Korea's Choi Yong Kyu leads Open Division qualifying in It's Daejeon International Open

    11/19/14

    Korea

    Sung Gyeong Eun (KOR) finishes atop the Women's leaderboard; all twelve international bowlers advance to the main event Nov. 20-22

    2014ItsDaejeonOpenLogo_small.jpgKorea's Choi Yong Kyu and Sung Gyeong Eun topped the leader boards in the Open and Women's Division as the qualifying of the It's Daejeon International Open Bowling Tournament 2014 came to an end Tuesday night at Daejeon World Cup Bowling Center in Daejeon, South Korea.

    Choi led the 151 players in the Open Division, 145 Koreans and six bowlers from Canada, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and United States, with 2213 nine-game total and an average of 245.89 including his highest three-game series of 791, 716 and 706.

    25 Korean women decided to bowl in the Open Division (received eight pins handicap per game), most of whom in addition to entering the Women's Division, due to the much higher prize fund in the Open Division (154.4 million Korean Won or roughly USD140,000 compared to 30.6 million Won or USD27,800 in the Women's Division).

    Choi Hyun Sook was the best of the 25 women finishing in second position in the local pool with 2137 total, an average of 229.44 scratch, behind series of 737, 715 and 685 including handicap.

    2014PBAJoshBlanchard.jpg2014PBADanMacLelland.jpgPBA Rookie of the Year 2011-12 and six-time PBA Regional champion Josh Blanchard (left), United States, paced the small international field with 2118 (715, 713 and 690) and an average of 235.33. Fellow PBA Regional champion Dan MacLelland (right) of Canada was second with 2105. Both players are targeting to win their first PBA title.

    Next were Thailand's Surasak Manuwong (1875) and Yannaphon Larp-apharat (1847) followed by Yasuo Tanaka of Japan (1652) and John Khoo of Singapore, who made the qualifying cut with 1547 and an average of 171.89 due to the low number of players in the Overseas Pool.

    Total 120 players of the Open Division advanced to the main event on Nov. 20-22 which starts with the Official Practice and the Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, Now. 19, including defending champion Kim Jun Yung, the top 50 from the Local Pool, all six players from the Overseas Pool and the next 63 players outside the Local Pool.

    On the women's side, Sung Gyeong Eun paced the 45-player field including defending champion Kang Soo Jin, who was automatically qualified for the main event, with 2135 total and an average of 237.22. Sung's highest three-game series were 726, 726 and 683.

    2013WCBerniceLim.jpg2014AsianGamesNewHuiFen.jpgThe only other country in the Women's Division was Singapore which has sent its national team to Daejeon. Indonesian Open champion Bernice Lim (left) led her team mates with 2075, the fourth-highest series overall, and an average of 230.56. New Hui Fen (right) was close behind with 2058 and was followed by Cherie Tan (1967), Jazreel Tan (1917), Shayna Ng (1872) and Daphne Tan (1752).

    All players, who completed three qualifying series advanced to the main event.

    The 2014 It's Daejeon International Open Bowling Tournament is the second stop of the 2015 World Bowling Tour and the Tour's second "major" this season. The Daejeon Open runs from Nov. 9-22 at 32-lane Daejeon World Cup bowling center in Daejeon, South Korea, and features three divisions, Open, Women and Seniors (50 and over).

    The tournament offers total prize fund of 200 million Korean Won or roughly 190,000 U.S. Dollar with 40 million (approx. $38,000) going to the Open Division champion, 20 million to the runner-up and 10 million to the third place finisher. The Daejeon Open will award a PBA international title if won by a PBA member. Women, who bowl in the Open Division, receive 8 pins handicap each game.

    Qualifying (9 games, three-game squads, unlimited re-entries) runs from Nov. 9-15 for local bowlers and Nov. 16-18 for international competitors with extra prize money for the top three daily leaders (highest 9-game total to count),

    120 players including the top 50 local bowlers, the top 20 international bowlers, 49 players from a local and international pool, and the defending champion (wild card), will advance to the final rounds, which will be held over four days from Nov. 19-22.

    After the official practice and the opening ceremonies on Wednesday, Nov. 19, the 120 finalists in the Open Division will be split into two groups of 60 players to bowl two eight-game rounds, one each on Nov. 20 and 21. The top five players with the highest 16-game total including handicap will advance to the stepladder finals on Saturday, Nov. 22.

    The No. 3, 4 and 5 seed open the action with a one-game shootout match. The winner advances to the semifinal match, to take on the No. 2 seed. The winner of that match goes against the top seed for the title and 40 million Won first prize.

    Click here for full tournament information.

    WBTLogo_small.jpg The 2015 World Bowling Tour, which got underway in October with the PBA World Championship (finals yet to be played), consists of 15 tournaments in Arabia (6), United States (5), Asia (2) and Europe (2).

    Players earn ranking points based on how they finish in each event. The current points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle. The top three men and top three women in the points list will compete in the season-ending World Bowling Tour Finals in November in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.

     


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    It's Daejeon International Open 2014 - Open Division Final Qualifying Standings


    Players with position, country and 9-game total (three highest 3-game series). Women's scores include handicap. 120 players including the defending champion, the top 50 from the Local Pool, all six players from the Overseas Pool and the top 63 from the Local & Overseas Pool advanced to the finals

     

     

    It's Daejeon International Open 2014 - Women's Division Final Qualifying Standings


    Players with position, country and 9-game total (three highest 3-game series). 43 players including the defending champion, the top 15 from the Local Pool, all six players from the Overseas Pool and the top 21 from the Local & Overseas Pool advanced to the finals

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