Mika Koivuniemi moves into second place in Qatar; misses pole position by one pin

    11/27/11

    2011 European Bowling Tour #20

    Four players crack the top 9 on Saturday; cut for 36th place is now 1279 (213.17average)

    201112PBAMikaKoivuniemi.jpg2009BWCHussainAlSuwaidi.jpgThree Professional Bowlers Association members and a bowler from Bahrain cracked the top 9 in the qualifying of the Qatar Bowling Open Saturday at Qatar Bowling Center in Doha.

    For the third consecutive day the High Series award worth 200 Euro went to a player of the 4 p.m. squad, as reigning PBA Player of the Year, Mika Koivuniemi (pictured left), posted a 1448 series, an average of 241.33.

    The native Finn, who lives in Hartland, Mich. USA, averaged over 250 in the first five games but finished with a 194 low game to miss the pole position by just one pin. Three-time Asian point ranking leader Hussain Al-Suwaidi (right) held on to the lead with 1449.

    Another three players of Squad 10 also cracked the top 9, who will bypass the first round of the finals on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

    2011EBT17StuartWilliams.jpg201112PBAMartinLarsen.jpgStuart Williams (left), England, who bowled extremely well in the PBA World Series of Bowling earlier this month, closed out his set with a huge 297 game for 1383 (230.50) to jump into fourth place in the overall qualifying standings.

    PBA exempt player Martin Larsen (right), Sweden, had a high game of 289 in his 1375 series (229.17), which propelled the three-time world champion into seventh place.

    Mohamed Sultan of Bahrain was just two pins behind Larsen with 1373 including a 279 game to land in eighth place.

    Tim Mack, United States, currently holds ninth place with 1364 (227.33).

    201112PBAOskuPalermaa.jpg2011WWCJolinePerssonPlanefors2.jpgThree-time European Bowling Tour point ranking winner and current leader Osku Palermaa (left), who showed an extraordinary performance in the PBA World Series of Bowling, missed the top 9 by three pins to sit in tenth place with 1364.

    EBT women's point ranking leader Joline Persson-Planefors (right), Sweden, was the best of only five women in the 105-player field from 19 countries in 16th place with 1334 including 48 pins handicap.

    The only other women in the top 36 was 2011 Women's World Championships All Events gold medalist, Mai Ginge Jensen, Denmark, who was 23rd with 1318.

    Qualifying continues on Sunday, Nov. 27, with Squads 12-14 scheduled to start at noon, 4 and 8 p.m. AST (CET -2/EST -8).

    2011EBT20QBFLogo_small.jpg The Qatar Bowling Open is the 20th and last stop of the 2011 European Bowling Tour and the second "Platinum" event of the 2011 EBT season. The tournament will be held from Wednesday Nov. 23 through Tuesday Nov. 29, 2011 at 32-lane Qatar Bowling Center in Doha, Qatar.

    The tournament offers total prize money of 125.000 Euro (approx. $167,850) with 30.000 Euro going to the winner, 14.400 Euro to the first runner-up and 5.000 Euro to the third and fourth place finishers.

    201011PBAStuartWilliams_small.jpg2010EBT05MaiGingeJensen_small.jpg In the 2010 Qatar Bowling Open PBA exempt player Stuart Williams (pictured left), England, defeated Mai Ginge Jensen (right), Denmark, over two games total pinfall, 422-417, en route to claim his sixth title on the European Bowling Tour and the 30.000 Euro top prize.

    Williams won the first game by four pins (202-198) and the second game by one pin (220-219) to wrap up the title. Jensen, who won the women's ranking in Qatar, was consoled with 15.000 Euro for second place.

    The 2011 European Bowling Tour consists of 20 tour stops in 16 countries including two Platinum, six Gold, six Silver and six Satellite tournaments.

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event receive ranking points. The winner of a Platinum tournament such as the Qatar Bowling Open receives 250 ranking points, the winner of a Gold tournament gets 150, the winner of a Silver tournament earns 100, and the winner of a Satellite tournament gets 50 ranking points.

    2011 European Bowling Tour Rankings by Bowlingdigital - Current Standings
    2011 EBT Men's Ranking
    2011 EBT Women's Ranking

    The top 16 men and the top 16 women at the end of the 2011 season qualify for the fifth EBT Masters to be held at Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring near Munich, Germany on April 30 and May 1, 2012. The event will become the first EBT Masters to be contested on single lane condition.

    Qualifying of the Qatar Bowling Open (6 games, unlimited re-entries) runs through Monday, Nov. 28 and ends with Squad 18 and the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad scheduled for 11 p.m. local time. Women receive 8 pins handicap each game throughout the entire event, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    A total of 48 players - the top 36 in the overall qualifying standings, the top 2 of the Nov. 23rd squads, the top 3 each of the Nov. 24 and 25 squads, plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad - advance to the finals on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011.

    The top 9 qualifiers earn one bye. The remaining 39 players will bowl six games scratch with the top 19 advancing to the second round. Those 19 and the nine qualifying leaders will roll another six-game block scratch to cut to the top 4, who advance to the semifinals.

    The No. 1 bowls No. 4 and the No. 2 bowls No. 2 with the two-game total pinfall determining the winner. The two semifinal winners will bowl for the title and the 30.000 Euro top prize.

     


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    Qualifying Standings after Squad 11/18

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