Wes Malott leads top 16 into Match play in Chameleon Championship

    10/28/10

    2010-11 PBA Tour #3

    Bill O’Neill moves to the top of the PBA World Championship standings

     

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    201011PBAWesMalott.jpg2010EBT15OskuPalermaa4.jpgWes Malott (pictured left) of Pflugerville, Texas, won the Chameleon Championship qualifying round Wednesday to make his first match play final as the PBA World Series of Bowling completed its third day at South Point Bowling Center.

    Malott, after finished 31st in the Cheetah Championship round Monday and 38th in the Viper Championship qualifying round Tuesday, rolled games of 224, 246, 289, 202, 204 and 237 in his second six-game block Wednesday for a 2,809 12-game total to top Finland’s two-handed star, Osku Palermaa (right), by 52 pins.

    201011PBAMikaKoivuniemi.jpg201011PBAJasonBelmonte.jpgAnother two international bowlers, PBA champions Mika Koivuniemi (left), Finland (2,713) and Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte (right, 2,702) made the cut to the match play round on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

    “We’re into day three and things are starting to fall into place,” Malott, the 2008-09 PBA Player of the Year, said. “For me it’s timing – waiting for the ball to fall into the swing instead of me pulling it. It’s the thing I’ve been fighting for the last year and, honestly, it’s just a lack of practice and bowling. I’ve been working on opening my second pro shop, and I haven’t taken the time to practice. I need to get my focus back, get into shape and get back into a groove.”

    Malott, who failed to win a PBA Tour title last season, has also kept himself in contention for the top eight PBA World Championship qualifiers who will advance to the live stepladder finals Jan. 14, 15, and 16. The World Championship standings will be based on 60 qualifying games, including 12-game rounds on the Scorpion and Shark lane conditions over the next two days.

    “I’m close to making the show,” said Malott, who moved into eighth place in the World Championship standings. “That’s obviously everyone’s main focus and if you make a show on one of the stages along the way, that’s an added bonus.”

    201011PBABillONeill.jpg201011PBASeanRash.jpgThe top 16 players in each of five “animal pattern” championships will advance to nine-game match play rounds next week, with the top five in each then advancing to stepladder finals next Friday and Saturday.

    Bill O’Neill (left) of Southampton, Pa., the reigning U.S. Open champion, has qualified for next week’s match play rounds in all three championships thus far - 15th in Monday’s Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship round, eighth in Tuesday’s Viper Championship round and finishing seventh in the Chameleon round, en route to overtake the lead in the World Championship standings after 36 of 60 games.

    201011PBAMichaelHaugen.jpgO’Neill has averaged 230.08 in posting an 8,283 pinfall total for 36 games. Sean Rash (above right) of Wichita, Kan., is second with 8,263 pins. Michael Haugen Jr (left)., Carefree, Ariz., the only other player who advanced to match play in each round thus far, is fifth with 8,231.

    The top 63 in the PBA World Championship standings will cash, and the top eight will advance to the live ESPN/ESPN2 stepladder finals Jan. 14, 15 and 16 at South Point.

    Bowling fans around the world are following the action on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s exclusive video-streaming service. Full-year, World Series only and one-day trial memberships are available by visiting www.xtraframe.tv.

     


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    Chameleon Championship - Round 2


    The top 16 after 12 games advance to round-robin match play Tuesday, Nov. 2.
    * indicates non-member bowler. INT = international. bowler.