Basil Al-Anzi, Khaled Al-Dubyyan atop the leaderboard in Kuwait Open after 12 games

03/30/09

Kuwait

Cozmo Bowling Center in Kuwait City, Kuwait (March 28 - April 1, 2009)

2009KOBasilAlAnzi3.jpg2009KOKhaledAlDubyyan.jpgKuwait national team members Basil Al-Anzi and Khaled Al-Dubyyan finished the second of three qualifying days in the 6th Kuwait International Open atop the 87-player field from 18 countries.

Al-Anzi (pictured left), starting Sunday in third place behind a 1413 series in the first block, added 1379 including games of 236, 231, 234, 248, 186 and 244 to move into the lead with 2792 12-game total and an average of 232.67.

2006 World Ranking Masters champion Al-Dubyyan (right), who led the field after day one with 1442, slipped to second place behind a 1334 series with 2776 (231.33).

2009KOOskuPalermaa.jpgWhile fellow two-hander and defending Kuwait Open champion Jason Belmonte, Australia, won his first PBA title and $25,000 in the United States, 2-time European Ranking champion Osku Palermaa (left) targets to win the same amount of money Cozmo Bowling Center in Kuwait City. The two-hander from Finland used a 1369 series on Sunday to leap one spot into third place with 2760 (230.00).

2009KORyanLalisang2.jpg3-time World Champion Martin Larsen, Sweden, added 1319 pins to the 1414 from Saturday but fell from second to fourth place with 2733. Ryan Lalisang (right), Asian Games gold medalist from Indonesia, moved up one spot to fifth place with 2721.

Robert Anderson, who won the gold medal in Doubles at the 2006 Men's World Championship with Martin Larsen, jumped from 12th to sixth place after a 1383 series including a 290 game with 2713.

Tim Mack, United States, came from 13th to 8th place with a 1337 series and a 2654 pinfall total. Mack is sandwiched between Hussain Al-Suwaidi (7th, 2677) and Shaker Al-Hassan (9th, 2649), who led the field on Sunday with a 1449 6-game series.

2009KONinaFlack.jpg2009EBT04VeronicaLantto2.jpgRounding out the top 10 is 2008 Women's European Ranking champion, Nina Flack (pictured left), Sweden, with 2631 pinfall total including five pins handicap each game. With the qualifying final block to go on Monday, Palermaa's fiancée Veronica Lantto (right, photo by Beat Grauwiler), Sweden, is the only other women among the top 28 with 2528 in 22nd place.

Rounding out the top 28 are Philippines national team members Biboy Rivera and Paulo Valdez, who sit in 27th and 28th place with 2098 and 2496, respectively.

The 6th Kuwait International Open offers total prize fund of $120,000 with 25 Grand going to the winner. All 87 players will bowl 18 games of qualifying over three days to cut to the top 28 plus the next four Kuwaitis.

Those 32 players will bowl another 8 games on Tuesday with the top 15 plus the next Kuwaiti advancing to round robin match play on Wednesday. The top 5 after match play (starting from scratch with 30 pins bonus per win) will advance to the stepladder finals. The top seed must be defeated twice to win the title.

2008AsCChanShukHanVanessaFung.jpgIn addition the top 4 will compete in a separate stepladder final for an extra Ladies Prize Fund (1st - $2,750, 2nd - $1,900, 3rd - $1,500, 4th - $1,000). You don't have to be a prophet to say that Flack and Lantto will be joined by Vanessa Fung and last year's women's winner Chan Shuk Han, both Hong Kong (r-l, photo Bowlingdigital), who currently sit in 48th and 49th place with 2355 and 2350, respectively, almost 200 pins ahead fifth place women, Nasha King, Macau (75th, 2159).

Photos and results courtesy of Asian Bowling Federation

 

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