Jang Dong Chul leads Open Division after Round 1 at It's Daejeon Tournament

    11/21/14

    Korea

    Koreans dominate leaderboard after the first of two eight-game blocks before the cut to the top 5 for Saturday's TV Finals; Cherie Tan (SIN) and Sung Gyeong Eun (KOR) to bowl for the Women's Division title

    2014ItsDaejeonOpenLogo_small.jpg Former Korean national team member Jang Dong Chul averaged 226.75 Wednesday at the World Cup Bowling Center in Daejeon, South Korea, to lead the Open Division of the It's Daejeon International Open Bowling Tournament 2014 after the first eight game round. The top 5 after the second round on Friday will advance to Saturday's TV Finals.

    The Korean bowlers dominated the first round taking the top six spots. Dong Chul came out of the gates commandingly with games of 255 and 265 and positioned himself atop the 120-player leaderboard with 180, 214, 191, 241, 236 and 232 and 1814 eight-game total.

    2014AsianGamesYannaphonLarpapharat2.jpg2014PBADanMacLelland.jpgTrailing Dong Chul by 32 pins to sit in second place was Song Si Ra one of 24 women in the field, with 1782 total including eight pins handicap each game. Qualifying leader Choi Yong Kyu was third with 1758 followed by the best Korea Professional Bowlers Association member, Jeong Jae Young in fourth place with 1737.

    Rounding out the top six were another two women, Lee Yeon Ji and Yun Hee Yeo, with 1734 and 1727, respectively.

    Thailand's Yannaphon Larp-apharat (pictured left) was the best of just six foreign players in the Open Division in seventh place with 1722 including high games of 258 and 244. PBA members Dan MacLelland (right), Canada, and Josh Blanchard (below left), United States, were just 39 and 69 pins off the pace for the top 5 in 12th and 24th place with 1695 and 1665.

    2014PBAJoshBlanchard.jpg2014BWCCherieTan2.jpgThe two finalists in the Women's Division are already determined. Cherie Tan (right) of Singapore and Korea's Sung Gyeong Eun will bowl for the title after finishing 1, 2 in the final 9-game round Friday morning.

    Tan hit 2000 on the nose including games of 202, 233, 246, 223, 213, 216, 238, 213 and 216, an average of 222.22. Gyeong Eun was 58 pins behind in second place with 1942 (215.78). She finished her series with a big 248 game to beat out Lee Yeon Ji for the last spot to advance by 16 pins.

    The Singaporean national squad were the only foreign bowlers in the Women's Division. Tan's team mates Shayna Ng, New Hui Fen, Bernice Lim, Jazreel Tan and her sister Daphne Tan finished in 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th place, resp.

    The TV finals are slated for Saturday, November 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. Korean Time.

    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.

     


    Related Articles


    Korea's Choi Yong Kyu leads Open Division qualifying in It's Daejeon International Open
    2015 World Bowling Tour - Schedule

     


    It's Daejeon International Open 2014 - Open Division Round One Results


    Standings after the first of two 8-game blocks; the top 5 after 16 games will advance to the TV finals. (f) indicates female bowlers; receive eight pins handicap each game. KPBA indicates Korea Professional Bowlers Association members.

     


    It's Daejeon International Open 2014 - Women's Division Round One Results


    Top 2 advance to the TV finals. KPBA indicates Korea Professional Bowlers Association members.

    Â