Josh Blanchard leads top 15 into match play portion in Kuwait

    03/19/12

    Kuwait

    Four PBAers and Kuwait's Khaled Al-Dubyyan currently in the top 5

    201112PBA05JoshBlanchard.jpg201112PBA01SeanRash4.jpgFormer collegiate standout and PBA member Josh Blanchard (pictured left), United States, led the fifth round of the 9th Kuwait International Open with 254.50 average en route to lead the remaining 15 players into a so-called "Modified Match Play Round" which will determine the top 5 who will bowl for the title in the stepladder finals later today.

    Blanchard had games of 299, 207, 258 and 254 for 1018 pinfall total to beat out four-time PBA champion Sean Rash (right), United States, for the top spot by eleven pins. Rash, who led Round 4 on Sunday with a 269 average, toppled 1007 pins including back-to-back 258 games.

    2011KSAOKhaledAlDubyyan.jpg201112PBAChrisLoschetter.jpgLocal favorite Khaled Al-Dubyyan (left) was the sole non-PBA bowler in the top 5 with 979. The 2006 World Ranking Masters champion started the day with a 300 game and added 238, 205 and 235 to land in third place. Defending Kuwait Open champion Chris Loschetter (right), United States, was fourth with 953 including a 279 game.

    2009 PBA World Championship winner Tom Smallwood (below left), United States, currently mans the fifth and last place to advance to the stepladder with 951 including three games in the 240s.

    All 15 players advanced with the pinfall total being carried forward into the match play portion.

    201112PBA05TomSmallwood.jpgThe 9th Kuwait International Open drew 110 players, 99 men and 11 women, from 19 countries. All players - men and women in the same division - bowled 15 games of qualifying (three 3 blocks of 5 games) over three days. Women received 5 pins handicap each game.

    A total of 38 players advanced to the second round: The top 6 plus the best Kuwaiti (ranked 7th), the next 27 players in the overall standings plus the next four Kuwaitis (ranked 35 to 38).

    Places 1-7 earned three byes, places 8-14 got two byes and places 15-22 received one bye. The remaining 16 players (places 23-38) bowled six games scratch with the top 8 advancing to Round 3.

    Qualifiers 15-22 and the top 8 of Round 2 bowled another six games scratch to cut to the top 9, who met qualifiers 8-14 in Round 4. Those 16 bowled another six games scratch with the top 8 advancing to fifth Round.

    Those eight and the top six qualifiers plus the top Kuwaiti bowled four games with the pinfall total being carried forward into a "Modified Match Play Round". Match play consists of seven games and one game position round with three bowlers on each pair of lanes. The winner of each match on a pair of lanes will receive 20 bonus pins while the second place will receive 10 bonus pins.

    The top 5 after match play will advance to the stepladder finals. The No. 1 seed must be defeated twice to win the title. Since the PBA Tour's new alliance with the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) the winner of the 9th Kuwait International Open will be awarded the first PBA Tour international title, the $25,000 top prize and 50 points in the World Bowling Tour ranking.

    Women who compete in the Kuwait Open (or other WTBA events) on equal terms with men are eligible to win PBA Tour titles, but women who accept "handicap" pins which are commonly awarded to women in WTBA tournament are not eligible to win PBA titles.

    WBTLogo_small.jpgThe ninth edition of the Kuwait International Open is also the sixth event of the 2012 World Bowling Tour organized by the World Tenpin Bowling Association. After the Bahamas Classic has been postponed the 2012 WBT consists of 13 tournaments in America, Asia, Europe and Australia - five in the United States and one each in Australia, Austria, 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.

    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.

    World Bowling Tour Rankings
    WBT Women's Ranking
    WBT Men's Ranking

    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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    Round Five


    All players advance to the Modified Match Play Round with the pinfall of Round Five being carried forward.

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