PBA members dominate Final Round One at 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open

    01/10/11

    2011 European Bowling Tour #1

    Mathias Årup rolls fourth 300 game, Finn Krista Pöllänen wins women's rankings

    201011PBASeanRash.jpg201011PBAMikaKoivuniemi.jpgThree PBA champion finished the first round of the finals in the 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open atop the leaderboard to lead the top 16 into the match play portion Sunday at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland.

    Four-time PBA champion Sean Rash (pictured left), United States, led the way with 1932 and an average of 241.50 for eight games. Defending champion and eight-time PBA champion Mika Koivuniemi (right), a native Finn who lives in the U.S., was mere two pins behind in second place with 1930.

    Qualifying leader Osku Palermaa, Finland, who claimed his first PBA title in the PBA World Series of Bowling two month ago, is third with 1900. Places 4 and 6 belong to PBA exempt player Ronnie Russell and 12-time PBA champion Chris Barnes who knocked down 1866 and 1828 pins, respectively.

    2010EBT12MathiasArup.jpg2011EBT01KristaPollanen.jpgThree-time European Bowling Tour ranking winner Paul Moor, England, was sandwiched between the two Americans in fifth place with 1862. Mathias Årup (left), Sweden, reigning World Champion in Doubles, rolled the fourth 300 game of the tournament to make the second cut in eighth place with 1813.

    Krista Pöllänen (right), Finland, beat out 20-time PWBA champion Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, United States, for the 16th and last place to advance by one pin, 1671 to 1670. As Pöllänen was the sole woman in the top 16, the 2009 World Games champion has already won the women's ranking in Helsinki and will automatically become the first leader of the 2011 EBT women's ranking.

    2010BallmasterOpenBanner.jpg The 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open kicks off the 2011 European Bowling Tour and is the first of six "EBT Gold" events in the 2011 season. The tournament will be held from Saturday Jan. 1 through Sunday Jan. 9, 2010 at 36-lane Tali Bowl in Finland's capital city Helsinki.

    The Ballmaster is also the first of five tournaments of the inaugural World Bowling Tour organized by the World Tenpin Bowling Association for 2011.

    Players compete for total prize money of 90.000 Euro with 12.000 Euro going to the winner, 8.000 to the runner-up and 4.000 and 3.000 to third and fourth place finishers, respectively.

    Since the inception of the European Bowling Tour in the year 2000, the Ballmaster has been the season-opening event of the Tour. Heading into its 12th season the 2011 EBT will feature 22 tournaments - 2 Platinum, 6 Gold, 7 Silver and 7 Satellite - in 17 countries, three in Denmark, two each in Finland and Spain and one each in Austria, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. The total prize fund of the 2011 Tour exceeds 1.1 million Euro.

    201011PBAMikaKoivuniemi.jpg2010AGCherieTan.jpg The first edition of the Ballmaster Open back in 1971 was won by legendary Austrian player and coach, Josef Wiener. The "Big Finn", PBA champion Mika Koivuniemi (pictured left) is the defending champion. Cherie Tan (right), Singapore has won the women's ranking in 2010.

    Finnish bowlers will do their utmost to extend their winning streak as Finns have won the Ballmaster in each of the last 14 years. The last non-Finnish winner was Tore Torgersen, Norway, back in 1996.

    Qualifying ran from Saturday, Jan. 1 through Saturday, Jan. 8, and ended with Squad 16 and the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad slated for 11.30 p.m. local time (CET +2) on Saturday night. Women will receive 8 pins handicap each game, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    A total of 48 players - the top 44 from the overall qualifying standings plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad - qualified for the finals on Sunday, Jan. 9. No byes were given in this tournament.

    The finals are similar to the old PBA format. All 48 finalists bowled 8 games starting from scratch to cut to the top 16 who advanced to the match play portion with the pinfall of Round 1 being carried forward

    Those 16 will bowl 15 games of round robin match play plus one game position round. Players earn 30 bonus pins for each match won and 15 points for a tied match. The top 4 players after 24 games including bonus will determine the champion in a traditional stepladder final.

    The No. 4 seed will start the show against the No. 3 seed in the opening match and the winner takes on the No. 2 seed for the right to bowl the top seed for the title, the 12.000 Euro top prize and 150 ranking points.

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each tournament of the 2011 European Bowling Tour will cash ranking points no matter from which country or World Tenpin Bowling Association Zone (Europe, Asia, America) he or she comes.

    The 2011 Brunswick Ballmaster Open champion and the women's ranking leader will automatically take over the lead in the 2011 EBT men's and women's ranking.

    The top 16 men and the top 16 women at the end of the 2011 EBT season will qualify for the 2012 EBT Masters to be held in conjunction with the 3rd Dream Bowl Palace Open in Unterföhring near Munich, Germany April 30 and May 1, 2012.

     


    Related Articles


    Osku Palermaa refuses to fall; wins qualifying at Brunswick Ballmaster Open
    Squad 10-12 leaders move into top 6 at 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open
    Osku Palermaa continues to lead qualifying in 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open
    No changes atop the Ballmaster leaderboard in "Senior" Squad 6 on Wednesday
    Finns Ryhänen, Hurri move into the top 10 in Ballmaster Open qualifying on Tuesday
    Pöllänen, Verbruggen, Uotila crack the 1400-bar in Brunswick Ballmaster Open
    Osku Palermaa leads 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open after Day One Qualifying
    2011 European Bowling Tour season to start with 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open

     


    2011 Brunswick Ballmaster Open - Final Round One


    The top 44 qualifiers plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad bowled eight games scratch. The top 16 advance to match play.