HAMMER STAFFER HEADS TO PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS Thursday, 07/03/2003 HOPKINSVILLE, Kent. – Picture it. You’re head-to-head against an undefeated bowler with a berth to the 2003 PBA Tournament of Champions on the line. What do you do? If you’re Hammer regional staff member Don Yoshihara, you conquer. At the PBA Storm Regional Players Championship (Castaways Bowling Center, Las Vegas), 28-year-old Yoshihara found himself facing off against Mark Scroggins (Amarillo, Texas), a player who hadn’t lost in the entire event heading into the final match. Yoshihara took two of the three final matches, 254-237 and 230-227, and captured the $15,000 top prize and the coveted seed to December’s PBA Tournament of Champions at the Mohegan Sun. “When you compete, you need an edge, an advantage, over the competition,” said Yoshihara. “That’s what being a Hammerhead is all about – using the equipment to take you to the next level. I used the new Turbo Diesel and Sling Blade at this tournament and they’re taking me to the Tournament of Champions. Enough said.” Yoshihara, a Tampa, Florida native who signed with Hammer Bowling in September 2002, has been bowling since the age of five. His grandmother coached bowling at the University of South Florida; consequently, he spent many days and nights in bowling centers. Yoshihara joined the Tour in 1996, bowled for about six months, decided to pursue another career and finally rejoined the Tour in 2000. He won the Lakeland Open in 1996 and 2002, making the PBA Storm Regional Players Championship his third victory. When not on tour Yoshihara works at Florida Lanes in Tampa. ###