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John Nolen Leads Qualifying at 2009 USBC Masters

Defending Champion Sean Rash Joins Double Elimination Match Play Pairings



LAS VEGAS, Nev. (February 12, 2009) – Less than a year ago, John Nolen of Waterford, Mich., realized he had the passion and the talent to make a living on the Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour, and he’s done everything in his power to make chasing that dream a possibility.



The past few months have been a whirlwind of success, and Nolen shined again Thursday as he earned high qualifier honors at the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Masters.



The 29-year-old right-hander finished qualifying with a 15-game total of 3,420, an average of 228, to lead the field of 452 of the best professional and amateur bowlers in the world at Cashman Center, the state-of-the-art 60-lane bowling venue that soon will be home to the 2009 USBC Open Championships. He earned the top seed for double-elimination match play, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern today.



Nolen will be joined in match play by 62 other qualifiers and defending champion Sean Rash of Wichita, Kan., who will compete to determine the four players who will advance to Sunday’s championship round, which will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern. The winner will take home $60,000 and a two-year PBA Tour exemption.



“It’s an honor to be the top qualifier in a field as large and as talented as this,” said Nolen, who recently secured an exemption for the 2009-10 PBA Tour season with a win at the 2008 Regional Players Invitational. “As far as match play, though, I’m not going to put a whole lot of stock in being No. 1 because we’re all even now, and anything can happen, but I’m definitely confident and will do my best to win because that’s what the top seed is expected to do.”



Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., earned the No. 2 seed Thursday with a 3,389 total for his 15 games at Cashman Center. Allen, who recently made a record-tying five consecutive championship round appearances, has claimed two titles this season, including the H&R Block Tournament of Champions last month at nearby Red Rock Lanes.



Daniel Miyamoto of Mililani, Hawaii, and second-round leader Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., finished qualifying tied for third place with 3,387, while amateur Tom Smallwood of Flushing, Mich., finished four pins back with 3,383.



This year marks the first time since 2001 that the Masters is being held on the same lanes that also will be home to the USBC Open Championships. The relationship began with the inception of the Masters in 1951 but ended when the Masters remained at the National Bowling Stadium from 2002 until January of 2004. It was then held in Milwaukee in October of 2004, and again from 2005 until 2007. Because of its return to the Open Championships venue, the Masters was not held in 2008.



NOTES:

300 Game – Eugene McCune (Qualifying Round 2)



LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR

USBC Masters

Cashman Center – Las Vegas, Nev.

February 12, 2009



Qualifying Round 3 – After 15 Games (Name, Hometown, Pinfall)

Top 63 Join Defending Champion Sean Rash (seeded No. 32) and Advance to Match Play



1, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 3,420. 2, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,389. 3, (TIE) Daniel Miyamoto, Mililani, Hawaii, and Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 3,387. 5, Tom Smallwood, Flushing, Mich., 3,383. 6, Mike DeVaney, Temecula, Calif., 3,379.

7, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 3,364. 8, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,363. 9, Ryan Shafer, Elmira, N.Y., 3,343. 10, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 3,338. 11, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 3,333. 12, Steve Harman, Camby, Ind., 3,326.

13, John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 3,323. 14, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,322. 15, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 3,315. 16, (TIE) PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif, and Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,310. 18, Thomas Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 3,309.

19, Tyler Jensen, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 3,296. 20, Arturo Quintero, Mexico, 3,295. 21, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,291. 22, Robert Smith, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 3,287. 23, Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 3,286. 24, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,281.

25, (TIE) Craig Tuholski, Washougal, Wash., and Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis, 3,278. 27, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3,272. 28, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,266. 29, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,265. 30, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,263.

31, Mitchell Vernon, Olympia, Wash. 32, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., (2007 Champion). 33, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,255. 34, Scott Vanderlick, Sacramento, Calif., 3,252. 35, Charlie Bruno, Deptford, N.J., 3,251. 36, Keith Odette, Waipahu, Hawaii, 3,249.

37, Daniel Dunleavy, Staten Island, N.Y., 3,248. 38, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 3,246. 39, Robert Gotchall, Lincoln, Neb., 3,243. 40, Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., 3,242. 41, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 3,241. 42, Vernon Peterson, Lake Wales, Fla., 3,233.

43, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,231. 44, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 3,229. 45, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,226. 46, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 3,225. 47, (TIE) Andrew Koff, Miami, and Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 3,223.

49, Isao Yamamoto, Japan, 3,219. 50, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,218. 51, George Lambert IV, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 3,214. 52, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 3,213. 53, Bob Hale, Louisville, Ky., 3,212. 54, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,205.

55, (TIE) Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., and Siu Hong Wu, Hong Kong, 3,202. 57, Jason Belmonte, Orange, NSW,Australia, 3,198. 58, Dominic Barrett, Walton On The Naze, England, 3,195. 59, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 3,194. 60, Bob Knipple, Long Beach, Calif., 3,189.

61, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 3,186. 62, Paul Ashby, Madison, Ohio, 3,185. 63, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 3,183. 64, Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, 3,182. 65, Kenneth Abner, Cincinnati, 3,180, $1,300. 66, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 3,173, $1,100.

67, Andrew Loose, Chicago, 3,172, $1,100. 68, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 3,169, $1,100. 69, (TIE) Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa., and Matt McNiel, Chanhassen, Minn., 3,166, $1,100. 71, Chester Rogers Jr, Milwaukie, Ore, 3,160, $1,100. 72, Beau McVey, Derby, Kan., 3,156, $1,100.

73, Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., 3,153, $1,100. 74, Mike Keily, Lakewood, Colo., 3,147, $1,100. 75, Corey Husted, Milwaukie, Ore, 3,146, $1,100. 76, (TIE) Jeff Austreng, Waterford, Mich., and Jason Walsh, Cumbalum, NSW, Australia, 3,145, $1,100. 78, Tim Pfeifer, Cranberry Twp., Pa., 3,144, $1,100.

79, Edward VanDaniker Jr, Essex, Md., 3,136, $1,100. 80, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 3,135, $1,100. 81, Russ Wilson, Lawrence, Kansas, 3,133, $1,100. 82, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3,129, $1,100. 83, Hank Boomershine, Ogden, Utah, 3,128, $1,100. 84, Adrian Ang, Malaysia, 3,125, $1,100.

85, Ivan Miyasato, Clovis, Calif., 3,122, $1,100. 86, (TIE) Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, Kan., and Brett Wolfe, Tempe, Ariz., 3,121, $1,100. 88, (TIE) Anthony LaCaze, Glen Ellyn, Ill., and Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 3,119, $1,100. 90, Syafiq Ridhwan, Malaysia, 3,118, $1,100.

91, Keith Kolozsi, Las Vegas, Nev, 3,115, $1,100. 92, Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla., 3,112, $1,100. 93, Steven Smith, San Diego, 3,109, $1,100. 94, Alex Medveditskov, Russia, 3,108, $1,100. 95, (TIE) Timothy Behrendt, St Louis, and Mads Sandbaekken, Norway, 3,107, $1,100.

97, Eric Copping, Websterville, Vt., 3,106, $1,100. 98, D.J. Archer, Mineral Wells, Texas, 3,103, $1,100. 99, Paul Bober, Mt. Prospect, Ill., 3,101, $1,100. 100, Andrew Frawley, Australia, 3,091, $1,100. 101, (TIE) Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, and Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,086, $1,000.

103, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,080, $1,000. 104, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 3,076, $1,000. 105, Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland, 3,071, $1,000. 106, Aaron Hardesty, Laramie, Wyo., 3,068, $1,000. 107, Javier Pardi, Venezuela, 3,066, $1,000. 108, Rudy Kasimakis, Tupelo, Miss., 3,056, $1,000.

109, Mario Quintero, Mexico, 3,050, $1,000. 110, Kent Wagner, Palmetto, Fla., 3,029, $1,000. 111, J.R. Raymond, Lebanon, Ill., 3,023, $1,000. 112, Kerry Fulford, Gatesville, Texas, 3,018, $1,000. 113, Trisha Reid, Columbus, Ohio, 3,010, $1,000. 114, Humberto Vazquez, San Pedro, Mexico, 3,004, $1,000.

115, John DeBenedetta Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., 2,996, $1,000. 116, Jason Rockwell, Federal Way, Wash., 2,932, $1,000.



About the PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com. This season marks the 50th Anniversary of the PBA Tour.



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