WAUKESHA, Wis. – Former Junior Team USA member Jake Peters, a second-year Professional Bowlers Association member from Decatur, Ill., overtook reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash in the final game Monday to take the qualifying lead in the PBA Badger Open at AMF Waukesha.
Peters, who has yet to win a PBA title at any level, averaged 241.1 for 10 qualifying games Monday, finishing with a 2,411 total and a 19-pin lead over Rash on a new 52-foot Badger lane conditioning pattern, the longest application of oil the PBA has used in years.
The Badger Open is the first of four tournaments in the GEICO PBA Summer Swing that is being held at three Milwaukee area bowling centers. It also is the first PBA Tour event being contested in a bowling center with natural wood lanes in several years.
“That was exciting. I’ve never led a PBA event before,” Peters said.
“Every event I’ve bowled in the PBA has been on synthetic lane surfaces, so it was pretty exciting to bowl on natural wood lanes,” Peters added. “I was pretty eager about it. I’ve seen the old animal patterns a bunch of times, and I’ve had a tough time on them, so it was interesting to see something new. I was pretty eager to try it.
“I called my father last night and told him I thought the Badger was going to be my toughest pattern. I thought I was going to have to move way left on the lane, but they held up pretty good and I didn’t have to move nearly as far as I thought.”
Peters, who has never finished higher than 19th place in a PBA Tour event, was thrilled to be in the lead.
“When you’re growing up, you know it’s going to be hard to compete out here,” he said, “but it has been a thousand times harder than I thought it would be. The support I’ve had behind me from my family has been great. It’s nice to finally have some success.”
Peters has tasted success. He was 2006 Teen Masters boys’ champion (Brittni Hamilton of Webster, N.Y., won the girls title that year), and he helped Wichita State University win three straight Intercollegiate Team Championships in 2008, ‘09 and ‘10, earning Collegiate All-American honors in 2010.
He was fifth after Monday’s first five-game round, but fired games of 256, 226, 243, 259 and 257 in the evening session to overtake Rash. Rash, who finished with a 2,392 total, is trying for his seventh career title and second of the 2012-13 season.
Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa., started the day with 21 consecutive strikes and held the first round lead. He finished the day in third place with 2,367 pins followed by Anthony LaCaze of Melrose Park, Ill., at 2,363 and non-pro Aaron Lorincz of Belleville, Mich., with a 2,339 total.
The top 24 qualifiers advanced to Tuesday’s 16 games of round robin match play. The top five players after Tuesday’s 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. match play rounds will advance to the stepladder finals on Saturday, June. 1, at AMF Bowlero in nearby Wauwatosa.
Following Tuesday’s Badger Open match play rounds, the GEICO PBA Summer Swing moves to AMF West in Milwaukee for the Wolf Open May 22-24. The Bear Open is next, May 26-28 at AMF Bowlero, followed by the Milwaukee Open May 29-30, also at AMF Bowlero. The Milwaukee Open will feature the top 28 qualifiers based on total pinfall after 30 qualifying games from the three animal pattern events.
Stepladder finals for all four tournaments, plus the GEICO Summer King of the Swing special event, will be taped over two days by the CBS Sports Network June 1-2 at Bowlero for airing on five consecutive Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET beginning June 11.
The GEICO Summer King of the Swing will include the four Summer Swing event champions plus the next highest points leader who hasn’t won a title. Those five will compete in a $25,000 stepladder final for a $10,000 first prize, concluding the summer series on June 2.
PBA BADGER OPEN
AMF Waukesha, Waukesha, Wis., Tuesday
Final Qualifying Standings (after 10 games; top 24 advance to round robin match play Tuesday)
1, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 2,411.
2, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,392.
3, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 2,367, $100.
4, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 2,363.
5, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 2,339.
6, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 2,331.
7, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 2,318.
8, Patrick Girard, Canada, 2,314, $100.
9, Mike Dole, Loves Park, Ill., 2,308.
10, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,307, $100.
11, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 2,296.
12, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 2,272.
13, Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 2,271.
14, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 2,262.
15, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 2,252.
16, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,251.
17, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 2,247.
18 (tie), Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., and Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2,242.
20, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,237.
21, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 2,234.
22, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 2,232.
23, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,227.
24, Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I., 2,224.
Failed to advance:
25, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,219, $600.
26, Quinton Bohlen, Decorah, Iowa, 2,212.
27, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 2,204.
28 (tie), Paul Moor, England, and Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 2,203.
30, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,196.
31, Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., 2,193.
32, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,189.
33, Erik Gulbrandson, Superior, Wis., 2,186.
34, T.P. Peterson, Evergreen Park, Ill., 2,180.
35, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 2,171.
36, Dom Barrett, England, 2,169.
37, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,168.
38, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,161.
39, Brad Miller, St. Charles, Mo., 2,160.
40, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 2,159.
41, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 2,158.
42, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,153.
43, Christopher Glaz, Elmwood Park, Ill, 2,148.
44, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 2,144.
45, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 2,112.
46 (tie), Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., and Greg Thomas, Oak Creek, Wis., 2,111.
48, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2,110.
49 (tie), E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., and Dan MacLelland, Canada, 2,107.
51, Brian Gunn, Chicago, 2,103.
52, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 2,102.
53, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 2,101.
54, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,098.
55, Kenneth Bland Jr., Lorton, Va., 2,081.
56, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 2,079.
57, Gerald Marrs, Huntley, Ill., 2,072.
58, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 2,069.
59, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,064.
60, Julio Cesar Blancas, Mexico, 2,056.
61, Craig Nidiffer, Trenton, Mich., 2,051.
62, Jonathan Schalow, Evansville, Wis., 2,050.
63, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 2,049.
64, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 2,038.
65, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 2,025.
66 (tie), Andrew DeCaluwe, Mt. Prospect, Ill., and Gary Exner Jr., Racine, Wis., 2,019.
68, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 2,001.
69, Justin Bychkowski, Fairfield, Conn., 1,999.
70, Joe Alivo, Lannon, Wis., 1,996.
71 (tie), Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., and Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,982.
73, Chris Cundiff, Lake Station, Ind., 1,981.
74 (tie), David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., and Armando Santacruz, Ecuador, 1,963.
76, Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., 1,944.
77, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,932.
78, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,927.
79, Mike Larson, Menomonee Falls, Wis., 1,912.
80, Dale Renken, St. Jacob, Ill., 1,890.
81, Jonathan Russell, Rockwood, Tenn., 1,872.
82, Kenneth Kempf, Appleton, Wis., 1,864.
83, Lindell Woolard, Tallahassee, Fla., 1,819.
84, Darren Andretta, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1,783.
85, Stephen Pavlinko Jr., Sewell, N.J., 1,780.
86, Ralleigh Grandberry III, Maryland, Hts., Mo., 1,763.
87, Van McNeil, West Allis, Wis., 1,750.
88, Matt Beyer, Manawa, Wis., 1,638.
89, Brandon Gronwoldt, LeRoy, Minn., 1,627.
90, Mo Collins, Oxford, Mich., 1,458.
300 Games: Bill O’Neill, Ryan Shafer, Patrick Girard.