Zuniga, Barta crack top 43 in qualifying squad at 17 WTBA International Open

    02/04/12

    2012 World Bowling Tour #3

    Eugene McCune remains in the lead; cut for 43 place is 1357 (226.17 avg.)

    201112PBAEugeneMcCune.jpg201112PBAMikeFagan.jpgOnly two players, J. C. Zuniga of Tulsa, Okla., and Adam Barta of Girard, Ohio, cracked the top 43 at the WTBA International Open in Friday evening's Squad 17 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas.

    Three-time PBA champions Eugene McCune (pictured left) of Munster, Ind. and Mike Fagan (right) of Grapevine, Texas, held on to lead the field of 124 players - 116 men and eight women - with 1505 and 1503 pinfall total, respectively.

    Zuniga had six consistent games between 213 and 237 on the WTBA Atlanta oil pattern to lead the squad and to move into a tie for 34th place with PBA champion Rhino Page of Clovis, Calif., with 1370 and an average of 228.33.

    201112PBAWesMalott.jpg2012IntlOpenDaveWodka.jpgBarta is tied for 39th place with PBA champion Anthony LaCaze of Melrose Park, Ill., at 1361.

    Joe Paluszek of Bensalem, Pa. and six-time PBA champion and Player of the Year 2008-09, Wes Malott (left) of Pflugerville, Texas, are tied for 42nd place at 1357 or an average of 226.17.

    The top 43 plus Dave Wodka (right) of Henderson, Nev. (T48; 1353) the lone of the leaders of squads 5-8, who is not among the top 43, will advance to the finals of the World Bowling Tour event scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific (3 p.m. EST / 9 p.m. CET).

    Qualifying ends on Saturday, Feb. 4, with Squads 18 and 19 scheduled for 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and concludes with the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad at 6 p.m. (all times Pacific.

    2012LVInternationalOpenLogo2_small.jpg The WTBA International Open, the first World Tenpin Bowling Association owned and operated event, is the third stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and runs concurrently with The International Mini from Jan. 28 through Feb. 5.

    BowlingdigitalBanner.gif Bowlingdigital will cover the WTBA International Open and The International Mini live from Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas all the way through to the finals on Feb. 5, 2012.

    The third event, the USBC Masters, concluded on Sunday morning. Jan. 29. All three events, which offer a total combined prize fund of approximately $500,000, have a special additional prize fund of $30,000 available to those who compete in all three events.

    The WTBA International Open features a European-style re-entry format. There will be 19 qualifying squads and bowlers may compete on any squad to try to post their best six-game total. The 20th and last squad to qualify for the finals is the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 4. Women receive six pins handicap per game.

    Remaining Squad Times
    Saturday, February 4 at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. (Desperado Squad)
    Sunday, February 5 - Finals starting at Noon.

    After the conclusion of the qualifying, total 48 players will qualify for the finals - the top 44 qualifiers including the squad leaders from all Monday and Tuesday squads (two each; earn automatic berths into the finals) along with four bowlers from the one-game Desperado Squad at the end of qualifying.

    Qualifiers in positions 1-8 get two byes, while qualifiers 9-16 will bypass the first round of the finals. All qualifying pinfall will be dropped.

    The remaining 32 players (qualifiers 17-48) bowl 6 games scratch across 12 lanes with the top 16 based on total pinfall advancing to Round 2. The top 16 high qualifiers from Round 1 plus qualifiers 9-16 bowl another six-game block. The top 8 meet the top 8 qualifiers in Round 3.

    Those 16 bowl a final six-game block to cut to the top 3, who will advance to the stepladder finals to be held in St. Maximin near Paris, France, on March 25, 2012.

    The three finalists earn an expenses-paid trip to suburban Paris for the stepladder finals, which will be held in conjunction with the Brunswick Euro Challenge, the seventh stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour, which takes place at Plaza Saint Maximin from March 16-25. Bowlingdigital will cover the BEC live from Plaza Bowl.

    The WTBA International Open features a guaranteed prize fund of $100,000 with $20,000 going to the winner and $10,000 and $8,000 to the second and third place finishers, resp.

    For more information on the WTBA 2012 International Open please click here
    WBTLogo.jpg The 2012 World Bowling Tour consists of 14 tournaments in America, Asia, Europe and Australia - five in the United States and one each in Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, Kuwait and Thailand.

    Players earn ranking points based on how they finish in each event. The current points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle, so points earned in 2011 are added to points earned in 2012 to determine the points list.

    World Bowling Tour Rankings - Complete Standings as of January 29, 2012
    WBT Women's Ranking
    WBT Men's Ranking

    The top three men and top three women will be invited to compete in the World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association at the end of 2012 featuring total prize fund of $70,000.

    The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of 115 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit WorldTenpinBowling.com.

     


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    Standings after Qualifying Squad 17/19

    300 Games (2) - Johnathan Bower, Jason Sterner

    * indicates leaders of squads 5-8, who earn automatic berths into the finals.

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