Sean Rash wins qualifying in 11th Kuwait International Open 2014

    03/13/14

    Kuwait

    Defending champion leads a field of 38 players into the finals on Thursday and Friday; five-time world champion Shannon O'Keefe is the only woman who survives the first cut

    2014KuwaitOpenSeanRash.jpg2014KuwaitOpenJasonBelmonte.jpgDefending Kuwait Open champion Sean Rash (pictured left), United States, averaged 242.80 for 15 games to win the three-day qualifying in the 11th Kuwait International Open 2014. The 2012-13 PBA Player of the Year leads a field of 38 players into the finals on Thursday and Friday at Cozmo Bowling Center in Salmiya, Kuwait.

    Rash rolled five game series of 1239, 1222 and 1181 to lead the 100-player field from 16 countries after each of the three qualifying blocks. By virtue of finishing in the top 6, Rash will bypass the first three rounds of the finals and will be automatically seeded in Round Five on Friday.

    2014KuwaitOpenThomasLarsen.jpg2014KuwaitOpenDominicBarrett.jpgAlso receiving three byes were reigning PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte (above right), Australia (3629), last year's runner-up Mika Koivuniemi, Finland (3544), two-time PBA champion Ryan Ciminelli, United States (3537), three-time European Bowling Tour titlist Thomas Larsen (left), Denmark (3527) and three-time PBA champion and reigning PBA World Champion Dominic Barrett (right), England (3501).

    Joining those six in Round Five is the best Kuwaiti bowler outside the top 6, former World Ranking Masters winner Khaled Al-Dubyyan with 3199.

    2014KuwaitOpenShannonOKeefe.jpgFive-time world champion Shannon O'Keefe (right), United States, was the best of four women in the field and the only woman who survived the first cut in 31st place with 3212 including five pins handicap each game, an average of 209.13 scratch.

    Yaqoub Al-Shatti of Kuwait took the 34th and last place to qualify directly for the finals with 3176 and an average of 211.73. His compatriots Mustafa Al-Mousawi, Basel Al-Anzi, Rakan Al-Ameeri and Jassim Darwish received the four wildcards for Kuwaiti bowlers.

    2014KuwaitOpenLogo.jpg The 11th Kuwait International Open 2014 will be held from March 10-14 at Cozmo Bowling Center, a 16-laner in Salmiya, Kuwait. The tournament is the ninth stop on the 2014 World Bowling Tour and offers a PBA international title if won by a PBA member. Players competed for total prize money of US$130,400.

    Qualifying (15 games) ran from March 10-12 and featured three blocks of 5 games (5 games per day). Women receive five pins handicap each game.

    After 15 games, the field was cut to 34 players plus the four highest-placing Kuwaiti bowlers out of the cut (seeded 35th to 38th). All qualifying pins will be dropped.

    The top 6 qualifiers plus the highest Kuwaiti (seeded 7th) received three byes. Qualifiers 8-14 earned two byes and qualifiers 15-22 got one bye.

    Qualifiers 23-38 advance to Round Two on Thursday morning to bowl six games scratch with the top 8 advancing to Round 3. Qualifiers 15-22 plus top eight from Round Two bowl another six games in Round Three on Thursday afternoon. The top nine advance to Round Four.

    Those eight meet qualifiers 8-14 in Round Four on Thursday evening. The top 8 after six games advance to Round Five on Friday morning, where they will face the top seven qualifiers in a four-game round.

    All 15 players advance to a modified match play round on Friday afternoon with Round Five pinfall carried forward.

    Three players on each pair will bowl a modified match play round whereby players will receive actual pinfall plus 20 bonus pins for having high game and second-place bowler will receive 10 bonus pins, each match game. The top five advance to the stepladder finals. Whoever reaches title match must defeat the top qualifier twice to win the title.

    The top three women in the tournament will bowl a separate Women's Stepladder Finals prior to the men's stepladder finals.

    WBTLogo_small.jpg The 2014 World Bowling Tour, which actually got underway in November 2013 with the PBA World Championship, 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 some points earned in 2012 and all points from the 2013 and 2014 are added to determine the points list.

    The top three men and top three women in the WBT Point Ranking 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 from Oct. 24 through Nov. 2 at South Point in Las Vegas.

    The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of 111 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, click here.

    Photos courtesy of Asian Bowling Federation.

     


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    11th Kuwait International Open 2014 - Standings after Qualifying


    The top 34 players plus the four highest-placing Kuwaiti bowlers advance to the finals. (f) women receive five pins handicap each game.

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