Although he was officially eliminated from the 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year race this week,
Tommy Jones still showed he's one of the strongest forces on the Denny's PBA Tour and will be for years to come. Jones won his second title of the season and his 12th in the last four seasons, defeating PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber, 257-191, to win the 2008 GEICO Classic at AMF Babylon Lanes. Jones, who improved to 34-8 in his career on TV, took home $25,000 for the win while Weber (St. Ann, Mo.) earned $13,000 for second.
The Grand Slam, two Majors in a season, $100,000 and the one accomplishment that has eluded him in his illustrious career. With so much riding on the line, getting a mark in the 10th frame was never more difficult for Norm Duke. Needing any spare to win the 65th Denny's U.S. Open, Duke left the 2-4-5-8. But facing the biggest spare attempt of his career, Duke converted to defeat Mika Koivuniemi, 224-216, to win his fourth career Major and 28th PBA Tour title. 
Mika Koivuniemi (left) went 17-7 in match play to earn the top seed for Sunday's stepladder finals in the 65th Denny's U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone Carolier, the fourth Major and final event of the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour season. As the top seed, Koivuniemi earned an automatic berth in the title match. The first match features 2006-07 PBA Player of the Year Doug Kent taking on last year's Player of the Year runner-up, Norm Duke. The winner of that match will face No. 2 Chris Loschetter. 
Norm Duke has had one of the most interesting seasons of his 26-year career. He's now put himself in position to make it one of the most memorable. Duke, who just a month ago was in danger of losing his Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour exemption, is now looking poised to capture his second Major of the season, going 8-0 Friday evening to move into the lead in the 65th Denny's U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone Carolier. Mika Koivuniemi also made a big run Friday going 7-1 to move up to second. Shannon Buchan sits third while Eugene McCune is fourth.
As late as Thursday evening, it was looking as if an exciting finish to the 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year race was going to end with a whimper instead of a bang. Instead, Chris Barnes (l.) and Walter Ray Williams Jr. (r.) made late runs to stay alive in the 65th Denny’s U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone Carolier. Meanwhile, Brad Angelo continued to the lead the field in hopes of capturing his first career title, finishing the first three days of qualifying with a 4,015 18-game pinfall. 
Brad Angelo (l.) averaged 231.67 Wednesday to take the overall lead after two days with a 2,663 12-game pinfall in the 65th Denny's U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone Carolier, the fourth Major and final event of the 2007-08 season. Finishing second behind Angelo was Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte (r.), who felled 2,640 pins Things are not looking good for Chris Barnes (92nd) and Walter Ray Williams, who sits 125th, in danger of missing the first cut on Thursday. 
Brian Valenta, who has teamed up with Pete Weber for some doubles events recently, used what he has learned from the four-time U.S. Open champion to take the lead after the first day of competition in the 65th Denny's U.S. Open. The two-time USBC Intercollegiate Singles Champion felled 1,381 pins and averaged 230.17 for six games. Two international amateur stars, Dominic Barrett, England (4th) and Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte (8th) finished in the top 10. All 488 bowlers will return Wednesday for the second of three six-game blocks. The field will be cut to the top 25 percent after Thursday's play. 
Pete Weber hasn't had his usual mojo on television this year. In fact, he's been so off-kilter he's even considered losing his signature sunglasses. Weber may mix it up Sunday, he may not. Regardless, he needs his magic for just one game to take home his 35th career Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour title. The PBA Hall of Famer defeated Tommy Delutz Jr., 247-212, in the position round Friday night to earn the top seed for Sunday's stepladder finals of the GEICO Classic at AMF Babylon Lanes.
Pete Weber hasn't had many breaks go his way this season, but he figures two solid weeks to close out the campaign will salvage what has been, by his standards, a slow season. Weber led Thursday's Round of 64 in the 2008 GEICO Classic at AMF Babylon Lanes with a 3,544 14-game pinfall, taking the top seed into Friday's round robin match play. All pinfall carries over into Friday's round robin, where bowlers earn 30 bonus pins for each win and 15 for each tie.
Jason Mahr got the two most difficult tasks of his week accomplished Tuesday and Wednesday. He figures the rest of his week should be easy in comparison. A night after proposing to his girlfriend at a New York Rangers game – and her accepting – Mahr led Wednesday's Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour Qualifying Round for the 2008 GEICO Classic at AMF Babylon Lanes to advance to Thursday's Round of 64. The Round of 64 gets underway Thursday at 10 a.m. EST. The top 32 will advance to match play on Friday. 
Rhino Page (pictured left) figured after four missed opportunities, he had probably blown his chance of winning a title in his rookie. Instead, Page used the motivation of his worst week of the season last week to drive him to a 244-220 win over Jack Jurek in Sunday’s Go RVing Classic to cement what is the greatest rookie season in Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) history. Page, who had already wrapped up an exemption via the PBA World Point Rankings, earned $25,000 for his win. 
Mike Edwards and Jack Jurek were looking at what might have been the last three weeks of their Denny's PBA Tour careers. Now, they'll face off in Sunday's semi-final of the 2008 Go RVing Classic at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center looking to break two of the longest title droughts on Tour. Making a PBA rookie record fifth championship round appearance was Rhino Page (r.), who will face Mike Scroggins in the first match Sunday. The winner receives $25,000 and an exemption for the 2008-09 Denny's PBA Tour. 
Brian Kretzer wasn't in desperate need of a great performance this week, but it certainly won't hurt. Kretzer took a big step toward securing an exemption for the 2008-09 Denny's PBA Tour season, leading the field in Thursday's Round of 64 with a 3,347 14-game pinfall in the 2008 Go RVing Classic. After averaging 244.71 over the first seven games, Kretzer managed a 233.43 over the final seven to take the lead and earn the top seed for Friday's single elimination match play. He will face No. 32 Tom Baker, a PBA Hall of Famer and the three-time reigning PBA Senior Player of the Year. 
After a "week off" as he called it, Rhino Page took some time to work on his game. Unfortunately for his competitors, that time may have made him an even bigger threat than he already was. Page extended his Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) record by qualifying through the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round for the 11th time this season, leading the TQR in the 2008 Go RVing Classic at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center with a 1,621 seven-game pinfall. Page led the TQR field for the fourth time this season, another PBA record.
Chris Barnes (l.) felt all day there was a bigger plan for him on Sunday. There might just be a bigger plan for him at the end of the road as well. Barnes watched as Ken Simard needed three strikes in the 10th to win his first career title, but instead left the 3-10 split with his second shot, giving Barnes a 209-197 win in the 2008 Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic for his 10th career Denny's PBA Tour title. The victory could turn out to be one of the biggest in Barnes' career as it gave him the lead in the 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year race. 
Wes Malott (left) has been as big a supporter of Kelly Kulick as anyone in her two years as a pioneer on the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour, but on Saturday, Malott had to put his support for Kulick aside. Malott defeated Kulick, four-games-to-three, to advance to the finals of the 2008 Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic at Sequoia Pro Bowl, denying Kulick her place in history as the second woman to make the finals of a Denny's PBA Tour event. Kulick was looking to equal the feat accomplished by Liz Johnson, who finished second in the 2005 Banquet Open. 
In her trailblazing season as the first woman to earn a Denny’s PBA Tour exemption, Kelly Kulick never got this far. But using the experience she gained as an exempt bowler and saddled with a new positive attitude, Kulick is one step away from making history again. Kulick defeated Chad Kloss, four-games-to-two, Friday night in the Round of 16 at Sequoia Pro Bowl to advance to Saturday’s Round of 8 in the Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic, where a berth in Sunday’s championship round will be on the line. 
A change in grip and a new moustache are all Ritchie Allen needed to get back in the groove. Allen, one of the more colorful personalities on the Denny's PBA Tour, lead the Round of 64 in the 2008 Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic Thursday at Sequoia Pro Bowl with a 3,295 14-game pinfall. The 29-year-old free spirit said he hadn't made match play since the Motel 6 Dick Weber Open, which was the last time he had a moustache. Allen earned the top seed for Friday's Round of 32, where he will face No. 32 Jason Wojnar.
Edward VanDaniker Jr. (left) has no problem playing second fiddle to Rhino Page, as long as he, too, gets his exemption for the 2008-09 Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. VanDaniker, overshadowed in the world of non-exempt bowlers this season by Page's phenomenal rookie season, continued his quiet march to his own exemption by leading the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round in the 2008 Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic at Sequoia Pro Bowl with a 1,668 seven-game pinfall Tuesday, the ninth time he's qualified through the TQR this season.
Same location, same opponent, different circumstances. Same result. For the second consecutive year, Norm Duke defeated Ryan Shafer to a win a title at Woodland Bowl, but this one meant so much more. Duke, who came into the week on the verge of losing his Denny's Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour exemption, defeated Shafer, 202-165, to win the Denny's World Championship for his third career Major and 27th title overall. The win gives Duke a much-needed two-season Tour exemption. 