プロボウリング情報


2015/10/29

 

宮田俊輔
会場:東京ポートボウル


 

2015/10/28

 

 

岡部直治
会場:川崎グランドボウル


 

2015/10/27

 

 

日置秀一
会場:イーグルボウル


 

2015/10/25

 

“Dead Money” Upsets PBA Stars to Win Inaugural PBA Team Challenge Title

“Dead Money” is a poker term related to the money left in the pot by players who have folded. It also is the name a team of five relatively untested bowlers gave themselves before upsetting a highly-decorated team of Professional Bowlers Association stars in the inaugural PBA Team Challenge at the South Point Bowling Plaza Sunday.

The PBA Team Challenge, a first-of-its-kind five-player team competition for the sport’s most talented players, was conduct as part of the multi-event South Point Bowling Plaza Fall Classic.

Dead Money featured a lineup including PWBA Tour Championship winner Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., who stepped into the lineup to replace injured Alex Aguiar (who came up with the team name); one-time PBA Regional winners Alex Cavagnaro of Massapequa, N.Y., and Matt O’Grady of Matawan, N.J.; one-time PBA Tour winner Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, N.Y., and 30-year-old PBA rookie Matt McNiel of Prior Lake, Minn., who made his PBA Tour debut during the Fall Classic.

With McNiel bowling anchor, Dead Money put together a string of six strikes to take a 249-234 lead after the first game of the two-game Baker format title match and locked up a 497-452 victory by out-bowling “4 Majors and 100 at 1” in the second game, 248-218.

Combined, the five Dead Money players have won one PBA Tour title. The top-seeded “4 Majors and 100 at 1” own a combined 46 titles including PBA Tour major championship by Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa.; Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C.; Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, and Jason Belmonte of Australia. Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla., the fifth team member, is known for bowling a nationally-televised 100 game in “one” major – the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions.

“We all kind of grew up together bowling in Junior Gold and other tournaments, and we’re good friends,” McNiel said of his team’s chemistry. “The big thing for us was throwing good shots and having a good time, and we had a blast.”

In the first match, 900 Global Phoenix, with a lineup featuring four past or current Arizona State University collegiate bowlers plus Phoenix-based Michael Haugen Jr., a four-time PBA Tour winner, eliminated Team Brunswick in the first two-game Baker format match, 471-411. PBA rookie Jakob Butturff, a 21-year-old lefthander, threw seven strikes in eight attempts as 900 Global’s anchor bowler.

Dead Money then ousted 900 Global, rallying from a 43-pin deficit after game one with a 278 game to win the match, 493-484. McNiel threw two strikes in the 10th frame to lock up Dead Money’s comeback.

The round-robin match play competition leading into the stepladder finals included a Baker format 300 game by Team Brunswick’s Walter Ray Williams Jr., Sean Rash, Tom Smallwood, Jason Sterner and anchor bowler Parker Bohn III, the all-time leader in 300 games bowled in PBA competition (104). Williams, Rash, Smallwood and Sterner each threw two strikes. Bohn struck in the fifth frame and completed the perfect game with the final three strikes in the 10th.

The PBA Fall Classic concludes with the South Point PBA50 West Open Monday. Monday’s event will be covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For details, visit pba.com.


 

2015/10/24

 

900 Global Phoenix Tops PBA Team Challenge Qualifying

900 Global Phoenix averaged 238 as a team to lead qualifying Saturday in the inaugural Professional Bowlers Association Team Challenge at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

The PBA Team Challenge, a first of its kind five-player team competition for the sport’s most talented players, got underway with all 17 teams bowling six complete team games (30 individual games) which was followed by a round of 12 Baker format games where players alternated frames to complete a game.

900 Global Phoenix, with four-time PBA Tour winner Michael Haugen Jr., Russ Oviatt, Ben Canfield, Andrew Cain and Jakob Buttruff, compiled a 10,014 42-game pinfall total to top Dead Money with Alex Cavagnaro, Matt O’Grady, Matt NcNiel, South Point Las Vegas Open runnerup Anthony Pepe and South Point PBA West Regional winner Danielle McEwan, in second with 9,854.

“One thing in our favor is we’re a team that has a lot of team experience,” said Cain, a past-president of the United States Bowling Congress who still serves on the board. “On paper you may not see the star power of a lot of the other teams but we’re a group of guys who have a lot of team experience and we’re also able to practice together which is a huge benefit.

“It was as much of a team effort as you could have,” the former Team USA member and Arizona State standout added. “We got out of the gate strong and everyone contributed. We have the collegiate team experience and the experience of a PBA Tour winner so we have all the right ingredients.”

The top six teams advanced to Sunday’s team match play round which begins at 9 a.m. PT followed by the stepladder finals at 3 p.m., which will involve the top four teams bowling Baker format matches.

Other teams advancing to Sunday’s match play were: 4 Majors & 100 at 1 (Jason Belmonte, Tommy Jones, Wes Malott, Bill O'Neill, Tom Daugherty), 9,761; Team Brunswick (Parker Bohn III, Sean Rash, Tom Smallwood, Jason Sterner, Walter Ray Williams Jr.), 9,544; Playin’ On House Money (DJ Archer, Josh Blanchard, Dino Castillo, Rob Gotchall, Shawn Maldonado), 9,513 and Yee Yee Nation (Marshall Kent, Chris Loschetter, Rhino Page, Ronnie Russell, EJ Tackett), 9,467.

The entire Fall Classic is being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For details, visit pba.com.


 

寺下智香、涙のレギュラーツアー初優勝!

北海道勢の応援に滲む涙

一年の締めくくりとなる年末の2大会を控え、各ランキングトップや来季のシード権などを狙う者にとって重要な意味を成す ROUND1 Cup Ladies が本日4日間にわたる熱戦の幕を閉じました。

予選、準決勝とレーン攻略に苦戦する選手が多かった混戦状態をくぐり抜け、決勝ラウンドロビンには今季だけで4勝を誇る向かうところ敵無しの姫路 麗、そんな姫路の背中を追う阿部聖水を先頭に、谷川章子・鈴木亜季・近藤文美・名和 秋・西村美紀・川口富美恵・堀口 綾、そして昨年のプロテストトップ合格者・寺下智香、今季デビューの宇山侑花、久保田彩花らラウンドロビン初体験の若手、あわせて12名が進出。

ラウンドロビンでは阿部がスコアの乱高下はあったものの、8勝を挙げて首位を独走。その後を、一時10位まで落ちながらも安定したスコアを打って順位を上げた鈴木と寺下、トップシードから滑り落ちながら何とか進出圏内に止まった姫路が続き、ポジションマッチで近藤を引きずり下ろした川口が最後の一席を手に入れます。

出場選手も笑顔を浮かべ、観客と一体となって楽しんで投球する恒例のナインテントーナメントで盛り上がった後、一転して緊迫した空気が流れる決勝レーン。

水を打ったように静まるなか、川口と姫路による5位決定戦が始まりました。

12勝の姫路と7勝の川口、どちらも甲乙付けがたい実力の持ち主同士らしく、ゲーム中盤までほぼ互角で進みましたが、川口が8フレーム目に痛恨としか言い様のないビッグフォー。これで姫路がワンマーク差を奪い、9フレーム目からのオールウェーで川口にとどめを刺しました。

勝ち上がった姫路と寺下との4位決定戦は、寺下が滑り出しからダブルでリード。姫路もワンマーク差に詰めて追いますが、7フレーム目にチェンジしたボールが6・7・10番を残すスプリットに。強気で攻めましたがオープンに終わり、9フレーム目から再びオールウェーを決めるも、ノーミスを守った寺下に及ばずここで敗退となりました。

昨年のプリンスカップで、パーフェクトを達成しながらも敗北したという因縁の相手・姫路にリベンジ成功したことで勢いをつけた寺下は、続く3位決定戦で鈴木を相手に5連続ストライクで圧勝。阿部が待ち受ける優勝決定戦へ臨みます。先週の千葉オープンでお伝えしたように、プロの世界では「2勝目を挙げてからが本物」と言われるなか、2年前のMKチャリティカップで初優勝を果たした阿部と、昨年の新人戦で初優勝の寺下。どちらも喉から手が出るほど2勝目が二人の戦いは、寺下が三度ダブルスタートを切る一方、阿部は左レーンで迎えた2フレーム目で2・4・5・8番のバケットから5番ピンを残してオープンに。

ここで素早くボールをチェンジした阿部は3フレーム目からストライクを繋ぎ、中盤で一歩先を行く寺下を捕まえます。

しかし新人戦で優勝して間もないうちから「次はレギュラーツアーでの優勝を」と周囲から期待を寄せられていたという寺下もまた、経験値では阿部に及ばずとも若手トップクラスの実力の持ち主。「ここでダブルを持って来なければ置いて行かれる」と考え、アプローチにやや時間をかけて集中を高めます。ここでギアチェンジが功を奏したか、5フレーム目から4連続ストライクに成功。6フレーム目でストライクが切れた阿部に対してもう一度リードを取り、ぴったりワンマーク差で10フレ勝負へ突入します。

2勝目を目前にした10フレーム目、1投目は両者ともストライク。阿部はオールウェーでも235ピンとなり、寺下のミスを待つとしても2投目は絶対にストライクでなければならない状況となりましたが、天は阿部に味方せず。失投したわけでは決してなかったにも関わらず、無情にも4番ピンが残ってしまいました。

初のラウンドロビン、初のステップラダー。そして初のレギュラーツアー優勝、それも優勝賞金400万というビッグタイトルを前にして、緊張はしていても顔には出さず平静を保った寺下の2投目も9本カウントでしたが、ここで勝敗が確定。

待ち望んだ2勝目を挙げ、次の目標は?という質問に対して「10勝すること」と答えて道産子らしい器の大きさを窺わせた寺下。その寺下が大いに刺激を受けたと言う、今季ポイントランキングも10位以内をキープしている同期の鶴井亜南や、先々週のジャパンオープンで初優勝を遂げた森本健太ら同世代のプロとともに、新時代を担ってくれるヒロインがまた一人誕生しました!

 

六甲クィーンズに続き、今季2度目のベストアマ獲得!

石田裕子選手

 

ナインテントーナメントを谷川章子が初制覇!

ファイナルステージを前に、ROUND1Cup恒例のナインテントーナメント・TVファイナルが行われました。

9・10フレームのみを投球し、最短3球、最長でも5球で勝敗が決する短期集中戦は毎回大変な盛り上がりを見せますが、今年はファイナリスト4名全員がタイトルホルダー、同時に決勝ラウンドロビン進出も果たしているというまさにトップクラスの戦いに。

阿部聖水、名和 秋をそれぞれ下した姫路 麗と谷川章子の優勝決定戦は、後に投げる姫路が3投目を8本カウントとして谷川にわずか1ピン及ばず、谷川の優勝が決定しました。

本戦では惜しくも8位で決勝進出は成らなかった谷川ですが、ナインテントーナメント優勝で賞金40万円をゲットしました!

 

 

阿部聖水


 

2015/10/23

 

Danielle McEwan Wins South Point PBA West Challenge, Qualifies for PBA Tournament of Champions

Competing against a strong field of U.S. and international non-champions, Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., defeated Aaron Lorincz of Belleville, Mich., 277-236, to become the ninth woman to win a Professional Bowlers Association Regional title in the South Point PBA West Challenge at South Point Bowling Plaza Friday.

The tournament, part of the multi-event South Point Bowling Plaza PBA Fall Classic, was open to players who have never won a PBA event and drew bowlers from Colombia, Australia, Sweden, Venezuela and Canada. As a PBA West Region title winner, McEwan is now eligible to enter the 2016 FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions which will be held in Shawnee, Okla., Jan. 30-Feb. 7.

“Every time you win it’s pretty awesome, but against the guys? That’s pretty cool,” the 24-year-old former Fairleigh Dickinson collegiate All-American said.

In the semifinal round, Lorincz eliminated Colombia national team member Manuel Otalora, 212-178, while McEwan defeated eight-time European Bowling Tour titlist Martin Larsen of Sweden, 207-203.

McEwan is riding a stunning hot streak which began with her victory in the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour Championship in early September, concluding the first full season of women’s professional bowling since 2003. She was in the field of 16 finalists in the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open singles event that ended Thursday until the final qualifying game when she dropped to 22nd place in the male-dominated field of 112. Her finish was still good enough to clinch an invitation to represent the PWBA in the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in Tokyo in January.

“I think I’m doing so well because of the women’s tour,” McEwan said. “It’s the first time we got to bowl on a regular tour, and my game got really sharp, and I’ve been able to keep it going. I’m going to ride it as long as I can.”

As a four-time member of Team USA, McEwan’s next competition will be the World Bowling Women’s World Championship Dec. 4-13 in the United Arab Emirates. Afterward, she will immediately fly to Reno, Nev., where she will represent the PBA East Region in the PWBA-PBA Women’s Regional Challenge, a head-to-head match play competition involving women’s points leaders for all eight PBA Regions, during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII.

The South Point Bowling Plaza PBA Fall Classic continues with the most high-powered five-player team competition in PBA history, the PBA Team Challenge, Saturday and Sunday. The PBA Fall Classic concludes with the PBA50 Western Open, a regional tournament for players ages 50 and older, on Monday.

The entire Fall Classic is being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For details, visit pba.com.

 

 

姫路 麗

 

 

谷川章子


 

2015/10/22

 

Ciminelli Out-Strikes Pepe to Win Third Title in PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open

Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., struck on 10 of 12 shots to defeat top qualifier Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, N.Y., 269-211, in the title match of the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open Thursday at South Point Bowling Plaza.

In winning the duel of New York lefthanders, Ciminelli picked up his third career title and first since the 2013 PBA Chameleon Championship. It was a big disappointment for Pepe who had led the tournament from the first round, qualifying first for the stepladder finals by 370 pins over Ciminelli.

“It’s so hard to win a tournament twice, and leading by 370 pins…man, I’ve been there,” Ciminelli said. “I know what it feels like. I thought he was a little nervous and I tried to show a little emotion, and get after him. That’s just part of competition.”

In the first match, Ciminelli’s boyhood idol, 52-year-old PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., put together a string of four strikes, but got help when Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., left the 2-10 and 4-5 splits, opening in the fifth and eighth frames to give Bohn a comfortable cushion in his 215-200 victory. He then started the second match with seven strikes and ran away from Australia’s Jason Belmonte, who left three 10 pins in the first five frames, 253-210.

Bohn’s bid for his 35th career title and sole possession of fifth place on the PBA’s all-time titles list (he currently is tied with Mark Roth) came to an end in the semifinal match when Ciminelli followed a missed split conversion in the first frame with a string of five strikes on his way to a 234-190.

“It’s funny because when Parker bowls good, I seem to bowl bad. When Parker bowls bad, I bowl good, because of the differences in our styles,” Ciminelli said. “But this week, it seemed like if you threw the ball well, you were rewarded.”

Ciminelli, 29, said the win also was an important building block in her career.

“I still have a ways to go in taking what comes to you, and just dealing with it. Parker’s my idol that way. He just never gets upset about anything. I still have some things to learn about being a professional bowler and one thing that happened this week was dealing with perseverance. I had two 140 games and usually when I do that, I just miss the cut. To come back from that was big for me; the old me wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

The South Point Bowling Plaza PBA Fall Classic continues Friday with the South Point PBA West Challenge, a regional tournament open to players who have not won a PBA title. Action then shifts to the most high-powered five-player team competition in PBA history, the PBA Team Challenge, Saturday and Sunday. The PBA Fall Classic concludes with the PBA50 Western Open, a regional tournament for players ages 50 and older, on Monday.

The entire Fall Classic is being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For details, visit pba.com.

 

Anthony Pepe Cruises into No. 1 Berth for PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open Stepladder Finals

Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, N.Y., won 11 of his 16 matches – including seven of the last eight – and averaged 236 for 32 games to cruise into the No. 1 position for the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open stepladder finals Thursday afternoon by 370 pins over Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y.

Also advancing to the stepladder finals that will be covered live of PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame, at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET) were No. 3 Jason Belmonte, Australia; No. 4 Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., and No. 5 Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa.

 

 

板倉奈智美


 

2015/10/21

 

Anthony Pepe Claims Qualifying Lead in PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open

Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, N.Y., who bowled the first nationally-televised 300 game and won the first PBA title awarded in the new South Point Bowling Plaza, continued his run of high-quality bowling in the Plaza Wednesday, averaging 240 to claim the lead after qualifying in the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open.

Pepe, who won the 2014 PBA Cheetah Championship in his national television debut last fall, led the field by 41 pins after the first eight games and finished qualifying with a 16-game total of 3,843 pins and a 138-pin lead over Kris Prather of Milton, Fla., who had 3,705 pins. Patrick Girard of Canada was third with a 3,603 total, followed by Aaron Lorincz of Saginaw, Mich., at 3,598 and Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., and Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., who were tied for fifth place with 3,571 pins.

Prather, Girard and Lorincz are trying for their first PBA Tour title. Bohn, a PBA Hall of Famer, is a 34-time champion.

“I have a lot of friends in Las Vegas who are lefthanders and they say conditions here, for some reason are conducive to our side of the lane,” Pepe, a 27-year-old lefthander, said. “But that doesn’t necessarily help my confidence. You still have to make good shots, and you have to match up with your ball and the condition or none of the rest of it makes any difference.”

The top 16 players advanced to eight-game round-robin match play rounds Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. PT. The top five after 32 games will advance to the stepladder finals that will be covered live of PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame, at 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET).

In addition to competing for a PBA Tour title in the Las Vegas Open, players were bowling for points during qualifying toward invitations to compete in the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in Tokyo in January. The top 10 men will earn automatic invitations based on combined points earned in the Las Vegas Open and qualifying rounds of the Bowlmor AMF U.S. Open Nov. 2-8 in Garland, Texas. One woman also will be invited to Japan. Women were awarded points in the Bowlmor AMF U.S. Women’s Open, won by Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., in early September, in addition to the Las Vegas Open.

The South Point Bowling Plaza PBA Fall Classic continues with the final rounds of the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open Thursday followed by the South Point PBA West Challenge on Friday; the five-player PBA Team Challenge, Saturday and Sunday, and the PBA50 Western Open on Monday. The entire Fall Classic is being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For details, visit pba.com.

 

 

 


 

2015/10/20

 

Pickford, Simonsen Lead Field into Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship Stepladder Finals

Qualifying leaders Connor Pickford, 23, of Charlotte, N.C., and teenage partner Anthony Simonsen of Princeton, Texas, earned the top qualifying position for the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship finals, presented by Storm, at the South Point Bowling Plaza Tuesday.

Pickford, whose best career finish was second in the 2014 PBA Viper Championship, and Simonsen, an 18-year-old rookie whose top finish was third in the PBA Xtra Frame Pensacola Open earlier in the year, held off every challenge throughout 20 team games of qualifying and match play to win the top berth in the finals by 245 pins over England’s Dom Barrett and Finland’s Osku Palermaa, the runners-up in the Roth/Holman Doubles Championship held in February in Indianapolis.

Pickford and Simonsen split their 12 team matches, 6-6, but finished with a combined total of 9,337 pins while Barrett and Palermaa posted a 9,092 total. Josh Blanchard of Mesa, Ariz., and Andres Gomez of Colombia qualified third; rookie Matt McNiel of Prior Lake, Minn., and Anthony Pepe of Elmhurst, N.Y., qualified fourth, and Australia’s Jason Belmonte and partner Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., advanced from seventh to fifth in the final game.

“We just did the same thing we did yesterday,” Pickford said. “We stayed focused, made good shots and it seemed like every time someone got close, we had a big game to stay in front.”

“I don’t know what the difference was this week,” said Simonsen, who had struggled in most of his 13 previous PBA Tour events. “I was Mr. 60th place during the PBA Summer Swing, but everything seemed to click. I feel like I’ve been bowling well, and today it all came together.”

“I’m kinda bummed that the finals won’t be held until Dec. 19, though. If it was two days earlier and we could win, I’d become the youngest player ever to win a PBA Tour title.”

That record currently belongs to PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke, who won his first title in 1983 at the age of 18 years, 11 months, 8 days.

The top five teams will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals on Saturday, Dec. 19, as part of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno. The finals telecast will air on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 17, and will officially count as a 2016 title.

The South Point Bowlin Plaza PBA Fall Classic continues with the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open, a PBA Tour singles event, Wednesday and Thursday; the South Point PBA West Challenge on Friday; the five-player PBA Team Challenge, Saturday and Sunday, and the PBA50 Western Open on Monday. All competition in the Fall Classic is being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For details, visit pba.com.


 

2015/10/19

 

Connor Pickford, Rookie Anthony Simonsen Roll Into Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship Lead

Fifth-year PBA member Connor Pickford of Charlotte, N.C., and 18-year-old rookie Anthony Simonsen of Princeton, Texas, bowling as doubles partners for the first time, averaged a combined 240 to lead qualifying in the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship presented by Storm at the South Point Bowling Plaza Monday.

Both players, trying for their first PBA Tour titles, led the field of 12 teams that advance to two six-game rounds of round-robin team match play competition Tuesday. The top five teams after 20 team games (40 individual games) will advance to the ESPN stepladder finals which will be contested on Saturday, Dec. 19, at part of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno.

Among the teams failing to advance were two-time defending Roth/Holman Doubles champions Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., and Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, who qualified in 14th place.

Pickford and Simonsen, who dropped to ninth place with three games to go Monday, fired games of 289 and 266, respectively, in game six to charge into the lead and they held on to finish with 3,810 pins, 26 pins ahead of DJ Archer of Friendswood, Texas, and Shawn Maldonado of Houston, Texas.

Third with a combined 16-game total of 3,756 pins was the team of Matt McNeil, Prior Lake, Minn., and Anthony Pepe, Elmhurst, N.Y.

Simonsen, who decided to join the PBA a little over a year ago after cashing in a pair of PBA regional tournament as an amateur, “decided to take the opportunity and go after it. I had the desire to bowl on the PBA Tour for a long time. My parents used to record all of the TV shows and I grew up spending my nights watching the PBA.”

He also took up the sport as a two-handed player at age 3, when a bowling ball was too heavy to throw with one hand, and he never stopped using the two-handed technique that is growing in popularity.

Pickford, who led the PBA Viper Championship at South Point a year ago only to lose in the title match to Finland’s Mika Koivuniemi, picked Simonsen as his doubles partner when a group of five players known as “Team Fish” entered the PBA Team Challenge, which will be held later in the week.

“Once we made up Team Fish for the Team Challenge, we kinda decided to pick our own partners and I instantly put dibs on Anthony,” Pickford said. “But after the way all of us bowled today, it seemed like any of the five of us could have put our scores together and we’d have done fine. There was no such thing as a bad partner in that group.”

While their big game propelled them to the top, Pickford said, “We didn’t really lose the pocket all day. We missed one makeable spare all day, and that was a chop, so we’re pretty proud of that.

“Our key was just communicating what we saw on the first couple of shots on each pair and staying on top of the transition. It kinda threw us at first that teams on the left lane were moving to the left, and teams on the right lane moved right all day. We’ve never done that before in a PBA event, but it was cool. We got to bowl with a lot of guys. I liked it, and we just happened to capitalize on it.”

The Roth/Holman Doubles event is the first in a series of tournaments that make up the PBA Fall Classic. Following doubles match play rounds Tuesday, competition continues with the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open – a PBA Tour title event – Wednesday and Thursday; the South Point West Challenge (a regional event for non-title winners) on Friday; the new five-player PBA Team Challenge, Saturday and Sunday, and the PBA50 Western Open next Monday. All competition in the Fall Classic is being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For details, visit pba.com.


 

2015/10/18

 

斉藤茂雄、初優勝からわずか4ヶ月で2勝目を挙げる!

千葉オープン恒例、コーラで祝杯!

ジャパンオープンから一週間足らずで開催となった今年の千葉オープン。しかし選手達は疲れも見せず、むしろジャパンオープンで味わった口惜しさを晴らすかのごとく、パーフェクト6つ、800シリーズも1つ飛び出すハイスコア合戦を繰り広げてくれました。

今回は準決勝までA・Bシフトに分けて順位が付けられ、決勝ラウンドロビンには各シフト上位4名が進出。 43歳の斉藤茂雄を最年長に、30代前半の宮田俊輔と山本 勲、残る藤井信人、斉藤琢哉、川添奨太、谷合貴志は20代、そして20歳でJPBA最年少優勝記録更新の記憶も鮮やかな森本健太と、世代交代の波を感じさせる面子が出揃います。

今大会はラウンドロビンまでA・Bシフトに分けて選出され、準決勝までの平均スコアを見れば、藤井・宮田・川添・森本のAシフト勢が優勢かと思われましたが、ハイスコアを連発して7勝1敗でトップシードに立った斉藤琢哉と、8位スタートから2位まで順位を上げた谷合のBシフト勢が決勝ステップラダーへ進出。

続く最後の1席を、ポジションマッチで藤井と276対258という名勝負を繰り広げ、負けはしたもののぎりぎり5ポイント差で逃げ切った、やはりBシフトの斉藤茂雄が手に入れます。

斉藤と谷合による3位決定戦は、谷合がレーンに泣かされて8フレーム目までストライクが来なかった上に2度のオープンフレームを出してしまい自滅。またしても谷合のレギュラーツアー優勝はお預けとなりました。

勝ち上がった斉藤茂雄とトップシードで待ち受ける斉藤琢哉。斉藤対決となった優勝決定戦。2年前のROUND1CUPで初優勝を目前にしながら口惜しい思いをした琢哉と、今年のROUND1CUPで念願の初優勝を果たした茂雄。もう2位は嫌だと心に誓い、今度こその初優勝を取りに行く琢哉は練習ボールでは全球ストライクを決めたものの、いざ優勝決定戦開始直後の1フレーム目はジャストナイン。一方、3位決定戦でダブル以上はストライクが続かなかった茂雄が滑り出しからの5連続ストライクに成功。

琢哉も一瞬くじけそうになった気持ちを引き締めて2フレーム目から4連続ストライクを決めましたが、茂雄が厚めに入って割れそうになったりブルックリンになったりしながら神がかり的なラッキーを拾ってストライクを重ねる姿に気勢をそがれてしまいます。

この優勝決定戦に限らず、今大会で達成したパーフェクトも結構なラッキーに恵まれた茂雄。それはきっと、初タイトルを獲得するまでは調子づいて浮き足立ったりした自分を省みて、慎重に、1フレームを大事に投げるよう努める姿を、神様か――あるいは天国で茂雄を見守ってくれているであろう、恩人の上山氏が助けてくれているのではないかと思えます。

幸運そのものが取り憑いているかのような茂雄を前にして、琢哉は8フレーム目に痛恨のビッグ5。ここで勝敗はほぼ決しましたが、茂雄はさらに7フレーム目からオールウェーを決め、一回り以上年齢の違う琢哉に経験値の差を見せて引導を渡しました。

しかしながら若手が順調に育っていることをさらに強く印象づけた今大会、斉藤琢哉や谷合らがタイトルを手にする姿を見られるのも、そう遠くないことでしょう。

そしてプロの世界で「1勝では足りない。2勝目を挙げた時から本物になる」とはよく言われる格言ですが、「もっとも初優勝に近い男」と呼ばれ続けて13年目に初優勝を遂げ、それからたった4ヶ月で2勝目を手にした斉藤茂雄、「本物」と呼ばれるに相応しいプロボウラーとなりました! 

 

2年連続ベストアマ獲得!

佐藤貴啓選手

 

 

斉藤琢哉

 

斉藤茂雄

 

 

藤井信人


 

2015/10/17

 

 

土谷 翼

 

 

宮田俊輔

 

 

斉藤琢哉

 

 

森本健太


 

2015/10/16

 

 

松岡秀法

 

 

鈴木博喜

 

 

和田秀和

 

 

太田隆昌


 

2015/10/12

 

水谷若菜選手、前代未聞の現役中学生によるクィーンズ制覇!

はにかむような笑顔があどけない

世代交代を予感させた男子マスターズ戦。しかし女子クィーンズ戦は予感を通り越し、すでに新時代が到来したことを告げるものとなりました。

クィーンズ予選8Gを投球し、準決勝へと進出した32名のほとんどが30代以下。さらに決勝ダブルエリミネーションに進出した8名は先にお伝えした男子と同じく、平均年齢はおよそ27歳。しかもそのうち2名がなんと15歳というジュニア選手でした。

同じ15歳で高校1年生の坂本かや選手と中学3年生の水谷若菜選手。坂本選手はこれまでにも多くのプロアマトーナメントに参戦した実績を持ち、「16歳になったらプロテストを受験したい」と語るプロ志向の選手。かたや水谷選手は今年全日本ナショナルユースチームに選ばれた生え抜きのアマチュア選手。プロとアマ、両極でトップを目指す二人のジュニアボウラーが揃ってファイナルステージに登場するという、ジャパンオープン38回の長い歴史の中でも前代未聞の大会となりました。

松永裕美や名和 秋、佐藤まさみらタイトルホルダー達、ディフェンディングチャンピオンでもある竹川ひかる選手に石本美来選手、大林令奈選手らナショナルチーム、そして予選終了時点では決勝進出のカットライン付近に名を連ねていた櫻井麻美と柳 美穂などが準決勝で敗退。

そんな波乱含みの展開を突破して、坂本選手と水谷選手に全日本ナショナルチームの強豪・霜出佳奈選手、優勝候補の筆頭格である姫路 麗と吉田真由美。そして桑藤美樹、本間由佳梨、内藤真裕実らプロ入り5年未満の新人プロ達が決勝ダブルエリミネーションへと進出を果たします。

しかし予選24位から首位まで追い上げた姫路がアマチュア2選手に黒星をつけられて敗退。吉田と内藤も坂本選手に引導を渡されて姿を消すという大波乱が起き、水谷選手が無敗で優勝決定戦へと駒を進めました。

3位決定戦に進んだ坂本選手と桑藤は、揃って水谷選手に敗者ゾーンへと落とされた二人。リベンジマッチへの挑戦権を巡っての激突は、桑藤が120ピン近い大差をつけて勝利しました。

昨年の六甲クィーンズでアマチュア選手を破って初優勝を果たしただけに、プロ最後の砦となった桑藤の肩には、2年連続のアマチュア優勝を阻止するという大きな重責がのしかかります。

そのプレッシャーが重くない筈はありませんが、桑藤も良く期待に応え、地元愛知の大きな声援を背負う水谷選手を相手に隙を見せない7連続ストライクを決めてまずは一勝を奪取します。

泣いても笑ってもあと一つの再優勝決定戦、出だしから連続でオープンフレームにしてしまった桑藤ですが、水谷選手もストライクが繋がらず、その差はワンマーク。

さらに水谷選手も中盤で連続オープンを出してしまい、桑藤がその背中を捉えて逆転します。

桑藤のアマチュア連覇阻止が見えたと思われましたが、負けても失うもののない15歳はこのピンチにも動じることなく、終盤7フレーム目からストライクを連発。7番ピンに嫌われてストライクが決まらない桑藤を再び追い落とし、そのまま優勝へと逃げ切りました。

男子優勝の森本健太もかつてはそうであったように、東海地区のジュニア選手達のレベルの高さは折り紙付き。そんな中で育った水谷選手の優勝は、東海地区が尽力してきたジュニア育成の勝利とも呼べるでしょう。日本ボウリング界を牽引して行くジュニア選手達の、今後の活躍が大いに期待されます!

 

森本健太、JPBA男子史上最年少優勝記録を更新!

万感の思いを込めて拳を天に突き上げる

1967年に21歳6ヶ月で矢島純一が初優勝を果たしてからこれまで、破られたことのなかった男子史上最年少優勝記録。

その記録が今年、このジャパンオープンというビッグタイトルで約半世紀ぶりに塗り替えられることになるとは、いったい誰が予想できたでしょう。

前大会でアマチュアの髙橋俊彦選手にタイトルを奪取され、ジャパンオープンの栄冠は必ずプロの手に取り戻すという意識を持ったプロ達が、マスターズ予選から奮戦。全日本ナショナルチームに代表される強豪アマを寄せ付けない戦いを繰り広げ、決勝ダブルエリミネーションには山本 勲、川添奨太、渡邉航明らを筆頭に、和田秀和、森本健太、藤井信人、三池丹揮、小林孝至の8名が進出しました。

56歳の三池を除けば平均年齢27歳という顔ぶれは、今後のJPBAを支えて行く世代と言えるでしょう。

一度負けても敗者復活ゾーンに回って戦い、二度目の敗北の時点で順位が確定するダブルエリミネーション方式による決勝で、今年の関西OPで初優勝を果たした渡邉が敗者復活2回戦、優勝候補の大本命・川添も3回戦で姿を消します。

一度も敗北せず、無傷の勝者ゾーンから優勝決定戦へ進出を決めたのは、和田・山本・藤井らタイトルホルダーを次々と撃破した、8名の中で最年少20歳44日の森本でした。

まずはそんな森本に敗れて敗者復活ゾーンへ回った山本と藤井による3位決定戦が行われ、森本への再挑戦権を争います。

山本と藤井、どちらもアマチュア時代はナショナルチームで鳴らし、プロ入りしてからも順調にタイトルを増やしている両者なだけに、火花散る戦いが期待されましたが、藤井がスプリットに泣かされてダブルエリミネーションで初めてのマイナスを打ってしまい撃沈。50ピン以上の差をつけた山本が森本に借りを返すべく、優勝決定戦へと進みました。

「2度負けないと敗退が確定しない」というダブルエリミネーション方式の為、敗者ゾーンの山本は勝者ゾーンで待つ森本を2度倒さなければ優勝できません。一方森本にとってはあと1つ勝てば優勝、たとえ負けても再優勝決定戦に持ち込めるとあって、精神的にも有利な状況で優勝決定戦に臨めます。

その余裕も後押ししてか、同じレフティとして日本を代表する偉大な先輩を相手にしても、森本は臆することなくストライクを連発し滑り出しから5連続に成功、山本に対してリードを取ります。

しかし山本も後半7フレーム目からオールウェーに成功。ツーマーク差をひっくり返して森本から一勝をもぎ取ります。

いかにアドバンテージがあるとはいえ、追い詰められたことには違いない森本。追い詰めたとはいえ、敗者復活戦から一番長く戦い続けている山本。勝敗がどう転ぶか予想のつかない状況で始まった、これが本当に最後の優勝決定戦は、森本が4連続ストライクからスタートします。

しかし5フレーム目にタップした7番ピンを外す、まさかのイージーミス。7番ピンに嫌われてストライクが繋がらない山本は、それでもノーミスを守って森本の背中をじりじりと追いかけます。

やんちゃ坊主風な見かけをしていても、まだたった20歳の若者でも、そこは森本も真剣勝負を生業とするプロボウラー。対戦相手を見ないようにして平静を保ち、入りそうになる力を抜いて投球を続け、勝負どころの9フレーム目もストライクで繋ぎました。

対する山本がパンチアウトを決めても215ピンで終了となり、森本は10フレーム1投目にストライクを持ってこれれば優勝が確定するという展開で、ジュニアの頃から見守ってくれた地元愛知、そして家族の応援を背に、見事9フレーム目からのダブルに成功。

プロ入りしてから4年の間に味わった辛さや口惜しさが浮かび、最後の1投を前にこみ上げる涙をかみ殺す横顔には、デビュー当時のあどけなさをまだ少し残しながらも、プロボウラーとしての貫禄も芽生えはじめているようでした。男子771名の頂点に立った森本、20歳44日で矢島が樹立した最年少優勝記録を破り、歴代タイトルホルダーの列に加わりました!

 

優勝の森本とは同学年にして良きライバル。総合10位でベストアマ獲得!

斎藤祐太選手

 

 

姫路 麗

 

 

山本 勲


 

2015/10/11

 

Sean Rash Wins PBA Xtra Frame Iowa Midwest Open For Ninth Career Tour Title

Despite dropping a ball on his foot a few days ago, Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., persevered to win the PBA Xtra Frame Iowa Midwest Open Sunday at Thunderbowl in Council Bluffs.

Rash won his first title of the season and ninth of his career by defeating PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., 219-217 in the championship match.

It was an emotional win for me for a number of reasons,” said Rash, who was the 2011-12 PBA Player of the Year. “First, I wasn’t sure I’d be bowling this weekend, then, having to bowl against one of the all-time greats for the title and finally having won on my grandmother’s birthday made this win very special.”

Rash dropped a ball on his foot while unloading a ball bag from his car just prior to getting some last minute practice in before traveling to Council Bluffs.

“Fortunately, all I had to do was ice it down a lot so it got to a point where it was feeling well enough that I could bowl with not much problem,” Rash added.

In the title match, Rash, who qualified first for the finals, was able to shut out Weber in the 10th frame with a spare and eight count on the final shot.

“He’s (Weber) one of the best ever and if you want to be considered one of the best you have to beat the best,” said Rash, whose last win came in the 2014 PBA Wolf Open. “It’s nice to be in the winner’s circle again.”

In the opening stepladder match, PBA Tour rookie A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Ill. defeated three-time Tour winner Dick Allen of Columbia, S.C., 231-209, to advance to the semifinal.

In the semifinal, Weber, trying for his 38th career title to tie fellow Hall of Famer Norm Duke for third on the all-time list, beat Johnson 213-187 to advance to the title match against Rash. Weber was trying for his first title since winning the 2013 Barbasol Tournament of Champions.

The PBA Tour moves to Las Vegas Oct. 19-25 for the PBA South Point Bowling Plaza Fall Classic. PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame will capture all the action. For schedule and subscription information visit www.xtraframe.tv/pba

 

 

石本美来選手

 

 

山本 勲

 

 

 


 

2015/10/10

 

Weber Averages 232 to Top Qualifying in PBA Xtra Frame Iowa Midwest Open

Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., averaged 232 after qualifying Saturday to lead a field of 16 players who advanced to match play in the PBA Xtra Frame Iowa Midwest Open at Thunderbowl in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Weber, who ranks fourth on the PBA Tour all-time titles list with 37 wins, bowled a 1,857 pinfall to hold a 63-pin lead over former PBA Player of the Year and eight-time Tour winner Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., in second with 1,794 (224 average). Rash managed his second-place qualifying effort despite dropping a ball on his foot earlier in the day.

Weber’s previous best Tour finish this season was third in the United States Bowling Congress Masters and Rash’s best was third in the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions.

Rounding out the top five after qualifying were Aaron Lorincz of Saginaw, Mich., with 1,784; three-time PBA Tour winner Ronnie Russell of Marion, Ind. with 1,765, and PBA Tour rookie and Masters runnerup AJ Johnson of Oswego, Ill., 1,761.

Sunday’s match play round gets underway at 9 a.m. CT which will determine the top four players who will advance to the stepladder finals at approximately 3 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

2015/10/09

 

 

 


 

2015/10/04

 

 

高坂麻衣


 

2015/10/03

 

清水弘子


 

2015/10/01

 

プロの部優勝は川添奨太!

9月26日(土)・27日(日)の2日間にわたり、松永裕美のV11記念となる承認大会・Victory11 Hiromi Matsunaga invitational Pro-am Tournamentが松永のホームである小嶺シティボウル(福岡)にて開催されました。

祝勝記念とあって大勢のファンや仲間が集まり、アットホームな空気の中でもパーフェクトが3つ達成されるなど、レベルも高い大会となりました。

予選・準決勝トータル12Gを経て上位5名が決勝ステップラダーへ進出。プロの部では九州北地区を代表するシードプロ・川添奨太と儀間義博による優勝決定戦となり、280ピンのビッグゲームを打った川添が儀間を撃破。またアマチュアの部では今年の宮崎OPでベストアマを獲得した阪本和江選手が優勝されました。