Leslie and Parker Bohn III will try to
become first wife-and-husband TV finalists

Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas, led the qualifying fields in the Professional Bowlers Association Shark Championships at Thunderbowl Lanes Friday, but most eyes will be on the wife-and-husband tandem of Leslie and Parker Bohn III who will attempt to become the first TV finals couple in PBA history when the tournament begins match play competition Saturday.

The Shark Championships are the last of five so-called “animal pattern” lane conditioning events in the inaugural PBA World Series of Bowling, a festival of professional bowling which ends on Sept. 6.

Duke, a PBA Hall of Famer and 34-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour champion, averaged 221.79 for the 14 qualifying games, finishing with a 3,105 pinfall total and a 65-pin edge over Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, Ariz., in the men’s Shark Championship. First-round leader Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., was third with 3,026 pins followed by Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., at 3,013, and Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, with 3,007 pins.

Dorin-Ballard, a 20-time Professional Women’s Bowling Association champion and a two-time PBA Women’s Series presented by USBC winner, out-averaged Duke at 226.71 and finished with a 3,113 total to top Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, Nev., by 28 pins for the Women’s Shark Championship qualifying lead. Shannon O’Keefe of Arlington, Texas, was third with 3,083 pins followed by 2009 U.S. Women’s Open champion Tammy Boomershine of North Ogden, Utah, at 3,070 and Colombia’s Clara Guerrero at 3,067.

Parker Bohn, who has struggled during the World Series of Bowling, made his first match play cut in six attempts, qualifying for the 28-player best-of-seven-game, single-elimination match play field in a tie for 24th place. Wife Leslie, who made it into the women’s qualifying field through the pre-tournament Tour Qualifying Round, earned the eighth and final spot in the women’s match play field.

Exempt tour players Chris Barnes and his wife Lynda, Double Oak, Texas, have advanced to the match play finals in both the Viper and Chameleon Championships. Chris is a TV finalist in the Motor City Open, the first World Series event, and Lynda advanced to the Women’s Viper Championship title match, but no married couple has ever made it to the same TV show.

“If you could pencil that in, I’d take it,” Parker said. “Me, too,” Leslie added. “It would be a lot of firsts, including my first TV show as a singles bowler.”

“Maybe it was the inspiration of my wife being out there,” Parker added. “I will say I beat her the first game of each block, but that’s about it. After that, she bowled three-and-a-half times better than me (Parker finished with 2,861 pins, Leslie with 3,016).

“I was delighted to see the women have some TQR opportunities,” Leslie continued, “but I didn’t have much time. My husband finally told me to pick my favorite lane condition, bowl that event and have a good time. Shannon O’Keefe (an exempt women’s player) said she’d watch the kids so I could bowl the TQR. She did and I made it. Then Osku Palmermaa’s fiancй offered to the watch kids today.

“I’ve learned so much by watching Parker and how he handles situations. I put that into play today, and it really helped. I worked really hard, filled a lot of frames, had fun and it was enough.”

“The big thing for me was starting both rounds with 240 games,” Parker said. “Coming out of the gate with big games was the turn around. I felt like I was bowling the U.S. Open every tournament. I’m not blaming anyone. Whether it’s good, bad, tight, hooking, inside, outside – it doesn’t matter. You have to figure it out.

“Hopefully both of us with have a good day tomorrow,” Parker smiled, “and it would be even better if we both get to do interviews after the Shark Championships TV show.”

The finals of both the men’s and women’s Shark Championships will be contested on Sept. 6 at Thunderbowl Lanes for delayed telecast on ESPN on Dec. 6.

PBA SHARK CHAMPIONSHIP
Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich., Aug. 28

FINAL QUALIFYING STANDINGS (after 14 games)
1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,105
2, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 3,040
3, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,026
4, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,013
5, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,007
6, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 3,005
7, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 2,987
8, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,968
9, Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 2,933
10, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., 2,932
11, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,923
12, (tie) Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, and Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 2,919
14, (tie) Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, and Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 2,917
16, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 2,909
17, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 2,893
18, (tie) Jason Belmonte, Australia, and Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 2,890
20, Rhino Page, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,878
21, Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 2,866
22, (tie) Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., and Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 2,865
24, (tie) Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., and Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2,861
26, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 2,857
27, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 2,851
28, Thomas Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 2,849

Did not advance:

29, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2,845, $1,600
30, Tony Campagna Jr., Chesapeake, Va., 2,831, $1,600
31, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 2,825, $1,600
32, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 2,809, $1,600
33, (tie) Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., and Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La, 2,800, $1,600
35, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 2,799, $1,600
36, George Lambert IV, Canada, 2,798, $1,600
37, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 2,791, $1,500
38, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,783, $1,500
38, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 2,783, $1,500
40, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 2,781, $1,500
41, John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 2,774, $1,500
42, Mason Brantley, Detroit, 2,769, $1,500
43, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 2,763, $1,500
44, Stuart Williams, England, 2,755, $1,500
45, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 2,752, $1,500
46, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 2,749, $1,500
47, (tie) Bo Goergen, Midland, Mich., and Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2,730, $1,500
49, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 2,716, $1,500
50, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 2,711, $1,500
51, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2,708, $1,500
52, Tom Daugherty, Tampa, Fla., 2,703, $1,500
53, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,701, $1,500
54, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 2,700, $1,500
55, John Nolen, Grand Blanc, Mich., 2,698, $1,400
56, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 2,696, $1,400
57, Tae-Hwa Jeong, South Korea, 2,683, $1,400
57, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 2,683, $1,400
59, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 2,677, $1,400
60, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 2,665, $1,400
61, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,664, $1,400
62, Matt White, Youngsville, Pa, 2,645, $1,400
63, Steve Rogers, Bourbonnais, Ill., 2,638, $1,400
64, Christopher Moyer, Saginaw, Mich., 2,604, $1,400
65, Paul Gibson, Brunswick, Ohio, 2,575, $1,400
66, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 2,558, $1,400
67, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 2,548, $1,400
68, Jeffrey Roche, Dearborn, Mich., 2,542, $1,400
69, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 2,509, $1,400
70, Edward VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 2,507, $1,400
71, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 2,458, $1,400
72, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,801, $1,400

PBA Women’s Series Presented by BOWL.COM Shark Championship
Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich., Aug. 28

FINAL QUALIFYING STANDINGS (after 14 games)
1, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, 3,113
2, Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., 3,095
3, Shannon O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 3,083
4, Tammy Boomershine, North Ogden, Utah, 3,070
5, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 3,067
6, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,027
7, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,017
8, Leslie Bohn, Jackson, N.J., 3,016

Did not advance:

9, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 2,954, $1,400
10, Joy Esterson, Annapolis, Md., 2,929, $1,400
11, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2,921, $1,400
12, Amanda Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 2,906, $1,400
13, Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., 2,876, $1,400
14, Stefanie Nation, Arlington, Texas, 2,862, $1,400
15, Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, 2,818, $1,400
16, Aumi Guerra, Dominican Republic, 2,716, $1,400
17, Michelle Feldman, Auburn, N.Y., 2,714, $1,400
18, Adrienne Miller, Albuquerque, N.M., 2,700, $1,400
19, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 2,682, $1,400
20, Jennifer Petrick, Canton, Ohio, 2,620, $1,400

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and awarded more than $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others.