Mike Fagan cracks 1500-bar to shoot into the lead in WTBA International Open

    02/02/12

    2012 World Bowling Tour #3

    Six players move into the top 10 from Squad 9 and 10; cut for 44th place is 1309 (218.17)

    201112PBAMikeFagan.jpg201112PBAPeteWeber.jpgMike Fagan (pictured left) of Grapevine, Texas, who won the USBC Masters last Sunday here at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas became the first player in the WTBA International Open Wednesday who cracked the 1500-bar, a 250 average, to shoot into the lead of the World Bowling Tour event in Squad 10.

    The three-time PBA champion had games of 240, 255, 279, 236, 258 and 235 on the WTBA Atlanta oil conditioning pattern to overtake previous leader, PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (right) of St Ann, Mo., by 53 pins with 1503 total and an average of 250.50.

    Former PBA exempt player D.J. Archer of Port Arthur, Texas, was mere 18 pins behind Fagan with 1485 including two 279 games to jump into second place in the overall qualifying standings. Other than on the two previous qualifying days, the squad leaders are not automatically qualified for the finals anymore.

    PBASouthLeeVanderhoef.jpg2011PBAAlexAguiar.jpgWeber and Reigning PBA Player of the Year, Mika Koivuniemi of Finland, slipped two spots to third and fourth place with 1450 and 1448, respectively. Another two players of Squad 10, Lee Vanderhoef (left) of Greenville, S.C., and Mike Danielson moved into fifth and sixth place with 1443 and 1431, resp.

    Alex Aguiar (right) of N. Dartmouth, Ma., led the morning squad 9 with 1429 including high games of 268 and 252 to tie Matt McNiel of Prior Lake, Minn. for seventh place at 1429. The top 8 players at the end of the qualifying will receive two byes for the finals and cannot finish lower than 16th worth minimum $1,500.

    USBC Masters finalist Dan MacLelland of Canada was only six pins behind Aguiar this morning to leap into ninth place with 1423. Three-time PBA champion Bill O'Neill of Levittown, Pa., who won the first World Bowling Tour event in Finland this year, and four-time World Champion Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, are tied for tenth place at 1421.

    2011EBT17DominicBarrett5.jpg201011PBAAnthonyLaCaze.jpgPluhowsky is the best of just eight women in the 90-player field. The only other woman among the top 44 is fellow Team USA member Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., who is 13th with 1416.

    PBA champion Dominic Barrett (left) of England is the best European player in 14th place with 1395. Fellow PBA champion Anthony LaCaze (right) holds the 44th and last place to advance with 1309 or an average of 218.17.

    Qualifying continues on Wednesday, Feb. 1, with Squad 11 at 9 p.m. Pacific.

    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
    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 6 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 10/19

    300 Games (1) - Johnathan Bower

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

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