King of the Swing special event concludes GEICO PBA Summer Swing at AMF Bowlero Lanes in Wauwatosa, Wis.
The GEICO PBA Summer Swing preliminaries were held in the Milwaukee May 19-30. The stepladder finals of the PBA Milwaukee Open took place Sunday, June 2, at AMF Bowlero Lanes in Wauwatosa, Wis., and were followed by the stepladder finals of the GEICO Summer King of the Swing presented by Lucas Oil special event. The five Summer Swing finals were taped over two days by the CBS Sports Network for airing on five consecutive Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET beginning June 11.
Near-perfect finish helps 33-year-old journeyman claim first career title
Chris Loschetter (pictured) of Avon, Ohio, ended his nine-year quest for a PBA Tour title when he defeated four-time PBA Tour winner Bill O'Neill of Langhorne, Pa., 264-231, to win the Lucas Oil PBA Wolf Open at AMF Bowlero. Loschetter, 33, who had finished second four times during a PBA Tour career that included 153 previous events, followed a pair of poor shots in the third and fourth frames with a near-perfect finish to run away from O'Neill for the win.
Second-year PBA Tour competitor out-battles ex-Wichita State teammate Josh Blanchard
Jake Peters (l.) of Decatur, Ill., who had never finished higher than 19th place in a previous PBA Tour event, defeated former Wichita State University teammate Josh Blanchard (r.) of Gilbert, Ariz., 245-212, to win his first PBA Tour title in the Lucas Oil PBA Badger Open. Peters, a 24-year-old second-year PBA Tour competitor, used a high level of inward focus to bowl a pair of near-perfect games en route to his first win.
Stepladder finals contested at AMF Bowlero Lanes in Wauwatosa, Wis. on June 1 for tape-delay broadcast later this month
The GEICO PBA Summer Swing preliminaries were held in the Milwaukee May 19-30. The stepladder finals of the Badger, Wolf and Bear Opens were contested Saturday, June 1, at AMF Bowlero Lanes in Wauwatosa, Wis., followed by the Milwaukee Open stepladder finals and the GEICO Summer King of the Swing special event on Sunday, June 2. The finals will be taped over two days by the CBS Sports Network for airing on five consecutive Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET beginning June 11.
Hall of Famers Pete Weber, Norm Duke qualify second and third
Chris Barnes (pictured) of Double Oak, Texas, started the final round of match play in the Lucas Oil PBA Milwaukee Open Thursday night with a 300-237 victory over E.J. Tackett and raced away from the field to capture the top qualifying berth for Sunday's Milwaukee Open stepladder finals at AMF Bowlero. Barnes finished with a 59-game average of 228.83 and a total of 14,011 pins, topping Pete Weber by 289 pins. Rounding out the top five for the Milwaukee Open finals were Norm Duke, Mike Fagan and Jason Sterner.
Hall of Famer wins first seven matches in first of three match play rounds, overtakes Barnes by 23 pins
Pete Weber (l.) of St. Ann, Mo., won his first seven matches in the Lucas Oil PBA Milwaukee Open Wednesday night at AMF Bowlero to storm into a 23–pin lead over Chris Barnes (r.) of Double Oak, Texas, heading into Thursday's final two match play rounds. Weber, who entered the opening round of match play in fifth place, steadily moved up to finish the day with a 43-game total of 9,792 pins, including 210 match play bonus pins.
Tom Hess fires tournament's only 300 game to reach stepladder finals
Australia's Jason Belmonte (pictured) won six of his final eight matches and tied another to charge out of 10th place and capture the top stepladder finals berth for the Lucas Oil PBA Bear Open Tuesday night at AMF Bowlero in Wauwatosa, Wis. Belmonte, who is trying for his seventh PBA Tour title, averaged a modest 215.65 for a 26-game total of 5,952 pins, including match play bonus, to complete a move that began when he dropped to 24th place after the first two games of match play Tuesday.
Bill O'Neill leads field of 28 into PBA Milwaukee Open cashers round
Dave Wodka (l.) of Henderson, Nev., emerged at the top of the qualifying pile after six lead changes in the final six games in the Lucas Oil PBA Bear Open Monday to lead the field of 24 players who advanced to Tuesday's match play rounds. The Bear Open was the final qualifying event for the Milwaukee Open which begins Wednesday. Leading the Milwaukee Open qualifiers was Bill O'Neill (r.) of Langhorne, Pa., who averaged 229.1 for 30 games.
Nine-year journeyman holds off field on 33rd birthday in bid for first PBA Tour title
Chris Loschetter (l.) of Avon, Ohio, trying for his first PBA Tour title after nine years, held off PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke (r.) by two pins to earn the top stepladder berth for the June 1 PBA Wolf Open finals. Loschetter, who has finished second four times in his career, led the tournament from the second game, fighting off challenges all day Friday and clinging to the No. 1 position when Duke left a solid 8 pin in the 10th frame of his final game.
Nine-year PBA Tour veteran averages over 250 to lead the top 24 players into Friday's match play round
Nine-year PBA veteran Chris Loschetter (pictured) of Avon, Ohio, averaged 250 over 10 games of qualifying Thursday at AMF West in Milwaukee, Wis., to lead the field of 24 players who advanced to Friday's match play finals in the PBA Wolf Open. The Wolf Open, bowled on a 32-foot oiling pattern - the shortest ever in the PBA's collection of "animal" lane conditioning patterns - is the second of four events that compose the GEICO PBA Summer Swing presented by Lucas Oil. Loschetter has yet to win a title, but he has finished second four times.
Ex-Wichita State collegiate bowlers target to win first PBA title; five-player field for June 1 stepladder finals also includes Intercollegiate Singles Champion and non-pro Aaron Lorincz and PBA champions Michael Haugen Jr., Kurt Pilon
Former Wichita State University teammates Josh Blanchard (l.) of Gilbert, Ariz., and Jake Peters (r.) of Decatur, Ill., claimed the top two positions for the PBA Badger Open stepladder finals Tuesday night at AMF Waukesha. Blanchard, the 2011-12 PBA Rookie of the Year, won seven of his eight matches Tuesday night to post a 26-game total of 6,426 pins, clinching the top berth in the June 1 Badger Open stepladder finals by 10 pins over Peters.
Former Junior Team USA member passes Sean Rash in final game
Former Junior Team USA member Jake Peters (l.) overtook reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash (r.) in the final game Monday to take the qualifying lead in the PBA Badger Open at AMF Waukesha in Waukesha, Wis. Peters, who has yet to win a PBA title at any level, averaged 241.1 for 10 qualifying games Monday, finishing with a 2,411 total and a 19-pin lead over Rash on a new 52-foot Badger lane conditioning pattern.
Closing string of seven strikes breaks open tight match with Motown Muscle in historic PBA team contest
With owner Billie Jean King (center) on the bench cheering every shot, the New York City WTT KingPins (pictured) presented by GEICO finished the inaugural PBA League championship match with a string of seven consecutive strikes to defeat the Motown Muscle, 440-407, and claim the Elias Cup at Woodland Bowl. The PBA League Elias Cup finals, which was contested March 31 at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, Ind., aired Sunday, April 7, on ESPN.
Adds to history; completes PBA "Triple Crown" for second time; ties Earl Anthony for most PBA major titles
PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (pictured) of St. Ann, Mo., wrote another chapter in bowling history Sunday when he defeated Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte, 224-179, to win the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions at Woodland Bowl. The victory made Weber the first player to complete the PBA Triple Crown for a second time and tied bowling legend Earl Anthony for most major PBA titles with 10. Weber's win Sunday was his 37th, tying him for third place on the PBA all-time titles list.
Hall of Famer is one win away from record-tying 10th major and unprecedented second "Triple Crown"
PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (pictured) of St. Ann, Mo., defeated Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte in their final match Friday night, 226-183, to claim the top qualifying position for Sunday's Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions stepladder finals. The 50-year-old Weber, who is trying for a record-tying 10th major title and a chance to complete the PBA's Triple Crown for an unprecedented second time, traded leads with Belmonte throughout Friday's competition before reclaiming the lead in the final game.
Weber needs TOC win for record-tying 10th major, second "Triple Crown"
Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte (pictured) rolled a 279 final game to jump into the lead as the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions field headed into the final round of match play. Belmonte, who won his sixth career title and first major title in the USBC Masters in February, spent the fifth round in either second or third place before overtaking PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., by seven pins in the 40th game. Belmonte averaged 238.05 for 40 games, posting a modest 8-7-1 match play record and a 9,777 pinfall total.
Two-handed player retains 29-pin lead after first round robin match play round
Finland's Osku Palermaa (l.) left a 7-10 split on his first shot of the day, converted the so-called impossible split and carried that momentum into the lead after four rounds of the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions Thursday at Woodland Bowl. Ironically, Palermaa retained a 29-pin lead over Pete Weber (r.) of St. Ann, Mo., when Weber left a 7-10 split in the 10th frame of his final match Thursday night, which he was unable to convert.
Finland's Osku Palermaa (l.) and Australia's Jason Belmonte (r.), the top two-handed bowlers in the world, led the field of 24 finalists into the opening round of match play in the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions Thursday at Woodland Bowl. Palermaa, a three-time PBA Tour champion and winner of the 2011 PBA World Championship, averaged 244.88 for his 24 qualifying games, finishing with a total of 5,877 pins to lead Belmonte by 146 pins.
Five international bowlers in the top 8 after 16 of 24 games before the cut to the top 24 for round-robin match play
Pete Weber (l.) of St. Ann, Mo., charged into the second round lead in the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions Wednesday night at Woodland Bowl with a 16-game total of 3,875 pins. With eight more qualifying games remaining Thursday before the cut to the top 24 for round-robin match play, the PBA Hall of Weber held a 41-pin lead over defending champion and reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash (r.) of Montgomery, Ill.
Walter Ray Williams Jr. in second place in bid to complete Triple Crown & Grand Slam
Scott Norton (l.) threw back-to-back games of 300 and 296, and averaged 252.25 for eight games to take the first round lead in the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions lead Wednesday at Woodland Bowl. Norton, who is trying for his third title of the 2012-13 season, and his first major win, finished the opening round of qualifying with a total of 2,018 pins for a 37-pin lead over the all-time PBA Tour titles leader, Walter Ray Williams Jr. (r.).
The GEICO PBA Summer Swing preliminaries were held in the Milwaukee May 19-30. The stepladder finals of the PBA Milwaukee Open took place Sunday, June 2, at AMF Bowlero Lanes in Wauwatosa, Wis., and were followed by the stepladder finals of the GEICO Summer King of the Swing presented by Lucas Oil special event. The five Summer Swing finals were taped over two days by the CBS Sports Network for airing on five consecutive Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET beginning June 11.
Chris Loschetter (pictured) of Avon, Ohio, ended his nine-year quest for a PBA Tour title when he defeated four-time PBA Tour winner Bill O'Neill of Langhorne, Pa., 264-231, to win the Lucas Oil PBA Wolf Open at AMF Bowlero. Loschetter, 33, who had finished second four times during a PBA Tour career that included 153 previous events, followed a pair of poor shots in the third and fourth frames with a near-perfect finish to run away from O'Neill for the win.
Jake Peters (l.) of Decatur, Ill., who had never finished higher than 19th place in a previous PBA Tour event, defeated former Wichita State University teammate Josh Blanchard (r.) of Gilbert, Ariz., 245-212, to win his first PBA Tour title in the Lucas Oil PBA Badger Open. Peters, a 24-year-old second-year PBA Tour competitor, used a high level of inward focus to bowl a pair of near-perfect games en route to his first win.
Chris Barnes (pictured) of Double Oak, Texas, started the final round of match play in the Lucas Oil PBA Milwaukee Open Thursday night with a 300-237 victory over E.J. Tackett and raced away from the field to capture the top qualifying berth for Sunday's Milwaukee Open stepladder finals at AMF Bowlero. Barnes finished with a 59-game average of 228.83 and a total of 14,011 pins, topping Pete Weber by 289 pins. Rounding out the top five for the Milwaukee Open finals were Norm Duke, Mike Fagan and Jason Sterner.
Pete Weber (l.) of St. Ann, Mo., won his first seven matches in the Lucas Oil PBA Milwaukee Open Wednesday night at AMF Bowlero to storm into a 23–pin lead over Chris Barnes (r.) of Double Oak, Texas, heading into Thursday's final two match play rounds. Weber, who entered the opening round of match play in fifth place, steadily moved up to finish the day with a 43-game total of 9,792 pins, including 210 match play bonus pins.
Australia's Jason Belmonte (pictured) won six of his final eight matches and tied another to charge out of 10th place and capture the top stepladder finals berth for the Lucas Oil PBA Bear Open Tuesday night at AMF Bowlero in Wauwatosa, Wis. Belmonte, who is trying for his seventh PBA Tour title, averaged a modest 215.65 for a 26-game total of 5,952 pins, including match play bonus, to complete a move that began when he dropped to 24th place after the first two games of match play Tuesday.
Dave Wodka (l.) of Henderson, Nev., emerged at the top of the qualifying pile after six lead changes in the final six games in the Lucas Oil PBA Bear Open Monday to lead the field of 24 players who advanced to Tuesday's match play rounds. The Bear Open was the final qualifying event for the Milwaukee Open which begins Wednesday. Leading the Milwaukee Open qualifiers was Bill O'Neill (r.) of Langhorne, Pa., who averaged 229.1 for 30 games.
Chris Loschetter (l.) of Avon, Ohio, trying for his first PBA Tour title after nine years, held off PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke (r.) by two pins to earn the top stepladder berth for the June 1 PBA Wolf Open finals. Loschetter, who has finished second four times in his career, led the tournament from the second game, fighting off challenges all day Friday and clinging to the No. 1 position when Duke left a solid 8 pin in the 10th frame of his final game.
Nine-year PBA veteran Chris Loschetter (pictured) of Avon, Ohio, averaged 250 over 10 games of qualifying Thursday at AMF West in Milwaukee, Wis., to lead the field of 24 players who advanced to Friday's match play finals in the PBA Wolf Open. The Wolf Open, bowled on a 32-foot oiling pattern - the shortest ever in the PBA's collection of "animal" lane conditioning patterns - is the second of four events that compose the GEICO PBA Summer Swing presented by Lucas Oil. Loschetter has yet to win a title, but he has finished second four times.
Former Wichita State University teammates Josh Blanchard (l.) of Gilbert, Ariz., and Jake Peters (r.) of Decatur, Ill., claimed the top two positions for the PBA Badger Open stepladder finals Tuesday night at AMF Waukesha. Blanchard, the 2011-12 PBA Rookie of the Year, won seven of his eight matches Tuesday night to post a 26-game total of 6,426 pins, clinching the top berth in the June 1 Badger Open stepladder finals by 10 pins over Peters.
Former Junior Team USA member Jake Peters (l.) overtook reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash (r.) in the final game Monday to take the qualifying lead in the PBA Badger Open at AMF Waukesha in Waukesha, Wis. Peters, who has yet to win a PBA title at any level, averaged 241.1 for 10 qualifying games Monday, finishing with a 2,411 total and a 19-pin lead over Rash on a new 52-foot Badger lane conditioning pattern.
With owner Billie Jean King (center) on the bench cheering every shot, the New York City WTT KingPins (pictured) presented by GEICO finished the inaugural PBA League championship match with a string of seven consecutive strikes to defeat the Motown Muscle, 440-407, and claim the Elias Cup at Woodland Bowl. The PBA League Elias Cup finals, which was contested March 31 at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, Ind., aired Sunday, April 7, on ESPN.
Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte (pictured) rolled a 279 final game to jump into the lead as the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions field headed into the final round of match play. Belmonte, who won his sixth career title and first major title in the USBC Masters in February, spent the fifth round in either second or third place before overtaking PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., by seven pins in the 40th game. Belmonte averaged 238.05 for 40 games, posting a modest 8-7-1 match play record and a 9,777 pinfall total.
Scott Norton (l.) threw back-to-back games of 300 and 296, and averaged 252.25 for eight games to take the first round lead in the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions lead Wednesday at Woodland Bowl. Norton, who is trying for his third title of the 2012-13 season, and his first major win, finished the opening round of qualifying with a total of 2,018 pins for a 37-pin lead over the all-time PBA Tour titles leader, Walter Ray Williams Jr. (r.).