Former Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Wes Malott (pictured left) of Pflugerville, Texas, won all nine of his matches Thursday night to run away with the No. 1 position in the Don Carter Classic championship match by 167 pins over his title match opponent, Jason Sterner (right) of McDonough, Ga.

Malott, a seven-time PBA title winner and the Tour's 2008-09 Player of the Year, averaged 255.94 for 17 games to finish with a total of 4,621 pins, including two 300 games and 270 bonus pins for nine matches won.

Sterner, who made his PBA television debut in the Bowlers Journal Scorpion Championship during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV in Las Vegas earlier in the season, was nearly as dominant as Malott in posting a 4,454 pinfall total to win the No. 2 berth in the finals by 130 pins over PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. (left) of Ocala, Fla., the winningest player in PBA history with 47 Tour titles.

Sterner finished fourth in the Scorpion Championship for his best career finish. He lost to eventual champion Tom Daugherty, 199-177.

Malott, who is trying for his first singles title since winning the Etonic Marathon Open in March of 2009, said he couldn't remember having an open frame in his flawless match play round.

"I didn't shoot at many spares, and the ones I did, I made," he said. "I honestly don't think I had an open frame all night.

"It's always fun to let your arm swing loosen up like that and be aggressive with your shot. I've had my struggles for the past two or three years. I tore the meniscus in my left knee, so it takes a while to get loosened up. The past couple of days it's been pretty good. I'll probably get it fixed in April when we have a window in the schedule.

"I've struggled with my mental game, too, but it's about as solid as it could be right now. I had a couple of situations tonight where I needed to make shots late, and I did, and that's why I went 9-0."

The Don Carter Classic title match and the PBA League Carter round stepladder finals will be contested on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET at Thunderbowl Lanes. The finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, March 3, at 3 p.m. ET.

The final round of qualifying events in the Detroit Winter Swing is set for Friday with the final eight games of Earl Anthony PBA Players Championship qualifying (including the fourth and final round of PBA League qualifying) and the Players Championship match play final round to determine the two players who will bowl for the Anthony title.

Heading into the final round of Players Championship qualifying, two-time PBA Tour titlist Scott Norton (left) of Mission Viejo, Calif., held a 40-pin lead over reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash (right) of Montgomery, Ill. Norton, the 2010-11 PBA Rookie of the Year, won his second title in the PBA Chameleon Championship earlier in the 2012-13 season.

Earlier Thursday, the BROOKLYN STyLES, owned by Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams, finished the PBA League Don Carter round with a five-player, eight-game total of 9,527 pins to earn the No. 1 position in the stepladder finals by 247 pins over the WTT KingPins, a team owned by women's sports icon Billie Jean King. Comedian Chris Hardwick's Silver Lake Atom Splitters qualified third in the Carter round.

In the battle for the five positions in Sunday's Thunderbowl Finals round, which will air live on ESPN at noon ET, the STyLES led with 27,274 pins – a team average of 227.28 for a combined total of 120 games bowled by the five team members. The KingPins were second with 27,246 pins while the previous leader, Jerome Bettis' Motown Muscle, dropped into third place.

The top five teams for Sunday's team stepladder finals will be decided after Friday's final eight-game qualifying round during the Earl Anthony PBA Players Championship. All preliminary rounds of Winter Swing competition are being covered live, exclusively on PBA's online bowling channel, Xtra Frame.

 

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PBA Don Carter Classic

Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich. (Jan. 24, 2013)

Final match play standings after 17 games, including match play bonus pins; top two advance to championship match.
1, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 9-0, 4,621
2, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 6-3, 4,454

Other Match Play Cashers:
3, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 5-4, 4,324, $6,000
4, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 5-4, 4,263, $4,500
5, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 6-3, 4,249, $4,000
6, Stuart Williams, England, 5-4, 4,240, $3,500
7, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 6-3, 4,195, $3,000
8, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 4-5, 4,177, $2,500
9, Todd Book, Russells Point, Ohio, 4-5, 4,146, $2,200
10, Patrick Girard, Canada, 5-4, 4,138, $2,000
11, Brian Gunn, Chicago, 3-6, 4,068, $1,900
12, Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., 3-6, 4,053, $1,800
13, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 5-4, 4,016, $1,700
14, Mark Milasinovich, Macomb, Mich., 4-5, 3,925, $1,600
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2-7, 3,917, $1,550
16, Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 0-9, 3,840, $1,500

Other Cashers (after 8 games):
17, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,893, $1,000
18, Ronnie Sparks Jr., Ecorse, Mich., 1,883, $950
19, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,879, $900
20, Dom Barrett, England, 1,872, $850
21 (tie), E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., and Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,871, $810
23, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,865, $790
24 (tie), Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, and J.T. (Action) Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1,864, $775
26, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 1,863, $760
27 (tie), Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., and Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 1,860, $745
29, Kirby Allen, Ironton, Ohio, 1,859, $730
30, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,854, $720
31, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,853, $710
32, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,852, $700

Failed to Cash:
33, Jeffrey Edwards, Sterling Heights, Mich., 1,849
34, Rick Graham, Lancaster, Pa., 1,848
35, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 1,838
36, Tony Campagna Jr., Hendersonville, Tenn., 1,837
37, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,836
38, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,831
39, Jeff Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 1,830
40, Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., 1,828
41, Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,822
42, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,817
43, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,816
44, Mason Brantley, Detroit, 1,815
45, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 1,814
46, Corey Miller, Grand Blanc, Mich, 1,812
47, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 1,811
48 (tie), Chad Reiffer, Kentwood, Mich., and Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,809
50, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,805
51, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 1,804
52, Mike Williams II, Montgomery, Ala, 1,803
53, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,801
54, B.J. Moore II, Apex, N.C., 1,799
55, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,795
56, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,793
57, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,792
58, D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, 1,783
59, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,781
60, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,780
61, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 1,778
62, Tyler Wilds, Three Rivers, Mich., 1,776
63, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 1,775
64, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,774
65, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 1,770
66, Frankie Calca, Elmont, N.Y., 1,769
67 (tie), Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, and Michael Stocks, Leesburg, Va., 1,768
69 (tie), Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., and Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 1,762
71, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,758
72, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,750
73 (tie), Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, and Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 1,747
75, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,746
76 (tie), Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., and Mike Keily, Golden, Colo., 1,743
78, Keith Caldwell, Detroit, 1,742
79, BJ Satkowski, Jackson, Mich, 1,737
80, Justin Stevens, Aiea, Hawaii, 1,729
81, Justin Neiman, Warren, Mich., 1,728
82, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,724
83, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,723
84, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., 1,718
85, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 1,717
86, Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., 1,713
87 (tie), Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., and Bob Learn Jr., Macomb, Mich., 1,712
89, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., 1,710
90 (tie), Andres Gomez, Colombia, and Jesse Smith, Garfield Heights, Ohio, 1,708
92, Michael Calhoun, Wyandotte, Mich., 1,702
93 (tie), Dustin Baker, Melbourne, Ky., and Kasey Normandin, Canada, 1,696
95, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1,695
96, Kevin Brophy, Oakhurst, N.J., 1,693
97, Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 1,692
98, Nick Kokenos, St. Clair Shores, Mich., 1,691
99, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,685
100, Kenneth Bland Jr., Germany, 1,682
101 (tie), Jonathan Russell, Rockwood, Tenn., and Josh Lewis, Asheville, N.C., 1,678
103, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,669
104, John Furey, Freehold, N.J., 1,659
105, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,653
106 (tie), Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., and Mike Fagan, Dallas, 1,648
108 (tie), Phillip Vallar, Southgate, Mich., and Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,643
110, Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 1,639
111, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,634
112 (tie), Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, and Craig LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 1,633
114 (tie), Rick Zakrajsek, Lorain, Ohio, and Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,630
116 (tie), Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., and Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,627
118, Ryan Appel, Cinnaminson, N.J., 1,623
119 (tie), Carleton Chambers, Detroit, and Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,617
121, Stephen Pavlinko Jr., Sewell, N.J., 1,601
122, Andrew Horodecki, Norcross, Ga., 1,599
123, Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn., 1,577
124, David Tullos, Spring, Texas, 1,565
125, Christopher Colosimo, Elkhorn, Wis, 1,562
126, David Shinn, West Columbia, S.C., 1,549
127, Eric Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 1,537
128, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.V., 1,516
129, Jerry Sikora, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., 1,506
130, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,500
131, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 640

300 Games: Kirby Allen, Dick Allen, Jim Pratt, Wes Malott (2), Brad Miller, Kyle Troup, Tony Campagna Jr.

 

Earl Anthony PBA Players Championship Qualifying Leaders

Top 32 players after 24 of 32 games; the top 16 after 32 games advance to round robin match play Friday night.

1, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 5,772
2, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 5,732
3, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 5,555
4, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 5,548
5, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 5,546
6, Dom Barrett, England, 5,518
7, Mark Milasinovich, Macomb, Mich., 5,511
8, D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, 5,509
9, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 5,498
10, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 5,497
11, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 5,484
12, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 5,481
13, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 5,474
14 (tie), Ronnie Sparks Jr., Ecorse, Mich., and Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 5,473
16, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 5,467
17 (tie), Todd Book, Russells Point, Ohio, and Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 5,465
19, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 5,459
20, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 5,454
21, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 5,447
22 (tie), Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, and Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 5,445
24, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 5,436
25, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 5,424
26, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 5,422
27, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 5,407
28, Frankie Calca, Elmont, N.Y., 5,405
29, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 5,390
30, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 5,371
31, Jim Pratt, Glendale, Ariz., 5,368
32, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 5,366

 

PBA League Don Carter Qualifying Standings

Standings after 8 games; the top three teams advance to Baker format stepladder finals, teams four to eight will bowl a one-ball clash match eliminator round for the fourth stepladder position.

1, BROOKLYN STyLES, 9,527 pins
(Sean Rash 1,817, Ryan Ciminelli 1,793, Ryan Shafer 1,946, Walter Ray Williams Jr. 1,950, Jason Sterner 2,021)
2, New York City WTT KingPins, 9,280
(Pete Weber 1,780, Tommy Jones 1,836, Scott Norton 1,919, Jack Jurek 1,685, John Szczerbinski 2,060)
3, Silver Lake Atom Splitters, 9,198
(Chris Barnes 1,864, Dom Barrett 1,872, Josh Blanchard 1,816, Stuart Williams 1,900, Nathan Bohr 1,746)

4, Dallas Strikers, 9,080
(Norm Duke 1,865, Rhino Page 1,905, Amleto Monacelli 1,902, Bryon Smith 1,627, Mike Machuga 1,781)
5, L.A. X, 9,055
(Jason Belmonte 1,852, Wes Malott 1,962, Andres Gomez 1,708, Parker Bohn III 1,724, Dave Wodka 1,809)
6, Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits, 9,004
(Osku Palermaa 1,838, Martin Larsen 1,853, Dan MacLelland 1,879, Patrick Allen 1,795, Thomas Larsen 1,639)
7, Philadelphia Hitmen, 8,828
(Bill O'Neill 1,814, Mika Koivuniemi 1,743, Chris Loschetter 1,617, Mike DeVaney 1,896, Dick Allen 1,758)
8, Motown Muscle, 8,699
(Mike Fagan 1,648, Tom Smallwood 1,643, Mike Scroggins 1,831, Ronnie Russell 1,678, Jesse Buss 1,717)

 

PBA League Thunderbowl Finals Qualifying Standings

Standings after 24 of 32 team games; top five teams advance to live ESPN Baker format stepladder finals Sunday at noon ET.

1, BROOKLYN STyLES (owner Jesse Williams), Brooklyn, N.Y., 27,274
2, New York City WWT KingPins (owner Billie Jean King), New York, 27,246
3, Motown Muscle (owner Jerome Bettis), Detroit, 26,888
4, Philadelphia Hitmen (owner Kevin Hart), Philadelphia, 26,820
5, Silver Lake Atom Splitters (owner Chris Hardwick), Silver Lake, Calif., 26,813
6, L.A. X (owner Chris Paul), Los Angeles, 26,610
7, Dallas Strikers (owner Terrell Owens), Dallas, 26,477
8, Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits (owner LaMarr Woodley), Pittsburgh, Pa., 26,345