Professional Bowlers Association

After making a career-high four championship rounds in the first four events of the 2005-06 Denny’s Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour, Wes Malott has already matched the total on the 2006-07 Tour after defeating Chris Barnes, four-games-to-none, in the Round of 8 in the 2006 Ace Hardware Championship at Freeway Lanes of Wickliffe.

Malott (Argyle, Texas) opened with a 233-195 win in game one before squeezing by Barnes in the second game, 207-205. The Big Texan followed with wins of 208-184 and 224-216 to advance to Sunday’s finals.

“In the match against Barnes, the lanes were a little drier and it forced me to play farther left,” said Malott. “When I have to go left and be real soft with my hands, sometimes I lose the ball and I don’t throw the ball very well. I got a lot of breaks, and fortunately for me, he didn’t get a lot of breaks. You have to take advantage of any break you get, which is what I did.”

Malott, who entered Friday’s match play seeded No. 2 after 14 games of qualifying on Thursday, went through match play with a 12-4 record, defeating No. 7 Barnes, No. 18 Mike Scroggins (4-2) and No. 31 Joe Ciccone (4-2).

Malott will face No. 22 Ryan Shafer (Elmira, N.Y.), who defeated No. 3 Bill O’Neill (Levittown, Pa.) in seven games. Shafer fell behind 2-0 before winning the next three games. O’Neill tied the match up in game six, before falling in the final game, 219-173.

The other semifinal will feature a PBA Hall of Famer and a potential Hall of Famer in No. 21 Walter Ray Williams Jr. (Ocala, Fla.) and No. 1 Tommy Jones (Simpsonville, S.C.), respectively.

Jones advanced by defeating No. 24 Chris Warren (Grants Pass, Ore.), 4-1. Jones only loss came in game two after tying Warren, 202-202, before losing in the third sudden-death one-ball roll-off, 10-9.

Williams, who holds the all-time record for career PBA Tour titles after winning his 42nd in the season-opening Dydo Japan Cup 2006, defeated No. 4 Jason Couch (Clermont, Fla.), 4-1, after going a full seven games with Tommy Delutz Jr. (Flushing, N.Y.) in the Round of 16.

The four bowlers advance to Sunday’s live ESPN televised finals at 1 p.m. EST at Freeway Lanes of Wickliffe. The winner will take home $25,000 and a one-season Denny’s PBA Tour exemption.