Canada’s Dan MacLelland will try to out-score a field of four Korean bowlers to win his first PBA Tour title Saturday in the finals of the It’s Daejeon International Open at Daejeon World Cup Bowling Centre in Daejeon, Korea. The Daejeon tournament is part of the World Bowling Tour, conducted in cooperation between World Bowling and the PBA.
MacLelland qualified fifth for the five-player Korean-televised finals on Friday, recording a 16-game qualifying total of 3,458 pins. He will bowl against Korea’s Lee Na Hyun in the opening match. Lee finished with a 3,469 total, including eight handicap pins per game awarded to female competitors in the “open” field. Current Asian Youth Masters champion Choi Tae Seung was No. 1 qualifier with 3,536 pins followed by Song Si Ra, another female competitor, with 3,493 pins and Jang Dong Cheol in third place with a 3,471 pinfall total.
Josh Blanchard of Gilbert, Ariz., the only other PBA Tour competitor who bowled in Daejeon, finished seventh with 3,444 pins, earning $2,976. First prize in the Korean event is equivalent to $37,200 U.S. dollars. Blanchard also was trying for his first PBA Tour title.
WORLD BOWLING ADOPTS CALENDAR YEAR SCHEDULE FOR WORLD BOWLING TOUR
Effective immediately, World Bowling has adopted a calendar year schedule in order to be compatible with PBA’s calendar year scheduling for the cooperative World Bowling Tour tournament program. The transition to calendar year for WBT competition will be fully implemented starting Jan. 1, 2016.
For 2015, World Bowling will extend the WBT season from Oct. 31, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2015. All events between those dates will be included in the 2015 point list, which means the results of both the 2014 and 2015 PBA World Championships (conducted during PBA World Series of Bowling) along with the 2014 and 2015 It’s Daejeon Opens in Korea, Qatar Opens and Kingdom International Opens in Saudi Arabia will be conducted twice – and counted twice – as part of the 14-month 2014-15 season.
Starting Jan. 1, 2016, the three-man/three-woman World Bowling Tour Finals will be based on 2016 events only. WBT Points will continue to use its two-year rolling points list for world ranking purposes.
All World Bowling Tour tournaments award a PBA International Tour title to winners if they are PBA members.
2014-15 WORLD BOWLING TOUR SCHEDULE
(World Bowling Tour tournaments are held in cooperation between World Bowling and the Professional Bowlers Association; male and female participants earn competition points toward the annual WBT Finals; PBA International Tour titles are awarded if the winner is a PBA member; events designated as “major” award double WBT points)
Nov. 9-22, 2014 - It's Daejeon International Open, Daejeon, Korea (major)
Nov. 22-27, 2014 - Qatar Open, Doha, Qatar
Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2014 - Kingdom International Open, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dec. 4-15, 2014 - World Men's Championships, Abu Dhabi, UAE (men only; major; players must qualify through their home federations)
Jan. 2-11 - Brunswick Ballmaster Open, Helsinki, Finland
Jan. 11 - PBA World Championship finals, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (major)
Feb. 1-8 - United States Bowling Congress Masters, Green Bay, Wis. (major)
Feb. 24-March 2 - H.H. Emir Cup, Doha, Qatar
March 3-9 - Kingdom of Bahrain Open, Manama, Bahrain
March 10-14 - Kuwait International Open, Kuwait City, Kuwait
March 14-22 - Brunswick Euro Challenge, Munich, Germany
May 9-17 - Grand Casino Resort PBA Summer Swing Oklahoma Open, Shawnee, Okla.
May 13-19 – USBC Queens, Green Bay, Wis. (women only)
tba - WBT Thailand, Bangkok Thailand
Oct. 16-Nov. 1 – PBA World Championship (PBA World Series of Bowling VII), Las Vegas (major)
Nov. 1 - World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals presented by PBA, Las Vegas
Nov. 17-28 – World Women’s Championships, Abu Dhabi, UAE (women only; major)
tba – WBT UAE Open, Abu Dhabi, UAE
tba – It’s Daejeon International Open, Daejeon, Korea (major)
tba – 9th Kingdom International Open, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
tba – Qatar Open, Doha, Qatar
PBA REGIONAL SUMMARY: McCUNE PERFECT IN WINNING CENTRAL/MIDWEST TITLE
Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., who has won two of his three PBA Tour titles in the Cheetah Championship events, again dominated the PBA animal pattern on Sunday, Nov. 16, when he was perfect in defeating Nathan Michalowski of Burlington, Wis., 300-233, to win the PBA Pro Bowl West Central/Midwest Cheetah Classic at Pro Bowl West.
The title was McCune’s 20th and he earned $2,000 along with his title.
McCune downed Dave Flemming of Fairborn, Ohio, 276-226, and Michalowski topped amateur Anthony Kennard of Wapakoneta, Ohio, 268-187, in their respective semifinal round matches.
● Dean Richards of Tacoma, Wash. and partner Scott Halvarson of Lakewood, Wash. posted a 4-2 match play record and a 14-game total of 6,355 pins to win the PBA Go Bowl Northwest Doubles at Go Bowl in Pasco, Wash., by two pins Saturday.
The win was Richards’ fourth in PBA Regional competition, and Halvarson won his first PBA title, making him eligible to enter the 50th anniversary Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions in February in Indianapolis.
Richards and Halvarson, who split the $2,500 first prize, nipped Alfredo Lopez of Pocatello, Idaho and Robert Harvey of Boise, Idaho, who finished with 6,353 pins.
● Mike Tucker of Concord, N.C., defeated Gary Shultis of Levittown, N.Y., 277-247, 279-247, in the best-of-three-game title match to win $1,800 and his second PBA South Region title in the PBA50 Gastonia Southern Open presented by Brunswick at Liberty Lanes in Gastonia, N.C., Sunday.
In the best-of-three semifinal round, Tucker defeated Gary Morgan of Atlanta, 224-186, 246-299, 197-193, while Shultis swept Steve Lickliter of Beaver, W.Va., 258-235, 249-229.
● On the Nov. 21-23 PBA Regional schedule are the PBA50 Bryan’s Bowling Center Eastern Open presented by The Insurance Market in Laurel, Del.; the PBA50 Dick’s Pro Shop Northwest/West Open at Linn Lanes in Lebanon, Ore.; the Dallas Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeons Southwest Open at Brunswick Zone in Watauga, Texas, and the PBA50 Shore Lanes Merritt Island Open presented by Storm and Sill’s Pro Shop at Shore Lanes in Merritt Island, Fla.
Thanksgiving weekend includes the Beaumont Southwest Open at Crossroads Bowling Center in Beaumont, Texas, and the La-Z-Boy/Monroe Sport Center Central Challenge for non-titlists in Monroe, Mich.
For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area.
QUICK NOTES
● The answer on Jeopardy was, “Earning more than $4 million, Walter Ray Williams Jr. is the PBA’s career earnings leader in this sport.” The question is?
● Last call: nominations for the 2014 Tony Reyes Community Service award are due Wednesday, Nov. 26. Nominees must be current PBA members in good standing. The winner will be selected by a PBA committee and announced along with the 2014 PBA Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winners early in 2015. Nominations may be submitted by anyone. To obtain a nomination form, visit: (http://www.pba.com/Content/images/forms/TonyReyes_App_2014.pdf).