Bill O'Neill continues to lead PBA World Championship preliminaries

    10/29/10

    2010-11 PBA Tour #6

    Four players crack the top 8 on Scorpion pattern

    201011PBABillONeill.jpg201011PBASeanRash.jpgThe 12-game qualifying rounds of the PBA animal patterns will serve as qualifying for the PBA World Championship, the first major tournament of the 2010-11 PBA Tour season.

    After the fourth day of qualifying on the Scorpion pattern, reigning U.S. Open champion Bill O'Neill (pictured left) of Southampton, Pa. continued to lead the field of 252 players.

    O'Neill, who has made the cut to the top 16 in all four championships so far, totaled 10,969 pins and averaged 228.52 for his 28 games to hold a 30-pin lead over Sean Rash (right), Wichita, Kan., who remained in second place with 10,939.

    201011PBAMikaKoivuniemi.jpg201011PBAChrisBarnes.jpgMika Koivuniemi (left), Finland leaped one spot to third place with 10,901 total. Chris Barnes (right), Double Oak, Texas, moved from ninth to fourth place with 10,867. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla. missed the cut to the top 16 for the Scorpion Championships by one pin but jumped from 11th to fifth place in the World Championship standings with 10,834.

    Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio leaped 16 spots from 22nd to sixth place with 10,808. Defending Scorpion champion Mike DeVaney (below left), Murrieta, Calif. climbed from 18th to seventh place with 10,793.

    201011PBAMikeDeVaney.jpg201011PBAMichaelHaugen.jpgWith 12 games to go on the Shark pattern Friday, Michael Haugen Jr.  (right), Carefree, Ariz. holds the eighth and last place to advance to the TV finals with 10,787 and an average of 224.73.

    A total of 13 international players including Koivuniemi are currently among the top 63.

    All 252 competitors bowl five 12-game qualifying rounds on the PBA's Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark lane conditions to complete the 60-game PBA World Championship standings.

    The top 63 based upon 60 games will cash and the top eight will return to South Point Jan. 14-16, 2011 to battle for a $50,000 top prize in the PBA World Championship stepladder finals live on ESPN.

    The top qualifier will have the advantage of selecting the lane conditioning pattern for the televised finals. Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., is defending PBA World Champion.

    In addition, the top 6 U.S. and the top 6 international bowlers advance to USA vs. the World TV finals, which will be taped on Nov. 6. and broadcasted on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011 at 1pm ET on ESPN.

     


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    PBA World Championship - Qualifying after 48 out of 60 games


    The top 8 after 60 games advance to the stepladder finals Jan. 14-16, 2011. The top 63 will cash. * indicates non-member bowler. INT = international. bowler.

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