Salonen powers his way into the lead in Singles and Doubles in Vienna

Multiple European champion Petteri Salonen rolled the first 300 game of the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open in the second game of Squad 7 Friday morning en route to power his way into the lead in the Singles and Doubles competition.

The long-time Finnish national team member started his six-game series with a 218 (low) game and the 300 and closed out the set with 246, 268, 279 and 236 for an outstanding 1547 pinfall total, an average of 257.83, the highest qualifying series ever in the history of the Vienna Open.

Salonen took on the lanes at Plus Bowling in Vienna with Sami Konsteri (pictured right).

Photos: Lars Müller/larsmueller.com

The Finnish national team coach contributed 1339 despite a 160 opening game and the duo overtook the lead in Doubles with 2886 six-game total and an average of 240.50.

The Finns hold a comfortable 106-pin lead over Danes Rasmus Ussing and Jimmy Mortensen (left), who checked with in 2780. Mortensen posted a 1445 series including high games of 278 and 276 en route to move into second place in Singles and Ussing added 1335.

Another Danish duo, Anders Vorborg and Frederik Ohrgaard, were mere 12 pins behind to overtake the third place with 2768. Ohrgaard, who started with 299 and finished with 278, led the team with 1395 to jump into sixth place in Singles, while Vorborg had 1373.

Previous leaders Gal Shemer, Israel, and Christian Provaznik, Austria, fell three spots to fourth place with 2743.

In the Singles event, overnight leader Dominic Barrett (left), England, slipped to third place with 1425. Next is Mike Machnig, Germany, with 1417 followed by the top woman in the field, Ivonne Gross, Austria, with 1407 including 48 pins handicap.

Ohrgaard is sixth (1395) with Gal Shemer, Israel, and Walter Gonaus, Austria, in seventh and eighth place, both 1387. Michael Loos (right), Austria, is the "man on the bubble" in 56th place with 1271 (211.83).

The qualifying for the Vienna Open finals is contested as a unique doubles tournament. 10.230 Euro or approx. US$ 14,510 from the overall prize fund of 60.530 Euro ($85,850) will be given to the top 20 teams.

Each team rolls one six-game block. Unlimited re-entries with different partners are possible but each player can only cash once with the same partner. The team with the highest total pinfall including handicap will be declared the winner (no finals will be played).

The winners of the Doubles event will split 1.600 Euro or approx. US$2,270. World champions Martin Larsen and Robert Andersson, Sweden, are the defending champions.

Qualifying runs from Wednesday through Saturday and ends with the ultimate Desperado Squad on Saturday evening, Oct. 20.

A total of 68 players from the qualifying will advance to the finals starting on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 8am:

• The eight players with the highest six-game blocks will earn one bye and will be seeded 1-8 in the match play round of 32
• players positioned 9th to 56th after qualifying
• the six leaders of Squad 1 through 6 not among the top 56 and
• the top 6 from the Desperado Squad.

All but the top 8 qualifiers will bowl 6 games starting from scratch to cut to the top 24. Those 24 will be seeded 9-32 in the match play round of 32.

Match play rounds of 32, 16 and 8 are single-elimination, best-of-three games. The highest seeded player bowls the lowest seeded player, the second-highest seeded player vs. the second-lowest seeded player, etc.

The semi-finals and the championship match will be decided in one game. A major on the European Bowling Tour, bowlers will be competing for a top prize of 7.000 Euro ($9,930) and an overall prize fund of 60.530 Euro ($85,850).


Bowlingdigital will cover the event live from Vienna with updates after each round commencing October 17 all the way through to the finals on Sunday, October 21.