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Bowling News USA - April 12, 2012 Storm Watch in the Desert...Rhino Rolls at Red Rock...

Mike Fagan of Dallas averaged 240.22 in building a 119-pin lead over defending champion Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., after 18 qualifying games in the PBA Tournament of Champions Thursday at Red Rock Lanes.

Fagan finished Thursday’s Round of 36 qualifying with a total of 4,324 pins. Koivuniemi had a 4,205 pinfall total.

Storm's Rhino Page powered his way to third place with 4,172. Fellow staffers Jason Belmonte (4th), Pete Weber (6th), and Osku Palermaa (7th) are also in strong contention heading into matchplay.

"I have been bowling good all year and am in a good place mentally," said Page. "I know what I have to do here and am ready to go."

The 18 players who survived Thursday’s qualifying will bowl another 18 games of head-to-head match play Friday to decide the four players who will compete for the $80,000 first prize in the ESPN stepladder finals Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Tournament of Champions is the final event of the PBA Tour’s 2011-12 season.

Belmonte and Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., are the only players who have won three titles during the 2011-12 season. Finland’s Osku Palermaa has won twice. Belmonte and Palermaa remained in title contention. Duke finished 25th and missed the cut to match play.

Koivuniemi, who snuck into the Round of 36 by a single pin in a four-player roll-off at the close of Wednesday’s Elite Field round, bowled with Fagan throughout Thursday’s qualifying, advancing from third place to second during Thursday’s evening round while cutting Fagan’s early lead in half. 

Bowling fans can follow the final 18 games of match play Friday through the PBA’s exclusive coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s online bowling channel; through live scoring on pba.com, and through the Professional Bowlers Association on Facebook and Twitter. Subscriptions to Xtra Frame are available on the pba.com home page.

PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS 
Red Rock Lanes, Las Vegas, Thursday

ROUND OF 36 STANDINGS (after 18 games; top 18 advance to Round of 36 match play finals on Friday): 

1, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 4,324. 
2, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 4,205. 
3, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 4,172. (Storm)
4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 4,148. (Storm) 
5, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 4,124. 
6, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 4,105. (Storm)
7, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 4,093. (Storm)
8, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 4,086. 
9, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 4,044. 
10, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 4,034. (Storm)
11, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4,027. (Storm)
12, Robert Smith, Los Angeles, 4,016. 
13, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 4,003. (Roto Grip)
14, Stuart Williams, England, 3,975. 
15, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,965. 
16 (tie), Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., and Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,957. 
18, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,953.

Failed to advance: 
19, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 3,940, $5,500. 
20, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 3,914, $5,200. 
21, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 3,896, $5,000. 
22, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,887, $4,900. 
23, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 3,862, $4,800. (Storm)
24, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 3,854, $4,700. 
25 (tie), Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., (Storm) and Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3,853, $4,550. 
27, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 3,847, $4,400. 
28, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 3,806, $4,300. 
29 (tie), Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., and Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 3,805, $4,150 
31, Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 3,801, $4,000. 
32, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,754, $3,900. 
33, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,730, $3,800. 
34, Dom Barrett, England, 3,687, $3,700. (Storm)
35, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 3,646, $3,650. 
36, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 3,539, $3,600.

(courtesy; pba.com)

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April, 2012