Johnathan Bower rolls first 300 game of the tournament; cut for 44th place moves up from 1199 to 1290
PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (l.) of St Ann, Mo., led the eighth qualifying squad in the WTBA International Open Tuesday afternoon at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas and is automatically qualified for the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific (3 p.m. EST / p.m. CET). "PDW", who ranks third all-time with 35 career PBA Tour titles including eight major titles, struck out in the tenth frame of the last game to overtake previous qualifying leader, Mika Koivuniemi of Finland by two pins.
Both players advance to the finals; Koivuniemi holds on to the qualifying lead; cut for 44th place is currently 1199
Bill O'Neill (l.) of Levittown, Pa., and Shannon Pluhowsky (r.) of Dayton, Ohio, both totaled 1421 for six games to share the lead in qualifying squad 7 Tuesday morning at the WTBA International Open. Both players will advance to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific. at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas. Qualifying continues on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with Squad 8 scheduled for 1.30 p.m.
PBA stars Koivuniemi, Rash bowl two games with eight Nevada Special Olympic athletes
In conjunction with the WTBA International Open at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nev., the World Tenpin Bowling Association, tenpin bowling's governing body, held its first WTBA / Special Olympics event on Monday afternoon, Jan. 30. The event, which is part of the WTBA agreement with Special Olympics, featured PBA stars Mika Koivuniemi and Sean Rash and eight Nevada Special Olympic athletes. WTBA President Kevin Dornberger emceed the event.
Monday afternoon squad features eight PBA champions and one PWBA champion
The sixth qualifying squad in the WTBA International Open Monday afternoon featured eight PBA champions and one PWBA champion but it was Martin Larsen (pictured left) of Sweden who topped the squad to book his spot for Sunday's finals at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. After a slow start on the WTBA Atlanta oil conditioning pattern, the three-time world champion fired four consecutive games over 240 to win the squad with 1379 total and an average of 229.83 over six games.
Mika Koivuniemi holds on to lead qualifying with 1448 total
Former PBA champion Dave Wodka (pictured) led Monday's qualifying squad 5 en route to earn berth into the finals of the WTBA International Open which will start on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5 at Noon Pacific.
Wodka, who lives in Henderson, Nev. where the host Strike Zone Bowling Center is located inside Sunset Station Hotel and Casino, had games of 220, 209, 278, 224, 245 and 177 on the WTBA Atlanta pattern for 1353 six-game total and an average of 225.50. Mika Koivuniemi of Finland remained in the lead with 1448.
Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson, Nev., USA (Jan. 28 - Feb. 5, 2012)
Reigning PBA Player of the Year and current World Bowling Tour men's point ranking leader Mika Koivuniemi (pictured) of Finland took the early lead in the WTBA International Open at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. Koivuniemi had a 1448 six-game total on the WTBA Atlanta oil conditioning pattern to lead a field of 25 players after four qualifying squads with an average of 241.33. The International Open is the third stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and offers total prize fund of $100,000.
Claims his first PBA "major" title and the $50,000 top prize
Mike Fagan (pictured left with the trophy) of Dallas, seeded second, took revenge for the loss of the winners bracket finals defeating top seeded Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, 246-213, to win the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Masters and the $50,000 top prize. It was the third career PBA title for Fagan and his first major. With the victory in the TV finals at Sunset Station's Strike Zone bowling Center in Las Vegas, Fagan denied Barnes' bid to become the third Grand Slam winner in PBA history.
Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson, Nev., USA (Jan. 28 - Feb. 5, 2012)
The WTBA International Open kicked off this morning at 9 a.m. at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The International Open, the third stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour, is held concurrently with the USBC Masters and the International Mini, which will start later today.
Three Sunset Station tournaments to offer total combined prize fund of approx. $500,000
The WTBA International Open is the first World Tenpin Bowling Association owned and operated event and the third stop on the 2012 World Bowling Tour. The tournament, which will be covered live on Bowlingdigital.com, begins Jan. 28 and runs through Feb. 5 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson, Nev. The WTBA Open is held concurrently with the USBC Masters (Jan. 23-29), the second stop of the 2012 WBT, and the International Mini megabuck tournament (Jan. 22-Feb. 5).
60 local bowlers - 30 men and 30 women - earn berths for the main event Feb. 9-11
Pre-qualifying is underway for the main event of the International Bowling Championship 2012 supported by DHC which will be staged Feb. 9-11 at Hakata Star Lanes in Hakata, Japan. The tournament is the fourth stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and offers total prize fund of more than 380,000 U.S. Dollars. Each division consists of 84 players - 45 local bowlers (15 each from three pre-qualifying tournament), the top 15 of the international trials and 24 seeded players.
Galactica Bowling Center in Limassol, Cyprus (Sept. 18-26, 2012)
The Cyprus Bowling Federation, host of the inaugural World Tenpin Bowling Association World Singles Championships, has released the Bulletin No. 1 for the championships which will be held from Sept. 18-26, 2012 at Galactica Bowling Center in Limassol, Cyprus. Each country can send up to two men and two women. Each player must have reached the age of 15 years on January 1, 2012. The deadline for submitting the entry form is June 1, 2012..
Finland's Mika Koivuniemi (l.) and Sweden's Sandra Andersson (r.) lead the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour points list after the opening event of the 2012 schedule. Andersson has moved into the women's lead for the first time with 151
points, while Koivuniemi leads the men's rankings with 233 points. The current WBT points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle.
PBA champ becomes the first non-Finnish winner since 1996
In all-American affair, three-time WTBA World Champion Bill O'Neill (l.) defeated fellow PBA champion Mike Fagan (r.), 236-224, to win the 42nd Brunswick Ballmaster Open Sunday, Jan. 15 in Helsinki, Finland, and the 12.000 top prize. O'Neill and women's ranking winner Krista Pöllänen, Finland,
became the first leaders of the men's and women's ranking in both the
2012 European Bowling Tour and the 2012 World Bowling Tour rankings.
The WTBA International Open, the first World Tenpin Bowling Association owned and operated World Bowling Tour event, is the third stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and will be held from Jan. 28 - Feb. 5 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson, Nev. The WTBA has announced that individual and squad registration for the WTBA International Open presented by Sunset Station are now available at the tournament website. The special hotel rates will expire January 10.
Bowlingdigital will cover the events live from Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
Bowlers from around the world will have the chance to compete in three major international tournaments in a two-week span at the same bowling center next month when the WTBA International Open, the International Mini and the USBC Masters take place. All three events, which have a total combined prize fund of approximately $500,000, will be conducted at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas, Nev., with a special additional prize fund of $30,000 available to those who compete in all three events.
List of guests and invited players is a "Who is Who" in the sport of Tenpin Bowling
The organizers of the International Bowling Championship 2012 supported by DHC - a World Bowling Tour event - have announced a schedule change for the first day of the main event which will be held from Tuesday Feb. 7 to Saturday Feb. 11 at Hakata Star Lanes, a 60 wooden-lane center on two floors, in Hakata, Japan. The tournament offers total prize fund of 30 million Yen or more than 380,000 U.S. Dollars with the men's and women's winner each taking 6 million Yen or more than $75,000.
Focused on Bowling’s Visibility Issue; Is the WBT our sport's ticket to the Olympic Games? By Bob Johnson (Republished courtesy of BJI December 2011)
WTBA and FIQ President, Kevin Dornberger (pictured) has been selected as Person of the Year by Bowlers Journal International. On the short list of those to be considered for BJI Person of the Year honors were BPAA Executive Director Steve Johnson, Teen Masters promoter Gary Beck, Ebonite International CEO Randy Schickert, and Stu Upson, Executive Director of the United States Bowling Congress. To read how Dornberger moved to the top of the list for BJI's 2011 Person of the Year honors
Defeats Kalika and Jones to win his first career World Cup title
Jason Belmonte (center) of Australia capped off a highly successful year with his first career victory in the 2011 Bowling World Cup in South Africa after defeating fellow PBA champion Tommy Jones (l.), United States, in the men's title match, two-games-to-one. The two-hander from Down Under, who averaged 255 against Jones, averaged over 250 in the semifinal match against Mykhaylo Kalika (r.) to eliminated the Ukrainian in the deciding third game.
Becomes the second player in BWC history to successfully defend the title
Aumi Guerra (center) of the Dominican Republic captured her second consecutive women's World Cup title when she defeated Diandra Asbaty (left), United States, 202-199, in the deciding third game to win the 47th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, two-games-to-one. Asbaty, who was targeting for her second career World Cup title after her victory in 2006 ousted Sandra Andersson (right), Sweden, in the semifinal, 2-1.
United States secure Bent Petersen Award for the top country
Aumi Guerra (l.), Dominican Republic, is one game away from winning her second consecutive Bowling World Cup title. The defending women's champion averaged 231.25 and compiled a 3-4-1 won-loss-tie record Tuesday to easily earn the No. 1 seed for tomorrow's stepladder finals in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the semifinal match starting at 10 a.m. local time, second place Diandra Asbaty , and third place Sandra Andersson, Sweden, will square off.
PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (l.) of St Ann, Mo., led the eighth qualifying squad in the WTBA International Open Tuesday afternoon at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas and is automatically qualified for the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific (3 p.m. EST / p.m. CET). "PDW", who ranks third all-time with 35 career PBA Tour titles including eight major titles, struck out in the tenth frame of the last game to overtake previous qualifying leader, Mika Koivuniemi of Finland by two pins.
Bill O'Neill (l.) of Levittown, Pa., and Shannon Pluhowsky (r.) of Dayton, Ohio, both totaled 1421 for six games to share the lead in qualifying squad 7 Tuesday morning at the WTBA International Open. Both players will advance to the finals on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, starting at Noon Pacific. at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas. Qualifying continues on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with Squad 8 scheduled for 1.30 p.m. 
The sixth qualifying squad in the WTBA International Open Monday afternoon featured eight PBA champions and one PWBA champion but it was Martin Larsen (pictured left) of Sweden who topped the squad to book his spot for Sunday's finals at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. After a slow start on the WTBA Atlanta oil conditioning pattern, the three-time world champion fired four consecutive games over 240 to win the squad with 1379 total and an average of 229.83 over six games.
Former PBA champion Dave Wodka (pictured) led Monday's qualifying squad 5 en route to earn berth into the finals of the WTBA International Open which will start on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5 at Noon Pacific.
Wodka, who lives in Henderson, Nev. where the host Strike Zone Bowling Center is located inside Sunset Station Hotel and Casino, had games of 220, 209, 278, 224, 245 and 177 on the WTBA Atlanta pattern for 1353 six-game total and an average of 225.50. Mika Koivuniemi of Finland remained in the lead with 1448.
Reigning PBA Player of the Year and current World Bowling Tour men's point ranking leader Mika Koivuniemi (pictured) of Finland took the early lead in the WTBA International Open at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. Koivuniemi had a 1448 six-game total on the WTBA Atlanta oil conditioning pattern to lead a field of 25 players after four qualifying squads with an average of 241.33. The International Open is the third stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and offers total prize fund of $100,000. 
The WTBA International Open kicked off this morning at 9 a.m. at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The International Open, the third stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour, is held concurrently with the USBC Masters and the International Mini, which will start later today.
Pre-qualifying is underway for the main event of the International Bowling Championship 2012 supported by DHC which will be staged Feb. 9-11 at Hakata Star Lanes in Hakata, Japan. The tournament is the fourth stop of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and offers total prize fund of more than 380,000 U.S. Dollars. Each division consists of 84 players - 45 local bowlers (15 each from three pre-qualifying tournament), the top 15 of the international trials and 24 seeded players.
The Cyprus Bowling Federation, host of the inaugural World Tenpin Bowling Association World Singles Championships, has released the Bulletin No. 1 for the championships which will be held from Sept. 18-26, 2012 at Galactica Bowling Center in Limassol, Cyprus. Each country can send up to two men and two women. Each player must have reached the age of 15 years on January 1, 2012. The deadline for submitting the entry form is June 1, 2012..
Finland's Mika Koivuniemi (l.) and Sweden's Sandra Andersson (r.) lead the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour points list after the opening event of the 2012 schedule. Andersson has moved into the women's lead for the first time with 151
points, while Koivuniemi leads the men's rankings with 233 points. The current WBT points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle. 
In all-American affair, three-time WTBA World Champion Bill O'Neill (l.) defeated fellow PBA champion Mike Fagan (r.), 236-224, to win the 42nd Brunswick Ballmaster Open Sunday, Jan. 15 in Helsinki, Finland, and the 12.000 top prize. O'Neill and women's ranking winner Krista Pöllänen, Finland,
became the first leaders of the men's and women's ranking in both the
2012 European Bowling Tour and the 2012 World Bowling Tour rankings. 
WTBA and FIQ President, Kevin Dornberger (pictured) has been selected as Person of the Year by Bowlers Journal International. On the short list of those to be considered for BJI Person of the Year honors were BPAA Executive Director Steve Johnson, Teen Masters promoter Gary Beck, Ebonite International CEO Randy Schickert, and Stu Upson, Executive Director of the United States Bowling Congress. To read how Dornberger moved to the top of the list for BJI's 2011 Person of the Year honors
Jason Belmonte (center) of Australia capped off a highly successful year with his first career victory in the 2011 Bowling World Cup in South Africa after defeating fellow PBA champion Tommy Jones (l.), United States, in the men's title match, two-games-to-one. The two-hander from Down Under, who averaged 255 against Jones, averaged over 250 in the semifinal match against Mykhaylo Kalika (r.) to eliminated the Ukrainian in the deciding third game.
Aumi Guerra (center) of the Dominican Republic captured her second consecutive women's World Cup title when she defeated Diandra Asbaty (left), United States, 202-199, in the deciding third game to win the 47th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, two-games-to-one. Asbaty, who was targeting for her second career World Cup title after her victory in 2006 ousted Sandra Andersson (right), Sweden, in the semifinal, 2-1.
Aumi Guerra (l.), Dominican Republic, is one game away from winning her second consecutive Bowling World Cup title. The defending women's champion averaged 231.25 and compiled a 3-4-1 won-loss-tie record Tuesday to easily earn the No. 1 seed for tomorrow's stepladder finals in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the semifinal match starting at 10 a.m. local time, second place Diandra Asbaty , and third place Sandra Andersson, Sweden, will square off.