame; Josh Blanchard of Phoenix, Ariz., won the PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, and Colombia’s Andres Gomez won the PBA Xtra Frame Pensacola South Open last Sunday at New Liberty Lanes in Pensacola, Fla.

Among the 59 players who qualified for the cashers’ round was former Major League All-Star John Burkett of Southlake, Texas. Burkett, a 50-year-old first-year competitor on the PBA50 Tour, bowled Saturday’s early nine-game qualifying squad. With half of the field yet to bowl, Burkett was certain he had missed the cut to Sunday’s cashers’ round, so he headed back to Southlake – roughly 320 miles away. At the end of the five-hour trip, he learned he had, in fact, qualified in 58th place, so he turned around and drove back to Lubbock. Bowling the cashers’ round on three hours’ sleep, Burkett moved up to 34th place after two games before fatigue set in and he fell to 51st.


 

2015/06/23

 

Bill O’Neill Caps Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing With King of the Swing Victory

In what could be considered the all-star event of the 2015 Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing, Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., beat Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., 191-164, to successfully defend his Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing title at the Grand Event Center.

The concluding event of the Summer Swing, which aired Tuesday on the CBS Sports Network, provided a unique challenge, requiring the finalists to compete on a dramatically different lane condition on each lane. The special two-lane arena installation in the Grand Event Center featured the 32-foot Wolf lane condition on the left lane and the 52-foot Badger lane condition on the right lane, putting a premium on adjustments, shot-making and equipment selections for the players.

“I enjoy dueling lane conditions,” said O’Neill, who won the Oklahoma Open to earn his spot in the special event, a non-PBA title finale to the Summer Swing. “You have to use all the tricks in the bag. In this case it turned out to be a grind out, but I enjoyed the test.”

In winning last year’s King of the Swing, O’Neill defeated Sean Rash, 254-181, for the title.

“The trophies will make good bookends,” said O’Neill, who also finished third in the Bear and Wolf Opens earlier in the Summer Swing. “I might have let a couple opportunities get away from me this year but in the end I can go to sleep happy after winning the Oklahoma Open and the King of the Swing.”

Leading up to the title match, two-time defending PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia defeated Wolf Open winner Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, N.C., 201-182, in a battle between a pair of two-handers to start the finals. Belmonte, who earned the wild card spot in the King of the Swing as the top point-getter in the Summer Swing without a title, then lost to Badger Open winner Ronnie Russell of Marion, Ind., in the second match, 233-211. Jones, the Bear Open winner, then defeated Russell, 208-178, to meet O’Neill in the title match.

Xtra Frame, the PBA’s on-line video subscription service, features a preview and post-game show for all CBS Sports Network telecasts of Summer Swing events. PBA fans can find additional coverage of Summer Swing action through the PBA Network which includes archived coverage of all preliminary rounds on Xtra Frame, player interactions through Facebook and Twitter, mobile gaming, original programming, archived events and immediate news updates 24/7 on varying communications devices anywhere in the world. For additional PBA Network information, visit http://www.pba.com/PBANetwork.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.


 

2015/06/21

 

Colombia’s Andres Gomez Wins Third PBA Tour Title in Xtra Frame Pensacola South Open

Andres Gomez of Colombia won his third PBA Tour title Sunday, defeating Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla., 211-192, to win the PBA Xtra Frame Pensacola South Open at New Liberty Lanes.

With strikes in the ninth frame and first shot in the 10th, Gomez overcame an unconverted 2-10 split in the eighth frame to lock up the $10,000 first prize on a demanding PBA Bear lane conditioning pattern. The native Colombian, now living in Hollywood, Fla., won his previous PBA Tour titles in the 2011 and 2013 Carmen Salvino Classic tournaments.

Daugherty advanced to the title match with a 237-212 win over 2014 PBA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year Anthony Simonsen, an 18-year-old two-handed player from Princeton, Texas. In the first match, Daugherty eliminated 16-time PBA Tour winner Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., 247-233.

The Xtra Frame Pensacola Open was the third PBA Tour event covered exclusively live on by PBA’s exclusive online video-streaming service. Earlier in the year, Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, won the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in Tokyo – the first international event ever streamed live on Xtra Frame – and Josh Blanchard of Phoenix, Ariz., won the PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine.

PBA players now head to South Plains Lanes in Lubbock, Texas, for the PBA Xtra Frame Lubbock Sports Southwest Open presented by Storm next Friday through Sunday. Qualifying, match play and stepladder finals competition on Saturday and Sunday will be covered live, exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. For subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo. Three-day, monthly and full year subscriptions are available.

 

姫路 麗、有終の美を飾る節目のV10!

投球中は堪えた涙が溢れて止まらず

今年9月に42年の歴史に幕を下ろすことが決定したJFE千葉リバーレーン。千葉女子オープンはリバーレーンとともに歩んできたと言って過言はなく、ファンの皆様をはじめ関係者、選手達にとってそれは淋しいという言葉だけでは言い表せないニュースでした。

しかしそれだけに、JFE千葉リバーレーン最後の公式大会となる今年の千葉女子オープンは、誰もが”感謝”と”恩返し”を胸に、タフなコンディションでも精一杯の戦いを見せてくれた大会となりました。

この千葉で記念すべき初優勝を果たした松永裕美がまさかの予選敗退、昨年のベストアマで全日本ナショナルチームのエース・霜出佳奈 選手が予選首位から12位まで転落。さらにディフェンディングチャンピオンも宮城鈴菜や第6代チャンピオンの川口富美恵がカットラインに届かず敗退という波乱のなか、千葉女子オープン9年の歴史の中で6回ベストアマを獲得した強豪・松丸澄子選手が、予選20位から一挙トップに躍り出るという活躍を見せて決勝ラウンドロビンへ進出します。

その後に5月にプロテストトップ合格を果たしたばかりの内藤真裕実、昨年デビューの鶴井亜南といった若手が続き、毎回上位の成績は収めるものの、千葉でのタイトルを手にしたことのない姫路 麗、吉田真由美、近藤文美、千葉女子オープン初代女王の愛甲恵子に大石奈緒らタイトルホルダーが進出を果たしました。

8名での決勝ラウンドロビンでは、出だしの1G目こそ黒星がついたものの、そこから7連勝の姫路がトップシードを奪取。

アマチュア時代にMKチャリティカップでラウンドロビンを体験していたことから緊張せずに投げられたという内藤、そんな内藤とは反対に緊張しながらの投球だったという鶴井が揃ってステップラダー初進出を決め、順位を落としながらも進出枠に踏み止まった松丸選手が最後に続きました。

4位決定戦はラウンドロビンとは対照的に緊張せず気持ち良く投げられたという鶴井。気持ち良く元気いっぱいに投げ過ぎて10フレーム1投目で割ってしまい松丸選手には届きませんでしたが、今後の成長を予感させる良いゲームを見せてくれました。

続いて松丸選手の前に立ちはだかった内藤は攻め方を間違えてスコアを伸ばせず、今回は松丸選手の勝ち上がりを許しましたが、その動じない投球に今後の活躍が期待されます。

そして泣いても笑っても最後のゲームは、節目のV10を目前にした姫路VS松丸選手の対戦に。

グリコセブンティーンアイス杯で9勝目を挙げ、はじめからこの千葉でV10を達成する心構えだった姫路でしたが、決勝レーンは準決勝のラストゲーム、ラウンドロビン1ゲーム目と4ゲーム目にロースコアを叩いてしまった相性の悪いレーン。

毎回ボールをチェンジし、この優勝決定戦に的を絞って試行錯誤してきましたが、練習ボールでも良い手応えが得られないまま一か八かの勝負に出ます。

対する松丸選手はアマチュア選抜大会をはじめとして今大会もっとも多くのゲームを投げて体力を削ってきた上に、変化するレーンに苦戦。ダブルでスタートした姫路に初手から大きくリードされ、その背中に近づくことができません。

勝利が確定しているなかでの10フレーム目は、優勝、そしてV10の喜びと同時に感謝と寂しさがこみ上げる姫路。零れ落ちた涙でアプローチを濡らすことのないよう、必死で泣くのを堪えて投げきり、リバーレーン最後の女王の座を掴み取りました。

千葉オープンの会場として長らくのご協力を頂き、スタッフの皆様には大会運営に多大なるご尽力を頂きましたこと、JPBA一同男女を問わず心より感謝申し上げます。プロアマすべての選手がボウリングの楽しさを再確認させて頂き、夢のような楽しい時間を過ごさせて頂きました。JFE千葉リバーレーンの皆様、本当にありがとうございました!  

 

ベストアマ最多賞にして堂々の準優勝!

松丸澄子選手

 

 

姫路 麗

 

 

松丸澄子


 

2015/06/20

 

 

霜出佳奈

 

 

鶴井亜南


 

2015/06/19

 

 

松井八知栄

 

 

望月理江

 

 

加藤八千代

 

 

若田彩実


 

2015/06/18

 

総合優勝は吉田由美子選手!

梅雨空に咲くアジサイのように、一年に一度往年の名花たちが集うHANDACUPプラチナレディースが6月17日(水)に東京・品川プリンスホテルボウリングセンターにて開催されました。

予選6G、決勝2Gの8Gトータルスコアで競われ、プロの部は6期生の富岡雪枝、アマチュアの部は藤田光江選手が優勝。

そしてHDCP無しのスクラッチでもっともスコアの高かった吉田由美子選手が2年連続総合チャンピオンの座につきました。


 

2015/06/17

 

Amleto Monacelli Battles Mental Game to Win PBA50 Northern California Classic

With his mental game still a work in progress, Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli was able to keep his emotions in check enough to win the PBA50 Northern California Classic presented by MOTIV at Harvest Park Bowl in Brentwood, Calif., Wednesday for his fourth career PBA50 Tour title.

The Venezuelan defeated last week’s Fountain Valley Open winner Brian LeClair of Delmar, N.Y., 237-225, in the championship match for his first title of the season.

With his physical game and his equipment choices in good shape, the 53-year-old Monacelli admits he needs to work on his emotions during the course of a tournament if he wants to be a consistent winner on the PBA50 Tour.

“I still have the tendency to get down on myself and get mad when things aren’t going my way,” said the 19-time PBA Tour winner. “It’s something that I have to keep working on and don’t let it get to me.

“I think I have too much expectation and just need to relax. Sometimes before each squad I will do a little meditation which helps, but sometimes I just need to tell myself to let it go when I throw a bad shot or get a bad break.”

Monacelli, who qualified for the top spot in the stepladder final, said that he was very focused in the championship match which translated into good shot-making.

“I had a game plan for what I wanted to do because I could see how the lanes were changing in the previous matches,” he said. “I basically took a guess at what ball I thought would work best and it all came together very well.”

Previous to his win, Monacelli had four top-10 finishes this season including two sixth-place finishes as his best.

Two-time major league all-star pitcher John Burkett of Southlake, Texas, established himself as a force to be reckoned with in his new career as a professional bowler finishing fourth for his best finish of the season. He started the stepladder final with a come-from-behind, 226-216, win over Bob Spaulding of McKinney, Texas, but then lost to LeClair in the second match 212-196.

In the five tournaments Burkett has competed in this season he has made the cut to match play in four of them with a previous best finish of 15th in the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open.

LeClair went on to beat PBA50 Tour newcomer Jimmy Hansen of Anchorage, Alaska, 214-202, in the semifinal to advance to the title match against Monacelli.

The 2015 PBA50 Tour season will take a month-long break before returning to action July 19-22 for the PBA50 Treasure Island Resort & Casino Open presented by Roto Grip at Island Xtreme Bowl in Welch, Minn.


 

2015/06/16

 

Bill O’Neill Bowls ‘Angry’ to Win PBA Oklahoma Open

In the culmination of one of the biggest tests of versatility on the PBA Tour, Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., took command early in the championship match and never looked back to win the PBA Oklahoma Open, the most prestigious event of the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing.

O’Neill won his sixth career PBA Tour title by defeating two-time defending PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia, 247-172, in the title match seen Tuesday on CBS Sports Network.

“I need to bowl angry, like Pete Weber,” said O’Neill. “Over my career I’ve let some matches get away because I probably haven’t bowled aggressive enough. I told Jason he wasn’t going to beat me tonight.”

O’Neill had a very productive Summer Swing to this point, qualifying for the stepladder finals in two Summer Swing events and finishing third in both the Wolf and Bear Opens. But he admitted he might have let a win or two slip away in those events.

“I was confident going into those shows,” O’Neill said, “but it upset me that I basically gave them away. I felt I could have won both of them. To be so close…you just don’t want to give opportunities like those away.”

O’Neill, who has had success in previous Summer Swings, won the Badger Open and King of the Swing last year in addition to finishing third in the 2014 Bear Open, eighth in the Wolf Open and fourth in the Oklahoma Open.

As the top qualifier for the Oklahoma Open by virtue of aggregate pinfall from first-round qualifying in the Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens, O’Neill earned the right to select the lane condition for the Oklahoma Open finals. He picked the 40-foot Bear lane condition which he quickly pointed out is not necessarily his favorite condition to bowl on.

“It’s not about just bowling on your favorite pattern,” O’Neill said. “You have to also take into account who’s bowling on the show and how you think they’ll be playing the lanes. With that in mind I thought the Bear would give me the best chance to succeed.”

The Oklahoma stepladder final opened with 13-time PBA Tour winner Patrick Allen of Mount Kisco, N.Y., defeating two-time Tour winner Andres Gomez of Colombia, 211-200. Allen, who was hoping to break a six-year drought without a title, then went on to beat Bear Open winner Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., 225-215, before losing to Belmonte in the semifinal, 237-203.

“I just didn’t have anything going. The condition was brutal for me,” said Belmonte who was trying for his third win of the season and 13th of his career. “I changed balls twice in the match and tried a few other things but it would have been tough to beat Bill anyway because he got off to a good start right out of the box. I was never in a position to put anything together to get back in the match.”

The Summer Swing on CBS Sports Network concludes Tuesday, June 23 with the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort King of the Swing special event which will air at 9 p.m. ET. The King of the Swing telecast will feature Wolf Open winner Kyle Troup, Bear Open winner Jones, Badger Open winner Ronnie Russell, O’Neill as Oklahoma Open winner, and Belmonte as highest player in Summer Swing points without a title.


 

2015/06/13

 

斉藤茂雄、プロ入り13年目にして悲願の初優勝を果たす!

優勝を決める一投を見つめる

今年で10周年を迎えるROUND1CUP。近づく夏を予感させる男達の熱い戦いが、本日幕を下ろしました。

3ヶ月ぶりの公認トーナメント、しかも優勝賞金500万円のビッグタイトルとあって、予選前半で打てなかった選手も後半で怒濤の追い上げを見せるなど、まさに熱戦を繰り広げました。

なかでも今年3月にラウンドワン所属となった坂田重徳がホストプロとしての意地を見せ、準決勝で大爆発!予選16位から一気に首位に立ち、決勝ラウンドロビン進出を果たしました。

続くラウンドロビン10G目まで坂田がそのままトップを守り、このまま独走体勢かと思われましたが、じりじりと追い上げてきた斉藤 茂雄が11G目で首位を奪取。アマチュア最高峰の全日本ナショナルチームからプロに転身し、これまで「最も初優勝に近い男」と言われながら真面目な性格が災いしてか優勝にはあと一歩で届かなかった斉藤。しかし今大会はその真面目さを体現するがごとく一歩ずつ着実に上を目指し、ROUND1CUPでは4年ぶりとなる決勝ステップラダーにトップシードで乗り込みました。

そんな斉藤の後にトップを奪われた坂田、そして斉藤と同じく順位を上げてきた吉田文啓、原田招雄らが続き、最後の一席にはポジションマッチで平山陽一を下して順位をひっくり返した渡邉航明が滑り込みます。

ROUND1CUP独特の5名による決勝ステップラダーは3月の関西オープンで初優勝を果たした渡邉と、2年前の大会で最年長優勝記録を更新した原田の5位決定戦から始まります。

一進一退のシーソーゲームで勝敗は10フレームにもつれ込み、ダブルを決めた原田が勝利。渡邉の今季2勝目はお預けとなりました。

続く4位決定戦は滑り出しから6連続ストライクを決めてリードする原田を吉田が追いかけ、7フレーム目に原田がスプリットを出したところで逆転。しかし原田が大ベテランの粘り腰を見せて9フレーム目からターキーに成功して吉田を再び突き放します。

しかしそんな原田も坂田との3位決定戦では一転してストライクが決まらず、坂田の独走に追いつくことができませんでした。

そしてこの4日間の戦いに終止符を打つ最終決戦、斉藤と坂田の東海勢対決がスタート。

これまで承認・公認を問わず、マッチゲームで坂田に勝てたことがなかったという斉藤。初優勝への欲を捨て、大先輩の胸を借りる心持ちで対戦に臨みます。

両者ともダブルからの滑り出しとなりましたが、3フレーム目からストライクが来ない坂田を、4フレーム目から4連続ストライクに成功した斉藤がリードします。

しかし火の玉・坂田がこれで引き下がる筈もなく、6フレーム目から立て直してストライクを連発。さらに斉藤が8フレーム目であわやスプリットかと思われた失投。幸いスプリットにはならなかったものの、ここでストライクが途切れてしまい、坂田に並ばれてしまいます。

これまでの斉藤なら、その真面目さから失投が気持ちに響いて立て直せず、勝利を逃すという展開もあったかもしれません。まして対戦相手が猛追撃の最中であればなおさら心が揺れたでしょう。

ですが今大会、斉藤が戦っていたのは自分でした。

詰めの甘さから勝利を逃してきていたこれまでの自分。そんな自分を乗り越えるべく、斉藤は勝負どころの9フレーム目からオールウェーを決めました。

最後の1投が8本ならば坂田がオールウェーしたとしても同点、自力での完全優勝を決めたければ最低9本以上倒すことが条件となる中でのオールウェー。斉藤がプロ入り13年目にして大きな成長を遂げた瞬間と言えるのではないでしょうか。

2年前の11月、ボウリング界は大切な方を一人失いました。こよなくボウリングを愛し、承認大会の開催やプロトーナメントへの協賛などプロアマの区別なくボウラーを応援してくださった上山和巳氏。その上山氏が一番に応援されていたのが斉藤でした。

初優勝を果たして上山氏へ何か言葉は?と尋ねたところ、「会場にいてくれてたと思います」とだけ語った斉藤に、二人の絆の深さが偲ばれました。

故・上山氏に、家族に、仲間に。そして多くのファンに支えられて、斉藤茂雄、悲願の初優勝を果たしました!

 

総合60位でベストアマ獲得!

鎌田正和選手

 

ナインテントーナメントを岡部直治が制す!

決勝ラウンドロビン終了後、決勝ステップラダーに先駆けてナインテントーナメントのTVファイナルが行われ、岡部直治がプロアマ128名の頂点を制しました!

トップクラスの若手・藤井信人をストライク4つで撃破した岡部は、優勝決定戦にて5月のグリコセブンティーンアイス杯で14年ぶりの優勝を遂げた田形研吾と対戦。田形の自滅もあってダブルスコアで勝利し、賞金40万円を獲得しました!

 

 

斉藤茂雄


 

2015/06/12

 

 

坂田重徳

 

 

山本 勲


 

2015/06/11

 

 

安部誠司


 

2015/06/10

 

Brian LeClair Wins Two Come-From-Behind Matches, Sudden Death to Win PBA50 Fountain Valley Open for First Career National PBA Title

Brian LeClair of Delmar, N.Y. competed on the PBA Tour for 18 seasons without a title. But now, bowling as a rookie on PBA’s Tour for players 50 and over, he can lay claim to his first national PBA title after winning the PBA50 Fountain Valley Open presented by Track Wednesday at Fountain Bowl.

The win didn’t come easy.

After surviving two come-from-behind matches which included a sudden-death roll-off in the championship match, LeClair defeated two-time PBA50 Tour titlist Lennie Boresch Jr. of Kenosha, Wis., for the title with a strike in the second sudden-death frame to Boresch’s nine-count after the players tied with 247 games. After both players struck in the first sudden death frame, Boresch left an eight pin on his shot to hand the win to LeClair.

“I don’t know what to say,” said LeClair whose best showings on the PBA Tour were two second-place finishes. “This whole tournament was about finding a way to get it done. From choosing the right equipment to how I played the lanes, it was all about fighting back.

“My next win could come next week or 10 years from now, but what matters right now is that I won tonight.”

And fight back he did. In both the championship match and the semifinal match, when it appeared that he might be eliminated early, LeClair came from behind in dramatic fashion by throwing the last six strikes of the match. In the semifinal, he made his late-game run to defeat Paul McCordic of Sugar Land, Texas, 219-212, to advance to the championship match against Boresch.

Another illustration of the long road LeClair took to the title was having to claw his way through the casher’s round to even make it to match play.

“Throughout my career there have been some who may have thought I didn’t have what it took to get it done and in some cases maybe they were right,” LeClair said, “This time there was no giving up. I guess I could have had the attitude that I was beaten in those matches but I turned it around and thought if there was room for me to come back and win I could do it.”

Both of LeClair’s second-place PBA Tour finishes came in 1996 against tournament winner Hall of Famer and all-time Tour titles leader Walter Ray Williams Jr.

McCordic advanced to the semifinal match by defeating two-time PBA50 Tour and two-time PBA Tour titlist Jack Jurek of Lackawanna, N.Y., trying for his second win of the season, 237-207.

In the opening match, Jurek defeated PBA50 Tour rookie Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, who was trying for his third win of the season, 234-199.

The next stop for the PBA50 Tour will be Harvest Park Bowl in Brentwood, Calif., June 14-17 for the PBA50 Northern California Classic presented by MOTIV. The seventh stop of the 2015 season will be covered live in its entirety on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame. For subscription information.


 

2015/06/09

 

Ronnie Russell Surprises Himself by Winning PBA Badger Open for Third Career Title

Of the three animal pattern events that make up the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing, the Badger Open was the one Ronnie Russell thought he was least likely to win.

For a player who gets better results playing on PBA’s shorter lane conditions, Russell surprised even himself by winning the Badger Open which aired Tuesday on CBS Sports Network from the Grand Casino Resort Event Center. It was Russell’s third career title.

The 35-year-old Marion, Ind., resident, who won last year’s Summer Swing Bear Open on the shorter 40-foot lane condition for his second Tour win, beat four-time Tour winner and top qualifier Dom Barrett of England, 218-178, in the championship match which was contested on the 52-foot Badger lane condition, the longest of the Summer Swing lane conditions.

“My (ball) roll is quite a bit different than most players out here,” Russell said. “I’m better on the shorter lane conditions because I like to get the ball down early which makes those conditions work in my favor. On a condition like the Badger, the guys with the lower rev rates usually do better.

“I was carrying the pins better than the other guys because I was using different angles to the pocket and I felt I could throw a good shot when I needed to which gave me a good comfort level,” Russell added.

Russell, who qualified third for the finals, beat Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla., who was making his first U.S. television appearance in more than two years, 235-217, in the second match. He then eliminated three-time Tour winner and No. 2 qualifier Rhino Page of Orlando, Fla., in the semifinal match, 244-193, to advance to the final.

Despite a second-place finish earlier this season in the PBA Players Championship, Russell still had some concerns about when his next win would come. He credited Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III, who beat him in the Players Championship title match, for some valuable advice.

“I didn’t want the thought of when another win would come to wear on me and Parker gave me some good advice,” Russell said. “He told me to stay focused and have a good time instead of worrying about winning until I get in that position. I like to have too good a time out there and sometimes I just need to calm down.”
In the opening match, Williams, who was trying to extend his all-time leading Tour win total to 48 at age 55, ended 28-year-old Houston two-hander Shawn Maldonado’s hopes for his first Tour title, 232-223.

The Badger Open is the third of five events that comprise the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing. All five events (Wolf, Bear, Badger and Oklahoma Opens plus the Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing) are televised by CBS Sports Network. The Oklahoma Open finals will air on June 16 and Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing on June 23, both at 9 p.m. ET.

Russell also will join the previous Summer Swing winners (Tommy Jones, Bear Open, and Kyle Troup, Wolf Open) in the King of the Swing special event. The Oklahoma Open and a wild card player, based upon Summer Swing competition points without winning a title, will complete the King of the Swing field.

Xtra Frame, the PBA’s on-line video subscription service, features a preview and post-game show for all CBS Sports Network telecasts of Summer Swing events. PBA fans can find additional coverage of Summer Swing action through the PBA Network which includes archived coverage of all preliminary rounds on Xtra Frame, player interactions through Facebook and Twitter, mobile gaming, original programming, archived events and immediate news updates 24/7 on varying communications devices anywhere in the world. For additional PBA Network information, visit http://www.pba.com/PBANetwork.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158.  For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.


 

2015/06/08

 

高橋延明が大会連覇を果たす!

1ピン差の激闘を制して大会連覇達成!

50才以上の男子選手のみ出場権が与えられるプロボウリングマスターズ。ボールの回転やスピードは若手に一歩譲ったとしても、コントロールや戦術、駆け引きといったボウリングの醍醐味にかけては上を征く。そんないぶし銀の男達の戦いが、本日閉幕致しました。

予選前半と後半、また準決勝でも順位が大きく変動し、坂田重徳、岩本茂文、黒羽正行らが大きくジャンプアップ。なかでもアマチュア唯一の決勝ラウンドロビン進出を果たした溝口康男選手は予選21位からの滑り込みという大健闘を見せてくれました。

しかし上位陣の壁は厚く、ディフェンディングチャンピオンの高橋延明と昨年2位に終わりリベンジを誓う北岡義実がトップシード争いの末に高橋リードで決勝ステップラダー進出。その後に8勝を挙げた坂田が続き、最後の一席をかけて石原章夫と玉置幸一郎が争いましたが、ポジションマッチで勝ち星を挙げた石原が玉置を引きずり下ろしました。

4位決定戦は石原VS坂田の組合せ。ひとつ上でライバルの北岡が待ち受けているとあれば、何としてでも勝ち上がりたい坂田が中盤ターキーに成功。滑り出し以降ストライクが決まらない石原も丹念にスペアを決めて手堅くまとめますが、勝負どころの9・10フレでダブルを決めた坂田が石原を突き放しました。

坂田曰くの”ドリームマッチ”となった坂田VS北岡の3位決定戦。1フレーム目でいきなりスプリットを出してしまった上に右レーンでストライクが来ない坂田が出遅れます。一方北岡は3フレーム目からターキーを決めてリードを広げ、圧倒的に優勢かと思われましたが、6フレーム目でまさかの7・10スプリット。対する坂田は7フレーム目で3・6・7番ピンのスプリットをカバーしてじりじりと差を詰めます。先に投げる北岡が204ピンで終了し、坂田は9フレーム目からのオールウェーが成功すれば1ピン差の逆転となるところでしたが、10フレーム2投目であえなくテンピンタップ。ワンマーク差で坂田から逃げ切った北岡が優勝決定戦へと駒を進めました。

トップシードこそ入れ替わりましたが、昨年と同じ北岡VS高橋の組合せによる優勝決定戦は、両者ともスペアからのスタート。しかし左右のレーンでコンディションが違うことを感じた高橋はボールを2つ投入、北岡も3位決定戦とはライン取りなど攻め方を変えた結果、両者とも作戦が当たって一歩も譲らぬストライク合戦に。7フレーム目で先に途切れたのは高橋でしたが、8フレームでは北岡が痛恨のスプリット。さらにスプリットが出たレーンで迎える10フレーム目を考えることに集中し過ぎたか、9フレーム目もストライクが決まらず、10フレ勝負へと突入します。

先に投げる北岡は、しかしここできちんと持ち直してダブルに成功。高橋にプレッシャーを与えるためにはパンチアウトまで決めたいところでしたが、最後の投球は4番ピンを残す9本カウント。これで高橋は1投目にストライク、2投目はストライクでなくても9本ならば同点、カバーできれば1ピン差で優勝という展開に。

決して余裕のある展開とは言えませんが、そこで余裕が生まれるのが第一線で戦い続けてきたシニアの底力。8フレーム目で7・10スプリットになりかけたところを7番ピンが倒れてくれたという幸運もものにしてきた高橋が、最後に残った4番ピンをカバーし、大会連覇を達成しました。

粘りの石原、攻めの坂田。そして最後の1ピンを巡る高橋と北岡の激闘と、今年のマスターズは若手だけの戦いではなかなかお目にかかれない、まさにいぶし銀の重厚な戦いを見せてくれました!

 

決勝ラウンドロビン進出を果たし、総合12位入賞でベストアマ獲得!

溝口康男選手

 

 

高橋延明


 

2015/06/07

 

 

北岡義実

 

 

北岡義実


 

2015/06/06

 

 

田形研吾

 

津島健次が制覇!

5月30日(土)・31日(日)の二日間にわたり、キャッスルボウル福山で行われました承認大会・第11回中国・四国オープンボウリングトーナメントにて、津島健次が優勝しましたことご報告致します。

決勝シュートアウト・プロの部で津島は2ndマッチから参加。岡野秀幸、髙淵常志に兄の津島悟志らを下してトップシードで待つ副島隆嗣との優勝決定戦に臨みます。

副島との対戦、津島は左レーンでストライクが来ず、副島にリードを許してしまいます。一方副島は中盤までリードを取ったものの終盤でストライクが決まらずにじわじわと差を詰められ、津島がパンチアウトを決めて同点フィニッシュに。勝敗はワンショットプレーオフに持ち込まれ、8本対9本で津島が辛くも勝利を掴みました。

またアマチュアの部を制した庭月野恵選手とエキシビションマッチで対戦。ここでもパンチアウトを決めて僅差でかわし、総合優勝を果たしました。


 

2015/06/05

 

Weber Defeats Forkel to Win First Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open Title

Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., won the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Storm Friday to join fellow Hall of Famer Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., as the only players to win U.S. Open titles on both the PBA and PBA50 Tours.

Weber, who has won a record five U.S. Open titles on the PBA Tour, defeated local favorite and No. 1 qualifier Eric Forkel of Henderson, Nev., 224-212, in the title match at the Suncoast Bowling Center to join Duke in the elite club.

“A major title is a major title no matter where it comes from,” said Weber, who owns 37 PBA Tour titles including a record tying 10 majors. “That’s why they have them, because they’re above the rest of the tournaments. I don’t care if it’s a senior major or super senior major, they mean the same to me because of what it takes to win them.”

In the title match, Forkel, a five-time winner on the PBA Tour, held an eight-pin lead over Weber in the seventh frame with both players throwing a double in the eighth and ninth frames.

Forkel, who finished third in the 2013 Senior U.S. Open, left a seven pin on the first ball of the 10th frame which left an opening for Weber. Weber got the first two strikes in the 10th frame that sealed the win.

“I couldn’t really complain today because 90 percent of the shots I made I felt real good about,” said the 53-year-old Weber. “You expect to have a bad break somewhere but I didn’t really have one worth mentioning. When I didn’t strike I had a nine-count most of the time and when that’s the worst you do you’re going to be in good shape.”

In the semifinal match, Weber defeated Duke, who won the 2014 Senior U.S. Open on his way to earning PBA50 Player and Rookie of the Year honors, 247-190, to advance to the title match. Duke defeated Weber in last year’s title match, 214-174, to win the Senior U.S. Open.

As the No. 4 qualifier, Weber opened the stepladder final by defeating six-time PBA Tour winner and No. 3 qualifier Chris Warren of Grants Pass, Ore., 224-202, to advance to the semifinal match against Duke.

“I just used the same philosophy for the finals I used for the whole tournament,” said Weber, who did not have an open frame in his three matches. “Just stay patient and make the spares.”

For Weber it was his first PBA50 Tour title of the season and fourth of his career. He now has won both PBA50 Tour majors having captured the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters in 2013.

Former major league all-star pitcher and PBA50 Tour rookie John Burkett of Southlake, Texas, bowling in his first PBA50 Tour major, finished 15th.

The Senior U.S. Open is considered the most demanding test for players because of its grueling format. Like the U.S. Open on the PBA Tour, the Senior U.S. Open demands patience, quality shot-making and a strong mental game over 50 games of qualifying and match play to make the finals.

The PBA50 Tour moves to Fountain Valley, Calif. for the Fountain Valley Open presented by Track June 7-10. The sixth stop of the 2015 PBA50 Tour season can be seen on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame. For subscription and schedule information visit http://www.xtraframe.tv/pba/


 

2015/06/02

 

Tommy Jones Wins 16th Career Title in PBA Bear Open, Ends Seven-Year Winless Streak on U.S. Soil

Breaking a streak of seven years without a PBA Tour title on U.S. soil, Tommy Jones won this first title of the season and 16th of his career with a 225-211 victory over PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke in the PBA Bear Open finals at the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort Event Center.

Jones, whose last U.S. title came in the 2008 GEICO Open in West Babylon, N.Y., won four straight matches from the No. 4 qualifying position in a challenging stepladder final that required all players to execute spares, split conversions as well as throwing strikes. The second of five telecasts which are part of Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing aired Tuesday night on CBS Sports Network.

Both Jones and Duke struggled to start the title match with Duke failing to convert the 1-2-4 in the first frame and Jones failing to convert the 2-7 split in his third frame. It was in the 2-7 split that made Jones decide to make a move with his ball and his angle to the pocket, reeling off four consecutive strikes. That string, along with a double in the ninth and 10th frames, was enough to hold off Duke who was trying for his second title of the season and the 39th of his career.

“I watched what Norm was doing and what Bill (O’Neill) was doing in the previous match, so I decided it was time for me to change to a different ball, get my balance and footing adjusted, and throw it a little softer,” said Jones. “I actually enjoy grinding it out like this. You’re not just throwing strikes. You have to be on your game to make spares and splits plus get a few breaks along the way.”

Since the 2008 GEICO Open, Jones has won two titles in Japan and another in Saudi Arabia, but he has had a run of bad luck in U.S.-based tournaments. This season, Jones had a previous best finish of fifth place in the Summer Swing Wolf Open and sixth place with Chris Barnes in the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship.

“I’ll be honest, there were some doubts that creep into your head when you start thinking about when that next win will come,” Jones said. “It causes you to put more pressure on yourself. I just went back to that old mindset of just thinking about the next shot.”

An inkling to how challenging the 40-foot Bear lane condition would be came in the opening match when Jones defeated No. 5 qualifier Brad Angelo of Lockport, N.Y., trying for his third Tour title, 179-161. Jones then defeated two-time defending PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte, who was trying for his third win of the season and 13th of his career, 221-210, in the second match and out-dueled five-time Tour winner Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., 225-220, in the semifinal match. O’Neill had a chance to win the match with a strike on his first shot in the 10th frame for a double, but he left a 4 pin.

With his win, Jones joined Wolf Open winner Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, N.C., in the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing finals. The Badger and Oklahoma Open winners also will advance to the end-of-series special event, along with a wild-card player based upon competition points earned without a title in the Summer Swing.

Next up on the Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing CBS Sports Network telecast schedule is the Badger Open (June 9), followed by the Oklahoma Open (June 16) and Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Resort King of the Swing (June 23). All telecasts will air at 9 p.m. ET.

 

 

先月プロテストに合格した新人女子18名(トップ合格の内藤真裕実を除く)のデビュー戦ともなった下半期女子出場優先順位決定戦が本日終了致しました。

パーフェクトが2つ達成されるなど、激しい打ち合いとなった戦いをくぐり抜けた上位3名には、保険の宮越様より特別賞としてお米が贈呈されました。