Hoffman hopes to end U.S. drought at World Cup
10/31/07
For nearly a dozen years, the United States has struggled in the men's division at the QubicaAMF World Cup, and Team USA's Bill Hoffman admits he feels some pressure heading into this year's event.
Hoffman, a two-time U.S. Amateur champion and eight-time Team USA member from Columbus, Ohio, will face stiff competition from across the world at the 43rd World Cup, which begins Sunday in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Athletes from 90 countries are expected to compete in the men's and women's divisions, making the event the largest draw in international bowling.
"I feel pretty confident because when I bowled in the World Cup in Honduras in 2003, I led by a considerable margin in qualifying and then lost in the semifinals," said Hoffman, who will try to become the first U.S. champion since Patrick Healey Jr. in 1995. "Instead of dealing with the added pressure, I'm going to try and draw on my success in the past at this event."
Hoffman is among those favored to win the men's title but will face competition from past World Cup champions Michael Schmidt of Canada, Peter Ljung of Sweden and Mohamed Khalifa, UAE.
The men's field also includes two-handed bowler Jason Belmonte, the High Roller champion from Australia, former Denny's PBA Tour player Andres Gomez of Colombia, 3-time European ranking champion Paul Moor, England, and many others with notable accomplishments on the world stage.
"The field is a lot tougher than many of the previous World Cups," Hoffman said. "There are a lot of guys with international experience who are going to make me bear down and bowl better. But I welcome the added challenge more than anything.
"I think it's definitely possible for me to win the event this year. More than anything I'm going to take it one block at a time, read the lanes properly, make the right adjustments and see where it gets me."
On the women's side, Team USA's Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, will look to continue a recent trend of American dominance in the World Cup. Team USA has brought home the women's title four of the past five years, and Barnes won the event in 2005.
"This is a tough event to win because the scores are always so high and you have to be on top of your game," said Barnes, who is the only returning World Cup champion in this year's field. "Team USA has proven that we have the players to beat in the World Cup, and it's my job to go out there and prove we are the best again."
Competition at the World Cup begins Sunday with the first of four days of qualifying. Players will bowl six games each day from Nov. 4-7, and the field will be cut to the top 24 men and 24 women after 24 games of qualifying.
The remaining players will bowl eight additional games Nov. 8 before the field is cut to the top 8 in each division for the quarterfinals on Nov. 9. After eight final games, the top three men and top three women will compete in the semifinals and finals on Nov. 10.
United States
For nearly a dozen years, the United States has struggled in the men's division at the QubicaAMF World Cup, and Team USA's Bill Hoffman admits he feels some pressure heading into this year's event.Hoffman, a two-time U.S. Amateur champion and eight-time Team USA member from Columbus, Ohio, will face stiff competition from across the world at the 43rd World Cup, which begins Sunday in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Athletes from 90 countries are expected to compete in the men's and women's divisions, making the event the largest draw in international bowling.
"I feel pretty confident because when I bowled in the World Cup in Honduras in 2003, I led by a considerable margin in qualifying and then lost in the semifinals," said Hoffman, who will try to become the first U.S. champion since Patrick Healey Jr. in 1995. "Instead of dealing with the added pressure, I'm going to try and draw on my success in the past at this event."
Hoffman is among those favored to win the men's title but will face competition from past World Cup champions Michael Schmidt of Canada, Peter Ljung of Sweden and Mohamed Khalifa, UAE.
The men's field also includes two-handed bowler Jason Belmonte, the High Roller champion from Australia, former Denny's PBA Tour player Andres Gomez of Colombia, 3-time European ranking champion Paul Moor, England, and many others with notable accomplishments on the world stage.
"The field is a lot tougher than many of the previous World Cups," Hoffman said. "There are a lot of guys with international experience who are going to make me bear down and bowl better. But I welcome the added challenge more than anything.
"I think it's definitely possible for me to win the event this year. More than anything I'm going to take it one block at a time, read the lanes properly, make the right adjustments and see where it gets me."
On the women's side, Team USA's Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, will look to continue a recent trend of American dominance in the World Cup. Team USA has brought home the women's title four of the past five years, and Barnes won the event in 2005."This is a tough event to win because the scores are always so high and you have to be on top of your game," said Barnes, who is the only returning World Cup champion in this year's field. "Team USA has proven that we have the players to beat in the World Cup, and it's my job to go out there and prove we are the best again."
Competition at the World Cup begins Sunday with the first of four days of qualifying. Players will bowl six games each day from Nov. 4-7, and the field will be cut to the top 24 men and 24 women after 24 games of qualifying.
The remaining players will bowl eight additional games Nov. 8 before the field is cut to the top 8 in each division for the quarterfinals on Nov. 9. After eight final games, the top three men and top three women will compete in the semifinals and finals on Nov. 10.