Mika Koivuniemi almost perfect; rises to the top in 10th San Marino Open

    07/19/14

    2014 European Bowling Tour #10

    Finn shoots 1484 including a 299 in Squad 15 to overtake the qualifying lead; Squad 16 leader Osku Palermaa cracks the top 8; score to make the cut in 35th place surpasses 1300-mark (1327, 221.17 average)

    2014EBT10MikaKoivuniemi2.jpg2014EBT10MartinPaulsson.jpgMika Koivuniemi (pictured left), a native Finn who resides in Hartland, Mich., USA, averaged 247.33 in Squad 15 on Friday afternoon to overtake the lead in the qualifying of the 10th San Marino Open by 17 pins.

    The two-time PBA Player of the Year (2003-04 and 2010-11), who owns 13 PBA titles and 9 European Bowling Tour titles, had games of 257, 256, 194, 225, 299 and 253 and leads the field of 161 players from 20 countries with 1484. If Koivuniemi survives the remaining four squads on Saturday, he will receive a 1.000 Euro bonus.

    2014EBT10FedericoRossi.jpg2014EBT04DanielFransson.jpgMartin Paulsson (above right) of Sweden, who previously held the lead with 1467, slipped to second place and is followed by Federico Rossi (left), Italy, with 1449 including a 300 game. Markus Jansson, Sweden, who had the other 300 game, rolled his second 1400-series in Squad 15 (1402). Jansson sits in fourth place with 1439.

    Fifth place belongs to Patrick Backe, Sweden, with 1434. His compatriot Daniel Fransson (right), who was next to Koivuniemi in Squad 15, improved his high series (1390) by 38 pins but remained in sixth place with 1428.

    2014EBT10OskuPalermaa.jpg2014EBT04JesperSvensson.jpgFinland's two-handed star Osku Palermaa (left) paced Squad 16 with 1418 and an average of 236.33 to move in seventh place in the overall standings. Palermaa, who owns three PBA titles and record 13 EBT titles, had games of 193, 230, 218, 277, 275 and 225.

    Rounding out the top 8, who will receive two byes for the finals, is his fellow countryman Juhani Tonteri with 1407 (234.50). Jesper Larsen (right), a two-handed lefty from Sweden, was third in Squad 15 with 1404. He miss the top 8 by three pins and to sit in 9th place.

    2014EBT10JoachimKarlsson.jpg2014EBT10BrianVoss.jpgJoachim Karlsson (left), Sweden, averaged 230.67 to lead Squad 17 on Friday evening and to move into 12th place with 1384. The score for 16th place to earn a first-round bye is currently 1349 (224.83).

    Heading into the final day of qualifying, PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (right), United States, is the man on bubble in 35th place with 1327 and an average of 221.17. There is still no woman in the top 35. Luminita Farkas-Bucin of Romania currently leads the women's ranking with 1262 including 48 pins handicap, good for 48th place.

    Qualifying continues Saturday, July 19, with Squads 18-21 scheduled to start at 9 a.m., 1, 5 and 9 p.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST) and concludes with the one-game Desperado Squad slated for 12 p.m.

    2014EBT10SanMarinoOpenLogo_small.jpg 2014EBT10SanMarinoOpenLogo2_small.jpg The 10th Storm San Marino Open is the 10th stop of the 2014 European Bowling Tour and the third out of six EBT "Gold" tournaments this season. The 10th anniversary edition will be held 12-20 at 18-lane Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle, San Marino and offers total prize fund of 60.000 Euro with 8.000 Euro going to the winner, 5.000 to the runner-up, 3.300 to the third and 2.400 to the fourth place finisher.

    The San Marino Open features a 42 feet Kegel lane conditioning pattern with 24.84 ml volume oil total.

    Qualifying of the San Marino Open (six-game series, unlimited re-entries) runs from Saturday July 12 through Saturday, July 19 with the last qualifying squad 21 scheduled for 9 p.m. CEST. The qualifying winner will receive a 1.000 Euro bonus.

    Qualifying concludes with the one-game Desperado Squad scheduled to start at Midnight. Women receive 8 pins handicap each game throughout the entire tournament, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    A total of 48 players will advance to the finals on Sunday, July 20, including the top 35 qualifiers plus the top 3 from the squads conducted on July 12-13, the top 3 from the squads conducted on July 14-15, the top 4 from the squads conducted on July 16-17, and the top 3 from the Desperado Squad.

    The top 8 qualifiers receive two byes and qualifiers 9-16 get a first-round bye. The other 32 players will bowl four games from scratch to cut to the top 16, who will meet qualifiers 9-16 in round two. Those 24 bowl another 4 games from scratch to cut to the top 8, who will join the top eight in the last six-game round before the cut to the top 4.

    Those four will determine the winner in an eliminator-format finals which will feature three one-game rounds. All four players bowl the opening game, with the lowest-scoring player being eliminated. In the two rounds to follow, the same "low man out" format applies. The last man standing will be declared the champion.

    2014EBTLogo_small.jpg The 2014 European Bowling Tour features 20 tournaments in 14 countries. In its 15th season, the EBT consists of two Platinum, six Gold, three Silver and nine Satellite tournaments. The total prize fund exceeds one million Euro.

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event receive ranking points. Those points will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the top 12 men and top 12 women, who will compete in the eighth EBT Masters July 6, 2015 at Bowling Chamartín in Madrid, Spain, immediately following the III Brunswick Madrid Challenge.

     

     

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    10th San Marino Open - Qualifying Standings after Squad 17/21


    The top 35 qualifiers plus the top 3 from the squads conducted on July 12-13, the top 3 from the squads conducted on July 14-15, the top 4 from the squads conducted on July 16-17, and the top 3 from the Desperado Squad will advance to finals on Sunday, July 20.