Bowlers Journal International - March 2008 - (Page 30)

DENNY'STOUR BY GEORGE WOOTEN BY J.R. SCHMIDT SOONER OR LATER, IT ALL EVENS OUT WES MALOTT HADN'T EXACTLY BEEN GETTING BLOWN OUT IN PBA TV MATCHES, BUT HE HADN'T BEEN WINNING, EITHER. IN MEDFORD, THAT CHANGED. 2-FOR-2 AND 4-OF-5. THOSE ARE THE KIND of stats where it’s good to be on the winning side. Unfortunately for Wes Malott, he entered the title match of the PBA Lumber Liquidators Earl Anthony Medford Classic on the losing side of those equations. With a pair of second-place ﬁnishes during the 2007-08 Denny's Tour campaign, and only one championship in his last ﬁve television appearances, the big Texan was looking to imPBA LLC / MUSITELLI THERECAP PBA LUMBER LIQUIDATORS EARL ANTHONY MEDFORD CLASSIC January 9-13, 2008 Lava Lanes, Medford, Ore. 1. Wes Malott, $25,000; 2. Rhino Page, $13,000; 3. Parker Bohn III, $6,000; 4. Patrick Allen, $6,000. ESPN Finals: Page def. Allen, 230190; Malott def. Bohn, 245-235; Malott def. Page, 255-193. Round of 8 (Best-of-7; Losers Received $4,100): Wes Malott def. Sean Rash, 4-0; Parker Bohn III def. Ryan Shafer, 4-1; Patrick Allen def. Brad Angelo, 4-1; Rhino Page def. Mike Mineman, 4-2. Round of 16 (Best-of-7; Losers Received $2,700): Wes Malott def. Ryan Ciminelli, 4-2; Sean Rash def. Mika Koivuniemi, 4-2; Ryan Shafer def. Bryon Smith, 4-1; Parker Bohn III def. Riga Kalfas, 4-2; Brad Angelo def. Walter Ray Williams Jr., 4-0; Patrick Allen def. Mike DeVaney, 4-0; Mike Mineman def. Mike Scroggins, 4-2; Rhino Page def. Ronnie Russell, 4-0. Round of 32 (Best-of-7, Losers Received $2,200): Ryan Ciminelli def. Troy Wollenbecker, 4-2; Wes Malott def. Andrew Cain, 4-3; Sean Rash def. Michael Haugen, 4-3; Mika Koivuniemi def. Mark Scroggins, 4-3; Ryan Shafer def. Ken Simard, 4-2; Bryon Smith def. Mike Edwards, 4-0; Riga Kalfas def. Nathan Bohr, 4-3; Parker Bohn III def. Steve Jaros, 4-2; Walter Ray Williams Jr. def. Doug Kent, 4-2; Brad Angelo def. Mitch Beasley, 4-2; Mike DeVaney def. Chris Loschetter, 4-0; Patrick Allen def. Tommy Jones, 4-1; Mike Scroggins def. Billy Oatman, 4-3; Mike Mineman def. David Leverage, 4-3; Ronnie Russell def. Dino Castillo, 4-0; Rhino Page def. Stevie Weber, 4-0. Lane Pattern: Cheetah. 14-Game Cut Score (32nd Place): 2972. Leading Qualifier: Ryan Ciminelli, 3402. Advanced from Tour Qualifying Round: Ryan Ciminelli, Tom Daugherty, Erik Hohlbein, David Traber, Andrew Cain, Bryon Smith, Grant Benton (amateur), Rhino Page, Edward VanDaniker Jr. and Nathan Bohr. Wes Malott was the lone right-handed finalist in a tournament named for the PBA's greatest left-handed bowler ever. Was it an advantage? Malott says yes and no. prove on his two career titles, and make it to the winner’s circle in his third TV appearance of the season. In a twist of irony, Malott entered the Earl Anthony TV ﬁnals as the lone right-handed player at Lava Lanes. Many fans would think that Malott, with his high rev rate and ball speed, could overpower the 35-foot Cheetah pattern, and carve out his own path to the pocket. Not 30 bowlers journal international MARCH 2008 necessarily true. "I went to the TV pair, and I was truly lost," Malott said. "They played tighter than they had all week. I just decided to go with the ball that I did, and move to the right and throw harder. It just happened to be the right move." The right move, indeed. Malott opened with eight of the ﬁrst nine strikes, and cruised to a 245-235 win over Parker Bohn III, who was gunning for his second title in three events. The other semiﬁnal had a pair of streaks colliding. Patrick Allen entered the TV ﬁnals for the ﬁfth time this season, and fourth tournament in a row. Rhino Page, a Tour rookie, was rolling in his third TV show of the season, a feat not accomplished since Mike Durbin was a ﬁrst-year player in 1967. Opening the match with ﬁve strikes proved to be the difference for Page, as neither player struck in the ﬁnal ﬁve frames. The 230-190 win over P.A. gave Page a second chance to win a title in a three-tournament span. Both Page and Malott made ball and angle changes to begin the championship match. Malott again started quickly with four strikes, and seven in the ﬁrst eight frames. After beginning with a double, Page struggled to keep pace, leaving a 7-9 split and failing to double through the remainder of the match. “The advantage I had was the transition,” Malott said. “The lefties hadn’t seen it that extreme all week long. So, they were making guesses on what to do, and what ball to throw. It was like that on the right side all week. I had already made the moves, so there was no guesswork on my part.” The good shots kept coming in the title match, as Malott cruised to a 255-193 victory. Unlike his title match losses in Baltimore and Merrillville, Ind., he said everything came together in Medford. "It's not like I bowled badly those times," he said. "The last four or ﬁve title matches, my margin of defeat was an average of eight pins. That’s one hit here or there. Sometimes one shot means a lot out here." BALL CHECK MALOTT: Columbia 300 Rival, Resurgence and Scout Reactive. PAGE: Ebonite Angular One and Raid, and Storm Ice Storm. BOHN: Brunswick Twisted Fury. ALLEN: Hammer Black Widow and Vibe.

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Bowlers Journal International - March 2008 Contents Leading Off Letters Bowlitically Incorrect Par Bowling The Coach Calendar Inside Line Tournaments The Truth Be Bowled Pro Bowling Back On Track Weber Tales Spares Do Matter Cover Story Up Close USBC Women's Time Capsule Flashback Strategy Session Guest Column Regional Roundup Team USA Trials Military Salute Global Guide No Holes Barred Marketplace Bowling Summit Museum Update Hall Marks Advertisers' Index Rememberance Classified Advertising Intelligencer Business Calendar Business People Strikes Me

Bowlers Journal International - March 2008

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