O'Neill, Pluhowsky tie for the lead in Squad 7 at WTBA International Open

    02/01/12

    2012 World Bowling Tour #3

    Both players advance to the finals; Koivuniemi holds on to the qualifying lead; cut for 44th place is currently 1199

    201112PBABillONeill.jpg2012IntlOpenShannonPluhowsky.jpgBill O'Neill (pictured left) of Levittown, Pa., and Shannon Pluhowsky (right) of Dayton, Ohio, both totaled 1421 for six games to share the lead in qualifying squad 7 Tuesday morning at the WTBA International Open.

    As they are no tie rules for the squad leaders, tournament director Kevin Dornberger decided that both players will advance to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific (3 p.m. EST / p.m. CET) at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas.

    O'Neill, a three-time PBA champion and three-time WTBA World Champion, had games of 217, 248, 214, 245, 238 and 259 on the WTBA Atlanta oil conditioning pattern, an average of 236.83 for six games.

    201112PBAMikaKoivuniemi.jpg2011USBCOCMattMcNiel.jpgPluhowsky, a four-time WTBA Women's World Champion, had games of 195, 246, 213, 254, 233 and 244 for 1385 (230.83 avg.) and added 6 pins handicap each game to tie O'Neill for the lead.

    Both players are tied for third place in the overall qualifying standings. Reigning PBA Player of the Year and current World Bowling Tour men's point ranking leader Mika Koivuniemi (left) of Finland held on to the lead with 1448 (241.33). 2010 USBC Open Championships All Events winner Matt McNiel (right), United States, is second with 1429.

    201112PBAKellyKulick.jpg2011PBAS11HughMiller.jpgThe seventh qualifying squad featured a star-studded field and topped Monday afternoon's Squad 6 which featured eight PBA champions. A total of eleven PBA champions laced up their shoes, besides Bill O'Neil, Jason Couch, Tommy Jones, Tom Hess, Kelly Kulick (left), Anthony LaCaze, Eugene McCcune, Hugh Miller (right), Sean Rash, Ryan Shafer and Walter Ray Williams Jr.

    They were joined by another two PBA TV finalists (Josh Blanchard and Dan MacLelland) and another three PBA Regional champions (Jesse Buss, PJ Haggerty and Eddie Van Daniker). Two more PBA titlists were behind the lanes as ball reps, Rob Lawrence and Del Ballard.

    201112PBAWalterRayWilliams.jpg201112PBADanMacLelland.jpgTwo of them cracked the top 10 in Squad 7. Williams (left), who owns the most PBA titles with 47, led the squad with 1176 heading into the last game but fell behind O'Neill and Pluhowsky due to a final 208. His 1384 total is good for eighth place overall.

    Fresh off a fourth-place finish in the USBC Masters here at Strike Zone, Canadian MacLelland (right) toppled 1361 pins to overtake tenth place.

    Qualifying continues on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with Squad 8 scheduled for 1.30 p.m. Pacific with the winner of this squad automatically advancing to the finals.

    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 Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in 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.

    Remaining Squad Times
    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)
    New: Sunday, February 5 - Finals starting at Noon.

    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.

    For more information on the WTBA 2012 International Open please 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 7/19


    * indicates leaders of squads 5-8, who earn automatic berths into the finals.

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