USBC Masters after 1st round of qualifying

[transltr]

The Hammer staff is doing well... :)

Doug Kent: Bye to round of 64
Tony Reyes: Tied for 50th
Chad Kloss: Tied for 26th
Billy Oatman: Didn't enter

-Scott

Edit: Found this on bowl.com: * Four Denny's PBA Tour exempt players are not competing this week in the Masters, which kicks off the pro season. Jason Couch withdrew with a knee injury while Patrick Healey Jr., Billy Oatman and Tim Criss elected not to compete.

[Street Racer]

awesome bowling!

[bluerrpilot]

Jason Couch withdrew with a knee injury while Patrick Healey Jr., Billy Oatman and Tim Criss elected not to compete.

Great. Thanks Jason for not letting me know to bump you from my starters list :(

[BubbaRay]

As the USBC Masters’ Sport Bowling Coordinator, Derek Eoff has had plenty of opportunities to bowl on the difficult sport bowling lane conditions.

His experience on the difficult lanes made Tuesday’s first round of qualifying in the 2007 USBC Masters seem easier than league play as he averaged 250.40 over his five games to take the lead at AMF Bowlero Lanes.

Eoff, who bowled at collegiate powerhouse the University of Nebraska and is a member of Team USA, is looking to become the first non-Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) member since 2002 to win the USBC Masters. The Masters is one of four Majors on the Denny’s PBA Tour.

“I get asked the question a lot as to why I’m not a PBA member,” said Eoff, 27. “Out of college, I really wanted to do a lot of the amateur events and it was a really big goal of mine to make Team USA. I finally made the team but now with the PBA pros on the team it’s an even bigger question. I think about it a lot, but right now I like the amateur stuff and I like my job with the USBC.”

Eoff was referring to the announcement made today that Denny’s PBA Tour stars Patrick Allen, Chris Barnes, Parker Bohn III, Tommy Jones, Sean Rash and Walter Ray Williams Jr. will join Team USA in 2008 as part of a new decision to allow PBA members to bowl on the team.

For now, Eoff is concentrating on maintaining a good position in the standings before Wednesday night’s cut to the top 25 percent of the 486-bowler field and Thursday’s cut to the top 63 bowlers plus defending champion Doug Kent, who received a bye into match play.

“I knew I would have a better look on the breakdown today than on the fresh oil tomorrow so with the good start, if I don’t have as good a day tomorrow I have enough cushion to get me through,” Eoff (Greenfield, Wis.) said.

Following Eoff in the standings is Denny’s PBA Tour exempt bowler Chris Loschetter (Avon, Ohio), who finished second with 1,213. Tommy Jones (Simpsonville, S.C.), the 2005-06 PBA Player of the Year who finished fourth in last season’s USBC Masters, is third with 1,208. Robert Gotchall (Lincoln, Neb.) is fourth with 1,200.

PBA Hall of Famer Tom Baker, the only PBA Senior Tour bowler who is exempt on the Denny’s PBA Tour, is fifth with 1,191. The 53-year-old is the leading candidate for the 2007 PBA Senior Player of the Year award, which will be announced later this week. Should he win, it would be his record third consecutive Player of the Year award.

The entire field will bowl another five games Wednesday while the top 25 percent will bowl an additional five games Thursday. Double elimination begins Thursday evening and continues Friday until the field is narrowed to the final four bowlers.

The top four will advance to Sunday’s live ESPN televised finals at 1 p.m. ET at the Milwaukee Brewers’ Miller Park. The winner will take home $100,000 and a two-season Denny’s PBA Tour exemption.

Notes
- Four Denny's PBA Tour exempt players are not competing this week. Jason Couch withdrew with a knee injury while Tim Criss, Patrick Healey Jr. and Billy Oatman also elected not to compete.

- In the record field of nearly 20 women, Tish Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colo., leads the way with 1,090 and sits in 49th place. Michelle Feldman of Skaneateles, N.Y., is next in a tie for 75th place with 1,064.


300 games (2) - Lennie Boresch Jr., Aaron Jones.

[Stampy79]

Well, the guys I picked (Kloss & Jones) are looking good after round 1 !