PBA champs Page, Couch lead Gold Division qualifying in The International Mini on Monday
02/01/12
PBA champions Rhino Page (pictured left) and Jason Couch (right) led the Gold Division of The International Mini in Monday's qualifying at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
Page, a three-time PBA champion and the Rookie of the Year in his first season (2007-08), of Clovis, Calif., posted the high four-game series of all players with 1015, a 253.75 average, to advance to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5 starting at 8 a.m. Pacific.
Couch of Clermont, Fla., who has 16 PBA titles under his belt including record three consecutive wins in the PBA Tournament of Champions, was mere four pins behind in second place with 1011 (252.75) and also advanced to the finals.
Lindsy Staley of San Diego, Calif., totaled 884 pins to lead the Silver Division en route to book her spot in Sunday's divisional finals. Advancing from the Bronze Division which gives 90% handicap based on a 210 average, local bowler Joe Gerencser of Henderson, Nev. chalked up 941 pins including handicap to make the finals.
33 players took to the lanes at Strike Zone Bowling Center inside Sunset Station Hotel and Casino on Monday evening at 7 p.m. for the first of two six-game sweepers. One in four entries cashed.
USBC Queens champion and four-time WTBA World Champion, Shannon Pluhowsky (left) of Dayton, Ohio posted a 1370 series including six pins handicap each game en route to win the $1,000 top prize.
Brandon Robertson of Clinton, Conn., and Steven J. Smith of San Diego, Calif., were mere four and eleven pins behind Pluhowsky to finish in second and third place, worth $750 and $600, respectively.
Qualifying for The International Mini continues on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with three squads at 10 a.m., 12.30 and 3 p.m. and will be followed by the second six-game sweeper scheduled for 7 p.m. (all times Pacific).
Players with position, hometown and 4-game total
Gold Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Page, Rhino - Clovis, CA 1015 Advance to Finals
2, Couch, Jason - Clermont, FL 1011 Advance to Finals
3, Couch, Jason - Clermont, FL 888 Free Reentry
4, Koivuniemi, Mika - Howell, MI 883
5, Bohn, Parker - , NJ 880
6, Smith, Steven J - San Diego, CA 871
7, Pepe, Anthony - Queens, NY 853
8, Barta, Adam - Girard, OH 834
9, Blanchard, Josh - Rancho Cucamonga, CA 833
10, Gohagan, George III - Roswell, GA 830
11, Barta, Adam - Girard, OH 827
12, Ruiz Jr, Ildemaro - Miami, FL 812
13, Ciminelli, Ryan - Cheektowaga, NY 429
Silver Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Staley, Lindsy - San Diego, CA 884 Advance to Finals
2, Paluszek, Joe - Bensalem, PA 870 Free Reentry
3, Paluszek, Joe - Bensalem, PA 858
4, Wells, Willie - Herriman, UT 842
5, Ippolito, Andrew - Forest Hills, NY 839
6, Wells, Willie - Herriman, UT 820
7, Reyna, Alejandro 817
8, Wilber, Hal - Las Vegas, NV 808
9, Robertson, Brandon - Clinton, CT 775
10, Chew, David - Brentwood, CA 733 Free Reentry
Bronze Division - Handicap Qualifying (90% of 210)
1, Gerencser, Joe - Henderson, NV 941 Advance to Finals
2, Rash, Sara - Montgomery, IL 906 Free Reentry
3, Badovinac, Steven - Parker, CO 890
4, Macaluso, Joe - Hudson, FL 868
5, Cericos, Sol - Arcadia, CA 834
6, Rash, Sara - Montgomery, IL 815 Free Reetry
7, Clark, Artavius - Oxon Hill, MD 772
8, Macaluso, Joe - Hudson, FL 727
Scroll down this page to view all previous qualifying results.Â
The International Mini megabuck event, immediately following the USBC Masters and running concurrently with the WTBA International Open, is a scratch and handicap competition that runs from January 28 through February 5. All three events take place at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas.
Guaranteed top prize is $30,000 for the winner. The International Mini will be contested on the WTBA Athens lane conditioning pattern, which is 40 feet in length.
The International Mini is a four-game qualifying tournament. There are 23 squads and 1 in 8 bowlers each day, per division, will advance to the finals and cash for a minimum of $750. There are three divisions: Gold, Silver and Bronze.
In the scratch scoring Gold and Silver divisions women, super seniors (age 60 & over) and amateur seniors (age 50 to 59) will receive 6 bonus pins per game throughout all qualifying squads and finals. The bronze division is a handicap division based on 90% of 210 average. Minimum average for handicapping purposes is 150 (maximum of 54 pins per game).
Bowlers can skip the early rounds of the finals by earning byes. The finals of The International Mini will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5 starting at 8am. The finals use a single game beat half-the-field by division. All finalists are guaranteed to win a minimum of $750.
The last remaining bowler left in each division will be crowned the division champion and will advance to the final shootout. All three division champions will earn a minimum of $10,000.
The final shootout will be a 1 game match between the three division champions. The guaranteed top prizes in the final shootout will pay $30,000 for first place, $15,000 for second place and $10,000 for third place.
Click here to read our summary of the Tournament Format or visit the Mini Eliminator website for all details.
Bowlingdigital will cover The International Mini and the WTBA International Open live from Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas all the way through to the finals on Feb. 5, 2012.
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Las Vegas tournaments to offer special prize fund
Tournament Format
Players with position, hometown and 4-game total
Gold Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Norton, Scott - Costa Mesa, CA 963 Advance to Finals
2, Gohagan, George III - Roswell, GA 915 Free Reentry
3, Legnani, Lucas - Martinez, Argentina 867
4, Hamilton, Michael - Miami, FL 835
5, Daugherty, Tom - West Chapel, FL 770
Silver Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Vazquez, Humberto - San Pedro, Mexico 883 Advance to Finals
2, Wilber, Hal - Las Vegas, NV 787
3, Chew, David - Brentwood, CA 768
4, Robertson, Brandon - Clinton, CT 748 Free Reentry
5, Robertson, Brandon - Clinton, CT 724
Bronze Division - Handicap Qualifying (90% of 210)
1, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 933 Advance to Finals
2, Gerencser, Joe - Henderson, NV 883 Free Reentry
3, Clark, Artavius - Oxon Hill, MD 766
4, Sharp, Thomas - Ft. Worth, TX 763
5, Macaluso, Joe - Hudson, FL 762
6, Clark, Artavius - Oxon Hill, MD 737
7, Hill, Harold Jr. - Lakeside, CA 712
8, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 711
Players with position, hometown and 4-game total
Gold Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Scroggins, Mike - Amarillo, TX 1058 Advance to Finals
2, Pepe, Anthony - Queens, NY 943 Free Reentry
3, McNiel, Matt - Prior Lake, MN 938
4, Legnani, Lucas - Martinez, Argentina 927
5, Rash, Sean T - Montgomery, IL 911
6, Hess, Tom - Urbandale, IA 905
7, Pojas, Chad - Wajoaw, HI 885
8, Thompson, Anthony - Redding, CA 814
9, Vermilyea, Erik - Mansfield, TX 795
Silver Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Rogers, Bryson - Durham, NC 903 Advance to Finals
2, Chew, David - Brentwood, CA 864 Free Reentry
3, Wilber, Hal - Las Vegas, NV 809 Free Reentry
4, Vazquez, Humberto - San Pedro, Mexico 783
5, Ippolito, Andrew - Forest Hills, NY 748
Bronze Division - Handicap Qualifying (90% of 210)
1, Quitangon, Donato - Walnut, CA 967 Advance to Finals
2, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 804
3, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 796 Free Reentry
4, Rash, Sara - Montgomery, IL 785
5, Hill, Harold Jr. - Lakeside, CA 771 Free Reentry
6, Reyes, Celestino 739
United States
Shannon Pluhowsky wins $1,000 in Monday's six-game Sweeper
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PBA champions Rhino Page (pictured left) and Jason Couch (right) led the Gold Division of The International Mini in Monday's qualifying at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. Page, a three-time PBA champion and the Rookie of the Year in his first season (2007-08), of Clovis, Calif., posted the high four-game series of all players with 1015, a 253.75 average, to advance to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5 starting at 8 a.m. Pacific.
Couch of Clermont, Fla., who has 16 PBA titles under his belt including record three consecutive wins in the PBA Tournament of Champions, was mere four pins behind in second place with 1011 (252.75) and also advanced to the finals.
Lindsy Staley of San Diego, Calif., totaled 884 pins to lead the Silver Division en route to book her spot in Sunday's divisional finals. Advancing from the Bronze Division which gives 90% handicap based on a 210 average, local bowler Joe Gerencser of Henderson, Nev. chalked up 941 pins including handicap to make the finals.
33 players took to the lanes at Strike Zone Bowling Center inside Sunset Station Hotel and Casino on Monday evening at 7 p.m. for the first of two six-game sweepers. One in four entries cashed. USBC Queens champion and four-time WTBA World Champion, Shannon Pluhowsky (left) of Dayton, Ohio posted a 1370 series including six pins handicap each game en route to win the $1,000 top prize.
Brandon Robertson of Clinton, Conn., and Steven J. Smith of San Diego, Calif., were mere four and eleven pins behind Pluhowsky to finish in second and third place, worth $750 and $600, respectively.
Qualifying for The International Mini continues on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with three squads at 10 a.m., 12.30 and 3 p.m. and will be followed by the second six-game sweeper scheduled for 7 p.m. (all times Pacific).
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Monday Sweeper
| Pos | Player | Hometown | Total | Earnings |
| 1. | Shannon Pluhowsky | Dayton, OH | 1370 | $1,000 |
| 2. | Brandon Robertson | Clinton, CT | 1366 | $750 |
| 3. | Steven J. Smith | San Diego, CA | 1359 | $600 |
| 4. | Michael Haugen | Carefree, AZ | 1327 | $500 |
| 5. | Chad Nelson | Owatonna, MN | 1324 | $400 |
| 6. | John Szczerbinski | 1318 | $300 | |
| 7. | Michael Hamilton | Miami, FL | 1300 | $250 |
| 8. | Lonnie Walicek | 1297 | $200 | |
| 9. | Warren Crawford | McKinleyville, CA | 1296 | |
| 10. | Eric Tseng | Hong Kong, China | 1295 | |
| 11. | Ildemaro Ruiz Jr | Miami, FL | 1293 | |
| 12. | Jason Sterner | 1284 | ||
| 13. | J. C. Zuniga | Tulsa, OK | 1257 | |
| 14. | Rhino Page | Clovis, CA | 1252 | |
| 15. | Dan Bock | Albert Lea, MN | 1248 | |
| 16. | Kenneth J. Bland Jr | Germany | 1242 | |
| 17. | Tom Hess | Urbandale, IA | 1238 | |
| 18. | Jason Wilt | San Diego, CA | 1234 | |
| 19. | Lindsy Staley | San Diego, CA | 1234 | |
| 20. | Tim Smith | 1233 | ||
| 21. | David Haynes | Las Vegas, NV | 1223 | |
| 22. | Scott Newell | Deland, FL | 1213 | |
| 23. | Dominic Barrett | Walton on the | 1213 | |
| 24. | Alejandro Reyna | 1213 | ||
| 25. | Anthony Thompson | Redding, CA | 1210 | |
| 26. | Ryan Shafer | Horseheads, NY | 1199 | |
| 27. | Jesse Buss | 1188 | ||
| 28. | George III Gohagan | Roswell, GA | 1168 | |
| 29. | Joseph L. Guerrero | Henderson, NV | 1136 | |
| 30. | Bryson Rogers | Durham, NC | 1130 | |
| 31. | Randy Lund | Salt Lake City, UT | 1123 | |
| 32. | Brad Angelo | Lockport, NY | 1080 | |
| 33. | Wu Siu Hong | Hong Kong, China | 932 |
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Monday, Jan. 30 Results
Players with position, hometown and 4-game total
Gold Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Page, Rhino - Clovis, CA 1015 Advance to Finals
2, Couch, Jason - Clermont, FL 1011 Advance to Finals
3, Couch, Jason - Clermont, FL 888 Free Reentry
4, Koivuniemi, Mika - Howell, MI 883
5, Bohn, Parker - , NJ 880
6, Smith, Steven J - San Diego, CA 871
7, Pepe, Anthony - Queens, NY 853
8, Barta, Adam - Girard, OH 834
9, Blanchard, Josh - Rancho Cucamonga, CA 833
10, Gohagan, George III - Roswell, GA 830
11, Barta, Adam - Girard, OH 827
12, Ruiz Jr, Ildemaro - Miami, FL 812
13, Ciminelli, Ryan - Cheektowaga, NY 429
Silver Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Staley, Lindsy - San Diego, CA 884 Advance to Finals
2, Paluszek, Joe - Bensalem, PA 870 Free Reentry
3, Paluszek, Joe - Bensalem, PA 858
4, Wells, Willie - Herriman, UT 842
5, Ippolito, Andrew - Forest Hills, NY 839
6, Wells, Willie - Herriman, UT 820
7, Reyna, Alejandro 817
8, Wilber, Hal - Las Vegas, NV 808
9, Robertson, Brandon - Clinton, CT 775
10, Chew, David - Brentwood, CA 733 Free Reentry
Bronze Division - Handicap Qualifying (90% of 210)
1, Gerencser, Joe - Henderson, NV 941 Advance to Finals
2, Rash, Sara - Montgomery, IL 906 Free Reentry
3, Badovinac, Steven - Parker, CO 890
4, Macaluso, Joe - Hudson, FL 868
5, Cericos, Sol - Arcadia, CA 834
6, Rash, Sara - Montgomery, IL 815 Free Reetry
7, Clark, Artavius - Oxon Hill, MD 772
8, Macaluso, Joe - Hudson, FL 727
Scroll down this page to view all previous qualifying results.Â
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The International Mini megabuck event, immediately following the USBC Masters and running concurrently with the WTBA International Open, is a scratch and handicap competition that runs from January 28 through February 5. All three events take place at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas.Guaranteed top prize is $30,000 for the winner. The International Mini will be contested on the WTBA Athens lane conditioning pattern, which is 40 feet in length.
The International Mini is a four-game qualifying tournament. There are 23 squads and 1 in 8 bowlers each day, per division, will advance to the finals and cash for a minimum of $750. There are three divisions: Gold, Silver and Bronze.
In the scratch scoring Gold and Silver divisions women, super seniors (age 60 & over) and amateur seniors (age 50 to 59) will receive 6 bonus pins per game throughout all qualifying squads and finals. The bronze division is a handicap division based on 90% of 210 average. Minimum average for handicapping purposes is 150 (maximum of 54 pins per game).
Bowlers can skip the early rounds of the finals by earning byes. The finals of The International Mini will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5 starting at 8am. The finals use a single game beat half-the-field by division. All finalists are guaranteed to win a minimum of $750.
The last remaining bowler left in each division will be crowned the division champion and will advance to the final shootout. All three division champions will earn a minimum of $10,000.
The final shootout will be a 1 game match between the three division champions. The guaranteed top prizes in the final shootout will pay $30,000 for first place, $15,000 for second place and $10,000 for third place.
Click here to read our summary of the Tournament Format or visit the Mini Eliminator website for all details.
Bowlingdigital will cover The International Mini and the WTBA International Open live from Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas all the way through to the finals on Feb. 5, 2012.Â
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Las Vegas tournaments to offer special prize fund
Tournament Format
Â
Sunday, Jan. 29 Results
Players with position, hometown and 4-game total
Gold Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Norton, Scott - Costa Mesa, CA 963 Advance to Finals
2, Gohagan, George III - Roswell, GA 915 Free Reentry
3, Legnani, Lucas - Martinez, Argentina 867
4, Hamilton, Michael - Miami, FL 835
5, Daugherty, Tom - West Chapel, FL 770
Silver Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Vazquez, Humberto - San Pedro, Mexico 883 Advance to Finals
2, Wilber, Hal - Las Vegas, NV 787
3, Chew, David - Brentwood, CA 768
4, Robertson, Brandon - Clinton, CT 748 Free Reentry
5, Robertson, Brandon - Clinton, CT 724
Bronze Division - Handicap Qualifying (90% of 210)
1, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 933 Advance to Finals
2, Gerencser, Joe - Henderson, NV 883 Free Reentry
3, Clark, Artavius - Oxon Hill, MD 766
4, Sharp, Thomas - Ft. Worth, TX 763
5, Macaluso, Joe - Hudson, FL 762
6, Clark, Artavius - Oxon Hill, MD 737
7, Hill, Harold Jr. - Lakeside, CA 712
8, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 711
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Saturday, Jan. 28 Results
Players with position, hometown and 4-game total
Gold Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Scroggins, Mike - Amarillo, TX 1058 Advance to Finals
2, Pepe, Anthony - Queens, NY 943 Free Reentry
3, McNiel, Matt - Prior Lake, MN 938
4, Legnani, Lucas - Martinez, Argentina 927
5, Rash, Sean T - Montgomery, IL 911
6, Hess, Tom - Urbandale, IA 905
7, Pojas, Chad - Wajoaw, HI 885
8, Thompson, Anthony - Redding, CA 814
9, Vermilyea, Erik - Mansfield, TX 795
Silver Division - Scratch Qualifying
1, Rogers, Bryson - Durham, NC 903 Advance to Finals
2, Chew, David - Brentwood, CA 864 Free Reentry
3, Wilber, Hal - Las Vegas, NV 809 Free Reentry
4, Vazquez, Humberto - San Pedro, Mexico 783
5, Ippolito, Andrew - Forest Hills, NY 748
Bronze Division - Handicap Qualifying (90% of 210)
1, Quitangon, Donato - Walnut, CA 967 Advance to Finals
2, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 804
3, Bland Jr, Kenneth J. - APO, AE 796 Free Reentry
4, Rash, Sara - Montgomery, IL 785
5, Hill, Harold Jr. - Lakeside, CA 771 Free Reentry
6, Reyes, Celestino 739
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