Eugene McCune finishes strong to take over the lead in WTBA International Open

    02/04/12

    2012 World Bowling Tour #3

    Three-time PBA champion closes out Squad 15 with 298 to top previous leader Fagan by two pins; cut for 43rd place is 1354 (225.67 avg.)

    201112PBAEugeneMcCune.jpg201112PBAMikeFagan.jpgEugene McCune (pictured left) of Munster, Ind. closed out his six-game series in Squad 16 Friday morning at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas with a huge 298 game to shoot into the lead in the WTBA International Open, a World Bowling Tour event.

    Fresh off his victory in the PBA Cheetah Open, the three-time PBA champion started the day with 247, 266, 235, 256 and 203 on the WTBA Atlanta oil pattern.

    Needing a 297 game to surpass previous leader Mike Fagan (right) of Grapevine, Texas, by one pin, McCune missed the third perfecto of the WTBA Open by mere two pins to grab the lead. USBC Masters champion Fagan slipped to second place with 1503.

    There were nine PBA champions among the fifteen players in Squad 15, Chris Barnes, Mike DeVaney, Michael Haugen, Anthony LaCaze, Wes Malott, Tommy Jones, Parker Bohn III, and Mike Machuga.

    201112PBAChrisBarnes.jpg201112PBAMikeDeVaney.jpg13-time PBA champion Chris Barnes (left) of Double Oak, Texas, had six games between 213 and 258 to leap into 17th place with 1405. Two-time PBA titlist Mike DeVaney (right) of Hemet, Calif., was nine pins behind Barnes with 1396 including 257 and 268 in games 5 and 6, good for 19th place overall.

    PBA exempt player and former WTBA World Champion Dino Castillo of Carrollton, Texas, and two-time PBA champion Michael Haugen of Carefree, Ariz., had 1389 and 1388 to overtake 23rd and 25th place, respectively.

    201011PBAAnthonyLaCaze.jpg2012IntlOpenDaveWodka.jpgOne-time PBA champion Anthony LaCaze (left) of Melrose Park, Ill., and six-time PBA title winner Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, moved into 28th and a tie for 40th place, with 1361 and 1357, respectively.

    The cut will now be made behind 43rd place as Dave Wodka (right) of Henderson, Nev., one of the winners of Squads 5-8, who earn automatic berths into the finals, fell out of the top 44.

    Josh Blanchard of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and PBA champion Andres Gomez of Colombia are tied for the 43rd and last place to advance to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific (3 p.m. EST / 9 p.m. CET) with 1354 six-game total and an average of 225.67.

    Qualifying continues on Friday, Feb. 3, with Squad 16 and 17 scheduled for 1.30 and 6 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
    Friday, February 3 at 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 15/19

    300 Games (2) - Johnathan Bower, Jason Sterner

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

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