Ghanim Aboujassoum (pictured left) of Qatar topped former World Ranking Masters champion Khaled Al-Dubyyan of Kuwait, 193-161, to win the season opener of the 2015 Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) Tour on his home turf, the Qatar Bowling Center in Doha, on Saturday, February 28.

Aboujassoum, who finished 26th in the H.H. Emir Cup 2015 to qualify for the Qatar leg, ousted his compatriot Mohammed Al-Merekhi in the Round of 16, 258-219, then defeated Kuwaiti Jassem Al-Saqer in the quarterfinal, 229-167, and Mohammed Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia in the semi-final, 217-160.

Al-Dubyyan, who missed the finals of the Emir Cup, sidelined Yousif Falah of Bahrain, 197-167, and Hazeem Al-Muraikhi of Qatar, 236-226, in the first rounds before he rolled a huge 277 game in the semifinal match against Emir Cup finalist Naif Oqab (225), United Arab Emirates.

The 2015 ABF Tour consists of 10 legs, six in the Near East (Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia) with a men's division only and four in East and South East Asia (Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau and Indonesia) featuring men and women in separate divisions. Asian bowlers only are eligible to participate.

Players earn ranking points based on how they finish in each event. The top 16 men and the top 16 women at the end of the 2015 season qualify for the ABF Tour Tournament of Champions scheduled for March 2016 (tbc) in Kuwait.

The second leg of the 2015 Tour will be held on March 8 at Ozone Entertainment Center in Sitra, Bahrain in conjunction with the 13th Kingdom of Bahrain International Bowling Championship (March 2-7, 2015).

Photos courtesy of www.abftour.com.

 

Related Articles

2015 Asian Bowling Federation Tour Schedule & Champions

 

2015 ABF Tour Qatar leg - Men's Division only

Qatar Bowling Center in Doha, Qatar (February 28, 2015)

Championship:
Ghanim Aboujassoum, Qatar, def. Khaled Al-Dubyyan, Kuwait, 193-161

Semifinal:
Ghanim Aboujassoum, Qatar, def. Mohammed Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia, 217-160
Khaled Al-Dubyyan, Kuwait, def. Naif Oqab, United Arab Emirates, 277-225

Quarterfinal:
Ghanim Aboujassoum, Qatar, def. Jassem Al-Saqer, Kuwait, 229-167
Mohammed Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia, def. Yousef Al-Jaber, Qatar, 192-189
Khaled Al-Dubyyan, Kuwait, def. Hazeem Al-Muraikhi, Qatar, 236-226
Naif Oqab, United Arab Emirates, def. Yaqoub Al-Shatti, Kuwait, 220-203

Round of 16:
Jassem Al-Saqer, Kuwait, def. Khaled Al-Dossari, Qatar, 221-190
Ghanim Aboujassoum, Qatar, def. Mohammed Al-Merekhi, Qatar, 258-219
Mohammed Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia, def. Mansour Al-Hajri, Qatar, 221-196
Yousef Al-Jaber, Qatar, def. Mohannad Ebrahim, Kuwait, 223-195
Khaled Al-Dubyyan, Kuwait, def. Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 197-167
Hazeem Al-Muraikhi, Qatar, def. Salem Al-Hajras, Kuwait, 255-188
Yaqoub Al-Shatti, Kuwait, def. Bader Al-Deyab, Qatar, 231-153
Naif Oqab, United Arab Emirates, def. Mubarak Al-Muraikhi, Qatar, 220-167.

 

2015 ABF Tour Qatar leg - Men's Final Standings

Players with position, country and ranking points

1. Ghanim Aboujassoum, Qatar, 75
2. Khaled Al-Dubyyan, Kuwait, 60
3. Naif Oqab, United Arab Emirates, 46
4. Mohammed Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia, 45
5. Hazeem Al-Muraikhi, Qatar, 33
6. Yaqoub Al-Shatti, Kuwait, 32
7. Yousef Al-Jaber, Qatar, 31
8. Jassem Al-Saqer, Kuwait, 30
9. Mohammed Al-Merekhi, Qatar, 20
10. Mansour Al-Hajri, Qatar, 19
11. Mohannad Ebrahim, Kuwait, 18
12. Khaled Al-Dossari, Qatar, 17
13. Salem Al-Hajras, Kuwait, 16
14. Mubarak Al-Muraikhi, Qatar, 14.5
15. Yousif Falah, Bahrain, 14.5
16. Bader Al-Deyab, Qatar, 13