Third-year touring player Steve Harman (pictured left)  jumped from 14th place into the lead in the Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator Thursday at Sequoia Pro Bowl, averaging 240.86 over 14 qualifying games to take a 45–pin lead over first-round leader Michael Haugen Jr. (right) of Carefree, Ariz.

Harman, who is trying for his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title, averaged 255 during the second round in his best performance of the season, finishing with a 3,372 pinfall total. Haugen, a two-time PBA Tour title winner, had 3,327 pins.

Bill O’Neill (left) of Southampton, Pa., who won the U.S. Open Sunday in Indianapolis for his first major title and second of the 2009-10 season, was in third place with 3,273 pins followed by Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio, at 3,249 and Andres Gomez (right) of Colombia at 3,220.

“It was one of those nights. I really can’t explain it, but it was a big confidence booster for me,” the 36-year-old Harman said. “I got off to a bad start this year in the World Series of Bowling. I got down in the dumps, but lately I’ve been bowling pretty well.

Tonight I caught a couple of good breaks in the middle of big strings of strikes in the first couple of games. Then I made a ball change, moved way inside and it seemed like I had the whole lane to work with. Every time I hit the 1-3 pocket, all of the pins fell.”

Two-time defending champion Chris Barnes (left) of Double Oak, Texas, was tied with two-hander Osku Palermaa (right), Finland, for 14th place after 14 games in his bid for a third straight title in Columbus. Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., is the most recent of five players who have won the same event three consecutive times. Couch won the PBA Tournament of Champions in 1999, 2000 and 2002 (the event was not contested in 2001).

The biggest game of the night was the tournament’s only 300 by Eugene McCune (below left) of Munster, Ind., in the final game of the night. The perfect game moved him into 29th place, keeping his title hopes alive as the field of 64 was trimmed to 30.

The top 30 will bowl two more seven-game qualifying rounds Friday to narrow the field to the 16 players who will be seeded into four groups of four for Saturday’s Eliminator Rounds. In each of three Eliminator rounds, the bowler with the lowest three-game, total pinfall score will be eliminated.

Saturday’s four surviving players will advance to Sunday’s live ESPN finals starting at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. In Sunday’s finals, the player with the lowest game bowled each round will be eliminated until the champion is decided.

 

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Etonic PBA Don Johnson Eliminator - Second Round Results

Players with position, hometown and 14-game total

1, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 3,372
2, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 3,327
3, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,273
4, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,249
5, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,220
6, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 3,189
7, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 3,168
8, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 3,155
9, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,152
10, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,143
11, Joe Bailey, Doylestown, Ohio, 3,139
12, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,135
13, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,108
14, (tie) Osku Palermaa, Finland, and Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,103
16, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 3,091
17, George Lambert IV, Canada, 3,081
18, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,077
19, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,076
20, (tie) Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 3,064
22, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3,054
23, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,053
24, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,052
25, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,047
25, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,047
27, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,045
28, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,039
29, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,036
30, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,034

Missed Cut:
31, (tie) Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 3,027, and Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,027, $1,600
33, Stuart Williams, England, 3,014, $1,600
34, (tie) Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,011, and Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,011, $1,600
36, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 2,989, $1,600
37, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 2,979, $1,500
38, Chad Kloss, West Allis, Wis., 2,970, $1,500
39, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., 2,968, $1,500
40, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 2,958, $1,500
41, (tie) John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 2,947, and Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 2,947, $1,500
43, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,944, $1,500
44, (tie) Billy Oatman, Chicago, 2,943, and Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 2,943, $1,500
46, Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., 2,938, $1,500
47, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 2,936, $1,500
48, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 2,924, $1,500
49, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,890, $1,500
50, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 2,884, $1,500
51, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 2,876, $1,500
52, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,873, $1,500
53, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 2,869, $1,500
54, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 2,860, $1,500
55, Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 2,859, $1,400
56, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,857, $1,400
57, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,843, $1,400
58, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2,834, $1,400
59, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,813, $1,400
60, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,787, $1,400
61, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 2,778, $1,400
62, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,729, $1,400
63, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, withdrew (illness), $1,400
64, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., withdrew (knee injury), $1,400

300 games - (1) Eugene McCune.