North American Bowling News
Bowling Tidbits
U.S. PBA STARS DOMINATE PABCON; MACLELLAND MAKES A STATEMENT FOR CANADA
A Canadian has never won a PBA Tour title, but Dan MacLelland of Windsor, Ontario, continues to suggest he's ready to fill that void with a strong showing in the Pan American Bowling Confederation Men's Championships in Guadal- ajara, Mexico, where he medaled in all six events, including a gold medal performance in the Masters finale on May 14.
While Team USA, led by PBA Tour stars Bill O'Neill, Chris Barnes, Wes Malott, Mike Fagan, Patrick Allen and Walter Ray Williams Jr., dominated the PABCON event, MacLelland was the only individual to medal in every event: gold in Masters; silver in singles, doubles and all-events, and bronze in trios and five-man team.
MacLelland, who made an impression on the American bowling landscape as a four-time All-American at Saginaw Valley State University, made three television appearances as a non-exempt player during the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season (fifth in Scorpion Championship, second in GEICO Shark Championship, sixth in Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open), and just missed a fourth when he finished sixth in the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions.
PBA CONCLUDES FIRST SEASON IN HISTORY WITHOUT MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS
Dick Allen's victory in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs Sunday at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis marked the end of the first full season in PBA history without a multiple champion, dating back to the inaugural three-event 1959 season when Weber himself won two of the three events.
During the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, 12 different champions were crowned in 12 different events: Eugene McCune (Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship), Bill O'Neill (Pepsi Viper Championship), Scott Norton (Chameleon Championship), Yong-Jin Gu (Scorpion Championship), Osku Palermaa (GEICO Shark Championship), Chris Barnes (PBA World Championship), Mika Koivuniemi (PBA Tournament of Champions), Ryan Ciminelli (One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial), Tom Hess (Bayer USBC Masters), Norm Duke (Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open), Jason Couch (Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship) and Dick Allen (Dick Weber PBA Playoffs).
Among the 12, Norton, Palermaa, Ciminelli and Hess won their first PBA Tour titles. Gu is not credited with a PBA title because he was not a PBA member.
KOIVUNIEMI CONTINUES TORRID SEASON WITH BACK-TO-BACK WINS IN EUROPE
After completing his brilliant 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour campaign, 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions winner Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., has returned to Europe where he continues his dominant season.
The native Finlander defeated fellow Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt player Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, 279-225, in the title match of the QubicaAMF Open at Gladiator Arena in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for a €6,000 payday on April 10. Finland's two-handed star, Osku Palermaa, finished third and Mike Fagan of Patchogue, N.Y., was fifth.
Two days later in the same center in Slovenia, Koivuniemi capped his winning 25-game European Bowling Tour Masters performance with a 300 game to win another €4,000. Sweden's Martin Larsen finished second followed by Parker Bohn III in third place and Fagan in fifth.
GOT BOWLING NEWS TO SPREAD? Or, if you'd like to subscribe to this publication, feel free to contact us at:
North American Bowling News
13954 Mar Pen Avenue
Waynesboro, PA 17268
Email: Editor@NorthAmericanBowling.com