Timo Alho (left) led the fourth qualifying squad in the Brunswick Ballmaster Open with 1441 six-game total and an average of 240.17 en route to overtake the qualifying lead after day two. The top six players from this squad cracked the top 10 in the overall qualifying standings.

Alho started his series with a 278 game and added 248, 209, 236 and 222. Needing a 244 in the final game to overtake the lead Alho closed out the six-game series with 248 to beat out Jouni Helminen (right) for the top spot by four pins. Helminen slipped to second with 1437 followed by Pasi Uotila in third place with 1392.

Mika Oksanen (1389) and Teemu Raatikainen (1368) leaped into fourth and fifth place. Paavo Grönmark fell to sixth with 1364. Joonas Jähi (1356) and Jari Ratia (1351) moved into 7th and 8th place.

Petteri Salonen (left), a four-time European Champion (2005), who led Squad 3 with 1338 (223.00), sits in 9th place and is followed by Toni Toivonen, Finland, in 10th position with 1335.

Jenni Mäkelä (right), who led the first squad featuring players at the age of 23 years or younger, is still the top-ranked woman in 12th place with 1333 including 8 pins handicap per game,

With 219 players - 190 men and 29 women - in the books, Juho Mäkelä, all Finland, hits the cutoff number for 44th place with 1256 pinfall total and an average of 209.33.
The Brunswick Ballmaster Open is the 1st of 18 stops of the 2008 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's 'Major' events. The tournament offers total prize money of 62.400 Euro or approximately 92,000 U.S. Dollar. The winner will receive the 10.000 Euro top prize.

Qualifying continues on Thursday, Jan. 10, with squad 5 and 6 and runs through Saturday, Jan. 12 with the final Squad 13 scheduled for 8 p.m. local time. (GMT +1). Qualifying will conclude with the one-game Desperado Squad at 11.30 p.m.

The top 44 from the qualifying plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad will advance to the finals on Sunday, Jan. 13. The top 8 qualifiers will bypass the first two rounds of the finals.

Players seeded 9-48 will bowl five games starting from scratch to cut to the top 20, who will bowl another five games with the pinfall from round 1 being carried forward. The top eight (seeded 9-16) will meet the top 8 qualifiers in the best-of-five games Round of 16. The highest seeded player bowls the lowest seeded player and so on.

Once the field is cut to the top 4, players bowl single-game matches. The winners of the semi-final matches will bowl for the title and the 10.000 Euro top prize.

The extra prize for perfect 300 game at the Brunswick Ballmaster Open is a Suzuki motorcycle with 1350cc and 198 horsepower (pictured). If more than one bowler rolls a 300 game, the winner of the Suzuki will be determined during the TV finals in a one-ball roll-off.

The 2008 European Bowling Tour is underway at Tali Bowling Stadium in Helsinki, Finland, where the 38th annual Brunswick Ballmaster Open will attracted about 400 players from all over Europe to bowl for a total prize fund of 62.400 Euro.

Tournament organizer Kimmo Lehtonen (right), the long-time Finnish international and former World Ranking Masters champion, is the defending champion.

Jouni Helminen (pictured left) took the early lead after two squads with 1437 six-game total and an average of 239.50. The multiple European champion and former PBA professional had a high game of 268 and no game lower than 222.

Second place belongs to two-time Ballmaster winner Pasi Uotila (2000, 2004), who finished with 258 and 257 for 1392 (232.00).

Paavo Grönmark closed out his set with a 277 game to sit in third position with 1364 (227.33). Sami Salin is 30 pins behind in fourth with 1334 (222.33).

Jenni Mäkelä (left), all Finland, who led the first squad featuring players at the age of 23 years or younger, is the top-ranked woman in fifth place with 1333 including handicap.

The Brunswick Ballmaster Open is the 1st of 18 stops of the 2008 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's 'Major' events. The tournament offers total prize money of 62.400 Euro or approximately 92,000 U.S. Dollar. The winner will receive the 10.000 Euro top prize.

Qualifying continues on Sunday, Jan. 6, with squad 3 and 4 and runs through Saturday, Jan. 12 with the final Squad 13 scheduled for 8 p.m. local time. (GMT +1). Qualifying will conclude with the one-game Desperado Squad at 11.30 p.m.

The top 44 from the qualifying plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad will advance to the finals on Sunday, Jan. 13. The top 8 qualifiers will bypass the first two rounds of the finals.

Players seeded 9-48 will bowl five games starting from scratch to cut to the top 20, who will bowl another five games with the pinfall from round 1 being carried forward. The top eight (seeded 9-16) will meet the top 8 qualifiers in the best-of-five games Round of 16. The highest seeded player bowls the lowest seeded player and so on.

Once the field is cut to the top 4, players bowl single-game matches. The winners of the semi-final matches will bowl for the title and the 10.000 Euro top prize.

The extra prize for perfect 300 game at the Brunswick Ballmaster Open is a Suzuki motorcycle with 1350cc and 198 horsepower (pictured). If more than one bowler rolls a 300 game, the winner of the Suzuki will be determined during the TV finals in a one-ball roll-off.