Chameleon Open Finals to air Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
02/07/12
Sean Rash (pictured left) of Montgomery, Ill., who qualified for the ESPN finals in a record six Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling events, was the lone U.S. professional in the finals of the Chameleon Open, which will air Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. ET (noon PT) on ESPN.
The Chameleaon Open was the second of four PBA "animal pattern" championships conducted during the PBA World Series of Bowling Nov. 6-19, 2011 at South Point Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
In the telecast, Rash meets two-handed rivals Jason Belmonte of Australia and Osku Palermaa of Finland and Venezuelan Ildemaro Ruiz (right).
Rash, a four-time PBA Tour champion who was targeting for his first title since the 2007 USBC Masters, was trying to derail the two international two-handed stars who finished one-two in Chameleon Open qualifying.
Belmonte (left) averaged 236.29 to pace the Chameleon field with Palermaa 16 pins behind, averaging at a 235.14 pace. Rash was another 25 pins behind Palermaa while Ruiz qualified fourth for the four-man eliminator format finals.
Eliminator-format finals feature three one-game rounds. All four players bowl the opening game, with the lowest-scoring player after each game being eliminated. Belmonte, the 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year, was trying for his second career title. He won his only Tour title in the 2009 Bowling Foundation Long Island Open. In the meantime, Palermaa, his primary rival in the world of two-handed players, has won twice including the 2012 PBA World Championship. Ruiz was trying for his first PBA title.
In their only two previous meetings in PBA Tour televised competition, Palermaa (right) is 2-0 vs. Belmonte. Palermaa defeated Belmonte, 182-176, in the 2010 GEICO Shark Championship semifinal match and he nipped the Aussie, 10-6, in a one-ball roll-off after they tied at 203-203 in round one of the PBA World Championship elimination finals, knocking Belmonte out of title contention in that event.
The Chameleon Open winner earned $15,000 and a berth in the Round of 36 for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions, April 8-15, at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas.
A Chameleon Open pre-event show will be webcast at no cost on pba.com's Xtra Frame online bowling channel starting Wednesday, with a follow-up post-game show immediately following Sunday's ESPN telecast. To subscribe to Xtra Frame , visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.
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Two-handers Belmonte and Palermaa, Rash and Ruiz to bowl for the title in season's second "animal pattern" championship
Sean Rash (pictured left) of Montgomery, Ill., who qualified for the ESPN finals in a record six Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling events, was the lone U.S. professional in the finals of the Chameleon Open, which will air Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. ET (noon PT) on ESPN.The Chameleaon Open was the second of four PBA "animal pattern" championships conducted during the PBA World Series of Bowling Nov. 6-19, 2011 at South Point Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
In the telecast, Rash meets two-handed rivals Jason Belmonte of Australia and Osku Palermaa of Finland and Venezuelan Ildemaro Ruiz (right).Rash, a four-time PBA Tour champion who was targeting for his first title since the 2007 USBC Masters, was trying to derail the two international two-handed stars who finished one-two in Chameleon Open qualifying.
Belmonte (left) averaged 236.29 to pace the Chameleon field with Palermaa 16 pins behind, averaging at a 235.14 pace. Rash was another 25 pins behind Palermaa while Ruiz qualified fourth for the four-man eliminator format finals.Eliminator-format finals feature three one-game rounds. All four players bowl the opening game, with the lowest-scoring player after each game being eliminated. Belmonte, the 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year, was trying for his second career title. He won his only Tour title in the 2009 Bowling Foundation Long Island Open. In the meantime, Palermaa, his primary rival in the world of two-handed players, has won twice including the 2012 PBA World Championship. Ruiz was trying for his first PBA title.
In their only two previous meetings in PBA Tour televised competition, Palermaa (right) is 2-0 vs. Belmonte. Palermaa defeated Belmonte, 182-176, in the 2010 GEICO Shark Championship semifinal match and he nipped the Aussie, 10-6, in a one-ball roll-off after they tied at 203-203 in round one of the PBA World Championship elimination finals, knocking Belmonte out of title contention in that event.The Chameleon Open winner earned $15,000 and a berth in the Round of 36 for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions, April 8-15, at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas.
A Chameleon Open pre-event show will be webcast at no cost on pba.com's Xtra Frame online bowling channel starting Wednesday, with a follow-up post-game show immediately following Sunday's ESPN telecast. To subscribe to Xtra Frame , visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.
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