Mika Koivuniemi takes early lead in WTBA International Open

    01/30/12

    2012 World Bowling Tour #3

    Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson, Nev., USA (Jan. 28 - Feb. 5, 2012)

    201112PBAMikaKoivuniemi.jpg2011USBCOCMattMcNiel.jpgReigning PBA Player of the Year and current World Bowling Tour men's point ranking leader Mika Koivuniemi (pictured left) of Finland took the early lead in the WTBA International Open at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson, Nev., United States.

    Koivuniemi had four games between 222 and 224 and high games of 278 and 279 on the WTBA Atlanta oil conditioning pattern to lead a field of 25 players after four qualifying squads with 1448 six-game total and an average of 241.33.

    2010 USBC Open Championships All Events winner Matt McNiel (above right), United States, was 19 pins behind in second place with 1429 including high games of 267, 244 and 243.

    201011USBCHighScoreLizJohnson.jpg2011BWCLucasLegnani.jpgThird place belonged to the best woman in the field, Liz Johnson. The team USA member and two´-time WTBA World Champion (left) averaged 230 scratch and added 36 pins women's handicap for 1416 total pinfall.

    Four-time PBA champion Mike Wolfe was fourth with 1391. Lucas Legnani (right), a member of the Argentinean national team, led Squad 4 on Sunday evening with 1389 to move to fifth place. Legnani had games of 227, 209, 230, 267, 220 and 236.

    One-time PBA champion Ryan Ciminelli and 13-time PBA champion Chris Barnes slipped to sixth and seventh place with 1343 and 1327, respectively.

    2012LVInternationalOpenLogo2_small.jpg The WTBA International Open, the first World Tenpin Bowling Association owned and operated event, is the third stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and runs concurrently with The International Mini from Jan. 28 through Feb. 5.

    BowlingdigitalBanner.gif Bowlingdigital will cover the WTBA International Open and The International Mini live from Las Vegas all the way through to the finals on Feb. 5, 2012.

    The third event, the USBC Masters, concluded on Sunday morning. Jan. 29. All three events, which offer a total combined prize fund of approximately $500,000, have a special additional prize fund of $30,000 available to those who compete in all three events.

    The WTBA International Open features a European-style re-entry format. There will be 19 qualifying squads and bowlers may compete on any squad to try to post their best six-game total. The 20th and last squad to qualify for the finals is the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 4. Women receive six pins handicap per game.

    Squad Times
    Saturday, January 28 at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
    Sunday, January 29 at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
    Monday, January 30 at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
    Tuesday, January 31 at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
    Wednesday, February 1 at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 9 p.m.
    Thursday, February 2 at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 9 p.m.
    Friday, February 3 at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 6 p.m.
    Saturday, February 4 at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. (Desperado Squad)
    Sunday, February 5 - Finals starting at 2 p.m.

    After the conclusion of the qualifying, total 48 players will qualify for the finals - the top 44 qualifiers including the squad leaders from all Monday and Tuesday squads (two each; earn automatic berths into the finals) along with four bowlers from the one-game Desperado Squad at the end of qualifying.

    Qualifiers in positions 1-8 get two byes, while qualifiers 9-16 will bypass the first round of the finals. All qualifying pinfall will be dropped.

    The remaining 32 players (qualifiers 17-48) bowl 6 games scratch across 12 lanes with the top 16 based on total pinfall advancing to Round 2. The top 16 high qualifiers from Round 1 plus qualifiers 9-16 bowl another six-game block. The top 8 meet the top 8 qualifiers in Round 3.

    Those 16 bowl a final six-game block to cut to the top 3, who will advance to the stepladder finals to be held in St. Maximin near Paris, France, on March 25, 2012.

    The three finalists earn an expenses-paid trip to suburban Paris for the stepladder finals, which will be held in conjunction with the Brunswick Euro Challenge, the seventh stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour, which takes place at Plaza Saint Maximin from March 16-25. Bowlingdigital will cover the BEC live from Plaza Bowl.

    The WTBA International Open features a guaranteed prize fund of $100,000 with $20,000 going to the winner and $10,000 and $8,000 to the second and third place finishers, resp.

    Prize Fund (minimum guaranteed)
    1st place - $20,000
    2nd place - $10,000
    3rd place - $8,000
    4th place - $6,000
    5th place - $4,500
    6th place - $3,000
    7th place - $2,500
    8th place - $2,000
    9-16 place - $1,500
    17-48 place - $1,000

    For more information on the WTBA 2012 International Open please click here
    For more information on The International Mini, please click here
    For more information on the USBC Masters click here
    For more information on Station Casinos click here.

    WBTLogo.jpg The 2012 World Bowling Tour consists of 14 tournaments in America, Asia, Europe and Australia - five in the United States and one each in Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, Kuwait and Thailand.

    Players earn ranking points based on how they finish in each event. The current points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle, so points earned in 2011 are added to points earned in 2012 to determine the points list.

    World Bowling Tour Rankings - Complete Standings as of January 29, 2012
    WBT Women's Ranking
    WBT Men's Ranking

    The top three men and top three women will be invited to compete in the World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association at the end of 2012 featuring total prize fund of $70,000.

    The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of 115 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit WorldTenpinBowling.com.

     


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    Standings after Qualifying Squad 4/19

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