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Bowling News USA - March 5, 2010 Steve Harman Leads in Ohio...Kretzer, Gomez in Contention...

 

Third-year touring player Steve Harman jumped from 14th place into the lead in the Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator Thursday at Sequoia Pro Bowl, averaging 240.86 over 14 qualifying games to take a 45–pin lead over first-round leader Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, Ariz.

Harman, who is trying for his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title, averaged 255 during the second round in his best performance of the season, finishing with a 3,372 pinfall total. Haugen, a two-time PBA Tour title winner, had 3,327 pins.

Harman is using Storm and Roto Grip equipment.

Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa., who won the U.S. Open Sunday in Indianapolis for his first major title and second of the 2009-10 season, was in third place with 3,273 pins followed by Roto Grip's Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio, at 3,249 and Storm's Andres Gomez of Colombia at 3,220.

“It was one of those nights. I really can’t explain it, but it was a big confidence booster for me,” the 36-year-old Harman said. “I got off to a bad start this year in the World Series of Bowling. I got down in the dumps, but lately I’ve been bowling pretty well. Tonight I caught a couple of good breaks in the middle of big strings of strikes in the first couple of games. Then I made a ball change, moved way inside and it seemed like I had the whole lane to work with. Every time I hit the 1-3 pocket, all of the pins fell.”

Two-time defending champion Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, was tied for 14th place after 14 games in his bid for a third straight title in Columbus. Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., is the most recent of five players who have won the same event three consecutive times. Couch won the PBA Tournament of Champions in 1999, 2000 and 2002 (the event was not contested in 2001).

The biggest game of the night was the tournament’s only 300 by Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., in the final game of the night. The perfect game moved him into 29th place, keeping his title hopes alive as the field of 64 was trimmed to 30.

The top 30 will bowl two more seven-game qualifying rounds Friday to narrow the field to the 16 players who will be seeded into four groups of four for Saturday’s Eliminator Rounds. In each of three Eliminator rounds, the bowler with the lowest three-game, total pinfall score will be eliminated.

Saturday’s four surviving players will advance to Sunday’s live ESPN finals starting at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. In Sunday’s finals, the player with the lowest game bowled each round will be eliminated until the champion is decided.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR
ETONIC DON JOHNSON ELIMINATOR
Sequoia Pro Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Thursday

SECOND ROUND (after 14 games)

1, Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 3,372. (Storm/Roto Grip)
2, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 3,327.
3, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,273.
4, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,249. (Roto Grip)
5, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,220. (Storm)
6, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 3,189.
7, Mike Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 3,168.
8, Tim Mack, Indianapolis, 3,155. (Storm)
9, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,152.
10, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,143.
11, Joe Bailey, Doylestown, Ohio, 3,139.
12, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,135. (Storm)
13, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,108.
14, (tie) Osku Palermaa, Finland, (Storm) and Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,103.
16, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 3,091.
17, George Lambert IV, Canada, 3,081.
18, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 3,077. (Roto Grip)
19, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,076.
20, (tie) Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 3,064.
22, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3,054.
23, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,053.
24, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,052. (Storm)
25, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,047.
25, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,047. (Storm)
27, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,045.
28, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,039.
29, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,036.
30, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,034.

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March, 2010