Mike Wolfe earns top seed for Cheetah Championship stepladder finals
11/04/12
Four-time Professional Bowlers Association title winner Mike Wolfe (pictured) of New Albany, Ind., averaged 253 for 14 games to earn the top berth in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship stepladder finals, the opening event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas Saturday.
The 36-year-old 12-year PBA Tour veteran, who is seeking his first PBA Tour title in four years, rolled games of 233, 269, 268, 289, 227 and 247 Saturday night to finish the Cheetah Championship qualifying and semifinal rounds with a 14-game total of 3,550 pins.
He will be joined in the ESPN stepladder finals by Jeffrey Roche of Dearborn, Mich.; qualifying leader Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, and three-time PBA Tour titlist Bill O’Neill (right) of Langhorne, Pa.
Roche, who will make his ESPN debut, finished second with 3,499 pins. Loschetter, a 10-year veteran, who also is trying for his first title, qualified third with a 3,478 total. O’Neill charged out of 16th place at the start of the six-game semifinal round to earn the fourth spot in the finals with a 3,477 total.
The ESPN stepladder finals which will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area for delayed telecast on Sunday, Dec. 16.
Wolfe, who won his last title in the 2008 Ultimate Scoring Championship in Taylor, Mich., said a look into the past helped him get back on top of his game. “I went back to a lot of things I did in 2004 and that was be myself, not try to bowl like other guys,” he said. “I told myself to just do what got you here and bowl.”
Wolfe said he had been trying for a couple of years to change his ball tilt, trying to get his thumb out of the ball faster “and turns out I couldn’t hold onto the ball.”
On the Cheetah lane condition, “Everyone has a chance,” he said, “so you have to pay attention to the ball motion and throw strikes, and I was able to do that pretty well today.”
PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.
GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Sunday with Viper Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Viper Championship semifinal round at 8 p.m.
Chris Loschetter leads top 16 qualifiers into Cheetah Championship semifinals
2012-13 PBA Tour Schedule & Champions
Players with position, hometown and 14-game total. The top four advance to stepladder finals Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. PT. Places 5 to 16 show earnings.
1, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,550
2, Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 3,499
3, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,478
4, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,477
Missed Cut:
5, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,449, $4,000
6, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,445, $3,600
7, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,408, $3,300
8, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,379, $3,000
9, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., 3,376, $2,700
10, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,371, $2,500
11, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 3,367, $2,300
12 (tie), Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, and Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,362, $2,050
14, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,349, $1,900
15 (tie), Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., and Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,308, $1,750
2012-13 PBA Tour #1
Joining the four-time PBA titlist in the finals are Jeffrey Roche, Chris Loschetter and Bill O’Neill
Four-time Professional Bowlers Association title winner Mike Wolfe (pictured) of New Albany, Ind., averaged 253 for 14 games to earn the top berth in the Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship stepladder finals, the opening event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling, at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas Saturday. The 36-year-old 12-year PBA Tour veteran, who is seeking his first PBA Tour title in four years, rolled games of 233, 269, 268, 289, 227 and 247 Saturday night to finish the Cheetah Championship qualifying and semifinal rounds with a 14-game total of 3,550 pins.
He will be joined in the ESPN stepladder finals by Jeffrey Roche of Dearborn, Mich.; qualifying leader Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, and three-time PBA Tour titlist Bill O’Neill (right) of Langhorne, Pa. Roche, who will make his ESPN debut, finished second with 3,499 pins. Loschetter, a 10-year veteran, who also is trying for his first title, qualified third with a 3,478 total. O’Neill charged out of 16th place at the start of the six-game semifinal round to earn the fourth spot in the finals with a 3,477 total.
The ESPN stepladder finals which will be conducted on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. in the special arena setting in South Point’s Exhibition Hall area for delayed telecast on Sunday, Dec. 16.
Wolfe, who won his last title in the 2008 Ultimate Scoring Championship in Taylor, Mich., said a look into the past helped him get back on top of his game. “I went back to a lot of things I did in 2004 and that was be myself, not try to bowl like other guys,” he said. “I told myself to just do what got you here and bowl.”
Wolfe said he had been trying for a couple of years to change his ball tilt, trying to get his thumb out of the ball faster “and turns out I couldn’t hold onto the ball.”
On the Cheetah lane condition, “Everyone has a chance,” he said, “so you have to pay attention to the ball motion and throw strikes, and I was able to do that pretty well today.”
PBA fans can follow scoring as it happens by clicking on the “live scoring” feature on pba.com, or by watching the action live on Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel.
GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling competition continues Sunday with Viper Championship qualifying squads bowling at 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed by the Viper Championship semifinal round at 8 p.m.
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Chris Loschetter leads top 16 qualifiers into Cheetah Championship semifinals
2012-13 PBA Tour Schedule & Champions
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship - Semifinal Round
Players with position, hometown and 14-game total. The top four advance to stepladder finals Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. PT. Places 5 to 16 show earnings.
1, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 3,550
2, Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 3,499
3, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,478
4, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 3,477
Missed Cut:
5, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,449, $4,000
6, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,445, $3,600
7, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 3,408, $3,300
8, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 3,379, $3,000
9, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Chatsworth, Calif., 3,376, $2,700
10, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,371, $2,500
11, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 3,367, $2,300
12 (tie), Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, and Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,362, $2,050
14, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 3,349, $1,900
15 (tie), Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., and Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 3,308, $1,750