HAMMER NEWS

KOIVUNIEMI, DORIN-BALLARD ON TOP OF WORLD BOWLING TOUR RANKINGS

ARLINGTON, Texas - After the first four events of the 2012 season, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of the United States and Mika Koivuniemi of Finland lead the World Tenpin Bowling Association World Bowling Tour rankings.

Dorin-Ballard leads a trio of American women at the top of the rankings with 186 points, while Koivuniemi leads the men’s rankings with 308 points.

The World Bowling Tour points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle, so points earned in 2011 are added to points earned in 2012 to determine the points list.

Dorin-Ballard did not compete in the United States Bowling Congress Masters in Las Vegas, but picked up 35 points in the WTBA International Open in Las Vegas and six points in the International Bowling Championship 2012 supported by DHC in Japan.

Kelly Kulick of the United States competed in all three event and moved into second place with 167 points, while American Liz Johnson took the top women’s ranking points at the WTBA International Open to move into third with 155 points.

In the men’s rankings, Koivuniemi failed to earn any points at the USBC Masters but rebounded to take 35 points in the WTBA International Open and 40 points in the International Bowling Championship.

Mike Fagan of the United States is second with 237 points, while Chris Barnes of the United States is third with 195 points. However, Barnes and American Walter Ray Williams Jr. advanced to the top-three finals (along with Johnson) of the WTBA International Open next month and one of those two players will add 10 points to their total for winning.

The recently concluded International Bowling Championship featured the largest prize fund in the short history of the World Bowling Tour, with combined prizes of approximately $390,000 for both men and women. Tommy Jones of the United States won the men’s division, while Cherie Tan of Singapore took the women’s title. Both players earned about $77,500 for their victories.

The World Bowling Tour is made up of various events around the world and players earn points based on how they finish in each event. The top three men and top three women will be invited to compete in the World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association at the end of 2012.

The World Bowling Tour Finals will feature a total prize fund of $70,000. The top three men and top three women will bowl a stepladder finals format in their respective divisions. The prize money for each division is the same, with the winner taking $20,000, second place earning $10,000 and third place winning $5,000.

The next event on the World Bowling Tour schedule is the United States Open in North Brunswick, N.J., from Feb. 20-26.

The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of 115 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit WorldTenpinBowling.com.

WORLD BOWLING TOUR POINTS
Top 25
(Pos., Name, Country, Points)

MEN

1, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 308.
2, Mike Fagan, USA, 237.
3, Chris Barnes, USA, 195.
4, Sean Rash, USA, 162.
5, Tommy Jones, USA, 144.
6, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 144.
7, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 141.
8, Bill O’Neill, USA, 116.
9, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 112.
10, Chris Loschetter, USA, 97.
11, Dominic Barrett, England, 96.
12, Siu Hong Wu, Hong Kong, 89.
13, Norm Duke, USA, 71.
14, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 71.
15, Stuart Williams, England, 71.
16, Ronnie Russell, USA, 67.
17, Bryon Smith, USA, 66.
18, Paul Moor, England, 66.
19, Tore Torgersen, Norway, 65.
20, Tom Hess, USA, 63.
21, Jack Jurek, USA, 54.
22, Chris Warren, USA, 52.
23, Syafiq Ridhwan, Malaysia, 51.
24, Jeong Seung-Soo, Korea, 50.
25, Martin Paulsson, Sweden, 48.

WOMEN

1, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, USA, 186.
2, Kelly Kulick, USA, 167.
3, Liz Johnson, USA, 155.
4, Sandra Andersson, Sweden, 151.
5, Missy Parkin, USA, 145.
6, Nina Flack, Sweden , 135.
7, Krista Pollanen, Finland, 133.
8, Shannon Pluhowsky, USA, 98.
9, Wendy Macpherson, USA, 85.
10, Diandra Asbaty, USA, 59.
11, Elin Adolfsson, Sweden , 51.
12, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 50.
13, Helen Johnsson, Sweden, 50.
14, Kim Min-Hee, Korea, 50.
15, Angkana Netrviseth, Thailand, 50.
16, Cherry Tan, Singapore, 50.
17, Jacqui Reese, USA, 50.
18, Jazreel Tan, Singapore, 49.
19, Elysia Current, USA, 47.
20, Jessica Baker, USA, 46.
21, Zandra Aziela, Malaysia, 44.
22, Darya Kovalova, Ukraine, 44.
23, Cassie Staudinger, Australia, 43.
24, Cassandra Leuthold, USA, 42.
25, Mai Ginge Jensen, Denmark, 41.

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• 02/15/2012
  KOIVUNIEMI, DORIN-BALLARD ON TOP OF WORLD BOWLING TOUR RANKINGS

  ARLINGTON, Texas - After the first four events of the 2012 season, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of the