Thursday, November 20, 2008


Michael Machuga and Michelle Feldman Crowned Chameleon Champions

No. 5 seed Machuga works his way up stepladder to win; Feldman wins first PBA Women’s Series title

Michael Machuga and Michelle Feldman captured the Chameleon Championship at Taylor Lanes, the fourth stop on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour last Sunday at Taylor, MI.

No. 5 seed Michael Machuga of Erie, Pa. struck out in the 10th frame to narrowly defeat No. 1 seed Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., 209-204, to win his first title in seven years.

Machuga climbed the ladder as the No. 5 seed, defeating No. 4 Sean Rash of Wichita, Kansas, 196-190, No. 3 Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio, 245-188, No. 2 Wes Malott of Argyle, Texas, 221-210 to advance to the championship match.

Machuga advanced to Sunday’s televised finals as the No. 5 seed. The original telecast was originally scheduled to be a four-man stepladder finals, but due to a scoring malfunction during Friday’s Round of 16 match play, the PBA decided to change the televised format to a five-man stepladder finals.

“I haven’t felt this good in seven years,” said Machuga. “I actually got nervous the first few frames today and I haven’t felt like that in a long time.”

Machuga’s last title, 2005 Greater Omaha Classic in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was also on the Chameleon lane pattern.

Chameleon resembles a “retro” approach to oil pattern design and measures 40 feet in length. Oil is applied in strips and requires bowlers to play in a specific zone on the lane as compared to a “multiple angle” condition.

When asked about this coincidence, Machuga said, “My bank account likes Chameleon apparently. “I really don’t pay attention to the patterns that much. I focus more on lane topography and house characteristics.”

In the PBA Women’s Series, sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), Michelle Feldman of Auburn, N.Y. handily defeated Jodi Woessner of Oregon, Ohio, 199-173 in the championship match.

“I was good through the entire week, then I threw my second ball tonight and my thumb ripped open,” Feldman said. “My goal was to not finish twice in two weeks,” added Feldman who lost in the championship match of the Pepsi Viper Championship in Omaha, Neb. on Nov. 2, the first PBA Women’s Series event of the season.

The PBA will next air on ESPN on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. ET with the Ultimate Scoring Championship from Taylor, Mich.


Chameleon Championship Format:

The field of 64 players bowled two, 7-game qualifying rounds for a total of 14 games on Thursday, Nov. 13 in which the top 32 players advanced to match play. Bowlers making the cut returned on Friday morning, Nov. 14 for the first nine games of an 18 game round robin match play schedule. The field was cut to the top 16 players returned on Friday evening for the second round of match play competition. At the conclusion of match play, the top five finalists advanced to stepladder competition en route to the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 16.

PBA Women’s Series Format

The field of 16 players bowled two, 7-game qualifying rounds for a total of 14 games on Thursday, Nov. 13 in which the top 10 players advance to match play. Bowlers making the cut returned on Friday evening, Nov. 14 for nine games of round robin match play competition. At the conclusion of match play, the top two finalists competed in the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Stepladder Game 1
Michael Machuga of Erie, Pa., ($25,000) defeated Sean Rash of Wichita, Kan., ($5,000), 196-190.

Stepladder Game 2
Michael Machuga of Erie, Pa., ($25,000) defeated Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio, ($5,500), 245-188.

Semifinals
Michael Machuga of Erie, Pa., ($25,000) defeated Wes Malott of Argyle, Texas, ($6,500), 221-210.

Finals
Michael Machuga of Erie, Pa., ($25,000) defeated Bill O'Neill of Southampton, Pa., ($13,000), 209-204.

Women’s Series Championship Match
Michelle Feldman of Auburn, N.Y. ($10,000) defeated Jodi Woessner of Oregon, Ohio ($6,000), 199-173.

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