01/17/08
2007-08 PBA Spare Shots #10
Fountain Bowl to host Motel 6 Dick Weber Open this week
This Week
Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley, Calif., plays host to the 12th event of the 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour this week with the third annual Motel 6 Dick Weber Open, Jan. 16-20. This week’s event marks the seventh consecutive season Fountain Bowl has hosted a Denny’s PBA Tour stop, tied with three other centers (Lava Lanes in Medford, Ore., Spectrum Lanes in Wyoming, Mich., and Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich.) for the longest current streak as a Denny’s PBA Tour host.
The event also marks the third consecutive season Fountain Bowl has hosted a tournament in honor of the late Dick Weber (archive picture), who was one of bowling’s biggest stars and its greatest ambassador. The PBA Hall of Famer won 26 Denny’s PBA Tour titles plus four BPAA All-Star titles, the U.S. Open’s predecessor which does not count as a Denny’s PBA Tour title. Weber’s son, Pete, also a PBA Hall of Famer who owns 34 titles, will look to break a mid-season slump and make his first championship round appearance of the season in honor of his father.
The Motel 6 Dick Weber Open is guaranteed to have a new winner as two-time defending champion Jason Couch is unable to compete this week due to the knee injury which forced him to defer his 2007-08 exemption until 2008-09. Couch, who has yet to compete in any events this season, will attempt to bowl in next week’s H&R Block Tournament of Champions.
Last Week
After finishing second in his last three championship round appearances and in four of his last five, Wes Malott finally made all the right moves to hoist the trophy, defeating rookie Rhino Page, 255-193, to win the 2008 Lumber Liquidators Earl Anthony Medford Classic at Lava Lanes in Medford, Ore., for his third career Denny’s PBA Tour title. As the only right-handed bowler in the finals, Malott let the three left-handers burn up their side of the lanes while he enjoyed the right side to himself. The rookie Page, making his record third championship round as a qualifier, came out on fire in the semifinals with five strikes to start the match against PBA Player of the Year candidate Patrick Allen, who was making his fourth consecutive championship round. At that point, the lanes started to break down and neither Page nor Allen was able to strike the rest of the match, with Page moving on, 230-190.
After a 245-235 win over Parker Bohn III in the semifinals, which wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated, Malott came out firing against Page, who couldn’t keep up with the transition. Malott struck in seven of the first eight frames to cruise to a 255-193 win and capture a title for the third consecutive season.
This Week's Schedule
The 2008 Motel 6 Dick Weber Open at Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley, Calif., features a “throwback” round robin format and is one of just four events all season open completely to PBA members and amateurs.
A field of 166 will bowl 15 games of qualifying over the next two days before the field is cut to the top 24 for round robin match play. All 24 bowlers will bowl one match against the other 23 competitors before the position round Friday night determines the five bowlers for Sunday’s stepladder finals. PBA Pro-Ams and Fan Day take place at Fountain Bowl all day Saturday.
The top five will bowl for the $25,000 top prize and a one-year Denny’s PBA Tour exemption on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. PST at Fountain Bowl.
Did You Know?
Just five of the 42 players who have won the PBA’s Rookie of the Year award won a title in their rookie season. The last to accomplish the feat was C.K. Moore, who won the 1996 Columbia 300 Open en route to the 1996 PBA Rookie of the Year award. Sean Rash (pictured) was the last rookie to win a title, capturing the 2006 West Virginia Championship in his rookie campaign in 2005-06, but Bill O’Neill used a more consistent season to win the voting for 2005-06 PBA Rookie of the Year.
Big Wes Breaks a Big Streak
The consensus going into last Sunday’s Lumber Liquidators Earl Anthony Medford Classic final round was that it seemed Wes Malott should have more than just two career Denny’s PBA Tour titles for all the success he’s had the last three seasons. Now he finally does. Malott ended a frustrating string of second-place finishes and won a title for the third time, each of which have come on a different oil pattern (Shark, Scorpion and now Cheetah).
Prior to his win last week, Malott had finished as runner-up in his last three TV appearances and in four of his last five since winning title No. 2 early last season. He had a second-place finish in the Motor City Classic before winning in Vernon Hills, Ill., last season, giving him five runner-up finishes in his last seven final rounds.
Even more frustrating for Malott was that three of his last four second-place finishes came by eight pins or less, including a 222-221 loss to Tommy Jones in the 2006 Ace Hardware Championship, a 210-204 loss to Pete Weber in last season’s 64th U.S. Open and a gut-wrenching 247-239 loss to Michael Haugen Jr. in this season’s Lake County Indiana Classic. Malott finally made sure there would be no 10th frame drama as he dominated Rhino Page, 255-193, in the title match last Sunday.
Rhino Re-charges
A week after missing the cut through the Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round for just the second time all season, Rhino Page bounced back in a big way by making his third championship round of the season after qualifying through the TQR, something no other bowler has ever done twice. Page, who has made the cut seven times in nine tries – his only two misses have come on the Shark pattern – became just the third rookie ever and the first since Mike Durbin in 1967 to make three TV appearances in a season. He’s on his way to several more records including most times qualifying through the TQR in a season (nine), most times making match play as a qualifier (seven – he’s done it six times) and most consecutive weeks qualifying (four – he’s qualified three consecutive times twice).
Perhaps the most shocking stat of them all is that Page is currently eighth in the PBA World Point Rankings. That puts him ahead of 47 of the 54 full-time exempt bowlers, all of whom don’t have to go through the Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round each Wednesday. Page is the second on the PBA average list with 230.10, trailing PBA Tour Average Leaders Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla., 231.60, by 1.5.
Allen, Duke Withdraw from Dick Weber Open
Patrick Allen and Norm Duke withdrew from this week’s Motel 6 Dick Weber Open, with Allen simply enjoying a week break after making a career-high four consecutive championship rounds while Duke re-injured the calf muscle which caused him to miss the final four events of the first half.
This week’s event features an open format with no Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round. The Tour’s next event, the PBA Exempt Doubles Classic, does feature a Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round this Sunday, Jan. 20 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. PST.
Doubles Event Starts This Weekend
The PBA’s first doubles event since 2001 will take place Jan. 20-22 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, Nev., a city which has played host to 26 PBA doubles events.
The doubles event is similar to all other standard Denny’s PBA Tour events, with the Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round open to all non-exempt PBA members and amateurs on Sunday, Jan. 20.
The Round of 64 takes place Monday, Jan. 21 before the top 32 advance to the doubles portion of the event on Tuesday. Bowlers will be paired up by qualifying position, with qualifiers No. 1 and No. 2 teaming up, qualifiers No. 3 and No. 4 teaming up and so on.
Teams will bowl round robin match play with the top four teams advancing to the finals on Sunday, Jan. 27 which will be taped at Red Rock Lanes and will air on ESPN the following Sunday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m. EST.
Two Bowlers Added to H&R Block Tournament of Champions
With just one event remaining before the second Major event of the season – the 2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions – the roster for the prestigious event is rounding into shape.
To correct an administrative error, the PBA has allowed PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli and three-time titlist Dave Arnold into the event, bringing the number of participants to 54. Neither Monacelli, who won the 2005 Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Classic, and Arnold, who won the 2001 Miller High Life Open, are in danger of getting bumped going into this week’s event.
On the bubble for yet another week is Kurt Pilon, who survived last week when Wes Malott won the Lumber Liquidators Earl Anthony Medford Classic.
Less Than One Week Remaining to Apply for Denny’s All-American H.S. Championships
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 have a chance to bowl on ESPN.
For the second consecutive season, Denny’s, the PBA and the USBC are teaming 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.
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.
2007-08 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year Race
With his win in last week’s Lumber Liquidators Earl Anthony Medford Classic, Wes Malott moved up to third in the 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year race. Walter Ray Williams Jr. still holds the lead, but Patrick Allen closed the gap again with his fourth consecutive championship round appearance.
Rookie Rhino Page, thanks to his second runner-up finish in the last three events, is now a strong candidate for the award as he sits eighth.
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr., 44
2. Patrick Allen, 38
3. Wes Malott, 32
4. Mike Wolfe, 26
5. Sean Rash, Parker Bohn III, 24 each
7. Mika Koivuniemi, 22
8. Rhino Page, 17
9. Michael Haugen Jr., Robert Smith and Tommy Jones, 16 each
2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions Roster
With his win in the 2008 Lumber Liquidators Earl Anthony Medford Classic. Wes Malott moved to the top of the 2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions roster. Kurt Pilon is the last player who could potentially be bumped from the event, which takes place Jan. 23-27 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas. The event features 54 bowlers this season, up from 32 in years past.
Denny’s PBA Tour Entrants
1. Wes Malott - Lumber Liquidators Earl Anthony Medford Classic (1/13/08)
2. Tommy Jones - ConstructionJobs.com Championship (1/6/08)
3. Parker Bohn III - Spartanburg Classic (12/16/07)
4. Patrick Allen - Lumber Liquidators Championship (12/9/07)
5. Walter Ray Williams Jr. - Great Lakes Classic (12/2/07)
6. Robert Smith - CLR Windy City Classic (11/25/07)
7. Michael Haugen Jr. - Lake County Indiana Classic (11/18/07)
8. Mike Wolfe - Etonic Championship (11/11/07)
9. Sean Rash - USBC Masters (10/28/07)
10. Mika Koivuniemi - Dydo Japan Cup 2007 (9/23/07)
11. Doug Kent - Denny’s World Championship (3/25/07)
12. Norm Duke - Pepsi Championship (3/18/07)
13. Pete Weber - 64th U.S. Open (3/4/07)
14. Mike Mineman - Bayer Classic (2/25/07)
15. Chris Barnes - GEICO Classic (2/11/07)
16. Jason Couch - Motel 6 Classic (1/28/07)
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. Amleto Monacelli - Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Open (2/13/05)
24. Danny Wiseman - USBC Masters (10/31/04)
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)
38. Dave Arnold - Miller High Life Open (10/9/01)
39. Kurt Pilon - Peoria Open (9/21/01)
PBA Senior Tour Entrants
40. Tom Baker - USBC Senior Masters & PBA Senior Dick Weber Invitational
PBA Regional Tour Entrants
41. Scott Santos - PBA Regional Players Championship
42. Eddie Graham - PBA Regional Players Invitational
PBA Tournament of Champions Winners/PBA Hall of Famers
43. Bryan Goebel - 1998 Tournament of Champions
44. David Ozio - 1991 Tournament of Champions
45. Del Ballard Jr. - 1989 Tournament of Champions
46. Mark Williams - 1988 Tournament of Champions
47. Steve Cook - 1981 Tournament of Champions
48. Wayne Webb - 1980 Tournament of Champions
49. Johnny Petraglia - 1971 Tournament of Champions
50. Dave Husted - National/Senior Doubles (1/15/00)
51. Ernie Schlegel - Bayer/Brunswick Touring Players Championship (11/8/95)
52. Mark Roth - IOF Foresters Open (4/15/95)
53. Dave Soutar - Syracuse Open (11/9/82)
54. Roy Buckley - Buffalo Open (7/28/81)
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Statistical Leaders
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Point Leaders
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla., 151,228
2. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 137,969
3. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 113,919
4. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 110,922.7
5. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 102,549
6. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 101,758
7. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz. 95,818.7
8. Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan. 93,249.5
9. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. 91,243
10. Mike DeVaney, Temecula, Calif. 87,008
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Earnings Leaders
1. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan. $127,500
2. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla. $98,150
3. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla. $87,650
4. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. $78,840
5. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind. $71,421
6. Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill. $71,200
7. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, $66,200
8. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J. $50,880
9. Michael Haugen Jr. Cave Creek, Ariz. $47,050
10. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C. $46,810
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Average Leaders
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr. Ocala, Fla., 231.60
2. Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan., 230.10
3. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 226.77
4. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 226.32
5. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 225.96
6. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 224.83
7. Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 224.73
8. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 223.09
9. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 222.50
10. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 222.43
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