LPGA TOP STORYLINES

top storylines

lpga returns to Japan

The LPGA returns to Japan for the 43rd edition of the TOTO Japan Classic held at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course in Ibarkabi. It marks the first time the LPGA has played in the Tokyo area since 1991.

Throughout the years, several of the LPGA’s best have captured victories in Japan including; Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley, Betsy King, Annika Sorenstam and a trio of former champs who are in the field this week, Mi Hyang Lee, Karrie Webb and Stacy Lewis.

As in the past, members of the JLPGA have been invited to compete in this year’s event as 35 members, including defending champion Sun-Ju Ahn, will be teeing it up among the LPGA’s best. For a complete list of JLPGA members competing please see page 4.

who’s in the field

Past Champions (7):

Sun-Ju Ahn (2015), Mi Hyang Lee (2014), Teresa Lu (2013), Stacy Lewis (2012), Momoko Ueda (2011, 2007), Jiyai Shin (2010, 2008), Karrie Webb (2006)

Japanese LPGA Golfers (3):

Ai Miyazato, Mika Miyazato, Haru Nomura

END OF LONG ASIA SWING FOR 6

The TOTO Japan Classic will mark the end of a six event in six week Asian stretch for six golfers who competed in the five previous Asia events and are in the field this week. The six golfers are:

               

                Moriya Jutanugarn                  Danielle Kang                            

                Christina Kim                             Pornanong Phatlum               

                Beatriz Recari                            Jenny Shin

Of the six, Danielle Kang has had the most impressive play during the five tournament stretch with a pair of top-10 finishes, including a tie for seventh last week at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

2016 lpga leaders

Wins - 5 (Ariya Jutanugarn)

Top-10s - 15 (Brooke Henderson)

Money List - $2,451,642 (Lydia Ko)

Race to CME Globe - 4,416 (Ariya Jutanugarn)

Scoring Average - 69.552 (Lydia Ko)

Rolex Player of the Year - 260 (Ariya Jutanugarn)

feng on fire

Since to Olympics, no player on the LPGA Tour has been playing better than Bronze Medalist Shanshan Feng. Who has registered five top-4 finishes and a victory last week at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. Below are Feng’s finishes in events since Rio:

Tournament                                         Result

Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia                  Win

KEB-HanaBank Championship               T3

Fubon LPGA Taiwan                                     2

Reignwood LPGA Classic                          T4

The Evian Championship                            4

race to cme globe enters the home stretch

The Race to CME Globe is entering its home stretch with just two events left to decide who will be competing for the $1 million dollar first prize at the CME Group Tour Championship.

The top 72 LPGA Members and those tied for 72nd on the Race to the CME Globe Points Standings, ranked in the order of their position on the standings at the conclusion of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex will have earned their way into field at CME.

Once the players have qualified for the event the points will reset. After the reset, the players in the top-3 positions on the Race to the CME Globe Points Standings will be able to win the Race to the CME Globe with a win at the Tour Championship. Additionally, the players in the top-9 positions will have a mathematical chance to win the race based on various scenarios.

The battle for the top-3 and top-9 is coming down the stretch as laid out below.

Race to cme globe battles

Top-4                                                                    8, 9, 10, 11

1. Ariya Jutanugarn - 4,416                           8. Anna Nordqvist - 2,440

2. Lydia Ko - 4,365                                            9. Haru Nomura - 2,439

3. Brooke Henderson - 3,186                       10. Amy Yang - 2,233

4. Sei Young Kim - 2,753                                 11. Shanshan Feng - 2,051

PBA HAS NEW PLAYERS COMMITTEE

PBA Introduces New Players Committee to Encourage Members’ Input

Rhino Page selected as chairman of newly-formed players’ group

CHICAGO (Oct. 31, 2016) – The Professional Bowlers Association has introduced a new PBA Players Committee, designed to encourage input from its membership base regarding a variety of programs and issues that impact professional bowlers.

PBA’s management team, led by PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark, will solicit input from the players’ group in issues such as tournament formats, communications, prize fund distribution, playing conditions, rules and similar issues that play a role in the lives of PBA members.

The PBA Players Committee, under the leadership of chairman Rhino Page of Orlando, Fla., will serve as a conduit between the membership and PBA management. Other members of the newly-formed players’ group are Jason Belmonte, Bill O’Neill, A.J. Johnson, Andrew Cain, Jon Van Hees, Ronnie Russell and Chad Lusche.

“Talks with the new PBA Players Committee have been very encouraging,” Clark said. “We are excited about working together closely on issues important to players, fans and partners.

“Throughout our history, the players have played a large role in shaping the competitive formats, rules and how the PBA is presented to fans. Through the increased emphasis and communication with this diverse and involved group of new Players Committee leaders we will continue that tradition.

“The PBA as an organization has shown an openness to change, a progressive mindset that has us positioned for growth,” Clark concluded.

Page earned PBA’s 2007-08 Rookie of the Year award when he won the first of his three titles. He is a former Team USA member and earned collegiate All-American honors while helping the University of Kansas win the 2004 men’s intercollegiate championship. Page and O’Neill are also members of the United States Bowling Congress board of directors as athlete representatives.

“There was a considerable time gap between the last time the PBA had an active players’ group and now,” Page said of his role in the new group. “My heart has always been wanting to help bowling, and I saw this as a great opportunity to serve the Tour. When Mike Fagan and Scott Norton stepped aside – they were the guys who really got the committee up and running again - I kind of stepped in.

“The group we have now represents all regions of the country,” he continued. “Our goal is to improve the lines of communications between the players and the PBA leadership. Our thinking is in the best interests of not only the players, but our fans and our corporate partners. I think we’ve been making a lot of great strides in that direction.

“One of our biggest goals was to create a structure for the players’ committee and to develop a strategic plan covering what we hope to accomplish, so we can let all of the other players see what the big picture is,” Page concluded. “Our next step is to improve those communications and let the other players know their opinions are important in what we’re trying to build for the future.”

BUTTURFF WIN LAS VEGAS OPEN

Arizona’s Jakob Butturff Wins PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open

Tommy Jones wins $10,000 bonus as season-long Xtra Frame Tour points leader

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 30, 2016) – Jakob Butturff of Chandler, Ariz., won his second career Professional Bowlers Association Tour title Sunday in the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open at South Point Bowling Plaza in a championship round that featured three of the PBA’s rising stars.

Butturff, who won his only other title earlier in the year in the PBA Xtra Frame Lubbock Sports Open in Texas, struck on 10 of his first 11 shots to defeat 19-year-old Anthony Simonson of Princeton, Texas, 277-211.

Butturff, a 22-year-old left-hander, led the field after 32 games of qualifying and match play by 448 pins, winning 14 of his 16 matches Sunday without an open frame. Except for his 218 game to start the tournament, the second-year PBA member led all the way to the final match.

“Everyone performed great,” Butturff said. “I just had to make as many good shots as they did.

“My mom was diagnosed with cancer recently, so I really wanted to win this one for her. One thing I’ve learned is that when someone has cancer, you have to keep their spirits up and I know she likes it when I bowl well. My title was basically for her.

“I’ve just been successful bowling here in Vegas; it was more of a comfort feeling than anything,” he added.

Simonsen, who won both of his PBA Tour titles earlier in the year, won the semifinal match in a strike-fest against 21-year-old Swedish two-hander Jesper Svensson, 267-258. The battle of contenders for 2016 PBA Player of the Year honors began with Simonsen throwing seven strikes to start the match while Svensson, the Tour’s only three-time winner in 2016, converted three single-pin spares before rolling eight strikes in a row to finish his game.

In the first match, Simonsen struck on four of his first five shots before leaving the 4-6-7-10 split, but O’Neill had trouble gaining ground, leaving 10 pins on five of his first seven shots. He finally got on track with a late string of four strikes, but Simonsen recovered from his big split with a string of six strikes for a 242-224 victory.

Simonsen also struck on four of his first five shots against Jones in the second match, but Jones, after converting spares in his first three frames, threw three strikes to catch up. A 4-6-10 split in Jones’ seventh frame, however, gave Simonsen an opening and he jumped on it, throwing another string of five strikes to knock Jones out of the finals, 248-191. 

With his fourth-place finish, Jones earned 17 points in the final PBA Xtra Frame Tour event of the year and captured the $10,000 winner-take-all bonus with a season-ending total of 87 points to overtake E.J. Tackett, who finished with 84 points, and Ryan Ciminelli, who had 83.

The PBA Fall Classic continues Monday at South Point Bowling Plaza with qualifying rounds in the PBA Team Challenge, a high-powered five-player team competition that will conclude Tuesday. Twenty teams representing a broad mix of PBA Hall of Famers, PBA50 Tour stars, women, rising future stars and international players from 11 different countries will bowl six standard and 12 Baker format team games Monday at noon and 8 p.m. ET (9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT). The top six teams will advance to a six-game round of Baker format match play Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT), leading to four-team Baker format stepladder finals at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

All competition in the PBA Fall Classic is being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. To subscribe, visit xtraframe.tv.

PBA XTRA FRAME SOUTH POINT LAS VEGAS OPEN

South Point Bowling Plaza, Las Vegas, Sunday

Final Standings

1, Jakob Butturff, Chandler, Ariz., $10,000.

2, Anthony Simonsen, Princeton, Texas, $5,000.

3, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, $3,000.

4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., $2,000.

5, Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, Pa., $1,500.

Stepladder Results:

Match One – Simonsen def. O’Neill, 242-224.

Match Two –  Simonsen def. Jones, 248-191.

Semifinal Match – Simonsen def. Svensson, 267-258.

Championship –  Butturff def. Simonsen, 277-211.

Final Match Play Standings (after 32 games, including match play bonus pins):

1, Butturff, 14-2, 8,504.
2, Svensson, 10-6, 8,056.
3, Jones, 10-5-1, 7,961.
4, O'Neill, 9-7, 7,845.
5, Simonsen, 8-8, 7,833.

6, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 6-9-1, 7,787, $1,400.
7, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 7-9, 7,760, $1,350.
8, Devin Bidwell, Wichita, Kan., 8-7-1, 7,706, $1,300.
9, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 10-6, 7,701, $1,250.
10, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 7-9, 7,689, $1,200.
11, Arturo Quintero, Mexico, 6-10, 7,684, $1,150.
12, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 6-10, 7,674, $1,100.
13, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 8-8, 7,614, $1,075.
14, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 7-9, 7,554, $1,050.
15, Ryan Graywacz, Feeding Hills, Mass., 6-9-1, 7,484, $1,025.
16, Joe Bailey, Wooster, Ohio, 4-12, 7,366, $1,000.

300 Games: Anthony Simonsen, Ildemaro Ruiz, Jesper Svensson, Michael Haugen Jr.

LAMONT JOINS PBA TOUR TELECASTS

Veteran Broadcaster Dave LaMont Tabbed as

New Play-By-Play Announcer for PBA Tour Telecasts

CHICAGO, Ill. (Oct. 27, 2016) – The Professional Bowlers Association and ESPN have announced that veteran play-by-play announcer Dave LaMont will join PBA's broadcast team at the start of the new ESPN-PBA telecast season that begins with the live finals of the PBA World Championship during the GEICO World Series of Bowling VIII in Reno, Nev., on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. ET.

LaMont joins PBA Hall of Famer and 13-time Tour winner Randy Pedersen, who returns for his 16th season as color analyst, and former Miss USA Kimberly Pressler, who returns in her role as sideline reporter, as ESPN’s PBA broadcast team.

“I regularly went to PBA Tour tournaments when they came to South Florida and as a longtime bowling fan, it’s a dream come true,” LaMont said of his new role. “Since I’ve been announcing bowling I’ve really gained a deeper appreciation for what the players do and quickly found that the sport has all the ingredients for great television. It has athletes who have a passion for what they do and who can perform under intense pressure, all in an environment where you never know what’s going to happen.”

The South Florida resident has extensive experience in bowling with stints as United States Bowling Congress Queens, Women’s U.S. Open and Intercollegiate Championships play-by-play announcer since 2010.

“We are very happy that the PBA is bringing Dave LaMont on board to do play-by-play for the upcoming season on ESPN,” said Rich Williams, Senior Producer for ESPN’s Packaged Show Unit. “Dave is a very talented and experienced pro and he’s always expressed his appreciation of the PBA and the sport of bowling.”

LaMont joined ESPN and ABC in 2004 as play-by-play announcer for college football and basketball including bowl games and basketball conference championship games. He also has called basketball games for the SEC Network and was substitute play-by-play announcer for the Miami Heat and Baltimore Orioles for several seasons.

For the last three seasons, LaMont has called Major League Lacrosse and among his other assignments in 2016, he called the Texas Relays track and field meet and the 2016 Invictus Games for ESPN.

The former radio voice for Miami Hurricanes’ football, basketball and baseball teams has spent more than 30 years in the South Florida market as a radio talk show host and reporter and is currently a member of the highly-rated Paul and Young Ron Radio Show broadcast team.

PBA SPARE SHOTS

PBA Spare Shots

PBA OFFERS FANS TWO FREE TRIAL DAYS TO EXPERIENCE XTRA FRAME

Bowling fans around the world will have two opportunities to experience PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling coverage at no cost in the days ahead.

PBA Hall of Famer Randy Pedersen will lead the Xtra Frame crew in calling the action and providing insights that are not available through any other media outlets.

The PBA, a pioneer in live, online video-streaming of its competition, will offer bowling fans around the world free access to both rounds of match play and the stepladder finals of the Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open from South Point Bowling Plaza on Sunday, Oct. 30, where a PBA Tour title will be won.  

PBA also will provide fans with exclusive access to the final day of match play in the U.S. Open on Tuesday, Nov. 8, including one of the most exciting rounds of competition in the sport – the position round of match play to determine the five stepladder finalists for the live CBS Sports Network finals which will air on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). Xtra Frame’s comprehensive coverage of the final two rounds of match play on Tuesday will begin at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) and 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). PBA Hall of Famer Marshall Holman also will join the XF team for coverage of the final round of U.S. Open match play.

To activate the free trial day, fans will simply need to go to the page for subscription options on the Xtra Frame site (https://www.xtraframe.tv/#!subscription?SUB_step=1) on Oct. 30 and/or Nov. 8 and click on the “Day Pass” option. They will then need to complete their registrations and, upon doing so, will have free viewing access on either or both days. (The “Day Pass” option will not be visible except on those two days: Oct. 30 and Nov. 8).

DRAFT POOL SET FOR 2017 PBA LEAGUE DRAFT

PBA League team managers will have a pool of 84 players to choose from when they draft two additional players to complete their rosters during the 2017 PBA League Draft on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas. Players who have made themselves eligible for the draft, which will be video-streamed live at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on Xtra Frame, include the following players, listed in alphabetical order:

David Adcox, Shawnee, Kan.; Patrick Allen, South Salem,  N.Y.; Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C.; Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y.; D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas; Joe Bailey, Wooster, Ohio; Devin Bidwell, Wichita, Kan.; Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio; Kenneth Bland, Cibilo, Texas; Nathan Bohr, Austin, Texas;

Kim Bolleby, Thailand; Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill.; Jakob Butturff, Chandler, Ariz.; Mike DeVaney, Winchester, Calif.; Kevin Donovan, Painted Post, N.Y.; Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla.; Graham Fach, Canada; Mike Fagan, Berkeley, Calif.; Gary Faulkner, Memphis, Tenn.; Trey Ford, Bartlesville, Okla.;

John Furey, Freehold, N.J.; Tim Gillick, Milford, Conn.; Patrick Girard, Canada; Andres Gomez, Colombia; Ryan Graywacz, Feeding Hills, Mass.; Michael  Haugen, Phoenix; David Haynes, Las Vegas; Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa; J.T. "Action" Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif.; A.J. Johnson, Oswego, Ill.;

Robert Johnson, Amboy, Wash.; Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y.; Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich.; w-Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J.; Anthony LaCaze, Hoffman Estates, Ill.; Thomas Larsen, Denmark; Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas; Francois Lavoie, Canada; Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich.; John Maglio, Oceanside, N.Y.;

Shawn Maldonado, Houston; Michael Markis, Tafton, Pa.; Gerald Marrs, Huntley, Ill.; Robert McBride, Dallas; Eugene  McCune, Munster, Ind.; w-Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y.; Matthew McNiel, Minneapolis, Minn.; Brad Miller, Maryland Hts, Mo.; Jonathan Miller, Jacksonville, Fla.; Amleto  Monacelli, Venezuela;

Paul Moor, England; B.J. Moore, Greensburg, Pa.; Paul Nebel, Wellman, Iowa; Scott Newell, Deland, Fla.; Ryan Normand, Portland, Ore.; Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio; Matthew O'Grady, Matawan, N.J.; Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J.; Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla.; Osku Palermaa, Finland;

Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa.; w-Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif.; Kevin Paskevich, Burlington, Vt.; Anthony Pepe, Elmhurst, N.Y.; Jake Peters, Henderson, Nev.; Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C.; Kristopher Prather, Milton, Fla.; J.R. Raymond, Bay City, Mich.; Trevor Roberts, Crystal River, Fla.; Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela;

Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind.; Ryan  Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y.; Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore.; Jason Sterner, Cocoa, Fla.; Harry  Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich.; Darren Tang, San Francisco, Calif.; Richie Teece, England; Greg Thompson Jr., San Jose, Calif.; Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C.; Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I.;

Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan.; Cameron Weier, Tacoma, Wash.; Dave  Wodka, Beavercreek, Ohio; w-Diana Zavjalova, Latvia.

Teams will draft in the following order, which is the reverse order of how they finished in 2016 PBA League competition. Listed are teams with team manager and three players protected from each team’s 2015 roster:

● Philadelphia Hitmen (manager Jason Couch): Dom Barrett; Tom Smallwood; Chris Loschetter.

● L.A. X (manager Andrew Cain): Jason Belmonte, Stuart Williams, Martin Larsen.

● Brooklyn Styles (manager Johnny Petraglia): Sean Rash, Parker Bohn III, Walter Ray Williams Jr.

● Silver Lake Atom Splitters (manager Mark Baker): Chris Barnes, Tom Daugherty, Jesper Svensson.

● Portland Lumberjacks (manager Tim Mack): Wes Malott, Ryan Ciminelli, Liz Johnson.

● Motown Muscle (manager Del Ballard Jr.): EJ Tackett, Anthony Simonsen, Josh Blanchard.

● NYC WTT KingPins (manager Carolyn Dorin-Ballard): Pete Weber, Marshall Kent, John Szczerbinski.

● Dallas Strikers (player-manager Norm Duke): Norm Duke, Tommy Jones, Bill O’Neill.

NEXT UP ON XTRA FRAME: PBA FALL CLASSIC, PBA LEAGUE DRAFT, U.S. OPEN ON TAP

Xtra Frame is headed to Las Vegas for the PBA Fall Classic, including the PBA Xtra Frame South Point Las Vegas Open, the final event in the 2016 Xtra Frame PBA Tour points competition that will reward the overall winner with a $10,000 bonus.

In the Las Vegas Open, set for Oct. 29-30, the winner will receive 25 points with the next 19 players earning points in descending value. The players to watch are E.J. Tackett with 76 points, Tommy Jones with 72, and Ryan Ciminelli with 69.

Following the South Point Las Vegas Open, live coverage will include the second PBA Team Challenge, a five-player team competition that will award PBA Tour titles to all five winning teammates (if they are PBA members) for the first time. Team Challenge coverage is set for Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

On Nov. 2, Xtra Frame will provide live coverage of the PBA League Draft, with eight team managers selecting the final two players to round out their 2017 rosters, beginning at 8:50 p.m. ET.

PBA’s Xtra Frame team will then provide exclusive live coverage of the qualifying and match play rounds of Bowling’s U.S. Open, Nov. 4-8. The stepladder finals will air live on CBS Sports Network on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m. ET.

Three-day ($3.99), 30-day ($7.99) and Xtra Frame Season Ticket (a full-year’s coverage at an average cost of $1.25 per week) subscriptions are available by visiting “xtraframe.tv” and clicking on the “subscribe now” link. New monthly or Season Ticket subscribers also are automatically entered into monthly sweepstakes where they have chances to win a new high-performance bowling ball from Brunswick, DV8 or MOTIV.

QUBICA AMF PBA REGIONAL UPDATE: LEMOND DE-RAILS WEBER’S BID FOR 100TH WIN

● Joe Bailey of Doylestown, Ohio defeated Craig LeMond of Jasper, Ind., 278-230, to win the PBA Kokomo Central/Midwest Classic presented by Security Federal Savings at Heritage Lanes in Kokomo, Ind., Sunday, for his first QubicaAMF PBA Regional title, a $2,500 prize and eligibility to enter the 2017 FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions.

Bailey downed Craig Nidiffer of Trenton, Mich., 214-189, and LeMond topped Teddy Patrick of Indianapolis, 214-204, to advance to the championship match, but LeMond also distinguished himself by eliminating PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber in the best-of-three-game semifinal round, 2-0, to end Weber’s bid for his 100th overall PBA title. Walter Ray Williams Jr., who is tied with Weber with 99 overall titles, finished 32nd in the event.

● Three-time PBA Southwest Region Player of the Year Nathan Bohr from Austin, Texas, won seven of his eight matches to overtake Joe Findling of Mesquite, Texas, and claim his 23rd QubicaAMF PBA Regional title in the PBA Greenville Southwest Open Sunday at Shenaniganz in Greenville, Texas.

Findling opened the tournament with a 280 game and remained at the top of the leader board until the final game. Leading Bohr by 52 pins going into their position round match, Findling struggled while Bohr struck out from the second frame for a 290-161 victory and a 21-game total of 5,197 pins and a 107-pin margin of victory over Findling. Bohr earned $2,500.

● Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y. posted a 6-6 match play record and a 4,568 pinfall total, good enough to win the PBA Maple City Dodge Open presented by 900 Global by 88 pins over Matt Zasowski of Tonawanda, N.Y., at Maple City Bowl in Hornell, N.Y., on Sunday.

Shafer qualified second, but moved into the lead after four games Sunday morning.  Once in the lead, he never trailed on his way to the $2,400 top prize and his 29th QubicaAMF PBA Regional title. Zasowski, who was competing in his first PBA regional event in over 10 years, posted a 9-3 match play record and 4,480 total pins.

● PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., and Jake Peters of Henderson, Nev., took advantage of their 5-1 match play record to post a 14-game total of 6,462 pins and win the PBA/PBA50 Ken Fowler Auto Center West/Northwest Doubles hosted by Yokayo Bowl in Ukiah, Calif., Sunday.

The title was Bohn’s 26th in QubicaAMF PBA Regional competition while Peters earned his second. They shared the $3,000 first prize.

Bohn and Peters defeated Joe Petrovich of Tracy, Calif., and Sean Mamlok of San Jose, Calif., by 341 pins for the title.

● Chris Johnson of Nashville, N.C., captured the inaugural PBA Century Lanes Hampton South Open title in Hampton, Va., Sunday by defeating top qualifier Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, N.C., 218-202, in the championship match.

Johnson, the no. 3 qualifier going into the stepladder finals, received $2,500 for his second QubicaAMF PBA Regional win. In the first stepladder match, Johnson defeated 15-time PBA Regional champion Kip Roberts of Glen Allen, Va., 258-247, and he then disposed of Jason Sterner from Cocoa, Fla., 235-222.

● For complete QubicaAMF PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on QubicaAMF Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area. For more information about QubicaAMF, visit www.qubicaamf.com or, for social media posts, visit http://bit.ly/QAMFSponsorship1.

QUICK NOTES

● Seven-time PBA Tour titlist and seven-time Team USA member Bill O'Neill of Langhorne, Pa., has been selected to serve a three-year term as an athlete representative on the USBC Board of Directors through the 2018-19 season. He fills the spot vacated by PBA titlist Mike Fagan who decided against seeking re-election. Other Team USA athletes on the USBC Board are PBA members Kelly Kulick and Rhino Page and former Team USA member Dan Patterson.

● Reminder: Tickets for all six GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VIII ESPN television finals Dec. 10 and 11 at the National Bowling Stadium are available online at pba.com/tickets. An all-day pass to attend the Cheetah, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark Championship finals on Dec. 10 are $20. An all-day pass for the live PBA World Championship finals and the “USA vs. The World” telecast on Sunday is $15. Amateur bowlers who would like to bowl in the WSOB pro-am on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. should call the National Bowling Stadium (800-304-2695).

● This week marks the conclusion of the special PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Halloween-themed bowling ball promotion. New Halloween balls have been released by Concrete Software over the past month, and all of the special balls will be available be Friday through Sunday.

SENIOR WOMEN'S BOWLING TOURNAMENTS

2017 USBC SENIOR QUEENS MOVES TO MAY 23-26
ARLINGTON, Texas – Senior women bowlers will have the opportunity to compete in three national tournaments next year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The 2017 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens will take place May 23-26 at Circle Bowl in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and $20,000 has been added to the prize fund. The 32 bowlers who advance to match play will cash at the event.
The USBC Senior Queens immediately will follow the USBC Queens, allowing senior competitors the opportunity to bowl in both events. The event previously had been scheduled to run alongside the Queens at the Baton Rouge River Center, but a change was made to better manage capacity.
The Senior Queens also will feature a new Super Senior element in 2017. The top eight non-cashing Super Seniors (age 60 and older) will bowl in a bracket for a special prize fund.
Senior Queens bowlers who also want to bowl in the USBC Women’s Championships can take advantage of a limited number of spots being held in the event. USBC has spots reserved on May 26-27 just for Senior Queens competitors, and bowlers interested in moving their Women’s Championships dates to these days will need to call 817-385-8325 or 817-385-8257 by Dec. 1.
Open to USBC members age 50 or older, the Senior Queens was first contested in 2000 and attracts an outstanding field from all over the world.
Qualifying for the 2017 Senior Queens will consist of 15 qualifying games before the field is cut to the top 31 players, plus three-time defending champion Robin Romeo of Newhall, California, for match play. Match play will determine the top five bowlers for the stepladder finals that will be shown live on BowlTV, the official YouTube channel of USBC.
Go to BOWL.com/SeniorQueens for more information and the complete schedule.
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). 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 2,500 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.

INSPIRING YOUTH AND LIFE AFTER GOLF

NEVERSINK--A whole new world has opened up for eight time LPGA golf tournament champion Sherri Steinhauer since her 26-year golf career ended on Sept 26, 2015 when she played with her family in a nine-some on a private resort course.
  The seasonal summer resident who makes her home in the Town of Neversink and winters in Palm Springs, California sat down with us recently to describe what her life has become without golf.
  "A  whole new world has opened up without golf, I lived in a vacuum because I lived and breathed the game of golf since I was a young girl," Sherri noted.
  The three-time British Open champion and four-time competitor in the Solheim Cup pointed out that she "wouldn't trade her golf career for any thing as I  had a great life doing what I loved to do, was able to travel the world, meet great people and play great golf courses."
   Sherri just this week received an announcement, dated Oct. 25, that she and two others will be inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in an induction that will take place in Milwaukee April 29th, 2017.
  "I'm excited, honored and thrilled to be a part of this accomplished group," she noted. The Hall has been in existence since 1951 and there are only about 135 people in it. Bud Selig was part of the selection committee as he is on the board and he too will be honored the same evening with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
  "I'm just lucky to have had the life that I had and since retiring and not playing golf anymore it's like my eyes are open and there is so much out there to explore and I have picked up this game of Pickelball and I've gone crazy over it," Sherri said.
  Pickelball is not only her new love but Sherri's seriousness for the game has prompted her to construct an indoor practice court with an automatic converted tennis shotmaker  that allows her to hit pickelballs and hone her return shot.
  Not only has she gotten active in competing in Pickleball she has also become a strong advocate for the sport and is helping the sport grow in Sullivan County by organizing the Grahamsville Pickleball Club which now boasts some 40 plus members and plays matches several nights a week including Saturday mornings from 10 to noon at the Town of Neversink Grahamsville Fairgrounds tennis courts.
  Tabbed the fastest growing sport in the USA Neversink town officials recently gave thanks to Sherri and Tami Shaver who gave the town a generous donation to help defray some of the costs associated with the repairs at the tennis courts and the installation of Pickleball courts.
  Pointing out that the game of Pickleball "is my new love," and when asked how she got into the game she noted that "two winters ago a friend of mine wanted me to play the game but I said I couldn't play it then because I was still playing golf and I didn't want to ruin my golf swing with another swing motion."
  Sherri pointed out that she said she would play and that happened the next winter in January 2016 when she" gave the game a try and absolutely became fully addicted to it and have hardly missed a day since."
  Not only does she play the game often Sherri studies the game and takes lessons from the top players in the country and has a coach in Wisconsin and California.
  Taking the  game seriously and adding an additional step forward Steinhauer now plays tournaments nationally and has gained the initial ranking of a 3.0, advanced to a 3.5 and in the summer just got ranked a 4.0. Her goal is being elevated to a 4.5 and the highest ranking (as in tennis) of 5.0.
  Sherri noted that within several days she would be competing in the 4.0 level in a national tournament in Kansas City in both the mixed doubles and women's doubles.
  Within the Grahamsville Pickleball Club Sherri has had the opportunity  to give helpful pointers and lessons and she notes, "it's nice to see the players progress and get better." 
  Sherri has a great philosophy when she states, "believe in yourself...the world is yours to do as you please....enjoy and have fun in the process."
  Sherri also has a passion to give back to the community the memories and accomplishments the game of golf has had in her life and located in her Town of Neversink home she has built a Golf Memorabilia Room that has been visited by local high school golf teams and cub scouts and the room reflects much of her career highlights.
   The Memorabilia room is filled to the rim with trophies, awards, plaques, player bags, scorecards, photos with celebrities, leader-boards and everything else you can imagine that is golf related.
  Many of the youth that have visited Sherri have expressed that it was it was so nice of her to open her home to their golf team and it was an honor to be in the presence of a golfer who has accomplished so much.
  Sherri's golf museum is filled with artifacts from her junior golf years through her 26-year professional career.
  This one of a kind museum which Sherri refers to as her "Memorabilia Room" covers both her amateur and professional career and in the far end of the room is the family room, slash media room.
  Steinhauer earned more than $6 million during her 26-year career.
  Steinhauer has hosted boy scouts, girl scouts and youth golf teams and plans to bring more children to her facility which promotes the game of golf and where serving as a mentor to children has become a passion project.
  Sherri pointed out that "I hope to inspire kids, I'll take them through and ask them what they want to do with their life and I'll just talk to them and tell them that dreams can come true."
  It's a great place for me to take kids and give them any kind of inspiration I can. I started dreaming about what I wanted to do at a young age and I really do feel like my dream did come true." she said.
  "Remembering back to my youth and what a shy person I was, I thought maybe I could inspire kids with my story...that with a dream you can set out to do anything you want as long as you are willing to work hard, stay focused and persevere though difficult times," Sherri added.
  Steinhauer pointed out that she has focused on "kids because I think they have the most to learn from it and I have had friends fly in to see it as well as some local friends who have requested to see it."
  When youth groups visit her it has strictly been on a referral basis and she has received referrals through word of mouth in the local community.
  When asked how she made the decision to locate in Neversink and what her major reason for locating here was Sherri said, "a friend of mine and her family had a piece of property for sale, I took a look at it and fell in love with it."
   Sherri also travels back to Wisconsin from New York to visit her family in the summer.
  "After 40 years of playing golf I began to suffer with hip issues...orthopedic surgery helped prolong my career a few years but when I realized I couldn't compete or play like I used to I lost the desire and the game became a responsibility instead of a pleasure so I then decided to put the clubs away," Sherri noted.
  Her willingness to share with today's youth what golf has done for her is a genuine beautiful gesture for this outstanding former LPGA champion and down the road we are sure she will capture many national Pickelball championships.                                                 
                                

Sherri Steinhauer's indoor Pickelball practice court.


                                                 

 
Tami Shaver man's the automatic converted tennis ball server at Sherri Steinhauer's indoor Pickelball practice court.
                                                     

Sherri Steinhauer practices hitting against a wall to improve her eye hand coordination at her indoor Pickelball practice court.