A big shift in the women's rankings and a shrinking lead for Finland's Mika Koivuniemi (pictured left) highlight the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour rankings after the recently concluded 69th U.S. Open.

A tightly packed field at the top of the women's rankings finds Kelly Kulick (right) of the United States now in the lead with 207 points. Koivuniemi still leads the men's rankings with 312 points, but Mike Fagan of the United States is close behind.

After a second-place finish among the women at the U.S. Open, Kulick used the 40 points she earned in the event to move into the lead. American Missy Parkin (below left) picked up the maximum ranking points of 50 at the U.S. Open and is second with 195 points.

Liz Johnson of the United States finished third among women at the U.S. Open and has moved into third on the points list with 190. Previous leader Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of the United States did not compete in the event and dropped to fourth with 186 points.

In the men's rankings, Koivuniemi only picked up four points at the U.S. Open, while Fagan (right) earned 40 points for his second-place finish. Fagan, who has finished eighth or better in the seven previous World Bowling Tour events, is now second overall with 277 points, just 35 points back of first.

American Chris Barnes occupies the third position with 218 points, while Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte is fourth with 176 points.

Pete Weber (right), who earned $60,000 for his victory at the U.S. Open, picked up 50 points at the event and now sits in 12th place with 97 total points. It was Weber's PBA record fifth U.S. Open title.

World Bowling Tour Rankings - Complete Standings
WBT Women's Ranking
WBT Men's Ranking

The World Bowling Tour is made up of various events around the world and players earn points based on how they finish in each event. 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.

The World Bowling Tour Finals will feature a total prize fund of $70,000. The top three men and top three women will bowl a stepladder finals format in their respective divisions. The prize money for each division is the same, with the winner taking $20,000, second place earning $10,000 and third place winning $5,000.

The next event on the World Bowling Tour schedule is the Kuwait Open in Kuwait City from March 15-19.

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.

 

Related Articles

Koivuniemi, Dorin-Ballard on top of World Bowling Tour Rankings after four events
Koivuniemi, Andersson lead World Bowling Tour Rankings after Ballmaster Open
2012 World Bowling Tour Schedule & Champions

 

2012 WBT Rankings - Men's Top 25 after the 69th U.S. Open

Players with position, country and ranking point total

1, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 312
2, Mike Fagan, United States, 277
3, Chris Barnes, United States, 218
4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 176
5, Sean Rash, United States, 170
6, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 159
7, Tommy Jones, United States, 144
8, Bill O'Neill, United States, 137
9, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 134
10, Chris Loschetter, United States, 101
11, Dominic Barrett, England, 98
12, Pete Weber, United States, 97
13, Ronnie Russell, United States, 91
14, Siu Hong Wu, Hong Kong, 89
15, Norm Duke, United States, 85
16, Ryan Shafer, United States, 77
17, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 71
18, Stuart Williams, England, 71
19, Bryon Smith, United States, 66
20, Paul Moor, England, 66
21, Tore Torgersen, Norway, 65
22, Tom Hess, United States, 63
23, Jack Jurek, United States, 58
24, Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland, 53
25, Chris Warren, United States, 53

 

2012 WBT Rankings - Women's Top 25 after the 69th U.S. Open

Players with position, country and ranking point total

1, Kelly Kulick, United States, 207
2, Missy Parkin, United States, 195
3, Liz Johnson, United States, 190
4, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, United States, 186
5, Sandra Andersson, Sweden, 151
6, Nina Flack, Sweden, 135
7, Krista Pollanen, Finland, 133
8, Shannon Pluhowsky, United States, 98
9, Diandra Asbaty, United States, 89
10, Wendy Macpherson, United States, 85
11, Elin Adolfsson, Sweden, 51
12, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 50
13, Helen Johnsson, Sweden, 50
14, Kim Min-Hee, Korea, 50
15, Angkana Netrviseth, Thailand, 50
16, Cherry Tan, Singapore, 50
17, Jacqui Reese, United States, 50
18, Jazreel Tan, Singapore, 49
19, Elysia Current, United States, 47
20, Jessica Baker, United States, 46
21, Michelle Arrington, United States, 44
22, Zandra Aziela, Malaysia, 44
23, Darya Kovalova, Ukraine, 44
24, Cassie Staudinger, Australia, 43
25, Cassandra Leuthold, United States, 42