PBA RETURNS TO THUNDERBOWL LANES

PBA Fall Swing Returns to Detroit’s Historic Thunderbowl Lanes

Multi-event Wolf, Bear, Badger, Detroit Opens and King of Swing to air on CBS Sports Network

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (Aug. 23, 2016) – Detroit’s Thunderbowl Lanes has seen enough bowling history to fill a half dozen books on bowling lore, and it isn’t finished making an impact of the sport’s history.

The next chapter will be written when Professional Bowlers Association players from around the world return to suburban Allen Park Sept. 4-11 for the multi-event PBA Fall Swing, featuring the Wolf, Bear, Badger and Detroit Opens plus a Fall King of the Swing special event. All five events will conclude with stepladder finals televised by CBS Sports Network on five consecutive Wednesday nights beginning Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. ET.

There is a lot on the line for PBA Tour players during this event, including berths in the lucrative DHC PBA Japan Invitational next January in Tokyo and four PBA Tour titles that could have a significant impact on the 2016 PBA Player and Rookie of the Year races.

In addition to Wolf, Badger, Bear and Detroit Open titles, PBA members will be competing for invitations to participate in the 2017 Japan Invitational. The top 10 based on total earnings for the Fall Swing will be invited to participate in Japan along with defending champion Amleto Monacelli, one PWBA-PBA Women’s member, three players selected by tournament sponsor DHC, one Korea PBA member, and 16 Japan PBA representatives. The 32-game head-to-head match play event in Japan will offer a $189,000 prize fund with $40,000 and a PBA Tour title to the winner (if he/she is a PBA member).

Thunderbowl Lanes was the birthplace of the multi-event PBA tournament concept, originating with the inaugural PBA World Series of Bowling in 2009. The PBA Fall Swing, previously called the PBA Summer Swing when it was held previously in Milwaukee (2013) and Shawnee, Okla. (2014 and ’15), is a modified version of the WSOB. The Fall Swing will include competition on three diverse lane conditions – the 32-foot Wolf pattern, the shortest lane oiling pattern in PBA competition; the 52-foot Badger pattern, the longest application of oil in PBA competition, and the 40-foot, flat, U.S. Open-style Bear pattern, one of the most difficult lane conditions in the sport. Cumulative qualifying pinfall totals for all three diverse animal pattern events will determine the 24 match play finalists for the Detroit Open.

The King of the Swing special event is unique to the Fall Swing, featuring a made-for-TV showdown including the winners of the four Fall Swing tournaments plus the player with the highest points total in the four events without a title.

Something else that will be new to Detroit bowling fans will be a showcase for the newest generation of high-rev young players, led by Sweden’s two-handed lefty, Jesper Svensson, PBA’s 2015 Rookie of the Year and the only player in PBA history to win five PBA Tour titles by the time he turned 21, and Texas two-handed teenager Anthony Simonsen, a two-time winner in 2016, including becoming the youngest player ever to win the USBC Masters. Detroit fans also will get a chance to watch Gary Faulkner Jr., who became the second African-American to win a PBA Tour title when he won the PBA World Championship during the 2015 PBA World Series of Bowling VII in Reno.

These talented young players, plus several others, will do battle against a group of established PBA stars, including Hall of Famers Pete Weber, Norm Duke, Parker Bohn III, Amleto Monacelli, Walter Ray Williams Jr., and the most successful Summer/Fall Swing player, Bill O’Neill, who has made nine television appearances and won two titles plus two King of the Swing special events in the first three years of the “swing.”

The Fall Swing also could play a significant role in Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte’s bid to win a fourth consecutive PBA Player of the Year award. Belmonte has yet to win a title in 2016, trailing the new generation of two-handed players he helped influence, but he has an excellent record in Summer/Fall Swing competition, second only to O’Neill with seven TV finals and two titles in previous three events.

All preliminary rounds of the PBA Fall Swing will be covered live, exclusively by PBA’s online video-streaming service, Xtra Frame. For subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link. Three-day, 30-day and full year subscriptions are available.

The five CBS Sports Network stepladder finals will be conducted on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11, in the famous Thunderbowl Arena. Admission tickets for the television shows are available on pba.com/tickets for $30 for a full-day pass, or $20 for each individual show. Admission for the preliminary qualifying and match play rounds will be $10 for individual squads and $15 for all-day passes.

PBA FALL SWING SCHEDULE

Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.

Sunday, Sept. 4

11 a.m. – A Squad practice session.

2:30 p.m. – B squad practice session.

6 p.m. – Pro-am.

Monday, Sept. 5, Wolf Open

8 a.m. – A Squad, 6 qualifying games.

2 p.m. – B Squad, 6 qualifying games.

  Top 18 after 6 games advance

7:30 p.m. – Top 18 qualifiers, 6 qualifying games.

  Top 5 after 12 games advance to CBS Sports Network stepladder finals.

Tuesday, Sept. 6, Bear Open

8 a.m. – B Squad, 6 qualifying games.

2 p.m. – A Squad, 6 qualifying games.

  Top 18 after 6 games advance

7:30 p.m. – Top 18 qualifiers, 6 qualifying games.

  Top 5 after 12 games advance to CBS Sports Network stepladder finals.

Wednesday, Sept. 7, Badger Open

8 a.m. – A Squad, 6 qualifying games.

2 p.m. – B Squad, 6 qualifying games.

  Top 18 after 6 games advance

7:30 p.m. – Top 18 qualifiers, 6 qualifying games.

  Top 5 after 12 games advance to CBS Sports Network stepladder finals.

  Top 18 based on 18-game qualifying totals for Wolf, Bear and Badger Opens advance to Detroit Open match play finals.

Thursday, Sept. 8, Detroit Open

10 a.m. – 6 games round-robin match play, Wolf pattern.

2 p.m. – 6 games round-robin match play, Bear pattern.

6 p.m. – 6 games round-robin match play, Badger pattern.

  Top 5 after 36 games of qualifying and match play advance to CBS Sports Network stepladder finals.

Friday, Sept. 9

Television setup and PBA practice day.

Saturday, Sept. 10 (Thunderbowl Arena)

10 a.m. – PBA Wolf Championship stepladder finals (CBS Sports Network, to air Wednesday, Sept. 21, 9 p.m. ET).

2 p.m. – PBA Bear Championship stepladder finals (CBS Sports Network, to air Wednesday, Sept. 28, 9 p.m. ET).

4:30 p.m. – PBA Badger Championship stepladder finals (CBS Sports Network, to air Wednesday, Oct. 5, 9 p.m. ET).

Sunday, Sept. 11 (Thunderbowl Arena)

11 a.m. – PBA Detroit Open stepladder finals (CBS Sports Network, to air Wednesday, Oct. 12, 9 p.m. ET).

1:30 p.m. – PBA Fall King of the Swing stepladder finals (CBS Sports Network, to air Wednesday, Oct. 19, 9 p.m. ET).

About the PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is an organization of more than 3,200 of the best bowlers from 27 countries who compete in PBA Tour, PBA International Tour, PBA Regional and PBA50 Tour events. The PBA is in its 56th consecutive year of nationally-televised competition, reaching more than one million American households and thousands more around the world who watch PBA activities on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel. PBA sponsors include Barbasol, Bowlmor AMF, Brunswick, Concrete Software, Ebonite International, GEICO, HotelPlanner.com, MOTIV, Rolltech, Storm Products and the United States Bowling Congress, among others. For more information, log on to www.pba.com.

EARNEST WINS ROCHESTER PWBA OPEN

EARNEST CLIMBS LADDER TO WIN PWBA ROCHESTER OPEN TITLE
ADDISON, Ill. – To calm herself as she looked to capture her first Professional Women’s Bowling Association title, Josie Earnest thought about the patches she received as a youth bowler, the ones that reminded her that bowling is fun.
The technique apparently worked for the Nashville, Tennessee, resident as Earnest won three matches in the stepladder finals, including a 229-180 victory over Shannon O’Keefe of O’Fallon, Illinois, in the title match, to capture the PWBA Rochester Open title.
“It means everything,” Earnest said of winning her first PWBA title. “It’s pretty cliché to say, but I think growing up you compete, you go to college, and you look forward to bowling professionally. The icing on the cake is winning a title. You want to live out your dream, and I’m just really excited I was able to do it in Season 2.”
Earnest’s road to the title meant going through a United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer and a 2016 major title winner before taking on O’Keefe, one of the top competitors on the PWBA Tour this season.
Earnest started with a 187-159 victory over USBC Hall of Famer Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas. Earnest then struck in six of the first eight frames of the semifinal match in a 238-214 victory over Colombia native Clara Guerrero, who won the Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship earlier this season.
“In some ways, it’s difficult because you have three really fantastic competitors you have to beat to get there,” Earnest said about her road to the title. “At the same time, it allowed me to get comfortable. I was nervous that first match; it was one of my first matches on TV in a long time and I was bowling against a hall of famer. You try to eliminate those distractions. But it allowed me to get comfortable.”
Earnest’s last TV appearance came in 2012 at the USBC Queens, held at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas. She bowled well in the opening match but lost to Liz Johnson, 268-223. She would make the stepladder finals of the PWBA Detroit Open last season, beating Kelly Kulick in the opening match before falling to Johnson in the semifinal.
Against top-seed O’Keefe in the title match, Earnest was facing a competitor who was making her fifth championship-round appearance and who was seeking her fourth title of the 2016 PWBA season.
“You just have eliminate that thought,” Earnest said. “I kept thinking of those patches you would get as a youth bowler that said BIF, Bowling Is Fun. I said before the match that the sun would come up tomorrow whether I shoot 100 or 250, so I’m just going to go out and enjoy the moment because you never know how many of those you will have.”
Starting in the fourth frame, Earnest strung together four strikes, while O’Keefe opened in the sixth after leaving the 4-6-7, helping Earnest coast to the win and qualify for the season-ending Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship, set for  Sept. 1-4  at Uptown Alley in Midlothian, Virginia.
All 2016 tournament champions, who are PWBA members at the time of their victory, receive an automatic invitation to the 16-player Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship. The remainder of the field is filled through the points list.
Earnest, who is the assistant women’s bowling coach at Vanderbilt University, said her family, who owns a bowling center, always have been a motivating factor, but her players also push her to be better as a competitor.
“My girls really inspire me to be better and give them something to look up to,” said Earnest, who bowled at Vanderbilt and was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2013, the first member of the bowling program to earn the honor. “It’s exciting to know they are excited for you. I had a couple of them in the stands, and it’s exciting for them to see it and want to be here someday.”
The qualifying and match-play rounds of the PWBA Rochester Open took place July 8-9 at AMF Gates Lanes in Rochester, New York. The stepladder finals were held Aug. 7 at Stardust Bowl in conjunction with the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open, along with the PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open finals which will air on CBS Sports Network on Aug. 30.
Go to PWBA.com for more information about the PWBA, including news, player biographies and more.
About the PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) originally was formed in 1960. The PWBA Tour has events throughout the country, offering high-level competition and top prize money for women bowlers. The PWBA is supported by the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA) and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).

GOLFING HIGHLIGHTS COLUMN

Good Golfing & Food At Cricket Hill



     An interesting 18-hole layout awaits golfers at the Cricket Hill Golf Course near Hawley, Pa.

      If you like an  enjoyable contrast between the front and back nine's then  Cricket Hill  offers golfers that challenge.

     Arriving at Cricket Hill last week we had the pleasure of meeting Golf Course Manager Christine McCarthy and Jim Carachio who leases and cooks up great food at Jiminy's Pub and Grill. We had the pleasure of also meeting waitress Amber Watkins who was returning this week to her sophomore year at Wilson College.
   The three are an outstanding staff ready to help golfers enjoy a nice round on the links and good food and drinks in Jiminy's.

     Ownership at Cricket Hill includes Dr. Fred Mancuso, a Carbondale, Pa. chiropractor and his brother David Mancuso who owns and operates a beer distributorship also located in Carbondale. 

    This 18-hole public golf course is located at 176 Cricket Hill Road, Hawley and offers three sets of tee boxes for a fun, but challenging golfing experience. The golf course is easily reached and is a short distance from Narrowsburg off of Route 6 between Honesdale and Hawley.

    From the blue tees the course for the front nine plays 2,954 yards and the back nine plays 2,542 yards for a total course yardage of 5,496.

    The slope and rating from the blue tees is 115 and 67.5. The front nine par is 36 and the back nine par is 35 for a total par of 71.

    This golf facility was originally a farm and a farmer with the last name of Becker is said to have designed and built the first nine holes sometime in  the 50's and later added a hotel, swimming pool and campground.

    The back nine of the course was built in 1987 but no background information was available as to who designed the layout which offers a totally different venue then the front nine.

    Holes 1-9 gives golfers a more open course and hole 10-18 is tighter and requires more accuracy ..... you will enjoy the interesting dog legs on the back nine.

    Special at the club include the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 18-holes of golf with cart and lunch for $31. Golf rates with a cart during week days is $18 for 9 holes and $28 for 18. You can walk the course for $10 for 9 and $18 for 18. Weekend rates with cart is $20 for 9 and $37 for 18. Walking rates are not available until noon.

    Golf leagues compete at Cricket Hill Monday through Friday afternoons with leagues also on Thursday and Friday mornings.

    The course is also the home of the Lake Wallenpaupack High School golf team.

    Manager Christine noted that special memberships are presently available which if you buy next year's membership now your new membership includes the remainder of this season also. Memberships are available for singles, couples, senior's, senior couples and juniors (under 16).  For additional membership information and tee times call Chris at 570-226-4366.  

    The overall upkeep and maintenance of the course is good and Jim serves up a nice selection of golf club food.

    Additional photos of the course are available at http:// bght.blogspot.com



Ed's Outlook


  Our search for the areas most difficult golf holes took us last week to the Cricket Hill Golf Club near Hawley, Pa.

  Although we found some interesting challenges at Cricket Hill the 442-yard par 5 (12 th hole) is easily defined as the No. 1 handicap hole. The hole starts out with an immediate dogleg left. This is not the place to use your driver and club selection is a key on this tee shot. A driver can easily put you out of bounds in the woods. The hole continues to offer a challenge as their is a large pond on the left which requires a fairway shot to the right center of the fairway. There are no traps on this green but water comes into play again in back of this green. A nicely designed hole but accuracy is a must for a par on this hole.

  Hole No. 5 is a 410-yard par 4 and one of the most interesting golf holes on the front nine. Best to take your tee shot down the right side of the fairway as there is a pond near the left center portion of this fairway. Keeping the ball right helps to keep you from having to shoot over this pond down a hill and onto the green. As golfers shoot their approach shot they will notice a pole with a rope and bell on it. This is used to alert golfers on the fifth tee that they have taken their approach shot and will be out of the way on any tee shots as golfers on the tee cannot see that portion of the fairway. We rang the bell not knowing what it was for and sort of (jokingly) hope that by ringing the bell the clubhouse would have brought us out sandwiches and liquid refreshments. Club selection is important on this approach shot to the green which is downhill from where the bell is located. Take the approach shot to the left center portion of the green for best scoring. There are no traps on this green.



 Golf Tip

 By Robert Menges



    How To Hit Out Of A Divot.

    Sometimes you hit a great drive right down the middle of the fairway and think you have an easy shot to the green, only when you get to your ball you find it sitting in the middle of a divot that someone didn't replace.

   Unfortunately, due to a rule called rub of the green, you must play  the ball where it lies and hit the ball out of the divot.

    Instead of being upset about your predicament, if you just make a few adjustments this shot is quite easy.  First, you should always use one more club than you would normally use from that yardage. After you have selected your club, you should grip down, or choke down on the club.

    When you aim, try to aim more left than usual (this is for right-handed golfers), as the ball will have a tendency to curve to the right after impact.

    Try to play the ball more towards the back of the stance, this should make the ball fly lower than normal and put more spin on it.

    When you make your swing be sure to hit down on the ball and drive through it with some acceleration. A full follow through is not necessary, keep your arms and hands low through impact and hit more of a punch shot.

    The key to this shot is to make contact with the ball first and then drive the club through the shot keeping your head still.

    Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by phone at 845- 292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net

       

 The Putting Tip    

 By Joe Bermel


      Most important barameter for building putting skills is MOTIVATION.

      The student golfers I have taught over the years that improve the most are those that are motivated the most.

       Practicing diligently what they learn.

       Performing the putting drills every practice session.

       Building better putting skllls is an ongoing process. Try EVERY week.

       Joe Bermel is available for private lessons, group, corporate, organization and golf shows-tournaments. His special edition DVD "How To Putt Well" is available at his web site www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by calling 631-589-1384.


     Ed Townsend is a Public Relations consultant to the sport of golf and brings over 60-years of sports journalism experience in writing and compiling the information for this column. If you have league or tournament information, shoot a hole-in-one or even shoot your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email at edwardctonsend@hotmail.com or fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and Ed's photos at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.

                                                                                      

        

                                                                                                                      

                                                                        

The large pond on the left fairway of Hole No. 12 at the Cricket Hill Golf Club helps to make this hole the most difficult to score a par on. An interesting dog leg to the left greets golfers off the tee.

                                                        
                                                                         

 Liberty Golfer Charlie Winters rings the bell on the 5th fairway at the Cricket Hill Golf Course. The bell is used to alert golfers on the 5th tee that the fairway is clear for their tee shots. An interesting use of a cow bell on a golf course...never seen one like this before.        
                                                                         

                                                                           

                                                                             

                                                                              


                                                                                 

                                                                              

                                                                             

                                                                            

IRON PIGS BLANK SWB

IronPigs Blank SWB

RailRiders Suffer Largest Loss of 2016

Allentown, Pa. – The SWB RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) suffered their worst loss of 2016, an 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies) at Coca-Cola Park on Tuesday night. The RailRiders (81-49) still claimed the IronRail rivalry trophy with 10 wins among the teams’ 18 regular-season meetings. The IronPigs (77-53) posted their 16^th shutout win of the season.

J.P. Crawford’s fifth-inning sac fly sent Brock Stassi home for the game’s first run. An inning later, Stassi singled Darin Ruf across the plate for a 2-0 margin.

Crooked numbers came with a four-run seventh and two-run eighth.  Cody Asche and Andrew Knapp combined on back-to-back two-out, two-run doubles in the seventh while Jesmuel Valentin delivered a two-run homer an inning later.

The RailRiders had their chances to score late, but left the bases loaded in the eighth and ninth.

SWB starter Brady Lail (6-5) allowed just two runs over 5.2 innings, but suffered the loss. Lehigh Valley starter Ben Lively (9-5) notched his MiLB-best 16^th overall win between Double-A and Triple-A. He cruised through six innings of one-hit ball on 48 pitches (37 strikes).

The RailRiders’ road trip shifts to Syracuse for a two-game series against the Chiefs (Washington Nationals) at NBT Bank Stadium. It starts at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday night with SWB’s Luis Severino (7-1, 3.38) scheduled to oppose fellow right-hander Taylor Hill (6-11, 4.62).

The RailRiders return home for a short two-game stay at PNC field on Friday, Aug. 26 against the Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins). It will be Pierogi Night at the park, presented by T&L Pierogies. The team will change its nickname and colors for the night, donning uniforms as the “SWB Pierogies”. For tickets or more information, please call 570-969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailriders.com.

B-METS WIN 9-1 OVER HARTFORD

Knapp Dazzles, B-Mets Cruise, 9-1

BINGHAMTON, NY- Ricky Knapp struck out a career-high ten batters and tossed a nine-inning complete game as the Binghamton Mets defeated the Hartford Yard Goats, 9-1, Tuesday night at NYSEG Stadium. Amed Rosario highlighted a 15-hit performance with three hits and three RBI.
The B-Mets started fast in the bottom of the first as Champ Stuart singled and stole second. Rosario then drove a double to left-center, bringing Stuart in. Dominic Smith singled to right in the ensuing at bat and Rosario scored from second to give Binghamton a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth, Matt Oberste belted a leadoff, line drive homer to left-center to add to the B-Mets lead. Victor Cruzado then singled and took third on a Jayce Boyd single. Xorge Carrillo lofted a sacrifice fly to left in the ensuing at bat, scoring Cruzado to make it 4-0.
Binghamton poured it on in the fifth. Phillip Evans lined a leadoff single then scored when Rosario doubled to left. Dominic Smith followed with a double of his own, scoring Rosario and extending the B-Met lead to 6-0.
Meanwhile, Ricky Knapp mowed down the Yard Goats offense. Knapp carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning but allowed a leadoff walk to Matt Pierpont. Wilson Soriano then roped a double to left, scoring Pierpont to end both the no-hit and shutout bid.
The B-Mets padded their advantage as Stuart singled in Carrillo in the sixth and Smith scored when Boyd bounced into a double play in the seventh. Rosario drove in Stuart with a single in the eighth to make it 9-1.
Knapp (4-0) picked up the win and tossed a nine-inning complete game, the first by a B-Met in 2016. He struck out a career-high ten batters and allowed one run on three hits.
Rosario finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI, Smith went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI and Carrillo was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
The finale of the season series between the B-Mets and the Yard Goats is set for 6:35 PM on Wednesday. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 6:20 PM on News Radio 1290, WNBF and the Binghamton Mets channel on TuneIn.
POSTGAME NOTES: Ricky Knapp’s nine-inning complete game was the first by a B-Met since Gabriel Ynoa on July 2, 2015…it was Knapp’s sixth complete game of his career and his first nine-inning complete game…Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario each recorded their second consecutive multi-hit game.
Season tickets and mini packs are on sale now and may be purchased in person at NYSEG Stadium or by visiting www.bmets.com or calling (607) 723-METS.
Be sure to follow the B-Mets on Facebook, Twitter and at the team’s official website (www.bmets.com) for more team information. Fans can also stay up to date with all the action on the field by visiting “B-Mets Buzz with Tim Heiman” at bmets.mlblogs.com

LPGA QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT

First Stage of LPGA Qualifying Tournament

Mission Hills Country Club – Dinah Shore, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player Courses

Rancho Mirage, CA

August 22-28, 2016

Storylines

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA, August 22, 2016 – First stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament began on Monday, August 22 and concludes on Sunday, August 28, 2016 at the Mission Hills Country Club, Dinah Shore, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player Courses.

The top-60 players and ties from this week will advance to the second stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice Florida. There are 347 players (including 93 amateurs) in the field competing this week. This year’s roster of 347 is a notable increase from the 283 players that competed in the 2015 Stage I Qualifying Tournament. In 2015, 22 players advanced from Stage I through to the Final Stage.

There will be a cut after three rounds. The top 130 and ties will play the final-round. The low 90 and ties after four rounds will advance to Stage II of LPGA Qualifying Tournament the week of October 17-23 in Venice, Florida.

All players who complete 54 holes will receive Symetra Tour status for 2017.

BACKGROUND: FORMAT, CRITERIA, RULES

Competitors gained entry to this week’s tournament by fulfilling one of three field criteria: 1) 2016 Symetra Tour Members not ranked or ranked outside the top 150 on the 2016 Symetra Tour Official Money list through the Decatur-Forsyth Classic; 2) any player moving from Stage II to Stage I, as described in the field criteria for Stage II; and 3) all amateur and professional players who are not current LPGA Tour Members and not ranked or ranked outside the top 400 on the Rolex World Rankings, as of the entry deadline. Competitors must also be 18 years of age or older by January 1, 2017.

Format is 72 holes of stroke-play competition with a cut made after the third round. For the first three rounds, the competitors will play one round each on the Arnold Palmer, Dinah Shore, and Gary Player Courses. The final round on Sunday, August 28 will be played on the Dinah Shore Course. Estimated start time is 7:00 a.m. from Round One on Thursday through the Final Round on Sunday. 

The 88 Rule will apply, and any player that has a score of 88-or-higher prior to the cut will automatically be withdrawn from the Qualifying Tournament and will not be eligible to receive any type of Symetra Tour status for 2017.

White line yardage for the three 72-par courses are: Dinah Shore (6,577), Arnold Palmer (6,524), and Gary Player (6,485). 

ROBUST INTERNATIONAL PIPELINE

The international presence for Stage I has grown over the years with a total of 45 countries represented. In 2015, there were 26 different countries outside the United States competing in Stage I. The largest number of international players hail from Canada with a total of 19 competitors. Sweden and the Republic of Korea follow with 17 and 11 players respectively.

Twenty players will be the sole competitor from their country; this includes territories Belgium, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Ecuador, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Morocco, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Russia, Singapore, and Swaziland.

The state with the most players this week is California with 42 players. Behind California are Texas with 24 players and Florida with 18 competitors.

WGCA FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN

Recent Stanford University graduate Lauren Kim (Los Altos, Calif. (AP)) is the only WGCA First Team All-American playing in this week’s competition. During her time with the Stanford Cardinal women’s golf, the team won the national championship in 2015.

WGCA SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

Four competitors in this week’s Qualifying Tournament are WGCA Second Team All-Americans: Lauren Coughlin (Charlottesville, Va) University of Virginia; Frida Gustafsson Spang (Kinna, Sweden (A)) East Carolina University; Maria Stackhouse (Riverdale, Ga.) Stanford University; and Charlotte Thomas (Guildford, England (A)) University of Washington.

FROM RIO TO Q-SCHOOL

Four players competing this week will have just returned from representing their country at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Aditi Ashok (Bangalore, India) was the youngest player to compete in women’s golf at the Olympics at only 18 years of age and was unable to compete last year in the LPGA Qualifying Tournament due to the age requirement. Ashok was the only player from India to play in the Olympics golf field. Her father serves as her caddie and accompanied Ashok at the Olympics. Ashok’s performance at the Summer Games garnered international attention, as she finished 41^st (in a field of 60 competitors) at 7-over for a total of 291 (68-68-79-76).

Tiffany Chan (Hong Kong, Hong Kong) represented Hong Kong at the Rio Olympics as one of only three female amateur golfers in Rio. Chan was the first Hong Kong golfer to perform on an Olympic stage and will be the only player from Hong Kong to compete this week. Chan started golf at the age of six and honed her swing through the Hong Kong Golf Association’s junior development program. Chan finished 37^th in Rio at 4-over for a total of 288 (71-75-73-69).

Maha Haddioui (Agadir, Morocco) was a four-time Academic All-American and NCGA First Team All-American during her time at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. In 2012, she was the first Moroccan golfer to qualify on the Ladies European Tour full time. Haddioui finished 59^th in Rio at 31-over for a total of 315 (82-76-80-77).

Lastly, Michelle Koh (Kuantan, Malaysia) rounds out the four competitors coming from the Rio Olympics where she was one of two women golfers representing Malaysia. Koh turned professional in March 2014 and played in the China LPGA Tour. She won the CTBC Shanghai Ladies Classic on the China LPGA in 2015.  Koh closed at 58^th in Rio at 24-over for a total of 308 (79-71-76-82).

SWB MAGIC NUMBER IS 6

RailRiders Hoist IronRail

SWB Clinches Rivalry Hardware from IronPigs

Allentown, Pa. – The SWB RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) clinched the regular-season series, and with it the rivalry IronRail Trophy, with a 5-3 win over the host Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies) at Coca-Cola Park on Monday. The RailRiders (81-48) have won 10 of the club’s 17 clashes this season with one more to play. The IronPigs (76-53) have lost five of the team’s last six meetings. SWB’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot dropped to six. The team has a 5.0-game lead in the division with 14 games to play.

SWB leadoff man Ben Gamel began the game with a home run, his fifth of the year. Lehigh Valley claimed the lead in the bottom of the inning with a Nick Williams RBI triple and subsequent RBI single from Darin Ruf.

Gamel tied the game in the fourth when his single scored Mason Williams. An inning later, with one out and the bases loaded, Mason Williams spanked a two-run double to right-center for a 4-2 margin.

The IronPigs made it interesting when J.P. Crawford walked with the bases loaded in the sixth.  But three Lehigh Valley errors, all on the infield, combined with an RBI fielder’s choice from Kyle Higashioka for a 5-3 advantage in the ninth.

In his first relief outing of 2016, Dietrich Enns (7-2) tossed three innings of one-run ball for the victory. Reliever Jonathan Holder whiffed a pair in a perfect ninth for his fifth save. Lehigh Valley reliever Hoby Milner (0-1) suffered the loss.

The teams meet for one final time on the regular season at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday night. SWB’s Brady Lail (6-4, 4.91) will face fellow right-hander Ben Lively (8-5, 3.49).

The RailRiders return home for a short two-game stay at PNC field on Friday, Aug. 26 against the Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins). It will be Pierogi Night at the park, presented by T&L Pierogies. The team will change its nickname and colors for the night, donning uniforms as the “SWB Pierogies”. For tickets or more information, please call 570-969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailriders.com.

OFF THE RAILS:

Including his Double-A time this season, Dietrich Enns’ 14 combined wins rank second in the minors. The only man with more? Lehigh Valley’s starter on Tuesday, Ben Lively, who has 15 total triumphs between Double-A and Triple-A.

Enns had not worked in relief since July 18, 2015 while with Advanced-A Tampa.

Rob Refsnyder went 2-for-5 as the three-hole hitter. Since his return from the bigs, he has gone 17-for-35 (.486) as a RailRider.

Donovan Solano finished 2-for-5 with a run scored. He has 10 multi-hit showings over his last 20 SWB games.

Mason Williams reached base three times. He went 2-for-3 with his two-run double, a walk and a run scored.

In his second career start at first base, Pete Kozma robbed Andrew Knapp on a smoked groundball for the game’s final out, a 3-1 putout with reliever Jonathan Holder.

The teams went a collective 5-for-24 (.208) with men in scoring position, stranding 21 total men.

Each of the nine men in SWB’s lineup reached base with a hit and/or a walk.

Ben Gamel lifted his average to a team-best .313 with a two-hit showing.

The RailRiders’ 81 wins match the total of last year’s club which won the IL North at 81-63.