03/07/08
2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour #19
Kretzer leads top 32 into Match Play in Go RVing Classic
Norwich Bowling & Entertainment Center in Norwich, CT (March 5-9, 2008)
Brian Kretzer (left) wasn't in desperate need of a great performance this week, but it certainly won't hurt.Kretzer took a big step toward securing an exemption for the 2008-09 Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour season, leading the field in Thursday's Round of 64 with a 3,347 14-game pinfall in the 2008 Go RVing Classic at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center.
The 41-year-old came into this week 32nd in the PBA World Point Rankings with three events remaining, including this week. The top 38 at the end of the season earn exemptions via the point rankings. Kretzer had a 7,000 point lead over 38th coming into this week and leading the field will give him a big boost as bonus points are awarded to the top qualifier.
"Good grips, good shoes, good bowling balls," Kretzer (Dayton, Ohio) said. "Seriously though, it was nice to get off to a good start because I wasn't completely out of the clear. This definitely helps me feel a little more comfortable. I just got a good curve going which is my bread and butter."
Kretzer, who has yet to win a title in 135 career events, tied a PBA record in the first seven-game block, firing two 300 games. The two perfect games equaled a feat only five other bowlers have accomplished in the four years since the Tour switched to seven-game blocks.
After averaging 244.71 over the first seven games, Kretzer managed a 233.43 over the final seven to take the lead and earn the top seed for Friday's single elimination match play. He will face No. 32 Tom Baker, a PBA Hall of Famer and the three-time reigning PBA Senior Player of the Year who earned the final spot in match play by just two pins.
One bowler who does need a strong finish over the final three events and got off to a good start in that endeavor is Tour veteran Mike Edwards (left), who finished second with 3,313. Edwards was seemingly in a comfortable position before last week's Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic – sitting 29th in points – but a handful of bowlers behind him had big weeks, dropping him down to 36th. Edwards, whose lone Denny's PBA Tour title came in 1994, will face No. 31 Brad Angelo on Friday.
Patrick Allen (l.) and Doug Kent (r.), the 2004-05 and 2006-07 PBA Players of the Year, respectively, finished third and fourth. Allen is still in the hunt for the 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year, sitting fifth in the standings. A win this week could move him up as high as third. Allen will face No. 30 Stevie Weber while Kent, looking to make his first TV appearance of the season, will face No. 29 Mike Wolfe.
In the battle for the top honor on Tour, Walter Ray Williams Jr. finished seventh Thursday to advance to match play while PBA Player of the Year points race leader Chris Barnes missed the cut, finishing 37th. Williams, who has held the lead in 15 of the 19 weeks this season, is now four points behind after Barnes won last week's event in Columbus, Ohio, to take the lead. Williams would grab a share of the lead with a third-place finish.
Thursday's Round of 32, which features best-of-seven games match play, gets underway at 9 a.m. The Round of 16 takes place at 2 p.m. while the Round of 8 gets underway at 7 p.m.
The final four after Friday will advance to Sunday's championship round live on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. The winner receives $25,000 an exemption for the 2008-09 Denny's PBA Tour.
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Tour Qualifying Round
Round of 64
Players with position, hometown and 14-game pinfall. Top 32 advance. Positions 33-64 cash.
1, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,347
2, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 3,313
3, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,306
4, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 3,300
5, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,268
6, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3,221
7, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,199
8, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore, 3,197
9, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 3,194
10, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 3,183
11, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,179
12, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,162
13, Billy Oatman, Chicago, 3,158
14, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 3,138
15, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 3,135
16, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,134
17, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,128
18, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,127
19, Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 3,126
20, Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan, 3,120
21, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,117
22, Mark Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,113
23, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 3,083
24, Bill O'Neill, Levittown, Pa., 3,077
25, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,074
26, Todd Book, Cantonment, Fla., 3,073
26, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,073
28, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3,070
29, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,059
30, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La, 3,039
31, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,036
32, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,024
Missed Cut:
33, Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, N.Y., 3,022, $1,800
34, Tom Daugherty, Tampa, Fla., 3,020, $1,800
35, Riga Kalfas, Florence, Ky., 3,019, $1,800
36, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,014, $1,800
37, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,010, $1,800
38, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 3,005, $1,800
38, Walter Schaub II, Schaumburg, Ill., 3,005, $1,800
40, Vinny D'Ambrosio III, Staten Island, N.Y., 2,993, $1,800
40, Jason Wojnar, Chicago, 2,993, $1,800
42, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,989, $1,800
43, Alex Aguiar, North Dartmouth, Mass., 2,984, $1,800
44, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan, 2,979, $1,800
45, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 2,969, $1,800
46, Edward VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 2,963, $1,800
47, Robert Smith, Captain Cook, Hawaii, 2,956, $1,800
48, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 2,953, $1,800
49, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 2,935, $1,800
50, D.J. Archer, Mineral Wells, Texas, 2,927, $1,800
51, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,916, $1,800
52, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,893, $1,800
53, Mark Roth, Fulton, N.Y., 2,881, $1,800
54, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,872, $1,800
55, Mitch Beasley, Arlington, Texas, 2,863, $1,800
56, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 2,853, $1,800
57, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,838, $1,800
58, Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, 2,836, $1,800
59, Mike Mineman, Belleville, Ill., 2,835, $1,800
60, David Leverage, Peoria, Ariz., 2,807, $1,800
61, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 2,781, $1,800
62, Dan White, Agawam, Mass, 2,751, $1,800
63, Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa., 2,745, $1,800
64, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,373, $1,800
300 games (4) – Brian Kretzer (2), Billy Oatman, David Leverage.
Malott leads Round of 64 after Block 1; Kretzer shoots two 300 games
Wes Malott (l.), Argyle, Texas, started the first of two 7-game blocks in the Round of 64 in the Go RVing Classic with two 250s, two 260s and a 278 high game (1328/265.60) and closed out the set with 203 and 238 to lead the field with 1769 pinfall total and an average of 252,71. 
Brian Kretzer (r.) had a slow start (877 after 4 games) but finished with 300, 236 and 300 to land in second place with 1713 (244.71). The two favorites in the Player of the Year race, Walter Ray Williams Jr. (1664) and Chris Barnes (1491) sit in fourth and 40th place, resp.
TQR winner Rhino Page, who is a virtual lock for the 2007-08 PBA Rookie of the Year award, is 9th with 1612. Block two gets underway at 5 p.m. EST.
Round of 64 – Block One
Players with position, hometown and seven-game pinfall.
1, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 1,769
2, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,713
3, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 1,679
4, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,664
5, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 1,640
6, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,638
7, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,633
8, Todd Book, Cantonment, Fla., 1,613
9, Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan, 1,612
10, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,601
11, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 1,600
12, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 1,599
13, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 1,596
14, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,581
15, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 1,580
15, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 1,580
17, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,577
18, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,575
19, Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,574
20, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore, 1,568
20, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 1,568
22, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan, 1,561
23, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,560
24, Billy Oatman, Chicago, 1,559
25, Robert Smith, Captain Cook, Hawaii, 1,557
26, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,554
27, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,552
28, Bill O'Neill, Levittown, Pa., 1,550
29, Mark Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,545
29, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,545
31, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,539
32, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,538
33, Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, N.Y., 1,524
34, Tom Daugherty, Tampa, Fla., 1,520
35, Riga Kalfas, Florence, Ky., 1,518
36, Alex Aguiar, North Dartmouth, Mass., 1,509
37, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,502
38, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 1,492
38, Jason Wojnar, Chicago, 1,492
40, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,491
41, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La, 1,490
42, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 1,486
43, Vinny D'Ambrosio III, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,481
44, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,471
45, Walter Schaub II, Schaumburg, Ill., 1,470
46, Edward VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 1,469
47, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,465
48, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 1,456
48, Mitch Beasley, Arlington, Texas, 1,456
50, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,455
51, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,440
52, David Leverage, Peoria, Ariz., 1,434
53, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 1,430
54, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 1,429
55, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 1,414
56, D.J. Archer, Mineral Wells, Texas, 1,388
57, Mark Roth, Fulton, N.Y., 1,386
58, Mike Mineman, Belleville, Ill., 1,385
59, Dan White, Agawam, Mass, 1,375
60, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,373
61, Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, 1,368
62, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 1,361
63, Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa., 1,343
64, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,339
300 games (2) – Brian Kretzer (2).
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