2011-12

Sean Rash (l.) of Montgomery, Ill., was named as 2011-12 PBA Chris Schenkel Player of the Year Monday, concluding one of the most competitive Player of the Year contests in years. Rash, who made a record five-consecutive television finals during the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling and concluded his season with a victory in the PBA Tournament of Champions, was elected over a field of 11 eligible candidates in balloting conducted among his fellow PBA Tour competitors and veteran members of the bowling news media.

Sean Rash (pictured) of Montgomery, Ill., won the PBA Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes Sunday, ending a five-year, 14-tournament television drought with a 239-205 victory over Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y. Rash, who hadn’t won a title since the 2007 USBC Masters, started the title match with four strikes and bowled an almost error-free game to win the $80,000 first prize and the fifth title of his career. The tournament concluded the 2011-12 PBA Tour regular season.

Australia's Jason Belmonte and Mike Fagan of Dallas are the leading contenders for PBA Player of the Year honors heading into Sunday's live ESPN finals of the season-ending PBA Tournament of Champions. Top qualifier Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., is the darkhorse candidate. And left-hander Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., would like to spoil all of their chances. The stepladder finals air at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. First prize is $80,000.

Sean Rash (l.) of Montgomery, Ill., won six of his final nine matches and tied two others to win the top qualifying position for the finals in the PBA Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes. Australia's Jason Belmonte (r,), Mike Fagan of Dallas and Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., will round out Sunday's field. The finals of the TOC, a major championship with an $80,000 first prize, will air live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.

Australia’s Jason Belmonte (pictured ), while texting his pregnant, overdue wife between frames, averaged 251.1 while winning seven of his first nine match games Friday afternoon to charge into the lead in the PBA Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes. With nine games remaining Friday night, Belmonte, a 28-year-old two-handed player, had an 18-game total of 6,619 pins and a 120-pin lead over Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., is the race for four berths in Sunday’s finals, which will air live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.

Mike Fagan (l.) of Dallas made another statement in his bid to become PBA Player of the Year, averaging 240.22 in building a 119-pin lead over defending champion Mika Koivuniemi (r.) of Hartland, Mich., after 18 qualifying games in the PBA Tournament of Champions Thursday at Red Rock Lanes. Fagan finished Thursday's Round of 36 qualifying with a total of 4,324 pins. Koivuniemi had a 4,205 pinfall total. The top 18 advanced to the match play finals on Friday.

Mike Fagan (pictured) of Dallas continued to build his PBA Player of the Year credentials, averaging 265.11 while racing into a 239-pin lead after the first nine qualifying games in the PBA Tournament of Champions Round of 36 Thursday at Red Rock Lanes. Fagan rolled games of 238, 299, 268, 258, 299, 201, 290, 269 and 264 for a total of 2,386 pins. Fagan is seeking his third title of the 2011-12 season, including his second major championship after winning the United States Bowling Congress Masters in January.

Sean Rash (pictured) of Montgomery, Ill., completed the Elite Field qualifying portion of the PBA Tournament of Champions Wednesday at Red Rock Lanes with a 20-game total of 4,845 pins, leading a group of 25 players who will join 11 current-season title winners in the Round of 36 for the final dash toward Sunday's live ESPN stepladder finals starting Thursday morning. After 20 games, four players wound up tied for 24th place, resulting in a one-game roll-off with two of the four advancing.

Sean Rash (l.) of Montgomery, Ill., averaged 243.6 Tuesday to take a two–pin lead over Nathan Bohr (r.) of Wichita, Kan., after two rounds of Elite Field qualifying in the PBA Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes. Rash, a four-time PBA Tour title winner who is trying to win his first title since the 2007 USBC Masters, posted a 10-game total of 2,436 pins. Bohr, who is seeking his first PBA Tour title, was second with 2,434 pins.

Tom Daugherty (pictured) of Wesley Chapel, Fla., who set one of the most infamous records in PBA history during the nationally-televised finals of the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, led the advance from the Champions Field to the Elite Field of the Tournament of Champions Monday at Red Rock Lanes. Daugherty, who throws the ball without using his thumb, averaged 244.07 for 14 games Monday to win the Champions Field round by 179 pins over fellow "thumbless" player Jim Pratt of Glendale, Ariz.

Australia's Jason Belmonte (pictured) won his third Professional Bowlers Association Tour title of the 2011-12 season, and the fourth of his career, when he defeated Mike DeVaney of Murrieta, Calif., 255-238, to win the Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship. The finals of the eighth and final event in the PBA World Series of Bowling were conducted November 20, 2011 in suburban Las Vegas. The tape-delay telecast of the championship round aired Sunday on ESPN.

For the past four seasons Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas has hosted some of the most dramatic Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions finals telecasts in history. This year, with the PBA's signature event moved into position as the final event on the 2011-12 schedule, it holds promise to add another chapter to its colorful history. In addition to the TOC competition, the 2012 PBA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held on Saturday, April 14.

Norm Duke (pictured) of Clermont, Fla., won a hall of fame strikefest with Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., Sunday night to win the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer at Woodland Bowl and secure his 37th career title, third best in PBA Tour history. Duke's third victory of the 2010-11 season also put him into the thick of the PBA Player of the Year race with only the PBA Tournament of Champions remaining on the schedule. The TOC will be conducted April 9-15 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas.

Colombian native Andres Gomez (pictured) became the fourth player to win his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour title during the 2011-12 season when he defeated Wes Malott (right) of Pflugerville, Texas, 246-207, to win the Carmen Salvino Classic. Gomez added his coveted title after nearly 20 years of success in the international arena, individually and as a member of Colombia's national bowling team.

A field of 40 PBA Tour, PBA Regional and PBA Senior Tour players survived two rounds of eliminations Saturday in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer at Woodland Bowl and will be joined in Sunday morning's third round by the six hottest players on the PBA Tour. The PBA playoffs feature six regional groups of players bowling a series of elimination rounds. Saturday's second-round survivors advance to a five-game third round Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

As the 2011-12 PBA Tour season heads down the homestretch, all eyes will be on the 2012 PBA Tournament of Champions when PBA's signature event concludes the season April 8-15 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas. It will mark the 47th edition of the event which is considered one of the most challenging and prestigious to win. The TOC culminates with the live ESPN finals at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. Pacific) Sunday, April 15 from Red Rock Lanes.

Colombian native Andres Gomez (pictured) will try to add a PBA Tour title to his collection of international titles in the tape-delay TV finals of the PBA's Carmen Salvino Classic as part of the PBA Tour's final "doubleheader" weekend Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. Also this weekend, the PBA Tour's competition points leaders will join the best players from the PBA's seven regional programs and the 2011 PBA Senior Tour points list for the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis.

Ronnie Russell (l.) trying for his first PBA Tour title, will team up with the hottest player in the PBA World Series of Bowling, Sean Rash (r.), in the finals of the Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship, but they will have to beat an all-star team if they want to win the title. The finals, which were conducted in November 2011 during the PBA World Series of Bowling, will be televised Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

PBA players who have performed the best in PBA Tour, Regional and Senior Tour competition during the 2011-12 season are heading to Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis for the second Dick Weber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer March 30-April 1 at Woodland Bowl. The fourth and final event on the PBA's inaugural Xtra Frame Tour is the penultimate event on the 2011-12 PBA Tour schedule and will be webcast from start to finish, live on the PBA's online bowling channel.

PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke (pictured) won the PBA Detroit Open presented by Track Sunday for his second win of the 2011-12 season and the 36th of his career. Duke, of Clermont, Fla., defeated reigning PBA Player of the Year and No. 1 seed, Finland native Mika Koivuniemi, 266-217, in the championship match at Thunderbowl Lanes to win the $10,000 first prize which pushed his career earnings over the $3 million mark. His 36 wins also moved him into a tie for third place on the all-time career list for titles won.