Williams Among 18 Finalists
For Dick Weber PBA Playoffs

Walter Ray Williams Jr., trying to extend his Professional Bowlers Association record for winning at least one title in a season to 18 years, was among 18 players who advanced to Sunday’s Regional Championships in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs at Woodland Bowl Friday.

Williams, who owns the PBA Tour record for career titles with 47, finished second in the four-player Central Region, to keep his title hopes alive. The Dick Weber PBA Playoffs is the final tournament of the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, which means it’s the last chance for the 51-year-old from Ocala, Fla.

The PBA Playoffs is six tournaments-in-one, featuring six regional groups bowling elimination rounds within their respective regions. Three players of four players from each Region remain in the hunt after Round Five, but like the NCAA basketball brackets, upsets took a toll on the inaugural event.

In Round Four, 2011 U.S. Open Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., became the third PBA Hall of Famer eliminated during Friday’s action. Duke finished sixth in the South Region, missing the cut to the top four by 24 pins. Among the Tour’s top six points leaders for 2010-11 who were seeded into the Regions for Round Four, only Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., failed to advance when he finished fifth in the East Region.

In Round Three earlier Friday, where the top five of eight advanced, bowlers eliminated included Rhino Page of Dade City, Fla., who had been the top qualifier in both previous rounds in the East Region, and Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., who finished eighth in the Southwest Region after leading Round One and finishing fifth in Round Two. PBA Hall of Famers Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J. and Tom Baker of King, N.C. (South Region), and 2011 Bayer USBC Masters champion Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa (Midwest Region) also failed to survive Round Three.

In Round Five, Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., who won the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions earlier in the season, but lost the U.S. Open title two weeks ago when he missed a 10 pin in the 10th frame, kept his hopes alive by converting the 2-8 in the 10th frame and striking on his fill ball to edge Dan MacLelland of Saginaw, Mich., was three pins for the third spot in the Central Region. Dick Allen of Columbia, S.C., and Williams also advanced.

In the East Region, PBA Rookie of the Year candidate Scott Norton of Costa Mesa, Calif.; seven-time PBA Tour champion Steve Jaros of Yorkville, Ill., and 2009 PBA World Champion Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., advanced.

In the South Region, 13-time PBA Tour winner Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S..C.; four-time titlist Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., and regional qualifier Randy Weiss of Columbia, S.C., advanced. Weiss has never won a PBA Tour title.

Current season points leader Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., moved on with a second-place finish in the Midwest Region along with six-game leader Jack Jurek of Lackawanna, N.Y., and third-place finisher Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas. Malott fired a 248 final game to overtake local favorite Ronnie Russell of Marion, Ind., for the final spot in the Midwest.

Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, the 2010 PBA World Champion, was second in the West/Northwest along with Round Five leader Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., and Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan. Boresch is trying for his first PBA Tour title. Waliczek, who won both of his titles during the 2002-03 season, rolled a 248 final game to knock Baltimore’s Danny Wiseman out of the Regional Championship round.

Advancing in the Southwest Region were Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas; Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte and Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y. Castillo is trying for his first title. Belmonte and Angelo each have won one title.

In Sunday’s first Regional Championship at 9 a.m., the three East, South and Central Region survivors will bowl one game matches with the winner in each Region advancing to the Conference Championship at 3:30 p.m. In the second Regional Championship at 1 p.m., the three Midwest, Southwest and West/Northwest survivors will bowl one-game matches to determine the other three Conference Championship finalists.

In the Conference Championship, the East Region winner will bowl one game against the South Region winner, the Central Region winner will bowl against the Midwest winner, and the Southwest winner will meet the West/Northwest winner.

The Regional Championships will air on ESPN on Sunday, March 27, at 2:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 3, at 1 p.m. Eastern, respectively. The Conference Championship will air on Sunday, April 10, at 1 p.m. Eastern, respectively.

The three Conference Championship winners will return to Indianapolis on Sunday, April 17, for the final live telecast of the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. In the first match, the three finalists will bowl one game with the lowest score finishing third. The two survivors will bowl two one-game matches. If one player wins both, he will win the $50,000 first prize. If they split the two games, a one-ball roll-off will decide the title..

DICK WEBER PBA PLAYOFFS
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Friday

ROUND FIVE (after 6 games, top 3 per region advance to Conference Championships Sunday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern)

East Region
1, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 1,402.
2, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 1,360.
3, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,350.
Did not advance:
4, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,244, $3,000.

South Region
1, Tommy Jones, Greenville, S.C., 1,455.
2, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,368.
3, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1,332.
Did not advance:
4, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,313, $3,000.

Central Region
1, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,513.
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,479.
3, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 1,452.
Did not advance:
4, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., 1,449, $3,000.

Midwest Region
1, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,351.
2, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 1,272.
3, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,269.
Did not advance:
4, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,239, $3,000.

Southwest Region
1, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,309.
2, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,296.
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,283.
Did not advance:
4, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 1,221, $3,000.

West/Northwest Region
1, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,342.
2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,309.
3, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,295.
Did not advance:
4, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,283, $3,000.

ROUND FOUR (after 6 games, top 4 per region advance to Round Five Friday night):

East Region
1, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,395.
2, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,391.
3, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 1,370.
4, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 1,340.
Did not advance:
5, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 1,299, $2,500.
6, Jeffrey Voght, Canojaharie, N.Y., 1,225, $2,500.

South Region
1, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,467.
2, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1,418.
3, Tommy Jones, Greenville, S.C., 1,414.
4, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,362.
Did not advance:
5, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,355, $2,500.
6, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,338, $2,500.

Central Region
1, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., 1,523.
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,410.
3, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,396.
4, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 1,384.
Did not advance:
5, Billy Oatman, Chicago, 1,257, $2,500.
6, Brian Thompson, Flat Rock, Mich., 1,234, $2,500.
300 game – Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Midwest Region
1, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 1,492.
2, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,377.
3, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,365.
4, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,311.
Did not advance:
5, Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,304, $2,500.
6, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,271, $2,500.

Southwest Region
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,471.
2, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,312.
3, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,307.
4, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 1,302.
Did not advance:
5, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 1,301, $2,500.
6, D.J. Archer, Mineral Wells, Texas, 1,237, $2,500.

West/Northwest Region
1, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,603.
2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,471.
3, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,459.
4, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,447.
Did not advance:
5, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,404, $2,500.
6, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., 1,220, $2,500.
300 games – Danny Wiseman (2).

ROUND THREE (after 6 games, top 5 per region advance):

East Region
1, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 1,425.
2, Jeffrey Voght, Canojaharie, N.Y., 1,423.
3, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 1,410.
4, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,348.
5, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,347.
Did not advance:
6, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 1,328, $2,000.
7, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,308, $2,000.
8, Jeff Zaffino, Warren, Pa., 1,300, $2,000.
300 game – Jeffrey Voght.

South Region
1, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,455.
2, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,442.
3, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,383.
4, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,380.
5, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1,328.
Did not advance:
6, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,310, $2,000.
7, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,299, $2,000.
8, Kip Roberts, Glenallen, Va., 1,290, $0,000.

Central Region
1, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,501.
2, Dan MacLelland, Saginaw, Mich., 1,459.
3, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,458.
4, Billy Oatman, Chicago, 1,385.
5, Brian Thompson, Flat Rock, Mich., 1,360.
Did not advance:
6, Troy Stus, South Lyon, Mich., 1,356, $2,000.
7, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 1,340, $2,000.
8, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., 1,320, $2,000.
300 game – Troy Stus.

Midwest Region
1, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,500.
2, Sean Swanson, Springfield, Mo., 1,470.
3, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,413.
4, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,368.
5, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,366.
Did not advance:
6, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,356, $2,000.
7, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,305, $2,000.
8, Michael Steil, Wheeling, Ill., 1,234, $2,000.

Southwest Region
1, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 1,442.
2, D.J. Archer, Mineral Wells, Texas, 1,422.
3, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 1,400.
4, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,366.
5, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,343.
Did not advance:
6, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,340, $2,000.
7, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,324, $2,000.
8, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,244, $2,000.

West/Northwest Region
1, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,530.
2, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,518.
3, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,500.
4, Gregory Thompson Jr., Dublin, Calif., 1,490.
5, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,445.
Did not advance:
6, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,409, $2,000.
7, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 1,398, $2,000.
8, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 1,334, $2,000.
300 games – Lennie Boresch Jr., Michael Haugen Jr.