Andres Gomez (pictured left) and Kelly Kulick (right) were the early qualifying leaders after seven games in the Professional Bowlers Association Chameleon Championship and PBA Women's Series presented by BOWL.COM Chameleon Championship Wednesday. Both events are being held concurrently as part of the five-week-long PBA World Series of Bowling at Thunderbowl Lanes.

Gomez, of Bogota, Colombia, bowled a 1,645 pinfall (235 average) in Wednesday's first seven-game block on PBA's Chameleon lane conditioning pattern to lead the 72-player field.

"This is probably my strongest pattern and it matches up best with my game," said Gomez, who has won numerous titles in international competition. "Since I've been here (at the World Series of Bowling) I've been bowling very well. I've bowled quite a few tournaments internationally over the past few months and that has kept me sharp."

The international bowlers are well represented among the top 10 with Gomez in first and two-handers Jason Belmonte (left), Australia, in fifth (1,561) and Osku Palermaa (right), Finland, in ninth (1,528).

Kulick, the 2007 USBC Queens and 2003 U.S. Women's Open champion, finished the first seven-game block with a 1,561 pinfall (223 average) to lead the 20-player women's field. She holds just a two-pin lead over Tammy Boomershine.

"I had a good, clean, consistent block," Kulick said. "I think this condition favors the ladies who can open up the lane and that fits in well with my "A" game. I'm very comfortable moving left on the approach and throwing left to right."

After qualifying concludes this evening the top 28 players in the Chameleon Championship and top eight in the Women's Series Chameleon Championship will advance to best-of-seven game match play beginning Thursday morning. The finals of both events will be taped on Sept. 5 at Thunderbowl Lanes for airing on ESPN Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. ET.

 

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PBA Chameleon Championship - First Round Qualifying

Players with position, hometown and 7-game total

1, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,645
2, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 1,619
3, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,580
4, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,562
5, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,561
6, Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 1,556
7, Mike Keily, Lakewood, Colo., 1,553
8, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 1,541
9, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 1,528
10, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,523
11, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 1,514
11, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,514
13, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 1,512
14, Thomas Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,511
15, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 1,497
16, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 1,496
17, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,493
18, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 1,492
19, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,489
20, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,484
21, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,477
22, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,471
23, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,465
23, John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 1,465
25, John Nolen, Grand Blanc, Mich., 1,461
25, Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., 1,461
27, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 1,458
28, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 1,454
29, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 1,448
30, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,445
31, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,442
32, Stuart Williams, Cheshire, England, 1,441
33, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,440
34, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,436
35, Paul Moor, Hull, East Yorks, England, 1,435
36, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,432
37, Jonathan Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., 1,430
38, Edward VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 1,420
38, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 1,420
40, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,412
41, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,407
41, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,407
43, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., 1,402
44, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 1,400, $1,400
45, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 1,399
46, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 1,396
47, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,391
48, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 1,390
49, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 1,383
50, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, 1,375
50, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 1,375
50, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,375
53, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 1,371
54, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,369
55, Tae-Hwa Jeong, South Korea, 1,364
56, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,358
57, Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 1,357
58, Jay Futrell, Derby, Kan., 1,353
59, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,350
60, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 1,345
61, Chris Kliczinski, Pinckney, Mich., 1,342
62, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 1,334
63, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,318
64, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,310
65, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 1,306
66, Brian Voss, Kennesaw, Ga., 1,299
67, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,298
68, George Lambert IV, Canada, 1,292
69, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 1,260
70, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 1,237 (WD)
71, Daniel Patterson, Utica, N.Y., 1,175
72, Rhino Page, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 696 (WD )

 

PBA Women's Series Presented by BOWL.COM Chameleon Championship

First Round Qualifying after 7 games

1, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,561
2, Tammy Boomershine, North Ogden, Utah, 1,559
3, Michelle Feldman, Auburn, N.Y., 1,548
4, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, 1,527
5, Shannon O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 1,500
5, Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, 1,500
7, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,492
8, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 1,470
9, Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,467
10, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 1,464
11, Stefanie Nation, Arlington, Texas, 1,433
12, Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., 1,391
13, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 1,369
14, Clara Juliana Guerrero, Colombia, 1,368
15, Joy Esterson, Annapolis, Md., 1,363
16, Jennifer Petrick, Canton, Ohio, 1,362
17, Amanda Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 1,336
18, Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., 1,293
19, Christine Bator, Warren, Mich., 1,279
20, Aumi Guerra, Dominican Republic, 1,231