Andres Gomez (pictured left) of Colombia averaged 249.4 Monday to lead four players who qualified for the finals of the Professional Bowlers Association Carmen Salvino Classic at South Point Bowling Center. Australia's Jason Belmonte (right) ended Sean Rash's bid for a record sixth straight television appearance by six pins.

Gomez, who is trying for his first PBA Tour title, finished with a 4,490 18-game pinfall total and had games of 229, 239, 223, 237, 257 and 243 in Monday's final six-game round to qualify for his second TV final of the World Series of Bowling.

"It hasn't been until the last few years that I've been able to take advantage of high scoring conditions," said Gomez, whose best finishes on Tour have been a second in last season's Viper Championship and a fourth in the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions. "I've been getting a better ball reaction by working on the angles you need to score on easier conditions."

Gomez, who has already qualified for the PBA World Championship finals which will be taped by ESPN on Saturday beginning 10:30 a.m. PT, said his success was because he was able to make only slight adjustments throughout all three rounds.

"As the rounds went on it got a little tougher," Gomez said. "But I was able to use the same ball and just had to make small adjustments on the lane and with my speed to make sure I had the good angle into the pocket."

Also advancing to the Carmen Salvino final was Belmonte, who qualified for his fourth World Series of Bowling telecast by finishing fourth with a 4,253 pinfall total to edge Rash.

"It seemed like I had a good look the whole round but just couldn't finish it off for a few games," said Belmonte, who has one PBA Tour title. "In the last game I had to throw some of the best shots of my life."

Also, making the Salvino final were six-time Tour champion Wes Malott (left) of Pflugerville, Texas, who finished second, 84 pins behind Gomez with 4,406 pins, and Ronnie Russell (right) of Marion, Ind., who finished third with 4,361.

Malott and Russell both reached their first TV final. Russell also is trying for his first PBA title.

The first 12 games also were part of Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship qualifying for the 49 PBA Tour exempt players in the field. Their scores will carry over to Tuesday when the Elite Players Championship field will bowl two more six-game qualifying rounds. After 24 games, the top 32 players will advance to a fifth six-game qualifying round Wednesday morning.

After 30 games, the Elite Players field will be cut to the top 16 for three elimination bracket rounds that will trim the field to four finalists. Those same 16 players will become the field for the Lumber Liquidators Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship.

Teams will be determined during a draft whereby the top qualifier will be first to select a partner. The No. 2 qualifier will then select his partner and so on until all eight teams are determined.

All competition through Wednesday will be covered live on PBA's exclusive Xtra Frame online bowling channel.

 

Related Articles

Jason Sterner leads Carmen Salvino Classic Tour Qualifying Round
Sean Rash dominates PBA World Championship Qualifying, earns fifth TV final
Chris Barnes leads GEICO Shark Open Qualifying
England's Dominic Barrett earns top seed for PBA Scorpion Open finals
Two-handers Belmonte, Palermaa top PBA Chameleon Open qualifying
Mike Fagan earns top qualifier honors in PBA Bayer Viper Open
49 exempt players set for 2011-12 Professional Bowlers Association Tour season

 

Carmen Salvino Classic - Final Qualifying Standings

Players with position, hometown and 18-game total. The top four advance to ESPN finals.

1, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 4,490
2, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 4,406
3, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 4,361
4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 4,253

Did not advance (after 18 games)
5, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 4,247, $2,500
6, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 4,224, $2,400
7, Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 4,223, $2,300
8, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 4,199, $2,200
9, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 4,186, $2,150
10, Andy Mortensen, Tulsa, Okla., 4,175, $2,100
11, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 4,155, $2,150
12, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 4,153, $2,000
13, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 4,142, $1,950
14, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 4,132, $1,900
15, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 4,099, $1,850
16, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 4,031, $1,800

Did not advance (after 12 games)
17, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 2,790, $1,500
18, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2,787, $1,480
19, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 2,786, $1,460
20, Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 2,783, $1,440
21 (tie), John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., and Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,777, $1,410
23, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 2,773, $1,380
24 (tie), Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., and Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,770, $1,365
26 (tie), Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, and Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 2,765, $1,345
28, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,759, $1,330
29, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,758, $1,420
30, Chris Hayden, Las Vegas, 2,725, $1,310
31, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2,724, $1,300
32, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 2,715, $1,290
33, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 2,710, $1,280
34, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2,695, $1,270
35, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,684, $1,260
36, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,677, $1,250
37, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 2,675, $1,240
38, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 2,674, $1,230
39, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 2,669, $1,220
40, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 2,666, $1,210
41 (tie), Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., and Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2,659, $1,195
43 (tie), Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., and Patrick Allen, Baltimore, 2,653, $1,175
45 (tie), Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, and Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 2,645, $1,155
47, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 2,636, $1,140
48, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,628, $1,130
49, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,625, $1,120
50 (tie), Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., and Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 2,621, $1,105
52, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,614, $1,090
53, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 2,612, $1,080
54, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 2,609, $1,070
55, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,588, $1,060
56, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 2,582, $1,050
57, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 2,571, $1,040
58, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 2,520, $1,030
59, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 2,481, $1,020
60, Adam Monks, San Diego, 2,480, $1,010
61, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,468, $1,000
62, Yong-Jin Gu, South Korea, 2,397, $1,000
63, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2,310, $1,000
64, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., withdrew, $1,000

 

Pepsi PBA Elite Players Championship after 12 of 24 qualifying games

1, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,062
2, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 3,017
3, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,963
4, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 2,925
5, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 2,910
6, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., 2,904
7, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 2,887
8, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,871
9, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,833
10, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 2,829
11, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,822
12, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,813
13, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 2,790
14, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2,787
15, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 2,786
16, Tyler Jensen, Ft. Worth, Texas, 2,783
17, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,777
18, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 2,773
19 (tie), Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, and Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 2,770
21, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 2,765
22, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,758
23, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2,724
24, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 2,715
25, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 2,710
26, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2,695
27, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,684
28, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,677
29, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 2,669
30, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 2,666
31 (tie), Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., and Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2,659
33 (tie), Patrick Allen, Baltimore, and Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,653
35, Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, 2,645
36, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 2,636
37, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,628
38, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,625
39 (tie), Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,621
41, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,614
42, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 2,612
43, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 2,609
44, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,588
45, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 2,571
46, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 2,520
47, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 2,481
48, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,468
49, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2,310