Professional Bowlers Association

The last thing Kelly Kulick could have imagined as she rolled her way to victory in the Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions in January was that her historic victory would lead to a visit to the White House.

And beyond simply acknowledging her as the first woman to win a Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title, Kulick found herself being honored as an American pioneer who had carved out a unique place in the nation’s history as the first woman to win a major championship in a male-dominated professional sport.

Kulick was invited to attend the International Women’s Day reception held in the East Room of the White House on Monday in celebration of Women’s History Month. Hosted by President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, approximately 250 women attended the event which honored contributions of women in history and contemporary society.

The event began at 5 p.m. Eastern with a speech by Mrs. Obama who recognized all those in attendance.

“Today all of you are joining the long list of incredible women who have graced these halls both as visitors and as residents, from admirals and actresses to civil rights pioneers,” Mrs. Obama told the group. “We’re here today not just to pay tribute to leaders and icons and household names. During Women’s History Month, we’re also here to honor the quiet heroes who’ve shaped this country… We honor the women who traveled those lonely roads to be the first in those courtrooms, to be the first ones in those boardrooms, to be the first ones on those playing fields… We honor women who refused to listen to those who would say that you couldn’t or shouldn’t pursue your dreams.”

President Obama then spoke of the roles of women in building America, the women he has appointed to positions of influence within his administration, and his hopes for gender equality in the future.

Kulick said there was no formal receiving line or photo opportunities, but after the speeches by President and Mrs. Obama, there was a short reception where she did get to briefly meet the president.

“I was really just taking it all in and I was looking to see who I might recognize,” Kulick said. “They might have been there, but I didn’t notice any other sports figures.

“I didn’t have a chance to speak at length with the president or first lady, but I did get to meet the president and shake his hand, which was certainly a great honor,” Kulick said.

Kulick said it was a simple and moving ceremony. More...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, won his eighth career title and second of the 2009-10 season in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator finals at Sequoia Pro Bowl Sunday, surviving a 10th-frame error to edge home-state favorite Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio, 206-195, in the championship match.

Scroggins, 45, put together three strikes in the middle of the final game to pull away from Kretzer, but when he left and missed a 7 pin in the 10th frame, he gave Kretzer a chance to strike out for a tie. Kretzer got a break when he kicked out the 6 pin for his first strike in the 10th, but then he left the 2-4-5-8 on his second shot to end his hopes for his first title.

“I didn’t miss a 7 pin all week,” Scroggins said later. “I just got the ball a little left. I knew I missed it as soon as I let it go, and then I sat down and starting thinking about a roll-off.

“After finishing second in the U.S. Open last week, I wasn’t expecting much,” the 45-year-old Scroggins said. “But I got lined up after the first seven games and went from nowhere to somewhere.”

With his second win of the year, Scroggins has become a candidate for PBA Player of the Year honors heading into the final three events of the season.

“I’m just trying to follow in Walter Ray Williams Jr.’s footsteps,” he grinned. “He’s been setting an example for us older guys.”

Williams, at age 50, also is a two-time winner this season. Bill O’Neill, Williams and Scroggins are one-two-three in the PBA Player of the Year point standings. More...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Reigning PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott will take on a diverse field in the Professional Bowlers Association’s Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator finals at Sequoia Pro Bowl Sunday, including Ohio native Brian Kretzer, U.S. Open runner-up Mike Scroggins and Finland’s two-handed star, Osku Palermaa.

The finals will air at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

Kretzer, Malott, Scroggins and Palermaa emerged Saturday as survivors of three rounds of elimination games by dominating their respective four-player groups.

Kretzer, a 43-year-old veteran who has bowled 166 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour events without winning a title, eliminated Mika Koivuniemi, Mike DeVaney and Michael Haugen Jr. to win his bracket. He topped Haugen, the top seed in his bracket, 221-210, in the final game for a 659-650 come-from-behind win in the three-game total pinfall Eliminator round.

“Winning out here isn’t easy,” Kretzer said. “If (a title) comes, it comes, but I’m not concerned about it. I don’t make that many TV shows, so it’ll be exciting, and to do it this close to home will make it a little extra special.”

Palermaa, who bowled in the tournament on a PBA Commissioner’s Exemption, topped Sean Rash, Brad Angelo and Ryan Shafer to win his group. The 28-year-old two-handed player won the Dubai Open a week ago in the United Arab Emirates, bowled a weekend tournament in Barcelona, Spain, and then made a quick stop in Sweden on his way to Columbus. In his only previous American television appearance, he finished fifth in the 2004 U.S. Open as an amateur.

“That was a learning experience,” Palermaa said. “My goal in being here is to get a chance to bowl full-time on the PBA Tour next year. To be the best, you have to bowl against the best. When I’m bowling my best, I can beat anyone.”

Malott earned his spot in the finals with a 700-697 win over non-titlist Steve Harman of Indianapolis after topping Tommy Jones and Mike Fagan in the first two Eliminator rounds. The Pflugerville, Texas, resident has had a solid year, but has yet to win a title in the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.

“I’ve been fighting my timing. I’ve been close a couple of times, but this year things haven’t been falling my way. Last year, things went right for me,” Malott said. “It’s frustrating. It’s amazing how fast momentum changes in sports. But I have some confidence going into the show Sunday. I feel like I’m close to 100 percent compared to where I have been. I hope I can get a win. I’m missing that.” More...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 4, 2010) – Third-year touring player Steve Harman jumped from 14th place into the lead in the Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator Thursday at Sequoia Pro Bowl, averaging 240.86 over 14 qualifying games to take a 45–pin lead over first-round leader Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, Ariz.

Harman, who is trying for his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title, averaged 255 during the second round in his best performance of the season, finishing with a 3,372 pinfall total. Haugen, a two-time PBA Tour title winner, had 3,327 pins.

Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., who won the U.S. Open Sunday in Indianapolis for his first major title and second of the 2009-10 season, was in third place with 3,273 pins followed by Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio, at 3,249 and Andres Gomez of Colombia at 3,220.

“It was one of those nights. I really can’t explain it, but it was a big confidence booster for me,” the 36-year-old Harman said. “I got off to a bad start this year in the World Series of Bowling. I got down in the dumps, but lately I’ve been bowling pretty well. Tonight I caught a couple of good breaks in the middle of big strings of strikes in the first couple of games. Then I made a ball change, moved way inside and it seemed like I had the whole lane to work with. Every time I hit the 1-3 pocket, all of the pins fell.”

Two-time defending champion Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, was tied for 14th place after 14 games in his bid for a third straight title in Columbus. Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., is the most recent of five players who have won the same event three consecutive times. Couch won the PBA Tournament of Champions in 1999, 2000 and 2002 (the event was not contested in 2001).

The biggest game of the night was the tournament’s only 300 by Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., in the final game of the night. The perfect game moved him into 29th place, keeping his title hopes alive as the field of 64 was trimmed to 30.

The top 30 will bowl two more seven-game qualifying rounds Friday to narrow the field to the 16 players who will be seeded into four groups of four for Saturday’s Eliminator Rounds. In each of three Eliminator rounds, the bowler with the lowest three-game, total pinfall score will be eliminated.

Saturday’s four surviving players will advance to Sunday’s live ESPN finals starting at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. In Sunday’s finals, the player with the lowest game bowled each round will be eliminated until the champion is decided.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR

ETONIC DON JOHNSON ELIMINATOR

Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Thursday

SECOND ROUND (after 14 games)

1, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 3,372.
2, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 3,327.
3, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,273.
4, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,249.
5, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,220.
6, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 3,189.
7, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 3,168.
8, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 3,155.
9, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,152.
10, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,143.
11, Joe Bailey, Doylestown, Ohio, 3,139.
12, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,135.
13, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,108.
14, (tie) Osku Palermaa, Finland, and Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,103.
16, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 3,091.
17, George Lambert IV, Canada, 3,081.
18, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,077.
19, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,076.
20, (tie) Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 3,064.
22, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3,054.
23, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,053.
24, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,052.
25, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,047.
25, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,047.
27, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,045.
28, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,039.
29, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,036.
30, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,034.

DID NOT ADVANCE

31, (tie) Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 3,027, and Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,027, $1,600.
33, Stuart Williams, England, 3,014, $1,600.
34, (tie) Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,011, and Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,011, $1,600.
36, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 2,989, $1,600.
37, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 2,979, $1,500.
38, Chad Kloss, West Allis, Wis., 2,970, $1,500.
39, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., 2,968, $1,500.
40, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 2,958, $1,500.
41, (tie) John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 2,947, and Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 2,947, $1,500.
43, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,944, $1,500.
44, (tie) Billy Oatman, Chicago, 2,943, and Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 2,943, $1,500.
46, Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., 2,938, $1,500.
47, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 2,936, $1,500.
48, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 2,924, $1,500.
49, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,890, $1,500.
50, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 2,884, $1,500.
51, Jimmy Johnson, Pataskala, Ohio, 2,876, $1,500.
52, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,873, $1,500.
53, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 2,869, $1,500.
54, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 2,860, $1,500.
55, Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 2,859, $1,400.
56, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,857, $1,400.
57, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,843, $1,400.
58, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2,834, $1,400.
59, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,813, $1,400.
60, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,787, $1,400.
61, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 2,778, $1,400.
62, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,729, $1,400.
63, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, withdrew (illness), $1,400.
64, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., withdrew (knee injury), $1,400.
300 games - Eugene McCune

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., who earned a “can’t miss” tag after his 2005-06 Professional Bowlers Association Rookie of the Year season, cruised past defending champion Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, 267-207, to win his first major title in the 67th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open at Woodland Bowl Sunday.

O’Neill, who won his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title earlier in the season in Detroit, had a spare in the first frame, failed to convert the 2-10 split in the second, and then threw 10 strikes in a row to race away to victory. Along with his title, he earned $60,000 and a three-year PBA Tour exemption.

“This title means everything to me. I can’t begin to explain it,” he said. “It’s the most difficult title on tour to win. To have my name up there will the guys who have won it is amazing.

“I can’t believe I bowled a game like that on this lane condition,” the 28-year-old O’Neill said. “I found a little hold area and that’s all I needed. It was just a matter of bearing down and making good shots.

“It was the most relaxed I’ve ever been on TV,” he continued. “I don’t know why, but from the time I got up this morning and came into the center, everything felt great. Even after throwing that split in the second frame, I knew I was going to throw the ball great.

“Scroggins has beaten me, like, the last 34 times I’ve bowled him, so it was nice to get some payback.” More...