Liz Johnson among PBA Chameleon Championship finalists

16 November, 2017

PBA National Tour

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Liz Johnson, Wes Malott, Anthony Pepe and Tom Smallwood swept their respective best-of-three Round of 8 matches Wednesday afternoon to advance to Saturday’s finals of the PBA Chameleon Championship presented by Reno Tahoe that will be taped by ESPN at noon PST and live streamed on ESPN3.

The finals telecasts will use a format where the four finalists simultaneously bowl one game on the same pair of lanes with the top two scorers advancing to a head-to-head final match. The Chameleon finals will air on ESPN Sunday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. ET.

Pictured above from left: Liz Johnson, Wes Malott, Anthony Pepe and Tom Smallwood.

The Chameleon Championship is part of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IX, presented by Eldorado Reno Resorts Properties and the 2017-18 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule.

Johnson (left), a USBC Hall of Famer and three-time reigning Professional Women’s Bowling Association Player of the Year, beat Josh Blanchard of Mesa, Ariz. 2-0 (239-224, 228-214) to advance to the finals.

The native of western New York who now lives in Palatine, Ill., is a two-time PBA regional champion, and has a best PBA Tour finish of second which came in the 2005 Banquet Open. She also owns a record 10 PWBA Tour major titles. She will be hoping to join Kelly Kulick, the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions winner, as the only women to win a PBA Tour title.

Malott (right), of Pflugerville, Texas, a 10-time Tour winner, made his first TV final at the National Bowling Stadium by beating Swedish two-hander and PBA World Championship top qualifier Jesper Svensson 2-0 (279-258, 255-214).

Pepe (left), of Elmhurst, N.Y., whose first PBA Tour title came in the 2014 Cheetah Championship, will be trying for his second PBA Tour title advancing to the finals by beating Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., 2-0 (202-202, won roll-off 20-19, 279-233).

Smallwood (right) of Saginaw, Mich., advanced to the finals with a 2-0 (249-178, 231-225) win over Thailand’s Yannaphon Larpapharat. Smallwood, the 2009 PBA World Championship winner, will be trying for his third PBA Tour title.

All competition is covered live by PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame.

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PBA Chameleon Championship – Round of 16

Best-of-five games, winners advance to round of 8, losers earn $1,200.

Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., def. Matthew Sanders, Evansville, Ind., 3-0
(213-179, 246-206, 226-198)
Jesper Svensson, Sweden, def. Jason Belmonte, Australia, 3-1
(247-211, 215-243, 223-222, 279-221)
Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., def. Francois Lavoie, Canada, 3-2
(221-227, 155-258, 269-259, 254-253, 222-202)
Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz., def. DJ Archer, Friendswood, Texas, 3-1
(215-242, 248-202, 300-225, 235-214)
Liz Johnson, Palatine, Ill., def. Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3-2
(217-236, 238-248, 247-195, 248-207, 267-192)
Anthony Pepe, Elmhurst, N.Y., def. Zacharay Wilkins, Canada, 3-2
(218-199, 187-204, 183-234, 245-185, 225-194)
Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, def. Glenn Morten Pedersen, Norway, 3-1
(182-195, 245-225, 257-192, 279-180)
Yannaphon Larpapharat, Thailand, def. Adrian Ang, Malaysia, 3-2
(198-223, 237-248, 266-227, 259-211, 225-187)
300 games (1) – Josh Blanchard.

PBA Chameleon Championship – Round of 8

Best-of-three games, winners advance to ESPN-taped finals Saturday at noon PT. ESPN telecast Dec. 17 at noon ET. Losers earn $2,000.

Smallwood def. Larpapharat, 2-0
(249-178, 231-225)
Malott, def. Svensson, 2-0
(279-258, 255-214)
Pepe def. Kent, Yakima, Wash., 2-0
(202-202, won roll-off 20-19, 279-233)
Johnson def. Blanchard, 2-0
(239-224, 228-214)

Herbert Bickel