11/22/07
2007-08 PBA Spare Shots #4
Williams and Dorin-Ballard off to a great start into the 2007-08 PBA season
This Week
The sixth event of the 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour takes place at Hawthorn Lanes in Vernon Hills, Ill., with the 2007 CLR Windy City Classic, Nov. 21-25. The event, which starts Wednesday with the Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round, features the first round robin match play format of the season, with the top five bowlers advancing to the live ESPN-televised finals, Sunday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN. 
This marks the sixth consecutive season Hawthorn Lanes has hosted a Denny’s PBA Tour event, the third-longest current run of any center. Last season, Wes Malott (pictured right) defeated top-seed Chris Barnes to win the 2006 Discover® Card Windy City Classic in Vernon Hills. Oddly enough, Malott also defeated Barnes in last week’s Lake County Indiana Classic semifinals before falling to Michael Haugen Jr. in the title match. Malott will look to make a second consecutive championship round appearance this week and successfully defend his title. Also competing this week in his home area for the first time since being named the 2006-07 PBA Rookie of the Year is Chicago native Billy Oatman, who last season became the first African-American to win the PBA’s Rookie of the Year award, and at 41 years old, also became the oldest winner of the award.
Women Take a Break
With the Thanksgiving holiday taking place this week, the PBA Women’s Series takes a one-week hiatus before returning next week for the fourth and final event, the Great Lakes Classic at Spectrum Lanes in Wyoming, Mich. The mini tour, which is being sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), features 16 of the top female bowlers in the world, competing on Tour for the first time since the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) folded in 2003.
The 16 women qualified for the four-event series at the PBA Women’s Tour Trials, which ran in conjunction with the USBC’s U.S. Women’s Open, which was eventually won by Liz Johnson. So far this season, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Shannon Pluhowsky and Joy Esterson have taken home PBA Women’s Series titles.
Last Week
Michael Haugen Jr. waited a long time and suffered a lot of bad breaks before winning his first career Denny’s PBA Tour title, but it was worth the wait. Haugen watched as Wes Malott – needing a strike to win – left a ringing 10-pin in the 10th frame, giving Haugen a 247-239 win in the title match of the 2007 Lake County Indiana Classic presented by United Way at Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, Ind., for his first title in 200 career events.
Haugen, who was riding some good mojo in the Lake County area after re-gaining his exemption at the 2006 Tour Trials in nearby Hammond, Ind., and making the finals in last season’s Lake County Indiana Classic, put the pressure on Malott with three strikes in the 10th frame. The “Big Nasty” stepped up needing one strike for his third career title and despite a good shot, the 10-pin didn’t cooperate, sending Haugen into shock.
It was the second thrilling finish on Sunday, as Joy Esterson defeated Liz Johnson in the PBA Women’s Series title match in dramatic fashion. Esterson, a relative unknown on the PBA Women’s Series in comparison to the likes of Johnson, Dorin-Ballard and Kelly Kulick, showed incredible poise in striking out in the 10th frame to force Johnson to do the same to tie the match.
The 2007 U.S. Women’s Open champ responded with three strikes of her own to send the match to a one-ball sudden death roll-off. As the higher seed, Esterson chose to go first and she struck to put the pressure on Johnson. The 11-time PWBA champion left a seven-count, however, giving Esterson her first professional title.
This Week's Schedule
The 2007 CLR Windy City Classic at Hawthorn Lanes is underway with the Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round (TQR), which will be followed Wednesday evening by the official PBA Practice Session at 4:30 p.m. The top 11 PBA members and the top amateur in the TQR will advance to Thursday’s Round of 64, which features two seven-game qualifying blocks from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.
The field will be cut to the top 32 bowlers who will advance to round robin match play on Friday. The first nine-game block gets underway at 11 a.m. followed by the top 16 bowling another nine-game block from 6-10 p.m. The top five bowlers at end of the evening will advance to Sunday’s live ESPN-televised finals.
Saturday is a day for the fans as PBA Pro-Ams and Fan Day take place at Fox Bowl and Hawthorn Lanes. Pro-Ams take place at Noon at Fox Bowl and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Hawthorn Lanes. On Sunday, the top five bowlers will battle it out for the $25,000 top prize and a one-year Denny’s PBA Tour exemption.
Did You Know?
Wes Malott has finished second in four of his last six championship round appearances. Last season, Malott tied for the Tour lead with six TV appearances, but he finished second three times, two of which came by six pins or less. He fell to Tommy Jones, 222-221, in the Ace Hardware Championship and Pete Weber, 210-204, in the 64th U.S. Open, along with a 255-238 loss to Tony Reyes in the Motor City Classic. Sunday’s loss to Michael Haugen Jr. gave him four runner-up finishes in a little over a year.
Cross Him Off
Michael Haugen Jr. eliminated himself from a very dubious list with his victory on Sunday. Haugen came into the finals ranked third all-time in the category of most career earnings without a Denny’s PBA Tour title. Tops on that list is exempt player Brian LeClair, who ranks 90th all-time with $565,853, but has yet to win a title in 360 career Denny’s PBA Tour events. Coming in second on the list is retired bowler Gene Stus, who was a dominant force on the PBA Senior Tour with 11 titles and owns $541,480 in career earnings, but bowled just 18 Denny’s PBA Tour events and was unable to win a title.
Taking Haugen’s place in third is Dale Traber with $494,490 followed by John Hricsina with $493,065.
Finally a Break
Haugen was also the benefit of some good breaks on Sunday which he hadn’t received much of in his previous seven TV appearances. Coming into the finals, Haugen’s opponents had averaged 240.64 in those seven appearances, which ranked third all-time among bowlers with at least seven championship rounds under their belt.
That average included a 289-279 loss to Pete Weber in the 2001 Greater Louisville Open in one of the highest scoring title matches in history and during which Weber shouted one of his more famous lines at Haugen: “You’re not getting your first one against me! No way!”
On Sunday, Haugen did get that first one, this time with his semifinal opponent Todd Book struggling in his first career TV appearance and shooting just 192, and in the title match watching Wes Malott leave a 10-pin when he needed a strike to win to finish with a 239 and drop Haugen’s opponents’ average to “just” 236.77.
On top of that list is exempt bowler and Denny’s PBA Tour titlist Jack Jurek, whose opponents are averaging 249.25 in his seven appearances, followed by Paul Fleming, who has been the victim of a 241.22 average in his seven appearances. Haugen still comes in at No. 3 followed by Brad Angelo, whose opponents have averaged 234.20 in 12 TV shows.
Stone Returns to the Booth
Congratulations go out to Rob Stone and his wife, Lynn, who welcomed two healthy children into the world on the evening of Monday, Nov. 19. The couple’s first daughter, Chandler Grace, arrived first followed a minute later by her brother, Carson. Congratulations to the Stone family on their healthy and happy twins! Stone will return to the booth this weekend to call the action with Randy Pedersen for the finals of the CLR Windy City Classic.
Mika the Millionaire
Last week, Mika Koivuniemi became the PBA’s 37th millionaire after finishing ninth place in the 2007 Lake County Indiana Classic to earn $2,700. The finish pushed his career earnings to $1,001,643. Koivuniemi reached the milestone in 232 career PBA events (including Denny’s PBA Tour and PBA Regional Tour events) making him the second-fastest bowler to reach $1 million in earnings, following Chris Barnes who set the record in 220 events. The closest threat to break Barnes’ record is Tommy Jones, who is next in line among exempt bowlers to reach the million dollar mark as he has earned $934,283 in 211 career events. Jones would have to go on quite a run over the next couple weeks to break Barnes record, needing $65,717 over the next eight events, just over $8,000 per event. Although, the way Jones has been bowling the last three years, winning 10 titles in three seasons, anything is possible for the 29-year-old.
How Good Are They?
Ever wondered just how much better PBA pros are than average Joe Bowler? With PBA Experience Leagues up and running, you can finally find out.
This past summer, the USBC compiled scores on each pattern from PBA Experience Leagues across the country and computed the average from all leagues that submitted scores.
To compare the skill level, the PBA Experience Leagues averages are compared to exempt bowlers averages from all Round of 64 competition from the 2006-07 season and the first four standard events of the 2007-08 season.
| Pattern | Experience League Average | Exempt Bowlers Average |
| Viper | 165 | 218.75 |
| Shark | 169 | 205.25 |
| Scorpion | 170 | 226.38 |
| Chameleon | 164 | 217.60 |
| Cheetah | 168 | 226.60 |
2007-08 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year Race
Walter Ray Williams Jr. maintained his lead in the 2007-08 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award race thanks to a fourth consecutive Round of 8 appearance last week. Sean Rash is tied for second with his USBC Masters win giving him 24 points instead of the 16 winners earn in standard events. With his win last week, Michael Haugen Jr. moved into fifth.
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr., 28
2. Sean Rash, 24
(tie) Mike Wolfe, 24
4. Mika Koivuniemi, 20
5. Michael Haugen Jr., 16
2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions Roster
With his win in the 2007 Lake County Indiana Classic, Michael Haugen Jr. earned his first career berth in the H&R Block Tournament of Champions. This year, the event features 52 bowlers including the 37 most recent Denny’s PBA Tour champions (with priority on the list going to exempt bowlers). The list is filled with past Tournament of Champions winners and PBA Hall of Famers based on most recent Denny’s PBA Tour win. Haugen’s win bumped Kurt Pilon from the list and placed Hugh Miller on the bubble. Denny’s PBA Tour Entrants
1. Michael Haugen Jr. - Lake County Indiana Classic (11/18/07)
2. Mike Wolfe - Etonic Championship (11/11/07)
3. Walter Ray Williams Jr. - Motor City Classic (11/4/07)
4. Sean Rash - USBC Masters (10/28/07)
5. Mika Koivuniemi - Dydo Japan Cup 2007 (9/23/07)
6. Tommy Jones - PBA Tournament of Champions (4/1/07)
7. Doug Kent - Denny’s World Championship (3/25/07)
8. Norm Duke - Pepsi Championship (3/18/07)
9. Pete Weber - 64th U.S. Open (3/4/07)
10. Mike Mineman - Bayer Classic (2/25/07)
11. Patrick Allen - Go RVing Classic (2/18/07)
12. Chris Barnes - GEICO Classic (2/11/07)
13. Jason Couch - Motel 6 Classic (1/28/07)
14. Wes Malott - Discover® Card Windy City Classic (11/26/06)
15. Tony Reyes - Motor City Classic (11/5/06)
16. Ritchie Allen - Motel 6 Phoenix Classic (1/22/06)
17. Brian Himmler - Earl Anthony Medford Classic (1/8/06)
18. Mike Scroggins - USBC Masters (11/20/05)
19. Mike Machuga - Greater Omaha Classic (11/13/05)
20. Steve Jaros - Dexter Tournament of Champions (4/10/05)
21. Parker Bohn III - El Paso Classic (1/16/05)
22. Danny Wiseman - USBC Masters (10/31/04)
23. Robert Smith - Odor-Eaters Open (2/15/04)
24. Patrick Healey Jr. - PBA Tournament of Champions (12/14/03)
25. Ryan Shafer - Empire State Open (11/23/03)
26. Mike DeVaney - GEICO Earl Anthony Classic (1/5/03)
27. Eugene McCune - Banquet Classic (11/17/02)
28. Dave D’Entremont - Wichita Open (10/13/02)
29. Tommy Delutz Jr. - Long Island Open (11/18/01)
30. Brian Voss - Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Classic (1/29/06)
31. Jason Hurd - Pepsi Open (11/28/04)
32. Rick Lawrence - BowlersParadise.com Open (11/21/04)
33. Lonnie Waliczek - Odor-Eaters Open (2/26/03)
34. Chris Hayden - VIA Bowling Open (2/16/03)
35. Bryon Smith - USBC Masters (1/19/03)
36. Randy Pedersen - Pepsi Open (11/24/02)
37. Hugh Miller - Dream Bowl 2002 (9/2/02)
PBA Senior Tour Entrants
38. Tom Baker USBC Senior Masters & PBA Senior Dick Weber Invitational
PBA Regional Tour Entrants
39. Scott Santos - PBA Regional Players Championship
40. TBA - PBA Regional Players Invitational
PBA Tournament of Champions Winners/PBA Hall of Famers
41. Bryan Goebel - 1998 Tournament of Champions
42. David Ozio - 1991 Tournament of Champions
43. Del Ballard Jr. - 1989 Tournament of Champions
44. Mark Williams - 1988 Tournament of Champions
45. Steve Cook - 1981 Tournament of Champions
46. Wayne Webb - 1980 Tournament of Champions
47. Johnny Petraglia - 1971 Tournament of Champions
48. Dave Husted - National/Senior Doubles (1/15/00)
49. Ernie Schlegel - Bayer/Brunswick Touring Players Championship (11/8/95)
50. Mark Roth - IOF Foresters Open (4/15/95)
51. Gary Dickinson - B.P.A.A. U.S. Open (4/2/83)
52. Dave Soutar - Syracuse Open (11/9/82)
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Statistical Leaders
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Point Leaders
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla. 84,308
2. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 52,842
3. Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill. 52,3
4. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan. 51,91
5. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 51,867.7
6. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz. 48,954.7
7. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo. 47,171
8. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. 44,254
9. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. 43,32
10. Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 42,85
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Earnings Leaders
1. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan. $110,300
2. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. $62,300
3. Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill. $59,100
4. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla. $59,100
5. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind. $56,611
6. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. $32,300
7. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz. $31,500
8. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, $21,900
9. Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind. $20,711
10. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, $17,200
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Average Leaders
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla., 234.19
2. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 228.80
3. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 228.29
4. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 226.29
5. Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan, 226.05
6. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz., 225.72
7. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 225.53
8. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 225.33
9. Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 225.21
10. Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 224.09
2007 PBA Women’s Series Statistical Leaders
2007 PBA Women’s Series Point Leaders
1. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, N. Richland Hills, Texas, 62,473
2. Joy Esterson, Annapolis, Md. 57,197
3. Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y. 54,569
4. Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J. 49,559
5. Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif. 45,48
6. Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, Ariz. 42,843
7. Olivia Sandham, Wichita, Kan., 36,637
8. Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., 35,363
9. Amy Stolz, Castle Rock, Colo., 33,879
10. Michelle Feldman, Skaneateles, N.Y., 32,547
2007 PBA Women’s Series Earnings Leaders
1. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, N. Richland Hills, Texas, $19,000
2. Joy Esterson, Annapolis, Md. $17,500
3. Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y. $13,611
4. Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, Ariz. $13,600
5. Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J. $11,800
6. Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif. $10,800
7. Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo. $9,600
8. Olivia Sandham, Wichita, Kan. $7,600
9. Amy Stolz, Castle Rock, Colo. $7,300
10. Karen Stroud, Victoria, Texas, $7,100
2007 PBA Women’s Series Average Leaders
1. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, N. Richland Hills, Texas, 226.92
2. Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 223.69
3. Joy Esterson, Annapolis, Md., 218.51
4. Wendy Macpherson, Walnut Creek, Calif., 215.50
5. Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 215.19
6. Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., 212.92
7. Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, Ariz., 212.50
8. Stefanie Nation, Miami, Fla., 212.17
9. Olivia Sandham, Wichita, Kan., 210.67
10. Michelle Feldman, Skaneateles, N.Y., 210.41
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