Wu Siu Hong, Carol Gianotti atop the leader board at AMF Australian Masters

10/21/11

Australia

Mika Koivuniemi, Mike Fagan achieve perfection; qualifying ends on Friday

2011AUSMWuSiuHong.jpg2011AUSMCarolGianotti.jpgWu Siu Hong (pictured left) of Hong Kong and Australia's Carol Gianotti (right) sit atop the leader board at the AMF Australian Masters and lead a field of 150 men and 60 women into the last day of qualifying Friday at AMF Bowling Rooty Hill RSL in Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Siu Hong continued to lead the men's division with 1562 total, an average of 260.33 for six games, including his two highest three game series of 801 and 761.

Gianotti, a 16-time Professional Women's Bowling Association champion and USBC Hall of Famer, from Western Australia, rolled the highest three-game series in the women's division thus far and added 709 to her previous high series of 666 en route to shoot into the lead with 1375 total and an average of 229.17.

201011PBAMikeFagan.jpg2011AUSMJasonBelmonte.jpgPlaces 2 to 7 in the men's division belong to PBA champions. Mike Fagan (left), United States, leaped into second place with 1548 including sets of 797 and 751. Jason Belmonte (right) is the best Australian bowler in third place with 1531.

Tommy Jones, United States, used sets of 782 and 723 to move into fourth place with 1505. The top 4 men and the top 4 women at the end of the qualifying will earn two byes.

Just outside the top 4 looking in were Finns Osku Palermaa (below left) and Mika Koivuniemi (below right) in fifth and sixth place with 1504 and 1500. Sean Rash, United States, slipped to seventh place with 1497.

2011EBT17OskuPalermaa2.jpg2011AUSMMikaKoivuniemi.jpgKoivuniemi, the reigning PBA Player of the Year and World Bowling Tour point leader, and Fagan brought the number of 300 games to five.

Rounding out the top 10 were Australians Chris Castle, VIC, in eighth place with 1489, defending champion Sam Cooley, NSW, in ninth place with 1488 and Craig Rem, NSW, in tenth place with 1485.

Two-time Australian Masters winner Mac Stewart, VIC (2006/2007), is the man "on the bubble" in 33rd place with 1362 or an average of 227.00. Rounding out the top 40, who will advance to finals, are seven State representatives who cannot be eliminated from qualifying.

Four-time World Champion Shannon Pluhowsky (below left), United States, had high sets of 704 and 657 to sit in second place in the women's division with 1361, was mere 14 pins behind Carol Gianotti.

2011AUSMShannonPluhowsky.jpg2011AUSMSandraAndersson.jpgPrevious leader Rebecca Whiting, VIC, fell to third place with 1352. Rounding out the top 4 was Megan Kelly, United States, with 1340 featuring sets of 691 and 649. Michaela Oehler, Singapore, slipped three spots to fifth place with 1324.

Places 6 to 9 belonged to Australian women: 6. Rochelle Mottlee, QLD, 1311 7. Bec Voukolos, NT, 1304 8. Emma Walsh, NSW, 1291 and 9. Nat Shelley, NT, 1273.

Rounding out the top 10 was Sandra Andersson (right), Sweden with 1270. Sam Day-Johnston held the 37th and last place to qualify for the finals with 1087 or an average of 181.17. Places 38 to 40 belonged to State representatives who cannot be eliminated from qualifying.

Qualifying ends on Friday, Oct. 21st, with the last three qualifying squads scheduled for 8.30, 10 and 11.30 a.m. local time (CET -9; EST -15).

2011AUSMastersLogo3.jpg The AMF Australian Masters is the 8th and last stop of the 2011 World Bowling Tour. The tournament will be held from Monday Oct. 10 through Saturday Oct. 22, 2011 at AMF Bowling Rooty Hill RSL in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The tournament offers total prize fund of 112,400 Australian Dollar or approx. USD116,000 with $25,000 and $15,000 going to the men's and women's champion, respectively. Applicable taxes will be withheld from prize-funds paid to non-resident entrants.

2010AUSMastersJordanRodgersAMFLyndaBarnes.jpg2010AUSMastersJordanRodgersAMFSamCooley.jpg In the 2010 AMF Australian Masters, Lynda Barnes, United States and Sam Cooley, New South Wales, claimed the women's and men's title.

Barnes (pictured left) defeated compatriot and fellow Team USA member, Wendy Macpherson, in the women's title match in best-of-five format, three-games-to-one to win the $15,000 women's top prize.

On the men's side, top seeded Sam Cooley (pictured right) topped defending champion Paul Trotter in an all-Australian affair in the deciding fifth game, 237-234, to win the title and the $25,000 men's top prize.

WBTLogo.jpg The 2011 World Bowling Tour consists of 8 tour stops in seven countries - Finland, France, Kuwait, Korea, Thailand, Australia and United States (2). The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event earn ranking points (from 50 points for the winner to 1 point for 50th place).

Those points will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the top three men and top three women who will be invited to compete in the World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association.

The WBT Finals are scheduled to take place at the PBA's World Series of Bowling in November and will feature a total prize fund of $40,000. The event will be aired nationally in the United States.

The top three men and top three women will bowl a stepladder finals format in their respective divisions. The prize money for each division is the same, with the winner taking $10,000, second place earning $6,000 and third place winning $4,000.

2011AUSMastersLogo_small.jpg Qualifying of the 2011 AMF Australian Masters will be over six games, using the two highest three-game series in singles or doubles attempts bowled during the 2011 Adult National Championships until completion of the 12.00pm squad on Friday 21st October.

A total of 40 men and 40 women will advance to the finals. The defending champion and the State representatives cannot be eliminated from qualifying.

The top 4 in each division will receive two byes to Round 3 while bowlers seeded positions 5 through 16 will receive one bye to Round 2. Bowlers filling qualifying positions 17 through 40 will compete in Round 1. No pinfall will carry over in any of the final rounds.

In the event of a tie for fourth, 16th or 40th qualifying positions, a single game will be played to break the tie. Any subsequent tie will require a 10th frame playoff until the tie is broken.

Bowlers seeded 17th to 40th will bowl 6 games scratch to cut to the top 12 bowlers who will join bowlers seeded positions 5 through 16 in Round 2. These 24 bowlers will then play 6 games scratch. The top 12 bowlers on total pinfall meet the top 4 qualifiers in Round 3.

These 16 bowlers will then play 6 games scratch. The top 8 bowlers on total pinfall will determine the champion in single-elimination best-of-three games match play. The field will be cut to four and then two players who will bowl for the titles and the $25,000 and $15,000 top prizes, respectively. The winners will also get free entry into the 2012 event.

 


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Men's Division - Qualifying Standings at the end of Thursday, Oct. 20


The top 40 will advance to the finals. The defending champion (DC) and the State representatives cannot be eliminated from qualifying.


300 games (5) - Craig Rem, Christian Purdue, Sean Rash, Mika Koivuniemi and Mike Fagan .

 


Women's Division - Qualifying Standings at the end of Thursday, Oct. 20


The top 40 will advance to the finals. The defending champion (DC) and the State representatives cannot be eliminated from qualifying.

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