Local bowler Les Shirwindt, the champion of the 50 and over Division, finished the Shootout Final of the five division champions with four solid strikes for a 216-game en route to win the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the $20,000 top prize. The Mini-Eliminator paid more than $200,000.00 in cash prizes on the ninth and final day of the tournament week.

After seven days and 22 squads qualifying for the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator finals has ended at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 1 in 8 bowlers per division advanced to the finals each squad and earned at least $750. Each squad leader received one bye worth $1,000. The Division Daily Leaders earned two byes or $1,500. The Highest Division Series was awarded three byes or $2,000.

Daniel Inocencio, College Station, Texas, shot a 766 three-game series in the 21st and penultimate qualifying squad to overtake the lead in the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Inocencio beat the previous high score set by USBC spokesperson Diandra Asbaty (746) in the 4th qualifying squad on Tuesday by 20 pins.

Scott Norton, Cypress, Calif, and Andrew Cain (pictured), Scottsdale, Ariz., both former U.S. National Amateur champions, advanced to the finals of the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator later this afternoon at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Qualifying will continue with two more squads at noon and 2pm with the finals starting immediately afterwards.

Amy Stratton (left), San Marcos, Calif., led the 205 and under Division in the last qualifying squad on Saturday with 622, while Randy Russell (right), Monroe, GA, earned the bye in the Open Division. Qualifying for the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator will end on Sunday with the last three of 22 squads at 10am, 2pm and 4pm.

Canadian Joe Ciach (left) posted a huge 249 game to cruise to victory in the Brunswick Shootout finals in the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ciach received the $5,000 first-place check from Brunswick's Ron Bragg (center). 3-time World Champion Zara Glover (right) from England secured the second place with 193, worth $3,000.

Norwegian Ole Johnni Lislien (left), Steve Wright (right), Cypress, Texas, and Team USA member Bill Hoffman, Columbus, Ohio, overtook the lead in their respective division during the 2pm qualifying squad on Saturday afternoon en route to earn at least one bye for the Mini-Eliminator finals.

Peter Wolfschaffner from Munich, Germany, is a familiar face to Mini-Eliminator promoter Steve Sanders. The Bavarian, who travels to the Las Vegas megabuck tournament since many years, rolled a 615-series to lead the 205 and under Division in the noon squad worth $1,000. Hong Kong's Wu Siu Hong won his second Open Division squad an got a free re-entry, while second-placed Finn Osku Palermaa got the bye.

The early bird catches the worm means that if you start something early, you stand a better chance of success. That this is also valid for megabuck tournaments was proven by Maxine Nable, Bob Belmont, Gary Kinyon (right), David Palojarvi Sr. and Daniel Falconi (left) this morning at the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator in Las Vegas, Nevada.

255 bowlers took on the 70 lanes Friday night at The Orleans Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first round of the popular Brunswick Shootout, which is another way to cash at the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator. Two players cracked the 500-bar and once again it was a senior bowler, who led the field: Dennis Psaropoulos of Lake Worth, Fla., checked in with a 506-series en route to win the qualifying of the 50 and over Division.

Australia's Jason Belmonte (left) led the Open Division on the fifth day of qualifying for the finals of the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator in Las Vegas, Nevada. Belmonte, who currently leads the European rankings, shot a 699-series in the noon squad, will bypass the first two rounds of the finals on Sunday and is guaranteed $1,500. The Brunswick Shootout will start this evening. Mini-Eliminator entrants have a chance to win over $42,000 in cash prizes.

Bill Webb (left) from Enfield, Conn., rolled a 731-series - the highest series of Day Five qualifying thus far - to advance to the finals in the 35 and under Division. Ron Schloss (right), Mesa, Ariz., followed was close behind with 718 to advance from the 36 to 49 Division. Both players received one bye and are guaranteed $1,000.

Wu Siu Hong, one of the best and most talented players from Asia, advanced to the final of the 13th Annual Mini-Eliminator through the Friday morning squad at 10am. The Hong Kong international rolled a 682-series to lead the Open Division and to earn one bye for the finals worth $1,000.

Dennis Eklund put on a show Thursday evening en route to win the Lane #1 Match Play Shootout. The Swede topped reigning U.S. National Amateur champion Diandra Asbaty in the title match, 279-200, to capture the $2,300 top prize. Eklund finished his semi-final match against Mike Rose Jr. with 11 consecutive strikes, kept hitting the front stick for a total of 19 strikes in a row to put the match away well before the finals frame.

Ed Roberts of Braintree, Mass., rolled a huge 735 three-game series in the third qualifying squad on Thursday - 12th squad overall - to shoot into the lead in the 50 and over Division. Roberts received 2 byes for the finals on Sunday afternoon as the division Daily Leader and is guaranteed minimum of $1,500, but he will earn even three byes or $2,000 if his score will be the highest division series at the end of qualifying.