PBA’s Version of March Madness Ready to Roll in Norwich
Malott, O’Neill, Barnes and Duke Head Brackets in Go RVing Match Play Championship

The seeding position for the top 36 points leaders on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour have been set for the Go RVing Match Play Championship. The top seeds are No. 1 Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas; No. 2 Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa.; No. 3 Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, and No. 4 Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla.

The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour’s version of March Madness got underway Wednesday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center in Norwich, Conn., when the rest of the field of 64 competitors for the Go RVing Match Play Championship will be determined. Like the NCAA basketball playoffs, the Go RVing Match Play Championship will pit 64 of the world’s top bowlers in a win-or-go-home bracket elimination competition.

Already seeded into the field for the “best of seven games” eliminations are the 36 players who have earned their rankings based upon the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour points standings. Seven additional players will be determined on Wednesday during the PBA Tour Qualifying Round. The top amateur player among that group will be seeded 64th and face the No. 1 seed, Wes Malott.

The remaining 27 competitors, including the six top TQR finishers, will be seeded based upon their ranking on the season points standings list.

The Malott bracket includes Patrick Allen, Brad Angelo and defending Norwich champion Rhino Page. O’Neill’s road to the “Final Four” will include obstacles such as Mike Scroggins, Michael Fagan and Mika Koivuniemi. Barnes’ bracket includes Pete Weber and Ryan Shafer. Duke’s 16-player bracket includes Walter Ray Williams Jr., Tommy Jones and Parker Bohn III.

The final leg of the PBA Tour’s five-event “Extreme Swing” also will involve the pressure of earning points to qualify for the GEICO PBA Team Shootout hosted by Six Flags, scheduled for June in Jackson, N.J. The top eight in Extreme Swing points will earn spots in that special event.

The Go RVing Match Play Championship is part of the PBA’s 50th Anniversary season “Extreme Swing,” which also includes the Ultimate Scoring Championship, GEICO Plastic Ball Championship, Etonic Marathon Open, and the Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator. The creative format events are meant to test the greatest bowlers in the world in different areas of the game, provide television audiences with a fresh look while providing education on pertinent aspects of the game.

The semifinals of the Go RVing Match Play Championship will take place on Saturday March 21 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern with coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s online video service. The live ESPN-final match for the Go RVing Match Play Championship will be conducted Sunday March 22 at 1 p.m. Eastern. Both the semifinals and the live ESPN finals will feature three-game total pins matches.

GO RVING MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center, Norwich, Conn.
Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour 2008-09 Season Points List

1, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 199,856.5
2, Bill O’Neill, Southampton, Pa., 198,345
3, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 192, 240
4, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 166,751
5, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 164,324
6, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 160,920.5
7, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 156,043.5
8, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 155,440
9, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 152,705
10, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 152,239
11, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 148,565.5
12, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 142,539.5
13, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 141,231
14, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 138,196
15, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 135,350
16, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 128,969.5
17, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 125,797
18, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 123,613
19, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 117,552
20, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 107,094.5
21, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 105,438.5
22, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 103,711.5
23, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 101,488
24, Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan., 99,648.25
25, Edward VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 98,166
26, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 95,372
27, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 93,110.5
28, Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, 91,729
29, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 90,294
30, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 89,954
31, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 88,050
32, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 84,838.5
33, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, 84,457.5
34, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 84,371
35, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 80,733.5
36, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 80,666.5