PBA Tour takes a two-week hiatus

    12/20/05

    PBA Spare Shots

    This Week

     
    Mike_Scroggins_4306.jpgThe Denny's PBA Tour takes a two-week hiatus for the holiday season with lefty Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas leading the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings. Scroggins, who has four top-6 finishes over his last five events, also leads the Tour with a 229.94 average and $136,000 in season earnings.

    Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., is second on the points list, having made eight match play appearances over the first nine events of the season. Behind him are two of the Tour's "young guns," in Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., and Wes Malott, Austin, Texas, who are third and fourth, respectively.

    The Tour resumes with the 2006 Earl Anthony Medford Classic Jan. 4-8 at Lava Lanes in Medford, Ore. The live ESPN televised finals take place Sunday, Jan. 8 at 10 a.m. PST.

    The PBA Regional Tour also takes a break over the holiday season. The PBA West Region will hold the first regional event of 2006, the PBA West Region Mesquite Virgin River Open in Mesquite, Nev., Jan. 6-8. Dave Arnold, Reno, Nev., leads the region by almost 21,000 points over Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif.


    Last Week

    Mike Wolfe.jpg Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., won his second career Denny's PBA Tour title, defeating Chris Collins, Fayetteville, N.C., in the title match of the 2005 Empire State Classic, 268-214. Wolfe, making his second career title match appearance, jumped on a Collins open in the second frame by striking on his next seven shots to clinch the $40,000 top prize and an exemption for the 2006-07 Denny's PBA Tour season.

    Mike Scroggins was the only left-hander to advance to match play, and advanced to his third telecast of the season. His plans of winning multiple titles in a season for the first time in his career were put on hold when Wolfe beat him in the semifinals, 236-187.

    Collins electrified the crowd with a 243-234 win over Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., looking to win his first Tour title in over 10 years, in their semifinal match. With his wife and twin brother looking on, Collins - making his first career telecast - struck three times over the 9th and 10th frames to seal the win.


    Did You Know?

    Chris Collins.jpg Chris Collins has won six matches this season after winning just two over the previous three seasons. Collins is 8-12 in match play since the Denny's PBA Tour switched to its current format for the 2002-03 season. He's 6-4 this season after going just 2-8 over the last three seasons.

    Collins is fourth overall on Tour this season with a 63.89 strike percentage, 361-for-565, in match play. He's 26-24, .520, in match play games, and he has a 76.19-percent success rate on spare attempts, including splits, converting 144 of 189.

    The 36-year-old has converted 95.45-percent of his single-pin conversions, 105-for-110, and he's had an 80.55-percent success rate in multi-pin spares, 29-for-36.


    Beginner's Luck?

    Chris Collins became the fifth straight bowler to advance to the title match in his or her first career televised finals appearance, only to finish in second.

    Liz_Johnson_2510.jpg The trend began with Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., in the 2005 Baby Ruth Real Deal Classic, where he defeated Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 211-207, in the semifinals only to fall to Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., in the title match, 267-226. Liz Johnson (pictured) was the next in line, defeating Wes Malott, 235-228, in the semis of the 2005 Banquet Open before losing to Tommy Jones, 219-192.

    In the 2005 Denny's World Championship, Chris Loschetter, Olmstead Falls, Ohio, surprised everyone by advancing to his first televised final. He defeated PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 231-165, in the semifinals but could not beat Patrick Allen, Tarrytown, N.Y., in the title match, falling to the eventual 2005 PBA Player of the Year, 235-210.

    This season, rookie Bill O'Neill, Levittown, Pa., made his televised finals debut in the 2005 Greater Omaha Classic, where he defeated Malott, 223-215, in the semifinals before losing to Mike Machuga, Erie, Pa.,in the title match, 256-245.

    Art_Brown_5702.jpg The streak does not include Art Brown, who made his debut in the 2005 USBC Masters where he fell to Mike Scroggins in the semifinals, as Brown was a non-PBA member at the time.





    Regional Roundup

    Brian_LeClair_4022.jpg Brian LeClair (pictured), Athens, N.Y., all but locked up a spot on the 2006-07 Denny's PBA Tour by increasing his lead in the 2005-06 PBA East Region points list with a victory this past weekend at Bowlers Club in Latham, N.Y. In the Central Region, Riga Kalfas, Florence, Ky., holds a 23,000-point lead over Ken Abner, Cincinnati.

    In the PBA South Region, John May, Lincolnton, N.C., is looking to lock up an exemption and currently holds a 7,000-point lead over Pete Dohan Jr., Tampa, Fla. With three events remaining in the PBA Southwest Region, Mitch Beasley, Arlington, Texas, holds a commanding 74,000-point lead over David Anthony, Austin, Texas, who recently won the 2005 Regional Players Invitational.

    With one event to go in the PBA Midwest Region, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., holds a 6,400-point lead over the 2005 Regional Players Championship titlist David Beres, Waukesha, Wis. Chris Warren, University Place, Wash., has the lead in the PBA Northwest Region, well ahead of David Leverage, Peoria, Ariz., currently second in the points list. Out in the PBA West Region, Dave Arnold, Reno, Nev., leads the region by almost 21,000 points over Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif.


    Extra Member Spot in Medford

    Last week, a record seven non-exempt PBA members advanced from the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round into the 2005 Empire State Classic Round of 64.

    In Medford, five PBA members will advance from the Tour Qualifying Round, TQR, into the 2006 Earl Anthony Medford Classic after Pete Weber announced he will be skipping the event. As always, the top non-member will also advance into the Round of 64 in the standard event.


    Non-Exempt Battle Brewing

    Eric Forkel has the lead in the race for the 2006-07 Tour exemption given to the top non-exempt bowler on the points list. Forkel, a left-hander from Las Vegas with five career Tour titles, is 48th in the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings with 33,645 points.

    Dennis_Horan_1772.jpg Two spots behind Forkel is another lefty, Dennis Horan Jr. (pictured), who is currently 50th with 30,927. Horan has four Denny's PBA Tour titles and sits well above the third place non-exempt bowler, Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa., who is 58th on the points list with 25,930.50.

    To be eligible for the non-exempt bowler exemption at the end of the 2005-06 Denny's PBA Tour season, non-exempt bowlers must have appeared in at least eight Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Rounds.


    Sponsor Competition Update

    Thanks to back-to-back televised finals appearances, Mike Scroggins and Denny's now lead the 2005-06 Sponsor Competition. Norm Duke and BowlersParadise.com sit in second while Dexter and Tommy Jones are third. Here's a look at the top five in the 2005-06 Sponsor Competition:

    Top 5 with position, sponsor and points:
    1. Mike Scroggins, Denny's, 114,517.0
    2. Norm Duke, BowlersParadise.com, 107,090.0
    3. Tommy Jones, Dexter, 104,954.0
    4. Wes Malott, Ace Hardware, 103,330.0
    5. Jason Couch, Miller High Life, 89,021.0


    2006 Dexter Tournament of Champions Roster

    With his win in last week's 2005 Empire State Classic, Mike Wolfe heads back to the top of the 2006 Dexter Tournament of Champions roster. Prior to his most recent victory, Wolfe was 15th on the list. Mike DeVaney, Temecula, Calif., thanks to his 2003 Earl Anthony GEICO Classic victory, is on the bubble for the sixth straight week.

    Two non-exempt bowlers are just above DeVaney. In 27th is Bryan Goebel, thanks to his 2003 Medford Open title. Bryon Smith is 26th on the roster thanks to his 2003 Masters victory.

    Denny's PBA Tour Entrants
    1. Mike Wolfe 2005 Empire State Classic
    2. Patrick Allen 2005 Keystone State Championship
    3. Pete Weber 2005 BowlersParadise.com Classic
    4. Jason Couch 2005 Chicago Classic
    5. Mike Scroggins 2005 USBC Masters
    6. Mike Machuga 2005 Greater Omaha Classic
    7. Wes Malott 2005 Mile High Classic
    8. Tommy Jones 2005 Tulsa Championship
    9. Steve Jaros 2005 Dexter Tournament of Champions
    10. Mika Koivuniemi 2005 Baby Ruth Real Deal Classic
    11. Chris Barnes 62nd U.S. Open presented by Odor-Eaters
    12. Amleto Monacelli 2005 Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Open
    13. Norm Duke 2005 Atlanta Classic
    14. Parker Bohn III 2005 El Paso Classic
    15. Brian Voss 2004 Orange County Classic presented by Storm
    16. Jason Hurd 2004 Pepsi Open
    17. Rick Lawrence 2004 BowlersParadise.com Open
    18. Walter Ray Williams Jr. 2004 Uniroyal Tire Classic
    19. Brian Himmler 2004 Chicago Open
    20. Danny Wiseman 2004 Miller High Life Masters presented by the ABC
    21. Robert Smith 2004 Odor-Eaters Open
    22. Patrick Healey Jr. 2003 Dexter Tournament of Champions
    23. Ryan Shafer 2003 Empire State Open
    24. Lonnie Waliczek 2003 Odor-Eaters Open
    25. Chris Hayden 2003 VIA Bowling Open
    26. Bryon Smith 2003 ABC Masters
    27. Bryan Goebel 2003 Medford Open
    28. Mike DeVaney 2003 Earl Anthony GEICO Classic

    PBA Senior Tour Entrants
    29. Vince Mazzanti Jr. 2005 ABC Senior Masters
    30. Tom Baker 2005 Senior U.S. Open

    PBA Regional Tour Entrants
    31. David Beres 2005 PBA Regional Players Championship
    32. David Anthony 2005 PBA Regional Players Invitational


    2005-06 Denny's PBA Tour Statistical Leaders

    2005-06 Denny's PBA Tour Point Leaders
    1. Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 114,517.00
    2. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 107,090.00
    3. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 104,954.00
    4. Wes Malott, Austin, Texas, 103,330.00
    5. Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla. 89,021.00
    6. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. 80,818.50
    7. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo. 76,984.00
    8. Patrick Allen, Tarrytown, N.Y. 75,699.00
    9. Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y. 72,084.00
    10. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J. 71,311.00

    2005-06 Denny's PBA Tour Earnings Leaders
    1. Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, $136,000
    2. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C. $124,000
    3. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla. $106,600
    4. Wes Malott, Austin, Texas, $87,700
    5. Patrick Allen, Tarrytown, N.Y. $70,000
    6. Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla. $64,700
    7. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo. $60,800
    8. Mike Machuga, Erie, Pa. $60,780
    9. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. $45,700
    10. Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y. $39,900

    2005-06 Denny's PBA Tour Average Leaders
    1. Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 229.94
    2. Wes Malott, Austin, Texas, 226.15
    3. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 226.14
    4. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 224.89
    5. Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 224.00
    6. Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 223.97
    7. Mike Machuga, Erie, Pa., 223.25
    8. Eric Forkel, Las Vegas, 223.03
    9. Patrick Allen, Tarrytown, N.Y., 222.81
    10. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 222.70

    2005-06 Denny's PBA Tour Strike Percentage Leaders
    with Strikes/Attempts and Percentage
    1. Mike Machuga, 435/647, 67.23
    2. Wes Malott, 657/978, 67.18
    3. Pete Weber, 498/777, 64.09
    4. Christopher Collins, 361/565, 63.89
    5. Tommy Jones, 649/1018, 63.75
    6. Brian Voss, 267/420, 63.57
    7. Patrick Healey Jr., 355/562, 63.17
    8. Mike Wolfe, 412/654, 63.00
    9. Patrick Allen, 463/739, 62.65
    10. Parker Bohn III, 393/628, 62.58

    2005-06 Denny's PBA Tour Spare Percentage Leaders
    with Spares/Attempts and Percentage (including splits)
    1. Doug Kent, 206/240, 85.83
    2. Mike Machuga, 167/196, 85.20
    3. Norm Duke, 282/331, 85.20
    4. Randy Weiss, 78/92, 84.78
    5. Walter Ray Williams Jr., 127/150, 84.67
    6. Michael Haugen Jr. 97/116, 83.62
    7. Dale Traber, 76/91, 83.52
    8. Brian Himmler, 105/126, 83.33
    9. Rick Lawrence, 125/151, 82.78
    10. Mika Koivuniemi, 180/219, 82.19

    Match Play Games Win Percentage Leaders
    with Wins/Losses and Percentage
    1. Wes Malott, 53/33, .616
    2. Mika Koivuniemi, 32/20, .615
    3. Michael Machuga, 34/23, .596
    4. Norm Duke, 48/34, .585
    5. Brad Angelo, 25/18, .581
    6. Pete Weber, 40/29, .580
    7. Tommy Jones, 52/38, .578
    8. Patrick Allen, 38/28, .576
    9. Mike Wolfe, 33/25, .569
    10. Mike Scroggins, 44/34, .564