Thomas Larsen wins his first PBA title in 1st Abu Dhabi World Bowling Tour event

    12/06/13

    2014 World Bowling Tour #2

    Top seeded Dane defeats PBA Player of the Year contender Mika Koivuniemi in the deciding game to earn the 110,000 Dirham ($29,945) top prize

    2013EBT14ThomasLarsen.jpg

    2013EBT15MikaKoivuniemi.jpgThomas Larsen (pictured left) of Denmark defeated Danish national team coach and two-time PBA Player of the Year, Mika Koivuniemi (right) of Finland, in the deciding game to win his first PBA title in 1st Abu Dhabi World Bowling Tour event, Friday at Khalifa International Bowling Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

    Larsen, who led Round Four before the cut to the top 8 to earn the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals, had the advantage that Koivuniemi had to defeat him twice to win the title.

    Koivuniemi won the first game, 280-239, to force a decider, but Larsen rebounded with 247-204 win in game two to seal the victory. Larsen walked away with the 110,000 Dirham ($29,945) top prize. Koivuniemi pocketed 70.000 AED ($19,055) for second place.

    2012ABFTToCWuSiuHong.jpg2013WCShakerAlHassan.jpgThe Finn, who is in the race for PBA Player of the Year, stopped Wu Siu Hong's (left) run in the semifinals when he flew past the Hong Kong bowler, 258-165.

    Wu, who fired three big games to win the first three matches, received 40.000 AED ($10,890) for third place.

    In the opening shoot-out match, Wu eliminated the two Arab bowlers in the finals, Shaker Al-Hassan (right), UAE, and Mohamed Janahi, Bahrain, 237-225-223. Al-Hassan earned 10.000 AED ($2,720) for seventh place, while Janahi garnered 8.000 AED ($2,180) for eighth place.

    2013EBT16OskuPalermaa.jpg2013WCJolinePerssonPlanefors.jpgIn the second three-player shoot-out match, Wu ousted Finnish two-hander Osku Palermaa (left) and current European Bowling Tour women's point ranking leader, Joline Persson Planefors (right) of Sweden, 248-215-236.

    Palermaa, who could not fall lower than one spot, finished fifth, worth 15.000 AED ($4,085). Persson Planefors got 12.000 AED ($3,270) for sixth place.

    In the third match, Wu rolled another 248 game, to beat PBA World Champion Dominic Barrett (below right) of England (235) by 13 pins. The two-time PBA champion took home 20.000 AED ($5,445) for fourth place.

    2013AbuDhabiWBTLogo_small.jpg 2013EBT15DominicBarrett3.jpgThe 1st Abu Dhabi World Bowling Tour tournament was the second event of the 2014 World Bowling Tour.

    Due to an agreement between the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) and the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), the Abu Dhabi World Bowling Tour tournament awarded a PBA international title to PBA members.

    Players competed for total prize fund of 441.800 Dirham (AED) or approximately $120,000. The champion received the $29,945 top prize, the runner-up earned $19,055 and the third and fourth-place finishers got $10,890 and $5,445, respectively.

    Qualifying (9 games in three-game blocks; unlimited re-entries) ran from Nov. 24-30 (for local bowlers only) and Dec 1 thru 4 (for local and international bowlers) and concluded with the one-game Desperado Squad. Women received eight pins handicap each game.

    A total of 42 players qualified for the finals on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 5 & 6 and were seeded as follows:
    • Places 1-7: Top 7 qualifiers
    • Places 8 & 9: Two highest UAE bowlers outside the Top 7
    • Places 10-38: Next 29 qualifiers
    • Places 39 & 40: Top 2 UAE bowlers from local qualifying
    • Places 41-42: Top 2 from the Desperado Squad.
    Bowlers ranked 1-8 received two byes, while bowlers ranked 9-22 bypassed Round Two.

    The remaining 20 bowlers (places 23-42) bowled 6 games scratch with the top 10 advancing to Round Three. After another six games scratch, the top 12 joined the top 8 qualifiers in Round Four.

    Those 20 determined the eight players (top 7 bowlers from Round 4 plus the next UAE bowler), who advanced to the stepladder finals, in a final six-game block. The No. 1 seed had to be defeated twice to win the title.

    WBTLogo_small.jpg The 2014 World Bowling Tour, which got underway in November 2013 with the PBA World Championship, one of the Tour's "majors", consists of 15 tournaments in Arabia (6), Asia (3), United States (3), Europe (2) and Australia (1).

    Players earn ranking points based on how they finish in each event. The current points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle, so points include some events from 2012 and all events from 2013 in addition to the 2014 events.

    2011WTBALogo_small.jpg The top three men and top three women will be invited to compete in the 2014 World Bowling Tour Finals, which will be held in conjunction with the PBA World Series of Bowling VI in November 2014 (place and venue TBD).

    The World Tenpin Bowling Association is made up of 112 bowling federations and governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit WorldTenpinBowling.com.

     


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    1st Abu Dhabi World Bowling Tour


    Khalifa International Bowling Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE (Nov. - Dec. 6, 2013)

    Championship Round:
    1. Thomas Larsen, Denmark, 486 (2 games), 110.000 AED ($29,945)
    2. Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 742 (3 games), 70.000 AED ($19,055)
    3. Wu Siu Hong, Hong Kong, 898 (4 games), 40.000 AED ($10,890)
    4. Dominic Barrett, England, 235 (1 game), 20.000 AED ($5,445)
    5. Osku Palermaa, Finland, 215 (1 game), 15.000 AED ($4,085)
    6. Joline Persson Planefors, Sweden, 236 (1 game), 12.000 AED ($3,270)
    7. Shaker Al-Hassan, UAE, 225 (1 game), 10.000 AED ($2,720)
    8. Mohamed Janahi, Bahrain, 223 (1 game), 8.000 AED ($2,180)

    Playoff Results:
    First Match: No. 6 Wu (237) def. No. 8 Al-Hassan (225) and No. 7 Janahi (223)
    Second Match: Wu (248) def. No. 5 Persson Planefors* (236) and No. 4 Palermaa (215)
    Third Match: Wu def. No. 3 Barrett, 248-235
    Fourth Match: No. 2 Koivuniemi def. Wu, 258-165
    Championship: Koivuniemi def. No. 1 Larsen, 280-239
    and in the decisive game: Larsen def. Koivuniemi, 247-204.

    Note: According to the rules, the No. 1 seed must be defeated twice to win the title.
    * Persson Planefors received 8 pins handicap.


    Final Standings Places 9- 42 (Cashers)


    Players with position, country and prize money.

    9. Mike Fagan, United States, 7.000 AED ($1,905)
    10. Martin Paulsson, Sweden, 6.000 AED ($1,635)
    11. Hussain Al-Suwaidi, UAE, 5.000 AED ($1,360)
    12. Martin Larsen, Sweden, 5.000 AED ($1,360)
    13. Naif Oqab, UAE, 5.000 AED ($1,360)
    14. Mahmood Al-Attar, UAE, 5.000 AED ($1,360)
    15. Robert Andersson, Sweden, 5.000 AED ($1,360)
    16. Michael Mak, Hong Kong, 5.000 AED ($1,360)
    17. Abdulla Al-Dolijan, Saudi Arabia, 4.500 AED ($1,225)
    18. Frederik Øhrgaard, Denmark, 4.500 AED ($1,225)
    19. Benshir Layoso, Philippines, 4.500 AED ($1,225)
    20. Mohamed Al-Marzooqi, UAE, 4.500 AED ($1,225)
    21. Yaqoub Al-Shatti, Kuwait, 4.500 AED ($1,225)
    22. Jimmy Mortensen, Denmark, 4.500 AED ($1,225)
    23. Kim Bolleby, Sweden, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    24. Kevin Karlsson, Sweden, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    25. Tim Mack, United States, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    26. Michael Tsang, Hong Kong, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    27. Eric Tseng, Hong Kong, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    28. Daniel Fransson, Sweden, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    29. Hassan Alzaabi, UAE, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    30. Paul Moor, England, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    31. Hareb Al-Mansoori, UAE, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    32. Mohammad Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia, 4.000 AED ($1,090)
    33. Ali Al-Rashdi, UAE, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    34. Sandra Andersson, Sweden, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    35. Alexander Johansson, Sweden, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    36. Yousef Alzaabi, UAE, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    37. Randi B. Christensen, Denmark, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    38. Rickle Kam, Hong Kong, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    39. Lars Hoberg, Denmark, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    40. Adel Ali Al-Jallaf, UAE, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    41. Samantha Hannan, England, 3.680 AED ($1,000)
    42. Sayed Al-Hashemi, UAE, 3.680 AED ($1,000)

     


    Round Four Results


    The top 7 along with the highest-qualifying UAE player advance to the stepladder finals.

     


    Round Three Results


    The top 12 advance to the fourth round.

     


    Round Two Results


    The top 10 advance to the third round.

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