PBA Tour rings in the New Year with the 2008 ConstructionJobs.com Championship

This Week

The Denny's PBA Tour returns from a two-week break this week to ring in the New Year with the 2008 ConstructionJobs.com Championship at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The Tour returns to the NBS for the second consecutive season after a three-year hiatus with the season's 10th event from Jan. 2-6.

Lefty Patrick Allen (r.) will be defending his title as he went 14-0 and defeated PBA Hall of Famers Pete Weber and Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the finals en route to the 2007 H&R Block Classic title last season. Allen will look to make it three consecutive championship round appearances as he won the Lumber Liquidators Championship and finished third in the Spartanburg Classic to close out the first half of the season.

Also looking to win for the second time in Reno are Mika Koivuniemi, Parker Bohn III and Williams, who is looking to carry over from his incredible first half where he won two titles and finished first in points and average and second in earnings, taking the early lead in the 2007-08 Player of the Year race.

Last Time Out

Parker Bohn III (left) wasn't sure he would ever win again on the Denny's PBA Tour, which is why fans witnessed a rare sight from the PBA Hall of Famer after he captured the 2007 Spartanburg Classic at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, Dec. 16.

The 44-year-old snapped a career-long, 61-event winless streak and broke a string of 10 consecutive championship rounds without a title to capture his 31st career Denny's PBA Tour crown, bringing the great champion to tears.

One of the game's greatest left-handed bowlers of all-time, Bohn defeated three lefties en route to the title, taking down arguably the top lefty in the game today – Patrick Allen – and the young man who seems primed to take over the title of the next-great-lefty, 24-year-old Rhino Page.

Page (right) was making history as the first non-exempt bowler to make two championship rounds after advancing through the Tour Qualifying Round, but a determined Bohn took down Billy Oatman and Allen, and then won a thrilling match against Page in which the rookie had a chance to win with a double and nine pins in the 10th. After striking with his first ball in the 10th for his sixth consecutive strike, Page left the 6- and 9-pins to give Bohn the 267-257 win.

This Week's Schedule

The 2008 ConstructionJobs.com Championship at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., features a single elimination match play format and a unique one at that, with the Round of 8 taking place Saturday morning. The event starts Wednesday, Jan. 2, at Noon PST with the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round, where 11 PBA members and one amateur will advance to Thursday's Round of 64. The official PBA Practice Session takes place Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.

The Round of 64 features two seven-game qualifying blocks from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. after which the field will be cut to the top 32 for single elimination match play. The Round of 32, which features best-of-seven-games match play, takes place Friday at Noon followed by the Round of 16 at 5 p.m. The final eight will roll another Round of best-of-seven at 9 a.m. Saturday morning to determine the four finalists for Sunday's live ESPN-televised finals. PBA Pro-Ams and Fan Day take place at the National Bowling Stadium following the Round of 8.

The final four will bowl for the $25,000 top prize and a one-year Denny's PBA Tour exemption on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m. PST at the National Bowling Stadium.

Did You Know?

Over the last three seasons, Parker Bohn III has made the championship round in seven of 13 round robin events.

Of Bohn's 11 TV appearances between his 2005 El Paso Classic title and his 2007 Spartanburg Classic title, seven came in the round robin format where he compiled an 8-6 record in championship rounds. His lone title in that span came in Spartanburg where he was the No. 3 seed and won three matches for the title.

Eleven Spots Available in Reno

For the third time this season, a record 11 spots will be available for PBA members in Wednesday's Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round as seven exempt bowlers will not compete this week.

Four bowlers have officially received injury deferments – Jeff Carter, Jason Couch, Patrick Healey Jr. and Tony Reyes - while Tim Criss announced his retirement following the Lumber Liquidators Championship. Those five spots go back to the weekly TQR meaning each TQR for the remainder of the season will offer a minimum of nine spots to PBA members. Also out this week are Wes Malott and Pete Weber who will take extended holiday breaks.

Over the course of this season, Rhino Page (left) has showed like so many before the benefits of bowling the weekly Tour Qualifying Rounds. Page is currently ranked 13th in the PBA World Point Rankings after making his fifth match play appearance and his second TV show in Spartanburg.

Since Page is in a good position to finish the season in the top 40 in points, that leaves the rest of the non-exempt bowlers to fight it out for the non-exempt spot on the 2008-09 Tour. Currently in second behind Page is Edward VanDaniker Jr.

Wait Your Turn

In a battle between the new guard and old guard of left-handed bowlers, 44-year-old Parker Bohn III edged 24-year-old Rhino Page to win the Spartanburg Classic as Bohn refused to pass the torch just yet to the up-and-coming star.

Page (left) has made quite a name for himself in his rookie season, advancing through the Tour Qualifying Round in six of seven events, making match play five times and appearing in two championship rounds. He's up to 13th in the point rankings, almost assuring himself a spot on the 2008-09 Denny's PBA Tour barring a disastrous second half.

The only thing that hasn't gone Page's way is something that's out of his control and that's his opponents' average in his two TV matches. Page, although admittedly nervous in his TV debuts this season, has averaged a very respectable 236.00 in his two matches. Unfortunately for the young gun, his opponents have averaged 272.50 in those two games, including a 278-215 loss to Mike DeVaney in the Lumber Liquidators Championship and a 267-257 loss to Bohn in the Spartanburg Classic title match.

Tables Turn

Parker Bohn III's win in the Spartanburg Classic snapped a four-match winning streak by top seeds in stepladder finals and a run of six wins in seven title matches for No. 1 seeds dating back to Jason Couch's win in the 2007 Dick Weber Open. Couch's win snapped a nine-match losing streak for top seeds.

Bohn was in the final round in five of the previous seven stepladder finals heading into the Spartanburg Classic and he lost to the eventual champion in four of them. He fell to Couch in the Dick Weber Open title match, Tony Reyes in the 2007 Motor City Classic semifinal, Wes Malott in the 2007 Discover® Card Windy City Classic quarterfinal and Patrick Allen in the Go RVing Classic title match.

This time, Bohn came in as the No. 3 seed and knocked off the No. 2 Allen and No. 1 Rhino Page to capture his 31st career title.

Scroggins' Struggles Continue

The hits just keep on coming for Mike Scroggins (left), who fell to Billy Oatman in the first match of the Spartanburg Classic stepladder finals to drop his eighth consecutive match on TV and fall to 1-10 on TV since winning the 2005 USBC Masters.

Unfortunately for the veteran, he can't really point the finger at anyone other than himself as he's averaged just 202.91 in those 11 matches and has missed five single-pin conversions in his 10 losses: two in the 2005 Keystone State Championship against Tom Baker, one against Wes Malott in the 2006 Discover® Card Windy City Classic and one in each of his two TV appearances this season, the 2007 Great Lakes Classic and 2007 Spartanburg Classic.

Scroggins needs a win in a hurry to avoid tying a dubious record. He's two losses shy of tying Marshall Holman and Steve Jaros' record of 10 consecutive losses on TV.

Membership Promotion Still in Full Swing

There's still time for bowlers to take advantage of the PBA's membership promotion, which runs through Feb. 29. The promotion waives the initiation or reinstatement fees for bowlers who join the PBA and enter a Denny's PBA Tour event between now and Feb. 29, 2008.

Bowlers who become PBA members and enter a Denny's PBA Tour event at the same time between now and Feb. 29 will have either their initiation fee ($99) or reinstatement fee ($99 or $198) waived. Participants in the promotion are required to maintain PBA membership for a minimum of six months.

EliteBowling.com is offering a free PBA double-ball tote bag to any bowlers who join the PBA via this special promotion and buy a PBA Series Ball from EliteBowling.com.

Denny's All-American H.S. Championships Deadline Approaching

The deadline is approaching fast for high school bowlers to take advantage of their opportunity to compete among the top youth bowlers in the country and a chance to bowl on ESPN.

For the second consecutive season, Denny's, the PBA and the USBC will team up for the Denny's All-American High School Championships. One female senior and one male senior will be selected from each state that recognizes bowling as a varsity sport and is a member of a high school varsity bowling team. The total field will be made up of 19 girls and 17 boys from around the country. This year's application changes include a minimum GPA requirement of 2.7 (on a 4.0 scale) and an extension of the deadline for application into late January.

Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 21, 2008 for the event which takes place March 28-30 during the 65th Denny's U.S. Open in North Brunswick, N.J. The top two male and female competitors will compete head-to-head on March 30. Student bowlers selected for the DAAHSC will compete for $10,000 in scholarships and the opportunity to bowl on ESPN with PBA professionals. For more information, visit pba.com or go to the high school section at www.bowl.com, and click "Denny's Tournament" to download the official forms and details.

2007-08 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year Race

As the 2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour heads into the second half, PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. (pictured) sits atop the PBA Player of the Year rankings, a new point system implemented this season. Williams, a six-time PBA Player of the Year who is going for his record-breaking seventh award, won two titles and made five championship rounds in the first nine events.

With three Majors remaining, much can still change, however. The 2004-05 PBA Player of the Year Patrick Allen is second, followed by Mike Wolfe and Sean Rash, who won the season's first Major, the 2007 USBC Masters.

Under the new point system, Majors award more points than standard events. Moving into sixth with his recent Spartanburg Classic win was Parker Bohn III, a two-time winner of the PBA's Player of the Year award.

1. Walter Ray Williams Jr., 44
2. Patrick Allen, 28
3. Mike Wolfe, 26
4. Sean Rash, 24
5. Mika Koivuniemi, 22
6. Parker Bohn III, 20
7. Robert Smith, Michael Haugen Jr., Wes Malott, 16 each
10. Steve Jaros, 12

2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions Roster

With his win in the 2007 Spartanburg Classic, Parker Bohn III moved from 22nd on the 2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions roster to the top of the list and kept Hugh Miller (pictured) on the bubble for another week. Bohn's win also locks in Chris Hayden, who won the 2003 VIA Bowling Open, for the Tournament of Champions which takes place Jan. 23-27 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas. The event features 52 bowlers this season, up from 32 in years past.

Denny's PBA Tour Entrants
1. Parker Bohn III - Spartanburg Classic (12/16/07)
2. Patrick Allen - Lumber Liquidators Championship (12/9/07)
3. Walter Ray Williams Jr. - Great Lakes Classic (12/2/07)
4. Robert Smith - CLR Windy City Classic (11/25/07)
5. Michael Haugen Jr. - Lake County Indiana Classic (11/18/07)
6. Mike Wolfe - Etonic Championship (11/11/07)
7. Sean Rash - USBC Masters (10/28/07)
8. Mika Koivuniemi - Dydo Japan Cup 2007 (9/23/07)
9. Tommy Jones - PBA Tournament of Champions (4/1/07)
10. Doug Kent - Denny's World Championship (3/25/07)
11. Norm Duke - Pepsi Championship (3/18/07)
12. Pete Weber - 64th U.S. Open (3/4/07)
13. Mike Mineman - Bayer Classic (2/25/07)
14. Chris Barnes - GEICO Classic (2/11/07)
15. Jason Couch - Motel 6 Classic (1/28/07)
16. Wes Malott - Discover® Card Windy City Classic (11/26/06)
17. Tony Reyes - Motor City Classic (11/5/06)
18. Ritchie Allen - Motel 6 Phoenix Classic (1/22/06)
19. Brian Himmler - Earl Anthony Medford Classic (1/8/06)
20. Mike Scroggins - USBC Masters (11/20/05)
21. Mike Machuga - Greater Omaha Classic (11/13/05)
22. Steve Jaros - Dexter Tournament of Champions (4/10/05)
23. Danny Wiseman - USBC Masters (10/31/04)
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. Eddie Graham - 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., 131,283
2. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 100,899.7
3. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 100,615
4. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 91,105
5. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz. 87,488.7
6. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan. 86,508
7. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. 78,794
8. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo. 77,245
9. Mike DeVaney, Temecula, Calif. 76,609
10. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J. 75,101

2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Earnings Leaders
1. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan. $121,600
2. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla. $92,250
3. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. $74,340
4. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. $68,650
5. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind. $67,821
6. Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill. $67,200
7. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz. $43,050
8. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J. $42,680
9. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, $41,200
10. Robert Smith, Captain Cook, Hawaii, $36,600

2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Average Leaders
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla., 232.40
2. Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan., 230.68
3. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 228.05
4. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 227.04
5. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz., 225.39
6. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 225.28
7. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 225.23
8. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 224.94
9. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 224.10
10. Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 224.09

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