BELMONTE SWEEPS PBA STATS

Jason Belmonte Sweeps End-of-Year Stats, Sets PBA Average Record

Australia’s two-handed star wins third PBA George Young Memorial High Average Award

CHICAGO (Jan. 9, 2018) – Australia’s Jason Belmonte put an exclamation mark on another sensational year in Professional Bowlers Association competition by sweeping the PBA Tour’s two most defining statistical categories for 2017 – official earnings and scoring average, which included a record scoring pace.

Belmonte concluded his 2017 season with a victory in the PBA World Championship in Reno, Nev., to become the first player in PBA history to win three major championships in a single season. The finishing touches to his four-title season included a Tour-best $238,912 in total earnings, and a third George Young Memorial High Average Award after posting a record 229.39 average for 380 games bowled.

Belmonte, who previously won George Young High Average Awards for the 2012-13 and 2014 seasons, broke his own scoring record of 228.81 set during the 2012-13 season. He won the average contest by 2.5 pins-per-game over fellow two-handed competitor Jesper Svensson of Sweden, who scored at a 226.88 pace for 308 games in 2017. Svensson was the 2016 George Young Award winner with a 226.07 average.

Belmonte, who also led the PBA in earnings in 2012-13 and 2014, finished that race more than $7,000 ahead of runner-up EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind., who took $220,708 to the  bank last season.

For complete lists of PBA earnings and average leaders for 2017, as well as other stats and records, visit pba.com (https://www.pba.com/SeasonStats/TotalWinnings/95).

WORLD BOWLING TITLES WON

Belmonte, Zavjalova Win World Bowling Tour Finals

Two title matches come down to final frames in WSOB IX Finale

RENO, Nev.  (Jan. 7, 2018) – Top World Bowling Tour Finals qualifiers Jason Belmonte of Australia and Latvia’s Diana Zavjalova capped a 2017 PBA/WBT season with wins in the World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals televised Sunday on ESPN from the National Bowling Stadium.

The Finals, which were part of GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IX presented by Eldorado Resort Reno Properties and the 2017-18 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season, used the experimental “Current Frame” WBT scoring system which awards 30 points for a strike, 10 plus pinfall on first ball of the frame for a spare, and the total pinfall for the frame for an open. There are no bonus or “fill” shots in the 10th frame and the maximum score is still 300.

The World Bowling Tour Finals featured the top three players in WBT points in men’s and women’s divisions during the 2017 season with each division competing in a separate stepladder final.

Heading into the ninth frame of the drama-filled men’s championship match with a 10-pin lead, No. 3 qualifier and last year’s third-place finisher Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., failed to convert a 10 pin spare leaving the door open for a Belmonte win in the 10th.

In the 10th, Belmonte closed with a 267 game forcing Kent to strike to tie the match. Kent came through with a pressure-filled solid pocket hit to also close with 267 forcing a sudden-death roll-off.  Belmonte won the roll-off with a strike in the first frame to Kent’s eight-count after he left the 2-8.

“Yeah, I was worried,” said Belmonte referring to Kent’s fast start with the first five strikes in a row. “Fortunately, after the spare in the first frame I was able to put five strikes together to get back in the match and then it was like anything could happen at that point.”

For Belmonte, it was his second consecutive WSOB IX win after his recent milestone PBA World Championship win on ESPN for a record third major win of the season and ninth of his career.

“It’s a unique feeling the pressure you feel to get a strike when it comes down to one shot after you’ve travelled the world to get to this point,” Belmonte added. “The pressure you feel to get a strike was like the inside of your body wanting to be on the outside.”

In the semi-final match, Kent advanced to the championship match with a 231-224 win over No. 2 qualifier Jesper Svensson of Sweden, who finished second to Belmonte in the World Championship.

In another tightly contested title match, Zavjalova beat two-time defending champion Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., 235-232, to win the women’s final.

With the match even in the fifth frame, McEwan opened in the sixth after missing a 1-2-4-10 washout giving Zavjalova a 25-pin lead.  However, McEwan was able to come back and overtake Zavjalova with an eight-pin lead after striking in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames while Zavjalova could only manage spares in those frames.

With the match coming down to the 10th, Zavjalova finished with a strike to post her 235. Needing a strike to win, McEwan left a solid 10 pin handing the win to Zavjalova.

“I didn’t feel comfortable in the middle of the game, but that’s going to happen now and then,” said Zavjalova, who was competing in her first WBT final. “I just had to deal with what was in front of me and hope it was good enough to win.

“When Danielle put those three strikes together at the end of the game I thought I had lost the match,” she added. “After I struck in the 10th it was out of my hands at that point—whatever happens, happens.  It was just my day today.”

In the semifinal, McEwan defeated international standout Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia 244-231 to advance to the title match.

WORLD BOWLING TOUR FINALS

Presented by PBA

National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev.

(aired Jan. 7 on ESPN)

Women’s Finals

1, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, $12,500.

2, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., $7,500.

3, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, $5,000.

First match: McEwan def. Zulkifli, 244-231; Championship match: Zavjalova def. McEwan, 235-232.

Men’s Finals

1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, $12,500.

2, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., $7,500.

3, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, $5,000.

First match: Marshall def. Svensson, 231-224; Championship match: Belmonte tied Marshall, 267-267. Belmonte won one-ball roll-off, 10-8.

TWO ELECTED TO USBC HALL OF FAME

TENNELLE MILLIGAN, DANNY WISEMAN ELECTED TO USBC HALL OF FAME
ARLINGTON, Texas – Tennelle Milligan of Arlington, Texas, and Danny Wiseman of Baltimore have joined the 2018 United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame class after their election in the Superior Performance category.
Milligan and Wiseman were among nine bowlers on the Superior Performance national ballot voted on by a panel of USBC Hall of Fame members, USBC Board members and veteran bowling writers.
The duo will join the four selections of the USBC Hall of Fame Committee – Jeri Edwards, Kendra Gaines, John Janawicz and Tim Mack – to complete the 2018 USBC Hall of Fame class.
The induction ceremony for the 2018 USBC Hall of Fame Class will take place April 25 at the USBC Convention at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.
Milligan, 40, who currently works as director of operations for the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour, is a three-time major winner, capturing the U.S. Women’s Open and Hammer Players Championship titles in 2000 and the USBC Queens in 2005. She also won the 2003 Greater Memphis Open on the women’s pro tour and the 2007 European Women’s Masters.
As a six-time Team USA member, the right-handed Milligan won 22 medals, including nine gold. She won team gold at the 1999 Pan American Games and captured the singles and doubles titles at the 2007 Pan American Games.
She has 20 top-10 finishes in USBC Women’s Championships competition, including Classic Team titles in 2000 and 2003, a Diamond Team title in 2014 and a Diamond Doubles title in 2015.
Wiseman, 50, was elected to the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame in 2013. He is a 12-time champion on the PBA Tour and has made 48 television appearances. The right-hander, rated No. 42 on the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 2008, also has captured 12 PBA regional titles.
He won his first PBA Tour title in his television debut at the 1990 Fair Lanes Open in his hometown. He would win 21 of his first 26 matches on television, the winningest television record in PBA history at the time.
Wiseman won his only major title at the 2004 USBC Masters, which was held on specially constructed lanes at Miller Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers. He was the runner-up at the 2009 Masters.
He was elected to the Greater Baltimore Bowling Association and Maryland State BA Halls of Fame in 2009, and, in 2013, he became the first bowler selected to the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame.
The men’s national ballot for Superior Performance this year had six nominees. In addition to Wiseman were: Dave Ferraro of Kingston, New York; Bryan Goebel of Wichita, Kansas; Randy Pedersen of Clermont, Florida; Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas; and Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas.
The women’s national ballot included Milligan, Marianne DiRupo of Succasunna, New Jersey, and Tammy Turner of West Palm Beach, Florida.
Through 2017, there are 419 members of the USBC Hall of Fame – 218 in Superior Performance, 117 in Meritorious Service, 50 in Veterans, 20 in Pioneers and 14 in Outstanding USBC Performance.
The USBC Hall of Fame was created in 2005 by merging the former American Bowling Congress and Women’s International Bowling Congress Halls of Fame.
For more information on the USBC Hall of Fame, visit BOWL.com/HallofFame.

PBA SPARE SHOTS

PBA Spare Shots

2018 PBA LEAGUE DRAFT MOVES TO SATURDAY, FEB. 17, IN INDIANAPOLIS

The 2018 PBA League draft, originally scheduled for Monday, Feb. 12, is moving to Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10:30 a.m. at Woodland Bowl. The draft, which will fill vacancies on all eight PBA League teams, will be live streamed on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel.

Here’s a revised summary of how the 2018 PBA League draft will work:

i.                                ● Each team manager will protect up-to three players from their 2017 roster according to the following deadlines. Protected players for each team will be announced on the following Monday: the Dallas Strikers (manager Norm Duke) and Portland Lumberjacks (Tim Mack) will select their protected players by Sunday; Silver Lake Atom Splitters (Mark Baker) and Philadelphia Hitmen (Jason Couch) by Jan. 14; LA X (Andrew Cain) and NYC Kingpins (Carolyn Dorin-Ballard) by Jan. 21 and the Motown Muscle (Del Ballard Jr.) and Brooklyn Styles (Johnny Petraglia) by Jan. 28.

ii.                                                 

iii.                                ● The final roster spots will be filled during the 2018 PBA League draft on Saturday, Feb. 17, at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, site of the Go Bowling! PBA 60th Anniversary Classic. Xtra Frame will cover the draft live.

iv.                                 

v.                                ● The draft order will be in reverse order of finishing positions in 2017 for both rounds (No. 8 Brooklyn will select first followed by Motown, NYC, L.A., Philadelphia, Silver Lake, Portland and Dallas. There will not be a “serpentine” reverse order this year.

vi.                                 

● Players eligible to be drafted will consist of the top 75 PBA players on the PBA Tour/WBT earnings list for 2017 plus 2018 events through the PBA Tournament of Champions, which ends Feb. 11. Note that players from 2017 teams left off the protected list will not be automatically eligible; they must be on the top 75 earnings list to be eligible. The eligibility list will be published on Monday, Feb. 12, and those players must then declare for the draft by Thursday, Feb. 15.

PBA STAR DANNY WISEMAN ELECTED TO USBC HALL OF FAME

Baltimore’s Danny Wiseman, a 12-time PBA Tour champion and 2013 PBA Hall of Fame inductee, has been elected to the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame along with former PWBA star Tennelle Milligan.

Wiseman, 50, won his only major title in the 2004 USBC Masters which was contested on specially-constructed lanes in the infield of Miller Park in Milwaukee. It was the first championship bowling event ever held in a major league baseball stadium. He will be inducted during ceremonies as part of the USBC Annual Meeting at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev., on April 25.

PBA REGIONAL UPDATE: REGIONAL PROGRAM RETURNS JAN. 19-21

PBA’s Regional tournament program is taking a break over the holidays, returning to action in the PBA Central Region over the Jan. 19-21 weekend with the PBA/PBA50 Don Vay Memorial Central Classic at Legend Lanes in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

● The PBA South Region returns to action in February with the PBA and PBA50 Break Point Alley Challenge events, both open to players who have not won a PBA title. Break Point Alley in Tavares, Fla., will host the doubleheader over the Feb. 9-11 weekend.

● The PBA South Region’s second weekend of competition includes the PBA50 Dave Edwards Toyota Spartanburg South Open at Paradise Lanes in Spartanburg, S.C., over the Feb. 16-18 weekend.

● 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 device users using the new PBA app).

QUICK NOTES

● Three-time PBA Regional champion Missy Parkin and husband Drew are the elated parents of their first child, Drew Steven Parkin Jr., who arrived on Dec. 30 at 6:41 a.m., weighing in at 8 lbs., 6 oz., and measuring 19 inches long.

● Former PBA member Jack Horner of Belpre, Ohio, died Dec. 30 at the age of 87. Horner, who was a PBA member from 1972 to 2001, owned one PBA regional title. He competed on the PBA50 Tour for several years compiling 11 match play appearances and 37 cashes in 129 tournaments. He was a member of the Parkersburg and West Virginia Bowling Halls of Fame.

● Neil Gahl of Wilton, N.Y., is the winner of a new high-performance ball from DV8; Allen Pankow of Lonsdale, Minn., will receive a new high-performance ball from MOTIV, and Kelly Lake of East Palatka, Fla., wins a new Brunswick ball as December sweepstakes winners for subscribing to Xtra Frame. The monthly sweepstakes is sponsored by the respective PBA Product Registered partners. Monthly winners are selected from among new Xtra Frame subscribers, who are automatically entered when they enroll as a monthly or Xtra Frame Season Ticket (full year) subscriber.

● Brian Knauer is the December winner of a $200 HotelPlanner.com certificate, redeemable for future lodging expenses, compliments of PBA’s official travel partner. The monthly sweepstakes is open to anyone who books a hotel through the HotelPlanner.com link on pba.com. Those who book through HotelPlanner.com are automatically entered.

PILLER TO PLAY IN DIAMOND RESORTS INVITATIONAL

GERINA PILLER TO PLAY IN DIAMOND RESORTS INVITATIONAL – JOINS FIELD OF LPGA, PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

AND CELEBRITY STARS, JAN 12-14

 

Expectant mom opens 2018 season at tournament benefiting

Florida Hospital for Children

Jan. 3, 2018 (ORLANDO, Fla.) – Gerina Piller, carving a popular niche as a late blooming American LPGA star, will make her 2018 season debut at the Diamond Resorts Invitational™ benefiting Florida Hospital for Children, Jan. 12-14 at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Pregnant with her first child during the LPGA’s CME Tour Championship in November, it was assumed Piller’s next professional tournament would be in the gallery rooting for her husband, Martin Piller, who plays on the PGA TOUR.

“I’m feeling good and I want to stay sharp, so I’m looking forward to teeing it up against the men, both pros and celebrities,” said Piller. “The unique format of the Diamond Resorts Invitational™ makes it special and it’s important that the LPGA is a key component.”

Nationally televised all three days on Golf Channel, the Diamond Resorts Invitational™ benefits Florida Hospital for Children, recently named one of the top children’s hospitals in the country. The event is recognized as the most unique format in tournament golf, with golf professionals and celebrities competing side-by-side for separate purses totaling $1.25 million. Last year’s event captured the golf world’s imagination, raising curiosity and popularity among media, sponsors and the public to unanticipated levels.

“Gerina is an incredibly talented golfer and we’re excited to have her join us on the course in just a few days,” said Mike Flaskey, Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Resorts International®. “No one expected her to compete this year, so we’re honored she decided to join our field of LPGA stars for the tournament.”

As opposed to today’s younger generation of golf professionals, who started playing as kids and found success in their teenage years, 32-year-old Piller is cut from the old-school cloth. She is an all-around athlete, who excelled in multiple sports before finding her way to golf at age 15. She went on to succeed on the collegiate level and then with the LPGA. Her unique path to success is an exception to the rule in the women’s golf world of today, making her rise through the American ranks a captivating flashback. Her story and route to stardom reflect past stars such as her mentor, Juli Inkster.

Piller turned professional in 2007 and joined the LPGA Tour in 2011. She played in 22 tournaments in 2017, making the cut in 21 with five top 10 finishes, including a third place, earning $541,977 and finishing 34^th on the money list. She’s played in the last three Solheim Cups, dropping an 8-foot putt on the 18th hole during the 2015 competition in Germany to stave-off a European victory in an incredible comeback. Piller also represented the U.S. at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, finishing tied for 11^th place.

The 2018 Diamond Resorts Invitational™ will feature 28 PGA TOUR Champions players, four LPGA stars: Piller and Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Lang, and Brooke Henderson (Paula Creamer recently withdrew from the event to provide her surgically repaired wrist additional time to recuperate); and 52 top-tier athletes and entertainment celebrities in two distinct competitions utilizing a Modified Stableford scoring format, which awards points as opposed to strokes – similar to the PGA TOUR’s Barracuda Championship.

Both PGA TOUR Champions and LPGA players will compete for $750,000 over the 54-hole tournament, while the celebrities will play for a $500,000 purse. Threesomes will include one PGA TOUR Champions Tour or LPGA professional and two celebrities. The singular format allows for a distinct competition, as all professionals and celebrities play their own ball and compete from the same tees for 54 holes.

The Diamond Resorts Invitational™ is the PGA TOUR Champions final Challenge Season tournament before the Regular Season opening event the following week, January 19-21 at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii.

Tournament week will begin Thursday, January 11 with the fifth-annual Brian Gay Pro-Am presented by Diamond Resorts International®. Gay, a four-time PGA TOUR winner and longtime Orlando resident, will serve as host of the 18-hole celebrity-amateur competition, which will feature foursomes comprised of three amateurs and one celebrity or PGA TOUR player. An evening dinner and concert at Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club, one of Diamond Resorts’ flagship resorts in Orlando, will complement Thursday’s events.

Saturday evening will be a highlight of the tournament with a gourmet dinner and concert featuring country music stars Jana Kramer and Cole Swindell, both Diamond Resorts Ambassadors. Previous headliners have featured Jake Owen, Huey Lewis and the News, and Darius Rucker. The accompanying live and silent auctions have helped raised more than $2.3 million for Florida Hospital for Children.

The tournament site, Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Orlando, is unique to Central Florida for its varying elevation, abundant wildlife and protected wetlands. Originally built in 1992 and designed by Tom Fazio, the golf course was enhanced by Fazio for its October 2014 reopening. The course is a par 71 and plays to 6,901 yards.

For more information on the Diamond Resorts Invitational™, please visit DRIGolf.com.

 

RUMBLE PONIES ANNOUNCE 2018 STAFF

Rumble Ponies Announce 2018 Field Staff

BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are proud to announce Luis Rojas will return to the Southern Tier to serve as the team’s manager for the 2018 season. Rojas will be joined by pitching coach Frank Viola, hitting coach Valentino Pascucci, bench coach Luis Rivera, athletic trainer Bob Grimes and strength and conditioning coach Kory Wan.
Rojas looks to build off a stellar 2017 season in Binghamton. In his first year managing at Double-A, Rojas mixed dominant pitching with timely hitting and impeccable defense to produce an 85-win season and a trip to the playoffs.
Rojas made his managerial debut in the organization with the GCL Mets (R) in 2011. He led the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low-A) from 2012 to 2014, a three-year stretch that included a South Atlantic League Championship in 2013. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native spent two seasons in the Florida State League with the St. Lucie Mets (High-A) before joining the Rumble Ponies.
Viola brings an impressive resume to Binghamton. The Long Island native won 176 games during a 15-year Major League playing career that included three seasons with the New York Mets. Among his many accomplishments, Viola was named to three All-Star Games, won the 1988 American League Cy Young Award, and was the 1987 World Series MVP. He won at least 20 games in a season twice, including a career-best 24 in 1988 with the Minnesota Twins.
Viola enters his seventh season coaching in the Mets organization. He joins the Rumble Ponies after spending the previous four seasons as pitching coach for the Las Vegas 51’s (AAA). Viola also coached with the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low-A) and Brooklyn Cyclones (SS-A).
Pascucci enters his second season as hitting coach for the Rumble Ponies and his fifth overall season as a coach in the Mets system. He belted 305 home runs during a 15-year playing career that included one stint with the New York Mets in 2011. Selected by the Montreal Expos in the 15^th round of the 1999 draft, Pascucci made his Major League debut with the team in 2004.
Pascucci enjoyed a two-season stint in Japan with Chiba Lotte that included a championship in 2005 under former Mets manager Bobby Valentine. He returned to the States in 2010 and played parts of three seasons in the Mets organization.
Rivera returns to Binghamton after spending the last three seasons as manager for the Kingsport Mets (R) of the Appalachian League. In 2014, Rivera served as hitting coach for the Binghamton Mets and helped lead the team to an Eastern League championship.
Grimes returns for his third season as the team’s athletic trainer and 30^th season overall in professional baseball. Before joining the Mets in 2016, he spent 27 years in the Chicago Cubs organization.
Kory Wan returns to the Rumble Ponies for his second season in Binghamton. The 2018 season will be his fourth in the Mets system. A 2013 graduate of St. Leo University, Wan has spent time with the Kingsport Mets (R) and Savannah Sand Gnats (Low-A).
The Rumble Ponies open the 2018 season at home on Thursday, April 5 against the Portland Sea Dogs (AA-Red Sox). Download the entire Rumble Ponies schedule at www.BINGRP.com today.

WSOB CONCLUDES ON SUNDAY

Sunday On ESPN: GEICO WSOB IX Concludes

with World Bowling Tour Finals at 1 p.m. ET

RENO, Nev. (Jan. 3, 2018) – ESPN’s coverage of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IX presented by Eldorado Resorts Reno Properties concludes with the seventh World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals presented by PBA Sunday at 1 p.m. EST from the National Bowling Stadium.

After competing in selected PBA-WBT international events in 2017, the top three points earners in men’s and women’s divisions earned berths in separate stepladder finals which are part of the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA ESPN schedule.

Competing in the women’s semifinal match will be No. 3 qualifier Shalin Zulkifli, an international star from Malaysia, against two-time defending WBT Finals champion Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., the No. 2 qualifier. The winner will take on top qualifier Diana Zavjalova of Latvia for the championship and a $12,000 first prize.

In the men’s semifinal, No. 3 qualifier Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., will try to improve upon his third-place finish in 2017, meeting PBA World Championship runner-up Jesper Svensson of Sweden, in the semifinal match with the winner taking on top qualifier and PBA World Championship winner Jason Belmonte of Australia. The men’s winner will also receive $12,000.

Belmonte will be trying for his first WBT Finals victory after winning the PBA World Championship – his record third major title of the 2017 season – earlier in WSOB IX.

The WBT Finals will once again feature World Bowling’s  “Current Frame” scoring system, where players earn 30 pins a frame for each strike, 10 pins plus the total from their first shot of that frame for a spare, or actual total pinfall for the frame for an open frame. The alternative scoring format consists of 10 frames, the same as in a traditional game, but there are no additional shots in the 10th frame if a player strikes or spares. The maximum score is still 300 if a player strikes in all 10 frames.

The WBT Finals was established in 2011 when the PBA and World Bowling joined forces to conduct several PBA/WBT international events during the season. The Finals, which does not count for an official PBA title, was created to showcase the top men and women performers who competed in professional events around the globe.