Professional Bowlers Association

NORWICH, Conn. – Top-seeded Walter Ray Williams Jr., defending champion Chris Barnes and reigning Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Player of the Year Wes Malott were upset victims as the Go RVing Match Play Championship got underway Thursday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center.

Among the top four seeds in the PBA Tour’s version of “March Madness,” only No. 2 Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., survived the opening round. And O’Neill needed a double in the 10th frame of game seven to complete a come-from-behind, 4-3 win over No. 63 seed David O’Sullivan of Orlando, Fla., in their best-of-seven-game match.

Williams, a two-time winner this season and the PBA Tour’s 2009-10 points leader from Ocala, Fla., was knocked out of the 64-player single-elimination bracket competition by No. 64 seed Justin Warhol of Sound Beach, N.Y., 4-1. Malott, the No. 3 seed, was eliminated by No. 62 seed Ryan Abel of Bel Aire, Kan., while Barnes, the No. 4 seed from Double Oak, Texas, lost a 4-1 decision to No. 61 Alex Aguiar of Dartmouth, Mass.

“I had nothing at the start, but I made a couple of moves and suddenly I couldn’t miss the pocket,” said the 31-year-old Warhol, a bowling pro shop operator on Long Island. After advancing out of the Tour Qualifying Round Wednesday to win a spot in the Round of 64, he had laughingly said he planned to show up Thursday, bowl four games against Williams, pack up and head for home.

“I was trying to be modest and not say anything crazy,” Warhol said after his win. “I knew who I was bowling. Walter Ray is the top-ranked bowler in the world. But anything can happen in a seven-game match. I got matched up with the lane conditions and he didn’t. The more comfortable I got, the more I felt like I could win.”

After losing the first game to Williams, 205-168, Warhol won the next four, 234-194, 198-191, 194-177 and 254-175, to eliminate the 50-year-old, 47-time PBA Tour champion.

Aguiar, a 30-year-old amateur, was equally dominant in ousting the tournament’s defending champion. Aguiar won the first game, 214-191; lost the second to Barnes, 238-213; and won the final three games, 279-231, 268-214 and 254-213.

“It wasn’t a surprise to me,” Aguiar grinned afterward. “I’m just happy to beat one of the best players in the world. I felt good this morning. I got matched up early and everything fell into place.

“I have no fear of bowling anyone,” he added. “It’s just a game. You win some, you lose some. There’s no sense having fear. I’ve had some mild success here in Norwich before. I’ve made it into the top 64 all three years I’ve bowled here. I just don’t have the ability to bowl on tour full-time because I have a wife and little one at home.”

Abel, a 26-year-old former collegiate bowler, jumped into a 3-0 lead over Malott, but the Pflugerville, Texas, favorite rallied to win the next two games before Abel put the match away, 245-228, in game six.

“I made it interesting,” Abel said. “My focus was just making good shots and not worrying about him. I try not to watch what my opponent is doing. But it was fun.

“I wasn’t worried,” Abel said of Malott’s rally. “I knew I had a good look. It was just getting the left lane (Shark lane condition) figured out. I had no problem on the right lane (Cheetah pattern).”

In other significant Round of 64 upsets, No. 50 Doug Kent of Newark, N.Y., eliminated No. 15 Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., 4-0; No. 54 Cassidy Schaub of Polk, Ohio, toppled No. 11 Mike Fagan of Patchogue, N.Y.; No. 57 Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., swept No. 8 Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., 4-0; and No. 56 Tom Baker, a four-time PBA Senior Tour Player of the Year from King, N.C., bounced No. 9 Rhino Page of Dade City, Fla., 4-2.

Among favorites advancing were No. 5 seed Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, a 4-1 winner of No. 60 Matt O’Grady of South Amboy, N.J.; No. 6 Jason Belmonte of Australia, 4-1 over No. 59 Anthony LaCaze of Melrose Park, Ill., and No. 7 Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., defeated No. 58 Jesse Buss of Wichita, Kan., 4-1.

Thursday’s winners will continue competition in Friday’s best-of-seven-game Rounds of 32, 16 and 8. The four survivors will be paired for three-game, total pinfall matches Saturday evening to determine the two finalists who will square off for the $25,000 top prize in Sunday’s three-game finale on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR
GO RVING MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center, Norwich, Conn., March 18

ROUND OF 64 (Best of 7 games; losers eliminated, each earned $1,400)
#64 Justin Warhol, Sound Beach, N.Y, def. #1 Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 4-1.
#32 Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., def. #33 Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 4-2.
#17 Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., def. #48 Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 4-2.
#16 Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., def. #49 Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 4-0.
#56 Tom Baker, King, N.C., def. #9 Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 4-2.
#24 Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., def. #41 Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 4-2.
#40 Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, def. #25 Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 4-3.
#57 Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., def. #8 Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 4-0.
#5 Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, def. #60 Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 4-1.
#37 Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., def. #28 Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 4-2.
#21 Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., def. #44 Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 4-2.
#12 Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., def. #53 Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., 4-1.
#13 Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., def. #52 John Nolen, Grand Blanc, Mich., 4-2.
#20 Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, def. #45 John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 4-1.
#36 Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., def. #29 Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 4-3.
#61 Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass., def. #4 Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 4-1.
#2 Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., def. #63 David O'Sullivan, Orlando, Fla, 4-3.
#34 Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., def. #31 Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 4-3.
#18 Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., def. #47 Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 4-0.
#50 Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., def. #15 Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 4-0.
#55 Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., def. #10 Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., default.
#42 PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., def. #23 Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 4-2.
#39 Stuart Williams, England, def. #26 Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 4-1.
#7 Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., def. #58 Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 4-1.
#6 Jason Belmonte, Australia, def. #59 Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 4-1.
#27 Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, def. #28 Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 4-0.
#22 Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., def. #43 Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 4-1.
#54 Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, def. #11 Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 4-2.
#51 George Lambert IV, Canada, def. #14 Mike DeVaney, San Diego, default.
#46 Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, def. #19 Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 4-2.
#30 Steve Harman, Indianapolis, def. #35 Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 4-2.
#62 Ryan Abel, Bel Aire, Kan., def. #3 Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 4-2.

ROUND OF 32 PAIRINGS (Friday, 9 a.m.)
#64 Warhol vs. #32 Voss.
#17 Couch vs. #16 Shafer.
#56 Baker vs. #24 Weber.
#40 Smith vs. #57 Ciminelli.
#5 Scroggins vs. #37 Bohr.
#21 P. Allen vs. #12 Rash.
#13 Jurek vs. #20 Loschetter.
#35 R. Allen vs. #61 Aguiar.
#2 O’Neill vs. #34 Wolfe.
#18 Koivuniemi vs. #50 Kent.
#55 Van Daniker vs. #42 Haggerty.
#39 S. Williams vs. #7 Jones.
#6 Belmonte vs. #27 Kretzer.
#22 Jaros vs. #54 Schaub.
#51 Lambert vs. #46 Book.
#30 Harman vs. #62 Abel.

The PBA Tour has entered into an agreement with Rick Benoit and his BowlU website (www.bowlu.com) to launch an initiative dedicated to the “Growth of our sport and the development of it's athletes."

The initial phase of the program, to be launched in Norwich, Conn. at the Go RVing Match Play Championship, is to introduce Benoit’s assistance for players at the National Tour level to help them reach their performance goals.

Benoit has been associated with the PBA Tour since the early 1980’s, first as a bowler and then as a coach. After injuries sidelined his career in 1994, he moved on to work for Larry Lichstein on the Player Services truck in 1995. Following that, Benoit was hired by Brunswick and became one of the PBA Tour’s top equipment reps, assisting Brunswick staffers and independent players with coaching and equipment for the past decade.

“The opportunity to start this program from infancy and see it through is my goal and passion,” said Benoit, adding, “I’ve been developing this plan for over three years with the goal of helping all players, regardless of their manufacturer affiliations.”

For more information on BowlU, visit www.bowlu.com.

SEATTLE, Wash. – The Professional Bowlers Association laid out general plans for the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season Wednesday in a meeting with the Exempt Tour players in Norwich, Conn., site of this week’s Go RVing PBA Match Play Championship.

"The Professional Bowlers Association has weathered the most difficult economic year for professional sports of all kinds that most of us have ever seen,” said PBA Tour Commissioner and CEO Fred Schreyer, “and we are continuing to reshape the future of professional bowling by introducing new concepts that are both necessary and exciting."

Highlights of the announcements made by Schreyer and Deputy Commissioner and COO Tom Clark included:

● The PBA Tour’s signature event, the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, will feature a record $1 million prize fund and a $250,000 first prize, the richest in professional bowling history. Different eligibility rules will open the event to any PBA title winner, including players who have won National, Regional, Senior and Women’s Series titles. The Tournament of Champions will air on ESPN on Jan. 23, 2011. The 2010 Tournament of Champions, which was won by Kelly Kulick in history-making fashion, produced the highest audience ratings for the PBA in five years. 

● The 2010-11 ESPN television schedule will include 23 original PBA programs, beginning in late November and running through April.

● Lumber Liquidators has affirmed its commitment as the PBA Tour’s title sponsor through September 2011. Lumber Liquidators has been the title sponsor since the beginning of the 2008-09 PBA Tour season.

● The PBA World Series of Bowling will return, producing nine separate TV shows and culminating with the PBA World Championship. In a story that captured the imagination of the sports world, the 2009 PBA World Championship was won by Michigan’s Tom Smallwood. A United States vs. the World special competition will also emanate from the WSOB. Last year’s inaugural PBA World Series of Bowling had participation from 700 different professionals from 14 different nations.

● For the first time in PBA history, select events will feature three consecutive days of live television (Friday, Saturday, Sunday time slots on ESPN’s family of networks). The PBA World Championship and the U.S. Open will both be telecast in this groundbreaking presentation. Previously, only the final championship round of any PBA Tour event has been telecast.

● The USBC Masters will again round out the list of four major championships and will be aired live from Reno’s National Bowling Stadium.

● For the first time in PBA history, live telecasts will air on ESPN in high definition.

● A new PBA Playoffs will conclude the season with a six-week series of shows. The elimination series will have its own separate prize fund and be a key decider in the PBA Player of the Year race.

● The Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational returns for the third consecutive year. The event, which benefits New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul’s CP3 Foundation, features pro bowler/celebrity doubles teams. LeBron James, Ludacris, Dwyane Wade and Hines Ward are among celebrities who have competed the past two years.

● A new “Xtra Frame Tour” will bring the PBA Tour players to at least five different locations across the nation for competitions that will be “broadcast” exclusively on pba.com’s Xtra Frame video-streaming service, but will not air on network television. The non-televised events will be conducted using a format similar to that used on the PBA Senior Tour. Since its introduction during the World Series of bowling, Xtra Frame has grown consistently, more than doubling its subscriber base since August 2009.

Further information with more specifics on prize funds, tournament formats, event locations, qualifying tournaments, competition dates and TV schedules will be released soon.

NORWICH, Conn. – Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., led a field eight players who advanced out of the Professional Bowlers Association’s Tour Qualifying Round Wednesday and completed the field of 64 for the Go RVing Match Play Championship which gets underway Thursday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center.

Ciminelli, who has already advanced to the television finals three times during the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, averaged 226.57 to finish the seven-game qualifying round with a 1,586 pinfall total, 22 pins ahead of Jesse Buss of Wichita, Kan. Also advancing to complete the new PBA Bracket Battle field of 64 were Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill.; Matt O’Grady, South Amboy, N.J.; Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass.; Ryan Abel, Bel Aire, Kan.; David O’Sullivan, Orlando, Fla., and Justin Warhol, Sound Beach, N.Y.

Similar to the NCAA basketball championships’ play-in round, the eight TQR players will face an uphill battle as the Go RVing Match Play Championship enters its best-of-seven-game, single-elimination match play Round of 64 Thursday. Wednesday’s qualifiers will be seeded into the Go RVing bracket against the top eight Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour players on the 2009-10 Harry Smith Point Leader Award list:

Warhol, the No. 8 TQR qualifier, will be seeded 64th and paired against No. 1 seed Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., a two-time title winner this season.

No. 7 qualifier O’Sullivan is the No. 63 seed will bowl U.S. Open champion and No. 2 seed Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa.

No. 6 Abel will inherit the 62 seed and will face No. 3 Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas.

No. 5 Aguiar will be seeded 61st and will bowl defending champion Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, the No. 4 overall seed.

No. 4 O’Grady is the No. 60 seed and is paired against two-time 2009-10 winner and No. 5 seed Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas.

No. 3 LaCaze, who won the Earl Anthony Memorial in January, is seeded 59th and will meet Australia’s two-handed star, Jason Belmonte, the No. 6 seed.

No. 2 Buss will bowl No. 7 seed Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C.

Ciminelli, as the top TQR qualifier, becomes the 57th seed and will be matched up with No. 8 Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich.

Two seeded Exempt Tour players withdrew prior to the start of the event. San Diego’s Mike DeVaney stayed home as he and wife Carrie await the imminent arrival of their second child, and Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., is still nursing a back injury suffered in Columbus, Ohio. Because of their withdrawals, Eddie Van Daniker Jr. of Essex, Md. (Weber’s first-round opponent), and Canadian George Lambert IV (DeVaney’s pairing) were granted byes and automatically advance to the Round of 32. More...

Attention all PBA Bracket Battle players: Pete Weber and Mike DeVaney have withdrawn from the Go RVing Match Play Championship. Weber is still nursing a back injury and DeVaney stayed home in San Diego while he and wife Carrie await the birth of their second child.

In both cases, their opponents have been granted byes and automatic berths in the Round of 32, so if you have already submitted your PBA bracket, you have until 11 a.m. Eastern on Thursday to update it. Eddie Van Daniker Jr. (Weber’s first-round opponent) and George Lambert IV (DeVaney’s opponent) should be inserted into your Round of 32 (the bracket does not automatically make these changes for you).