Yousif Falah takes early lead after Block 1 of 3 in 10th Kuwait International Open 2013

    03/14/13

    Kuwait

    Cozmo Bowling Center in Salmiya, Kuwait (March 13-17, 2013)

    2013KOYousifFalah.jpg2013KOSeanRash.jpgYousif Falah (pictured left) of Bahrain averaged 265.80 in the first of three five-game blocks to take the early lead in Round One of the 10th Kuwait International Open 2013 at Cozmo Bowling Center in Salmiya, Kuwait.

    In the high-scoring event, Falah fired games of 268, 259, 290, 255 and 257 for 1329 to hold a 41-pin lead over reigning PBA Player of the Year, Sean Rash (right), USA, who sits in second place with 1288 (257.60).

    Shaker Al-Hassan, UAE, was third with 1240 (248.00) and was followed by the top-ranked woman in the 82-player field, Tannya Roumimper (below left) of Indonesia, who toppled 1222 pins including five pins handicap each game, an average of 239.40 scratch.

    2013KOTannyaRoumimper.jpg2013KOKhaledAlDubyyan.jpgFresh off his victory in the Bahrain Open, Finn Mika Koivuniemi sits in fifth place with 1202 (240.40) with Martin Larsen of Sweden in sixth place with 1193 (238.60).

    Khaled Al-Dubyyan (right) was the best Kuwaiti after the first block with 1175 (235.00). The top six plus the top Kuwaiti after three blocks (15 games) will go straight to Round 5 (one round before the stepladder finals).

    Mansour Al-Awami of Qatar, Tim Mack and Ronnie Russell, United States, rolled 300 games. The second and third block will be played on Thursday and Friday, March 14 and 15, respectively.

    The 10th Kuwait International Open 2013 is the sixth event on the World Bowling Tour and runs from March 13-17, 2013 at 16-lane Cozmo Bowling Center in Salmiya, Kuwait. The offers total prize fund of $130,500 U.S. Dollar with 25 Grand going to the winner.

    All players bowl 15 games of qualifying in three blocks of fives games over three days. Tournament entry fee is 1,000 U.S. Dollar. Women receive five pins handicap each game.

    Total 38 players qualify for the finals including the top 6 plus the highest ranked Kuwaiti (go to Round 5), qualifiers 8 to 14 (go to Round 4), qualifiers 15 to 22 (go to Round 3), qualifiers 23 to 34 and the next four Kuwaitis (go to Round 2).

    The 16 players qualified for Round 2 bowl six games scratch with the top 8 advancing to Round 3. Those eight and qualifiers 15-22 bowl another six-game block scratch to cut to the top 9.

    Those nine and qualifiers 8-14 bowl six games scratch with the top 8 advancing to Round 4. The remaining 15 players bowl four games scratch plus an eight-game match play round with three players on a pair of lanes. The winner of each match gets 20 points and the runner-up gets 10 points.

    The top 5 after 12 games including bonus pins advance to a traditional stepladder final. The No. 1 seed must be defeated twice to win the title. The top 16 Asian bowlers advance to the second leg of the 2013 Asian Bowling Federation Tour on Monday, March 18.

     


    Qualifying Standings after Block 1 of 3


    (f) indicates female bowler (total including five pins handicap); (y) indicates youth bowlers.


    300 Games (3) - Mansour Al-Awami, Qatar; Tim Mack and Ronnie Russell, United States.

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