PBA Spare Shots

GO BOWLING! TO SHOWCASE BOWLING IN MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE

Go Bowling!, the PBA Tour’s umbrella sponsor for a third consecutive year in 2020,  will again showcase the sport with an appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The 93rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air starting at 9 a.m. in all time zones on NBC.

In conjunction with the holiday season, Go Bowling! is also offering bowling fans a chance to win a $1,000 Holiday Shopping Spree simply by filling out an entry form. To enter, use this link: bit.ly/GBHolidayShoppingSpree.

H5G OFFERS FREE SHIPPING FOR PBA MERCHANDISE ON CYBER MONDAY 

For the PBA fan in your family, H5G Brands is offering free shipping for PBA merchandise purchased online on Cyber Monday, Dec. 2. For details, and a look at the entire line of PBA products offered by the PBA’s new merchandising partner, visit this link: www.pbastore.com.

PBA’S DEBUT SEASON ON FOX SPORTS PROVES REWARDING FOR PBA PLAYERS

The PBA’s first full year of competition under its new FOX Sports agreement proved to be financially rewarding to PBA Tour players. Nine players exceeded $100,000 in earnings during the year, led by Australia’s Jason Belmonte who banked $288,290, the highest single-season earnings total since Mika Koivuniemi collected $333,040 after winning the record $250,000 first prize in the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions during the 2010-11 season.

Belmonte was the Go Bowling! PBA Tour’s only four-time title winner in 2019, including a pair of major championships (PBA Tournament of Champions and PBA World Championship), and won the earnings crown by $52,510 over Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Ariz., who won a total of $235,780. Both totals were career highs.

The top 10 in 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour earnings includes the following players:

1, Jason Belmonte, $288,290.

2, Jakob Butturff, $235,780.

3, Bill O’Neill, $192,448.

4, Kris Prather, $183,960.

5, Sean Rash, $181,897.

6, Anthony Simonsen, $176,598.

7, EJ Tackett, $172,945.

8, Dom Barrett, $125,720.

9, Norm Duke, $105,515,

10, Kyle Sherman, $97,558.

PBA PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE: BILL O’NEILL DISCUSSES 2019 CHESAPEAKE OPEN TITLE

The PBA Player’s Perspective interview series, featuring PBA title winners reflecting on their victories, continues with Bill O’Neill providing insights into his win in the 2019 Harry O’Neale Chesapeake Open. O’Neill’s inside story will debut on Tuesday, Dec. 3. To view all of the PBA Player’s Perspective episodes, visit the PBA’s YouTube channel and click on the PBA Player’s Perspective play list.

The weekly series includes a new perspective released every Tuesday on the PBA’s YouTube channel. The following players will provide personal play-by-play reflections in the weeks ahead:

  • Dec. 3 – Bill O’Neill talks about his 2019 Harry O’Neale Chesapeake Open triumph.

  • Dec. 10 – Jason Belmonte provides insights about capturing his record-breaking 11th major title in the 2019 PBA World Championship during PBA World Series of Bowling X in Allen Park, Mich.

  • Dec. 17 – Jakob Butturff will reveal his thoughts about winning his first major championship in the 2019 USBC Masters.

  • Dec. 24 – On Christmas Eve day, EJ Tackett will take fans across the Pacific Ocean to talk about his victory in the DHC PBA Japan Invitational to kick off the 2017 season.

Player’s Perspectives currently in the archives on YouTube include:

  • Norm Duke’s stunning 2011 U.S. Open win (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ0cGzRfnBk).

  • Kris Prather’s historic PBA Playoffs victory (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hISjw3KmGCk).

  • Anthony Simonsen talks about his win in the 2019 Bear Open (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2k25WKNzQ).

  • Sean Rash reflections on his 2019 Wolf Open title (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GNxO2WdaZo).

  • EJ Tackett provides fans with his personal take on his 2019 Barbasol PBA Tour Finals victory in Las Vegas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVuLOuU8btQ).

PBA REGIONAL UPDATE: WALTER RAY WINS REGIONAL TITLE NO. 54

Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla. and non-PBA member Josh Johnson of Yulee, Fla., defeated Orlando partners Mike Moore and Shawn Naumann, 244-232, to win the $4,800 first prize in the PBA South Region Member/Non-Member Doubles at Break Point Alley Bowling Center in Tavares, Fla., Sunday.

With his 34th standard PBA Regional win, Williams improved his overall PBA Regional titles total to 54, one behind all-time leader Chris Warren of Grants Pass, Oregon, who has won a combined 55 times in PBA and PBA50 Regional competition. Including WRW’s record 47 PBA Tour titles and 14 PBA50 Tour titles, he improved his record for overall PBA titles at all levels to 115.

Williams and Johnson won only four of their 10 matches leading into the stepladder finals, but their 18-game total of 5,974 pins was enough to claim the top berth in the finals by 13 pins over Craig Auerbach of Sunrise, Florida, and his non-member partner, Matthew Tuckfield of Orlando. Moore and Naumann, the defending champions, qualified third and easily defeated the team of Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Florida and Colin Champion of Spring Hill, Florida, 248-189, in the first stepladder match. Moore and Naumann then eliminated Tuckfield and Auerbach, 244-203, to advance to the title match.

• Lennie Boresch of Kenosha, Wis. defeated Steve Kenyon of Grosse Ile, Mich., 743-644 in the three-game final match to win the PBA50 Allstate Central Match Classic at Westland Bowl in Westland, Mich., Sunday for his eighth PBA50 Regional title and the $1,700 first prize.

In the semifinal round, Boresch topped Darryl Bower of Middletown, Pa., 723-651, and Kenyon edged Michael Lucente of Warren, Mich., 652-651, in the three-game semifinal round to set up the championship match.

— Warren Crawford from McKinleyville, Calif., and Kevin Croucher from Grants Pass, Ore., were winners in Sunday’s PBA and PBA50 Epicenter Northwest-West Open tournaments, respectively, in Klamath Falls, Ore.

Crawford, needing to beat Chris Warren of Grants Pass by 29 pins for the title, defeated the all-time PBA Regional titles leader, 238-203, in their position round match to claim the $2,000 first prize and his second PBA Regional title. Warren has won a record 47 standard PBA Regional titles.

In the companion PBA50 event, Croucher went 6-2 and knocked down 3,715 total pins for 16 games, including match play bonus pins, to top Blaine Weninger of Happy Valley, Ore., for his fifth PBA50 Regional title, 10th overall PBA Regional title and a $1,300 prize. Weninger had a 6-2 match play record and a total of 3,513 pins.

• The only PBA Regional tournament over the Nov. 29-Dec. 1 Thanksgiving weekend will be the PBA50 Beaumont Southwest Open at Crossroads Bowling Center in Beaumont, Texas.

• The PBA Regional schedule over the Dec. 6-8 weekend includes the Knob Hill East Challenge at Knob Hill Country Lanes in Manalapan, N.J., and the Warren Harley-Davidson Central Challenge at Freeway Lanes of Warren, Ohio. Both “challenge” tournaments are open exclusively to non-title winners.

• The PBA Regional program concludes its 2019 season with PBA/PBA50 Houston Emerald Bowl Doubles Dec. 20-22 in Houston, Texas. The Southwest Region event is projected to pay a projected $7,000 first place.

• For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on PBA Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area…and remember, you can follow “live scoring” for all PBA Regional events on pba.com (easily accessible for Apple and Android device users using the PBA app).

QUICK NOTES

• PBA Tour competitor Francois Louw became the first South African bowler to win the QubicaAMF World Cup in the tournament’s 55-year history, defeating Ryan Lalisang of Indonesia in Palembang, Indonesia, 237-202. Australia’s Bec Whiting won the women’s title, defeating two-time World Cup winner Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic, 172-162, in their title match.

SCHEDULE FOR KPMG WOMEN’S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF CLINICS ANNOUNCED FOR 2020   A Dozen Clinics Nationwide Will Encourage More Women to Engage in Golf    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (November 26, 2019) – The PGA of America announced the schedule for the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Golf Clinics, a nationwide series of 12 full-day clinics that will welcome and empower women to learn more about the Game of a Lifetime.   KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Golf Clinics, previously known as the PGA Golf Clinics for Women, will continue to be managed by the PGA of America in conjunction with Jane Blalock, a 27-time winner on the LPGA Tour, and KPMG, the title sponsor of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.    The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Golf Clinics will bolster the 28-year foundation of women’s clinics created by Blalock by channeling the prestige and platform of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, one of the LPGA’s five major championships.   The 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be contested at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, June 23 – 28.   “We received so much positive feedback last year from our debut of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Golf Clinics, and yet we’re working to make 2020 even better,” said Suzy Whaley, President of the PGA of America. “We’re calling on women of all skills levels, whether you’re new to this game or played it in college. These clinics are very social and offer a terrific opportunity to network with women who appreciate golf. They are also designed to introduce and share the game’s many virtues, but more than anything, we strive to encourage these women to actively participate in golf for years to come.”     Clinic participants of all skill levels will learn the fundamental aspects of social and business golf during an action-packed schedule that includes plenty of personalized coaching, play and assessments from PGA/LPGA Professionals, a keynote speaker, breakfast, lunch, and a networking reception to cap off the program.   In 2019, over 1,200 women aged 18 to 64 were trained in golf and energized in spirit by 120-plus PGA/LPGA Professionals during 12 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Clinics.    Additionally, on social media, PGA Golf Clinics for Women have merged with @KPMGWomensPGA across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow @KPMGWomensPGA for all of the latest news and updates from the golf clinics.

The 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Clinic schedule begins April 27 at El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Nigel, California and concludes on October 26 at Seagate Country Club in Delray Beach, Florida. All clinics are held on Mondays, with the exception of the May 19 event in Hartford, Connecticut, which falls on a Tuesday. The full schedule:   DATE CITY SITE April 27 Los Angeles El Niguel Country Club / Laguna Niguel, Calif.  May 11 Boston (1) Renaissance Country Club / Haverhill, Mass.    May 18 West Orange, N.J. Crestmont Country Club / West Orange, N.J.   May 19 Hartford, Conn. Brooklawn Country Club / Hartford, Conn.    June 15 Chicago Westmoreland Country Club / Wilmette, Ill.    June 22 New York Old Oaks Country Club / Purchase, N.Y.   July 13 Minneapolis Braemar Country Club / Edina, Minn.    July 20 Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte Country Club / Charlotte, N.C.    July 27 Boston (2) The Cape Club of Sharon / Sharon, Mass.  August 24 San Francisco Stanford Golf Course / Stanford, Calif.    September 28 Dallas Gleneagles Country Club / Plano, Texas    October 26 Delray Beach, Fla. Seagate Country Club / Delray Beach, Fla.     To register for or obtain more information about the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Golf Clinics, visit KPMGWomensPGAClinics.com    For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGAMediaCenter.com, follow @PGA on Twitter and find us on Facebook.    About the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship combines an annual major golf championship with the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit and the KPMG Future Leaders Program – all focused on the development, advancement and empowerment of women on and off the golf course.

Sean Rash Wins Historic PBA China Tiger Cup in 2019 PBA Tour Season Finale

Fourteen-time PBA Tour champion sweeps fellow American AJ Johnson in best-of-three-game title match

SUZHOU, China– Sean Rash, a 14-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour title winner, added another unique accomplishment to his portfolio when he swept fellow American PBA member AJ Johnson in a best-of-three-game title match to win the historic PBA China Tiger Cup at Suzhou Tiger Bowl, the first PBA event ever held in China.

Rash, from Montgomery, Illinois, defeated Johnson, from nearby Oswego, 211-194 and 227-207 for the title. Rash’s conversion of the 2-4-8-10 split in the ninth frame to win game one was the pivotal shot in the match.

The two Illinois bowlers were part of a seven-player PBA delegation that bowled in a single-elimination match play event that also included nine PBA members from China and Chinese Hong Kong. Rash collected $20,000 for his win; Johnson received $10,000 as runner-up.

The finals were livestreamed Tuesday on FloBowling.com by the PBA’s online streaming partner. The finals also are available in the FloBowling archive.

The tournament was an out-growth of a movement that began early in the current decade when China expressed interest in developing bowlers as PBA-level competitors. The PBA invited a contingent of Chinese bowlers who had established bowling averages of 200 and higher to participate in the 2014 PBA World Series of Bowling in Las Vegas. That experience, along with continuing conversations between PBA Commissioner Tom Clark and China’s Frank Zhao, founder and president of Longmarch Bowling, eventually led to the inaugural China Tiger Cup tournament.

The American PBA players were invited based upon competition points earned during the 2019 FloBowling PBA Summer Tour. Joining Rash and Johnson were Kyle Sherman of O’Fallon, Missouri; Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, South Carolina; Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pennsylvania; Jason Sterner of Rochester, New York, and Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, North Carolina.

The American players were seeded into a 16-player match play elimination round against nine Chinese representatives who earned their berths in a preliminary qualifying event involving nearly 100 players from China, Chinese Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia and Korea.

The Chinese players demonstrated how far they have advanced in less than 10 years, winning five of the eight first-round matches and eliminating American stars Troup, Jones and Sterner in the process. Rash advanced to the title match by eliminating a pair of Chinese representatives in 2-0 sweeps while Johnson ousted fellow U.S. players O’Neill and Sherman, also winning both matches without losing a game.

The PBA China Tiger Cup was the final event of the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season. The PBA Tour will be idle until it kicks off its 2020 schedule with the PBA Hall of Fame Classic in Arlington, Texas, in January.

PBA CHINA TIGER CUP

Suzhou Bowling Center, Suzhou, China

Championship (best of three games)

Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill. ($20,000), def. AJ Johnson, Oswego, Ill. ($10,000), 2-0 (211-194, 227-207).

Semifinal Round (best of three games)
Rash def. Cheuk Yin Mak, Chinese Hong Kong ($8,000), 2-1 (210-174, 225-268, 258-191).
Johnson def. Jun Su, China ($6,000), 2-0 (227-181, 203-171).

Match Play Round Two (best of three games)
Mak def. WenBin Chen, China ($5,000), 2-1 (242-191, 187-213, 237-221).
Su def. HongBo Wang, China  ($4,200), 2-0 (207-192, 234-194).
Johnson def. Kyle Sherman, O'Fallon, Mo. ($4,500), 2-0 (256-222, 256-211).
Rash def. Min Zhang, China ($2,650), 2-0 (256-234, 246-202).

Match Play Round One (best of three games)
Mak def. Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C. ($3,850), 2-0 (256-244, 236-206).
Su def. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C. ($3,500), 2-0 (213-213, 217-212).
Johnson def. Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa. ($3,300), 2-0 (279-174, 200-146).
Rash def. LiangXin Wang, China ($2,650), 2-0 (237-202, 220-168).
Zhang def. ShiZhen Wang, China ($3,850), 2-1 (202-215, 223-185, 206-193).
Sherman def. ZhongLi Mi, China ($2,900), 2-0 (226-201, 221-219).
HongBo Wang def. Jason Sterner, Rochester, N.Y. ($3,100), 2-0 (190-177, 196-183).
Chen def. Chun Hin Tse, Chinese Hong Kong ($2,500), 2-0 (194-168, 225-184).

LPGA and LET Join Forces to Drive Growth

of Women's Professional Golf in Europe

Two of golf’s most important stakeholders agree to a long-term partnership to significantly grow awareness, sponsor support, and professional playing opportunities for women in Europe.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the Ladies European Tour (LET) today announced that they will unite in a joint venture partnership to push women's professional golf to new heights in Europe and around the world. The combination of the LET's European expertise and relationships in the region, with the LPGA's global strength and worldwide exposure, and their shared vision for the future of women's professional golf and growth of the game, provides the core ingredients to ignite a tour loaded with upside potential.

LET players voted their support for the joint venture partnership on Tuesday during the LET's Annual Membership Meeting in Spain.

"Two teams, joining for one common purpose, will create opportunities we simply could not have pursued on our own," said LET Board Chair Marta Figueras-Dotti. "At its foundation, this joint venture is about creating opportunities for our members to pursue their passion, and their careers as professional athletes. In just the 60 days since we began working on this joint venture, we have already seen a dramatic impact on our LET Tour schedule – an impact that will be a positive result for virtually all of our LET Members."

The LPGA and LET share a common vision to strengthen the presence of women's golf in Europe. A thriving Europe-based women's professional tour is critical to help women from the continent pursue their dreams through the game of golf, and for the overall health and growth of the game globally. Perhaps most importantly, a strong women's tour in Europe will expose millions of young girls to the great athletes, leaders and role models of the LET, helping to inspire the next generation of European players.

"This is an exciting next step for the LPGA's mission to provide more opportunities for women in this game. Over the past 10 years, the LPGA has had tremendous success partnering with other golf stakeholders, including the USGA, PGA Tour, European Tour, R&A and PGA of America, to enhance opportunities for women worldwide. We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with the Ladies European Tour in an effort to create the strongest possible women’s tour in Europe," said LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan. "We have experienced incredible growth in women's golf in the U.S., and this is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate and expand the game in Europe as well. I'm excited that this is something we will build together, with the LET."

The venture will be jointly managed by the LPGA and the LET and, through their combined resources, will seek to fast track an expanded LET schedule. This year's LET schedule currently includes 20 official events in 13 different countries, with eight of those events in Europe, including two major championships, The Evian Championship and the AIG Women's British Open. The partnership aims to immediately increase playing opportunities for women in Europe, and to have that schedule growth lead to both increased financial opportunities and an optional pathway to the LPGA for the tour’s top performers.

About the LPGA

The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla., the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 2,300 members representing more than 30 countries. With a vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while the Symetra Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. Additionally, LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management.

The LPGA demonstrates its dedication to the development of the game through The LPGA Foundation. Since 1991, this charitable organization has been committed to empowering and supporting girls and women through developmental, humanitarian and golf community initiatives, including LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the LPGA Women’s Network and the LPGA Amateur Golf Association.

Follow the LPGA on its television home, Golf Channel, and on the web via www.LPGA.com. Join the social conversation at www.facebook.com/lpga, www.twitter.com/lpga and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo, and on Instagram at @lpga_tour.

About the Ladies European Tour

The Ladies European Tour (LET) is headquartered at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London and celebrates women’s golf on a global stage. Since its formation in 1978, the Ladies European Tour has crowned more than 250 different winners and 700 championship trophies have been lifted as players from nearly 30 different countries have won on the Tour. The LET operates tournaments across the continents and The Solheim Cup, which has been played 16 times biannually since 1990, has become one of the biggest female sporting events in the world. The LET Access Series is the official developmental tour and bridges the gap from amateur to professional golf, giving young players the opportunity to gain valuable competitive experience and progress onto the main professional tour.  The Board of Directors are the guardians of the tour and, along with the Players Council, ensure the tour continues to grow and improve for players, fans and all associates.

Ladieseuropeantour.com

@LETgolf

CME Group Tour Championship

Tiburon Golf Club | Naples, Fla. | Nov. 21-24, 2019

In the Winner’s Circle with Sei Young Kim

Hometown/Resides: Seoul, Republic of Korea/Irving, Texas

Birthdate: Jan. 21, 1993; currently 26 years, 10 months and three days

Qualified for LPGA Tour: Finished T9 at the 2014 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament

Turned Professional/Rookie Year: 2010/2015

VICTORIES

LPGA: 10th career victory

PREVIOUS LPGA WINS: 2015 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, 2015 LPGA LOTTE Championship presented by HERSHEY, 2015 Blue Bay LPGA, 2016 JTBC Founders Cup, 2016 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, 2017 Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play presented by Aeromexico and Delta, 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, 2019 LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, 2019 Marathon Classic presented by Dana

RACE TO CME GLOBE

With her win, Kim is the Race to the CME Globe champion

MONEY

With her win, Kim earns $1.5 million; she has earned $2,753,099 this season and $8,666,676 for her career

PREVIOUS CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

2018 – T10, 2017 – T11, 2016 – T24, 2015 – 24

2019 IN A NUTSHELL ON THE LPGA

25 events played, 21 cuts made, $2,753,099, three wins, seven additional top-10 finishes including a runner-up finish at the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open

OF NOTE

• Kim earns her 10th career victory and visits the winner’s circle for the third time this year, her first three-win season
• With her 10th career victory, Kim becomes the fourth Korean player with at least 10 LPGA wins, joining Inbee Park (19), Se Ri Pak (25) and Jiyai Shin (11)
• She becomes the 31st player in LPGA history to cross the $8 million mark in career earnings ($8,666,676)
• She projects to move from 33rd to 26th on the All-Time Money List with $8,666,676 in career earnings
• At the 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, she set the LPGA’s 72-hole scoring record at 31-under 257
• Kim represented the Republic of Korea at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where she finished T25
• She was the 2015 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year

AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA WIN TITLES AT 2019 QUBICAAMF WORLD CUP

PALEMBANG, Indonesia - The 2019 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup came to a close Saturday at the Jakabaring Sport City Bowling Center, and along with the event's prestigious trophies, this year's winners also earned some much-deserved redemption.

Australia's Rebecca Whiting was extra motivated after failing to make the top eight at last year's event, and she capped her fourth consecutive QubicaAMF World Cup appearance with a 172-162 victory over two-time champion Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic.

On the men's side, 2015 World Cup runner-up Francois Louw of South Africa, was dominant for nearly all 40 games this week and used years of competitive experience to help him remain focused in a 237-202 win over Indonesia's Ryan Lalisang.

In the women's title match, Whiting and Guerra combined for just six strikes. Neither player threw a double.

The decision came down to spare shooting, with Guerra missing single-pin spares in the seventh and ninth frames, a 10 pin and 4 pin, respectively, and Whiting converting the 2-4-10 split in the seventh frame to pull ahead.

Whiting could've doubled in her final frame to lock up the title, but she left a 7 pin on her first shot. A spare and a strike on her fill ball meant Guerra needed two strikes and nine pins to become the first woman to win three World Cup titles. She left a 10 pin on her first offering, giving Australia its first women's title since 2007.

"I can't even feel it right now, and I'm sure it will sink in tonight or tomorrow, but I honestly can't stop smiling or crying," said Whiting, a 29-year-old right-hander. "I couldn't even watch the 10th frame. I had to walk away because I knew if she bagged out, she'd get me. She's a great competitor and great supporter as well. I've gotten to know her over the years, and I'm proud to call her a friend. It was nice to have a friendly final match."

Whiting entered the knockout-style semifinals as the No. 3 seed and defeated No. 2 Natasha Roslan of Malaysia, 199-176, to earn the meeting with Guerra, who topped No. 1 qualifier Kelly Kulick of the United States in the other semifinal, 194-179.

The win was the ninth World Cup title for Australia overall. The women have won seven times, and the men have hoisted the trophy twice, including last year in Las Vegas, when Sam Cooley got the job done.

Louw's path to the 2019 World Cup title also was dramatic, but his two matches Saturday featured a lot more strikes.

The 33-year-old right-hander nearly led the event wire to wire, before a 155 game in a position-round loss, his second-lowest game of the week, dropped him from first place to the No. 4 seed for the semifinals.

Knowing he excelled on the fresh 41-foot oil pattern this week, Louw calmly redeemed himself with a 262-196 semifinal win against top-seeded Oliver Morig of Germany. That set up his meeting with No. 3 Lalisang, who ended Cooley's bid for back-to-back titles in a lopsided semifinal matchup, 239-158.

Louw and Lalisang both were lined up to start the title tilt, when a fourth-frame foul from Louw turned the momentum in Lalisang's favor.  

The hometown standout, looking to become the fourth competitor in 55 editions of the event to win in his or her home country, had control of the match until failing to convert the 2-8 combination in the eighth frame. A 10 pin on the first shot of his final frame all but sealed the win for Louw.

Lalisang's runner-up finish was the best for an Indonesian player at the World Cup. He finished third at the 2009 tournament, and Nadia Nuramalina finished third in the women's division in 2018.

"I'm on the top of the world right now, and it feels incredible," said Louw, who made his fourth World Cup appearance. "I think that in some way, what happened in the position round helped me relax a little bit. I was able to keep my emotions in check, and I knew I had a good look on the fresh this week, so I never lost my confidence heading into the semifinals."

Despite Lalisang having the crowd behind him, Louw said he was able to draw on the experiences he's had in the famed Swedish League, where the fans and cheering are like nothing he's ever been a part of.

Even the uncharacteristic foul could not derail Louw's mindset.

"On the foul, I pured the shot, but after I let it go, I just kept sliding," Louw said. "I haven't fouled in 11 or 12 years, and it certainly didn't relax me at all, but I didn't think about it anymore after that. I stayed patient, and it paid off. I think my experience and success at this event also helped, and it was nice to finally get across the finish line."

The win was the first on the men's side for South Africa. Anne Jacobs earned the country its only other World Cup title with a win in 1994.

By virtue of their first- and third-place finishes, Whiting and Cooley also earned Australia the coveted Bent Petersen Country Award, which has been awarded to the country with the best combined finish each year since 1984.

Last year, the award went to the United States, as Shannon O'Keefe won the women's title and Kyle Troup was the runner-up to Cooley on the men's side.

Kulick and John Janawicz shouldered the responsibility of defending those titles this year in Indonesia, and while Kulick was able to pull away from the field on the way to the top seed for the semifinals, she simply was out-matched by the left lane in her semifinal match against Guerra.

In the game, Kulick struck just once in five opportunities on the left lane.

The other four attempts resulted in a 1-2-4-10 washout in the second frame, 3-6-10 combination in the fourth frame, 7-10 split in the sixth frame and the 1-2-4-6-10 washout in the 10th frame that allowed Guerra to claim a spot in the title match with a final-frame strike.

"I knew the lanes were playing a little different, so I was prepared for that, and part of my process was to stay down on each shot," Kulick said. "I thought I did that on the first shot in the 10th frame, but it never read it. If I had to rate that shot on a scale of 1-10, I'd give it an 8.5."

Kulick entered Saturday's eight-player match-play round with a six-pin advantage over Roslan but was able to build on that lead and claimed the top seed for the semifinals by a 189-pin margin, which included 120 bonus pins for her four wins in match play.

The United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer and 15-time Team USA member was making her World Cup debut, an honor she earned by winning the 2019 USBC Team USA Trials in January.

"The last two days were great, they really were," Kulick said. "My game is still very strong, though my mental game might need a little tweaking. But, I led the World Cup. I didn't win it, but I led it, and that's pretty special.

"To travel all the way to Indonesia to compete in such a prestigious tournament means a lot, too. It was a long journey to get here, but to meet the amazing people I've met and see this incredible arena has been unforgettable. I did myself and my country proud, and you never know, maybe I'll get another chance."

Janawicz finished 19th on the men's side this week.

All competitors at the 2019 World Cup, 73 men and 60 women representing 75 countries, bowled 24 games over four days (six games each day), before total pinfall determined the 24 men and 24 women who returned Friday for eight additional games.

Total pinfall for 32 games decided the eight men and eight women who advanced to Saturday's round-robin match play, and pinfall for 40 games, including bonus pins for each win in match play, determined the four semifinalists.

The World Cup first was contested in 1965, and the tournament now is considered one of the sport's most prestigious singles titles. It also is recognized as the largest event in the sport in terms of number of countries competing.

The last time the event was held in Indonesia was in 1980, when it visited Jakarta.

It was announced Saturday night that Kuwait will host the World Cup in 2020.

For more information on Team USA, visit BOWL.com/TeamUSA.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world - the USBC Open and Women's Championships - and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.

Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,638 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.

2019 QUBICAAMF BOWLING WORLD CUP
At Jakabaring Sport City Bowling Center
Palembang, Indonesia

Saturday's results

MEN
Semifinals: (4) Francois Louw, South Africa, def. (1) Oliver Morig, Germany, 262-196; (3) Ryan Lalisang, Indonesia, def. (2) Sam Cooley, Australia, 239-158.
Final: Louw def. Lalisang, 237-202.

WOMEN
Semifinals: (4) Aumi Guerra, Dominican Republic, def. (1) Kelly Kulick, United States, 194-179; (3) Rebecca Whiting, Australia, def. (2) Natasha Roslan, Malaysia, 199-176.
Final: Whiting def. Guerra, 172-162.