The number 4 turned out to be Geir Ødegård's (pictured left) lucky number. The Norwegian rolled games of 259, 230, 198, 236, 227 and 248 to lead Squad 4 with 1398 six-game total and an average of 233.00 to help grab the fourth place in the overall qualifying standings in the Norwegian Open after the first weekend.

The top four players from the first weekend (squads 1-4) are automatically qualified for the finals next Sunday. As the experts in Norway expect the cutoff number close to 1350, the top eight players should be safe.

European Champions Cup winner Ingunn Øien continued to lead since Squad 1 with 1466 pinfall total including 48 pins handicap, an average of 236.33. Svein Roger Olsen and Jan Egil Hansen sit in second and third place with 1426 and 1422, respectively.

Fifth place belongs to Nils Christian Stensrud with 1383. Norwegian national team member Glenn Morten Pedersen (left) rolled a 1380 series in Squad 4 to overtake sixth place.

Ann Louise Haugen, all Norway, led the Squad after four games and finished with 1330 scratch and 1378 including handicap, good for seventh place overall.

Rounding out the top 8 is Team Norway anchor and Veitvet Bowling Center proprietor Petter Hansen (right) with 1374.

In case that those eight will finish among the top 40, who will advance to the finals by their qualifying total, Lars Hagman, Sweden (1318), Vegar Furuvald (1315), Per Kristian Eide (1306) and Ann Louise's brother Jahn Kåre Haugen (pictured), all Norway, (1303) will take advantage and receive the four spots from the first weekend.

The Norwegian Open 2007 is the 17th stop of the 2007 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's Challenger events. The tournament offers total prize money of 351.000 Norwegian Kronor, approximately 65,250 U.S. Dollar or 45.715 Euro. The winner will receive the 60.000 NOK top prize ($11,150/€7.815).

Qualifying continues on Monday, Oct. 1, with Squad 5 and runs through Saturday, October 6 with the final Squad 18 scheduled for 8 p.m. local time. (GMT +1). Qualifying will conclude with the one-game Desperado Squad around Midnight.

The top 40 players from the qualifying will automatically advance to the finals. They will be joined by the top four players from the first weekend (combined standings of squads 1-4) not among the top 40 and the top 4 from the Desperado Squad.

The top 12 earn two byes, while players ranked 13-24 will bypass the first round. The first three rounds of the final consist of four games from scratch with half of the field advancing to the next round.

Once the field is cut to the top 12, players bowl two games from scratch to cut to the top 8, then the top four, who advance to the semi-finals (No. 1 vs. No. 4, No. 2 vs. No. 3). The winners of these one-game matches will bowl for the title and the 60.000 NOK top prize.

Bowlingdigital will cover the event live from Oslo commencing Friday, October 5 all the way through to the finals on Sunday, October 7.