Rhino Page receives "Golden Parachute" exemption for 2011-12 PBA Tour season
05/12/11
Rhino Page (pictured left) of Dade City, Fla., has been granted the PBA Commissioner's Golden Parachute exemption for next season. Page, a three-time PBA Tour title winner and the 2007-08 PBA Rookie of the Year, failed to earn an exemption through the competition points list during the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. The Golden Parachute is a one-time exemption granted to a player who fails to qualify during the previous season.
It's time to start making your travel plans. The third PBA World Series of Bowling will kick off the Professional Bowlers Association Tour's 2011-12 season when it returns to South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas Nov. 4-20.
South Point hosted the second annual World Series of Bowling in 2010, an event that featured a sold-out field including 46 international players representing 14 different countries. Additional details will be announced soon.
The inaugural WSOB was hosted by Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., in 2009.
The first of the PBA's two "major championships" for non-exempt PBA members – the renamed Regional Players Championship East – returns to Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., over Memorial Day weekend.
The home of the 2009 PBA World Series of Bowling will host the traditional PBA Regional major championship with a new "East" designation as part of a revamped tournament structure for regional competitors.
The Regional Players Championship West, which will replace the traditional Regional Players Invitational later in the year, will be the second "major" for regional players. Details about the RPC West will be announced later.
Both RPC events will be open exclusively to non-exempt PBA Tour members, offer $7,500 first prizes and elite berths in the 2012 PBA Tournament of Champions for the winners.
The RPC East will be open to a field of 270 players for an entry fee of $295. One in three entries will cash with last-to-cash guaranteed to pay a minimum of $600. Riga Kalfas of Florence, Ky., is defending champion.
For entry information, click here.
PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (pictured) of St. Ann, Mo., defeated Lumber Liquidators PBA Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich. by 416 pins to win the PBA Central Region's Boss Snow Plows/Track Open at PinHeads on May 7.
Weber finished the 18-game round-robin match play event with an 8-2 match play record and a total of 4,628 pins including match play bonus pins to increase his PBA-record total of regional titles to 45. He also earned $2,300.
Fellow Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt players Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio; Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., and Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., finished third, fourth and eighth, respectively.
Weber, who also owns 35 PBA Tour titles for an overall PBA record 80 national and regional titles, owns a three-title lead over Steve Jaros of Yorkville, Ill., in the PBA Regional titles race.
PBA's Top 10 Regional Title Winners
1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 45
2, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 42
3, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 39
4, Sam Zurich, Grant, Fla., 38
5, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 36
6 (tie), Ross Packard, San Jose, Calif., and Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 32
8, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 30
9 (tie), Guppy Troup, Taylorsville, N.C.; Dennis Horan Jr., Temecula, Calif., and Jeff Richgels, Oregon, Wis., 29
In other recent PBA Regional activity, recently-crowned Dick Weber PBA Playoffs champion Dick Allen (left) of Columbia, S.C., defeated Tommy Jones of Mauldin, S.C., 242-233, to win the PBA South Region's Canton, Ga., Open at Cherokee Lanes in Canton, while Bill Muse of Johnson City, Tenn., posted a 6-2 match play record and 3,396 total pins for 16 games to win the Waynesboro Senior Open at Wayne Lanes in Waynesboro, W.Va., by 94 pins over Jim Price of Harrisburg, N.C. Both events ended May 8.
In Garden City, Idaho, Chris Warren (right) of Grants Pass, Ore., posted a 5-3 match play record and 3,962 pins to win his 27th career regional title in the PBA Northwest/West Region Garden City Open at Westy's Garden Lanes on May 8. Warren, who earned $1,600, defeated Jamie Flynn III of Emmett, Idaho, by 227 pins for the title. In the companion Garden City Senior Open, Noel Vazquez of Sacramento, Calif., went 7-1 and knocked down 3,921 total pins to top John Forst of West Jordan, Utah, by 125 pins for his second Northwest/West Senior Regional title in a row.
Former Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt player Brian LeClair (left) of Athens, N.Y., defeated Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., 264-192, to win the PBA East Region King Pin Lanes Open at King Pin Lanes in Rome, N.Y., on May 1. The title was LeClair's 14th in PBA Regional competition. Exempt players Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., and Jeff Zaffino, Warren, Pa., were eliminated in the best-of-three-game Round of 8.
Rhino Page (right) of Dade City, Fla., nipped Chris Hans of Blacksburg, Va., 224-223, to win the $2,500 first prize in the PBA South Region Rocky Mountain Open at The Bowling Center in Rocky Mountain, N.C., on May 1.
In the PBA Northwest Region, Bob Davidson of Seattle and Jason Williams of Vashon Island, Wash., went 4-0 in the round-robin match play finals to win the Lithia C-J-D of Tri Cities Open Doubles title at Go Bowl in Pasco Wash., on May 1. Blaine Weninger of Aurora, Ore., and Thomas Ault Jr. of Portland, Ore., finished second. Davidson and Williams split a $2,600 first prize. It was Davidson's 26th PBA Regional title and Williams' eighth.
Over the Easter weekend, PBA Senior Tour competitor Ross Packard (left) of San Jose, Calif., and non-member Sam Carter of Ben Lomond Calif., defeated Dan MacLelland of Saginaw, Mich., and Robert Piroozshad of Huntington Beach, Calif., 485-381, to win the PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles at South Point Lanes in Las Vegas. Packard and Carter, who had won the event once before, split a $4,000 first prize.
In the other half of the Easter weekend doubleheader, non-member Ed Smaglik of Flagstaff, Ariz., defeated Kevin Foley of Reno, Nev., 242-216, to win the PBA West Region Non-Champion event at South Point Lanes on April 22. Smaglik earned $1,500, but didn't receive credit for a PBA title because he is not a member.
PBA Regionals on tap for the May 14-15 weekend
include the PBA East Region King Pin Open at King Pin Bowling Center in Pleasantville, N.J.; PBA Northwest Regional and Senior Regional Opens presented by Korum Ford-Lincoln at Daffodil Bowl in Puyallup, Wash.; the Southwest Region Macadoodle's Northwest Arkansas Open at Fast Lane Entertainment in Lowell, Ark.; a joint Midwest/Central Regional Lynwood Bowl Senior Open presented by Allstate Insurance in Lynwood, Ill., and the Central Regionla Baldo Campana Open benefiting the Lorain County Kids Fund at Rebman Recreation in Lorain, Ohio.
For complete schedules and entry information, click here.
Sandy Tountas, wife of two-time PBA Tour titlist and long-time PBA tournament host Pete Tountas, died Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., after a lengthy battle with melanoma. She was 68. Services will be held Friday in Tucson. Condolences can be sent to Pete Tountas, 10100 N. Calle del Carnero, Oro Valley, AZ 85737.
Anchorage Daily News sports editor Beth Bragg wrote a "don't miss" feature story about Ron Mohr's personal struggles in returning to the winning circle in the PBA Senior Miller High Life Classic in Mooresville, N.C. For Bragg's story (and dozens of others), visit pba.com and click on the "In the News" tab.
ESPN2 has changed the airtime for Sunday's telecast of the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships to 5 p.m. ET. The ITC finals, featuring the men's and women's championship matches, was originally scheduled to air at 1 p.m. ET.
If you would like to support Chris and Lynda Barnes' Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraising efforts, but can't attend the special event at AMF Lewisville Lanes in Lewisville, Texas, on June 4, you can send a contribution payable to JDRF, attn: Lynda Barnes, 109 W. Carruth, Double Oak, TX 75077.
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Mark your calendar: PBA World Series of Bowling set for Nov. 4-20 in Vegas
Rhino Page (pictured left) of Dade City, Fla., has been granted the PBA Commissioner's Golden Parachute exemption for next season. Page, a three-time PBA Tour title winner and the 2007-08 PBA Rookie of the Year, failed to earn an exemption through the competition points list during the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. The Golden Parachute is a one-time exemption granted to a player who fails to qualify during the previous season.Â
Mark your calendar: PBA World Series of Bowling set for Nov. 4-20 in Vegas
It's time to start making your travel plans. The third PBA World Series of Bowling will kick off the Professional Bowlers Association Tour's 2011-12 season when it returns to South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas Nov. 4-20.South Point hosted the second annual World Series of Bowling in 2010, an event that featured a sold-out field including 46 international players representing 14 different countries. Additional details will be announced soon.
The inaugural WSOB was hosted by Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., in 2009.
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PBA Regional Players Championship-East on Memorial Day weekend calendar
The first of the PBA's two "major championships" for non-exempt PBA members – the renamed Regional Players Championship East – returns to Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., over Memorial Day weekend.
The home of the 2009 PBA World Series of Bowling will host the traditional PBA Regional major championship with a new "East" designation as part of a revamped tournament structure for regional competitors.
The Regional Players Championship West, which will replace the traditional Regional Players Invitational later in the year, will be the second "major" for regional players. Details about the RPC West will be announced later.
Both RPC events will be open exclusively to non-exempt PBA Tour members, offer $7,500 first prizes and elite berths in the 2012 PBA Tournament of Champions for the winners.
The RPC East will be open to a field of 270 players for an entry fee of $295. One in three entries will cash with last-to-cash guaranteed to pay a minimum of $600. Riga Kalfas of Florence, Ky., is defending champion.
For entry information, click here.
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Weber extends record with 45th PBA Regional title in Fishers, Ind.
PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (pictured) of St. Ann, Mo., defeated Lumber Liquidators PBA Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich. by 416 pins to win the PBA Central Region's Boss Snow Plows/Track Open at PinHeads on May 7.Weber finished the 18-game round-robin match play event with an 8-2 match play record and a total of 4,628 pins including match play bonus pins to increase his PBA-record total of regional titles to 45. He also earned $2,300.
Fellow Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt players Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio; Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., and Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., finished third, fourth and eighth, respectively.
Weber, who also owns 35 PBA Tour titles for an overall PBA record 80 national and regional titles, owns a three-title lead over Steve Jaros of Yorkville, Ill., in the PBA Regional titles race.
PBA's Top 10 Regional Title Winners
1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 45
2, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 42
3, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 39
4, Sam Zurich, Grant, Fla., 38
5, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 36
6 (tie), Ross Packard, San Jose, Calif., and Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 32
8, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 30
9 (tie), Guppy Troup, Taylorsville, N.C.; Dennis Horan Jr., Temecula, Calif., and Jeff Richgels, Oregon, Wis., 29
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PBA Regional Roundup
In other recent PBA Regional activity, recently-crowned Dick Weber PBA Playoffs champion Dick Allen (left) of Columbia, S.C., defeated Tommy Jones of Mauldin, S.C., 242-233, to win the PBA South Region's Canton, Ga., Open at Cherokee Lanes in Canton, while Bill Muse of Johnson City, Tenn., posted a 6-2 match play record and 3,396 total pins for 16 games to win the Waynesboro Senior Open at Wayne Lanes in Waynesboro, W.Va., by 94 pins over Jim Price of Harrisburg, N.C. Both events ended May 8.In Garden City, Idaho, Chris Warren (right) of Grants Pass, Ore., posted a 5-3 match play record and 3,962 pins to win his 27th career regional title in the PBA Northwest/West Region Garden City Open at Westy's Garden Lanes on May 8. Warren, who earned $1,600, defeated Jamie Flynn III of Emmett, Idaho, by 227 pins for the title. In the companion Garden City Senior Open, Noel Vazquez of Sacramento, Calif., went 7-1 and knocked down 3,921 total pins to top John Forst of West Jordan, Utah, by 125 pins for his second Northwest/West Senior Regional title in a row.Former Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt player Brian LeClair (left) of Athens, N.Y., defeated Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., 264-192, to win the PBA East Region King Pin Lanes Open at King Pin Lanes in Rome, N.Y., on May 1. The title was LeClair's 14th in PBA Regional competition. Exempt players Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., and Jeff Zaffino, Warren, Pa., were eliminated in the best-of-three-game Round of 8.Rhino Page (right) of Dade City, Fla., nipped Chris Hans of Blacksburg, Va., 224-223, to win the $2,500 first prize in the PBA South Region Rocky Mountain Open at The Bowling Center in Rocky Mountain, N.C., on May 1.In the PBA Northwest Region, Bob Davidson of Seattle and Jason Williams of Vashon Island, Wash., went 4-0 in the round-robin match play finals to win the Lithia C-J-D of Tri Cities Open Doubles title at Go Bowl in Pasco Wash., on May 1. Blaine Weninger of Aurora, Ore., and Thomas Ault Jr. of Portland, Ore., finished second. Davidson and Williams split a $2,600 first prize. It was Davidson's 26th PBA Regional title and Williams' eighth.
Over the Easter weekend, PBA Senior Tour competitor Ross Packard (left) of San Jose, Calif., and non-member Sam Carter of Ben Lomond Calif., defeated Dan MacLelland of Saginaw, Mich., and Robert Piroozshad of Huntington Beach, Calif., 485-381, to win the PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles at South Point Lanes in Las Vegas. Packard and Carter, who had won the event once before, split a $4,000 first prize.In the other half of the Easter weekend doubleheader, non-member Ed Smaglik of Flagstaff, Ariz., defeated Kevin Foley of Reno, Nev., 242-216, to win the PBA West Region Non-Champion event at South Point Lanes on April 22. Smaglik earned $1,500, but didn't receive credit for a PBA title because he is not a member.
PBA Regionals on tap for the May 14-15 weekend
include the PBA East Region King Pin Open at King Pin Bowling Center in Pleasantville, N.J.; PBA Northwest Regional and Senior Regional Opens presented by Korum Ford-Lincoln at Daffodil Bowl in Puyallup, Wash.; the Southwest Region Macadoodle's Northwest Arkansas Open at Fast Lane Entertainment in Lowell, Ark.; a joint Midwest/Central Regional Lynwood Bowl Senior Open presented by Allstate Insurance in Lynwood, Ill., and the Central Regionla Baldo Campana Open benefiting the Lorain County Kids Fund at Rebman Recreation in Lorain, Ohio.
For complete schedules and entry information, click here.
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Quick Notes
Sandy Tountas, wife of two-time PBA Tour titlist and long-time PBA tournament host Pete Tountas, died Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., after a lengthy battle with melanoma. She was 68. Services will be held Friday in Tucson. Condolences can be sent to Pete Tountas, 10100 N. Calle del Carnero, Oro Valley, AZ 85737.
Anchorage Daily News sports editor Beth Bragg wrote a "don't miss" feature story about Ron Mohr's personal struggles in returning to the winning circle in the PBA Senior Miller High Life Classic in Mooresville, N.C. For Bragg's story (and dozens of others), visit pba.com and click on the "In the News" tab.
ESPN2 has changed the airtime for Sunday's telecast of the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships to 5 p.m. ET. The ITC finals, featuring the men's and women's championship matches, was originally scheduled to air at 1 p.m. ET.
If you would like to support Chris and Lynda Barnes' Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraising efforts, but can't attend the special event at AMF Lewisville Lanes in Lewisville, Texas, on June 4, you can send a contribution payable to JDRF, attn: Lynda Barnes, 109 W. Carruth, Double Oak, TX 75077.
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