Mike Fagan shoots into lead at 43rd Brunswick Ballmaster Open

    01/12/13

    2013 European Bowling Tour #1

    American averages over 247 to lead 448-player field from 18 countries; seven players crack top 10 on Friday; Germany's Christian Racpan shoots first 300 game of the tournament; cut for 44th place is 1326 (221 average)

    2013EBT01MikeFagan.jpg2013EBT01MartinLarsen.jpgFour-time PBA champion Mike Fagan (pictured left), United States, averaged 247.67 in the 11th squad Friday night at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland, en route to take the lead in the qualifying of the 43rd Brunswick Ballmaster Open.

    Last year's runner-up, who has five European Bowling Tour titles to his credit, posted games of 224, 232, 277, 268, 237 and 248 to lead a field of 448 players from 18 countries with 1486 pinfall total.

    Total seven players cracked the top 10 on Friday. Three-time World champion and 2011-12 PBA Tour Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner Martin Larsen (above right) of Sweden and three-time European Bowling Tour point ranking leader Paul Moor (below left; 2004-2006), England, led Squad 10 with 1441 and 1439, respectively, to leap into second and third place in the overall qualifying standings.

    2012EBT16PaulMoor.jpg2013EBT01RonnieRussell.jpgPrevious leader Ronnie Russell (right), United States, slipped to fourth place with 1432. Squad 9 leaders Daniel Fransson , Sweden, and Tony Ranta, Finland, both toppled 1426 pins to move into fifth and sixth place. Fransson topped Ranta in the tie-breaking last game, 258-256.

    Jesper Larsen of Sweden was second to Fagan in Squad 11 to move into seventh place with 1425. 2008 Ballmaster Open champion Jouni Helminen, Finland fell six spots to eighth place with 1419. Timo Schröder, Germany, had 1410 in Squad 9 to finish the day in ninth place with Thomas Larsen, Denmark, rounding out the top 10 with 1406.

    2012EBT17KamillaKjeldsen2.jpg2012EBT04ChristianRacpan.jpgReija Lundén, Finland, remained the best of 43 women in the field in 35th place with 1347 including 48 pins handicap. Joining the former World Champion in the top 44 were Ida Andersson, Sweden, and Kamilla Kjeldsen (left), Denmark, in 37th and 40 place with 1342 and 1338, resp.

    Christian Racpan (right) of Germany produced Friday's top highlights by recording the first 300 game of the tournament. As the perfecto was the only honor score in his six-game series, Racpan sits in 102nd place with 1261, 65 pins below the cut line.

    2009EBT12JuhaImmonen.jpgHeading into the last qualifying day, Juha Immonen (right), Finland, holds the 44th and last place to advance with 1326 and an average of 221.

    Qualifying continues Saturday, Jan. 12, with squad 12-15 at 8 a.m., noon, 4 and 8 p.m. local time (CET +1) and concludes with the one-game Desperado Squad scheduled to start at 11.30 p.m.

    2013BallmasterLogo_small.jpg The 43rd Brunswick Ballmaster Open is the first of six "EBT Gold" events this season, the second-highest out four EBT categories. The tournament will be held from Friday Jan. 4 through Sunday Jan. 13, 2013 at 36-lane Tali Bowling Center in Finland's capital city Helsinki.

    The BBO 2013 features a 37.5 feet lane conditioning pattern.

    Players will compete for total prize money of 90.300 Euro with 12.000 Euro going to the winner, 8.000 to the runner-up and 4.000 and 3.000 to the third and fourth place finishers, respectively. Low to cash is 48th place, worth 1.100 Euro.

    In addition, the 2013 BBO offers a 20.000 Euro Extra Prize for a 300 game thrown on the final day (Jan. 13). In the event that a 300 game will be rolled, the total prize fund will be more than 110.000 Euro.

    Due to an agreement between the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) and the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), the Ballmaster will award a PBA international title, if won by a PBA member or a PBA international member.

    Qualifying (six games, unlimited re-entries) of the 2013 Brunswick Ballmaster Open runs through Saturday, Jan. 12, and ends with Squad 15 and the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad slated for 11.30 p.m. local time (CET +1) on Saturday night. Women will receive 8 pins handicap each game (up to 292 - maximum score is 300), a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    A total of 48 players - the top 44 from the overall qualifying standings plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad - will qualify for the finals on Sunday, Jan. 13.

     


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    Qualifying Standings after Squad 11/15

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