ESPN TV Field Set for 2009 USBC Masters Finals

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ESPN TV Field Set for 2009 USBC Masters Finals



LAS VEGAS, Nev. (February 13, 2009) – After four days of intense competition at Cashman Center, the field is finally set for the championship round of the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Masters on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.



John Nolen of Waterford, Mich., outdistanced the competition during qualifying to earn the top seed for match play and then cruised untouched through the double-elimination bracket, compiling a 6-0 record on the way to the No. 1 seed for Sunday’s finals, which will be televised live on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern.



Nolen defeated Steve Harman of Camby, Ind., 755-632, to earn the top seed and is the first player since 2005 USBC Masters champion Mike Scroggins to lead qualifying at the Masters and advance to the TV show. It will be Nolen’s first-career television appearance, and he’ll do everything he can to stay calm and keep the momentum in his favor.



“This feels great, but the job isn’t done,” said Nolen, who averaged 230.39 for 33 games this week. “I’m not competing out here every week just to make the show and go home. I really want to win, and right now, I’m in the best position to do that. To lead wire to wire is amazing, and I just hope I can finish the job.”



Nolen entered the season virtually unknown, but quickly got his name in the news with a win at the 2008 Professional Bowlers Association Regional Players Invitational, which also earned him a spot in the recent H&R Block Tournament of Champions and an exemption for the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.



The 29-year-old right-hander has been a regular face at PBA events since and has gained valuable experience with each success and each defeat. He took what he learned during a disappointing match play performance at the Tournament of Champions and went on to finish eighth in last week’s Denny’s Dick Weber Open.



Now, he is just one win away from the $60,000 top prize and a two-year Tour exemption on the line at the Masters.



Also making the first singles television appearance of his career is PBA Tour sophomore Harman, who finished second with Jen Petrick at the PBA Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship earlier this year.



Harman will await the winner of Sunday’s opening match, which will feature a pair of 12-time Tour titlists, 2004 Masters champion Danny Wiseman of Baltimore and 2005-06 PBA Player of the Year Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C.



Jones’ resume includes two major titles, the U.S. Open and the Tournament of Champions, while his best finish at the Masters was fourth in 2006. Wiseman’s Masters victory is his lone major title, and it came in front of a record crowd of 4,303 at Miller Park, the home of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers.



In the years since his Masters win, Wiseman has struggled to fully recover from an ankle injury he suffered in a car accident, but he’s still focused on reaching his goals of winning two majors and 15 overall titles before he retires.



“This is my first show of the year, and it feels great,” Wiseman said. “It’s been a tough couple of years, and some things just haven’t felt the same, but I’ve dealt with injuries before. It’s a little frustrating when you feel like you’re strong mentally, but your body just doesn’t cooperate sometimes. It’s been a tough week, but I’m elated.”



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.



In all, the field at the 2009 Masters included 452 of the best amateur and professional bowlers in the world.



For complete coverage of the Masters, including stories, photos and results, visit bowl.com.



United States Bowling Congress

The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience.



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2009 USBC MASTERS

Cashman Center, Las Vegas

Friday's results



TELEVISION FINALS

(ESPN, Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern, Cashman Center)

Match 1: No. 3 Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, vs. No. 4 Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C.

Match 2: No. 2 Steve Harman, Camby, Ind., vs. Match 1 winner

Match 3: No. 1 John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., vs. Match 2 winner



MATCH PLAY RESULTS

Double elimination, three-game matches decided by total pinfall

(Name/hometown followed by three-game pinfall total.)



ROUND 2 WINNERS BRACKET

(1) John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., def. (49) Isao Yamamoto, Japan, 630-579

(5) Tom Smallwood, Flushing, Mich., def. (9) Ryan Shafer, Elmira, N.Y., 625-610

(63) Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, def. (51) George Lambert IV, Canada, 726-714

(55) Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., def. (7) Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 622-618



(30) Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., def. (50) Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 643-640

(10) Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., def. (6) Mike DeVaney, Temecula, Calif., 702-594

(4) Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., def. (48) Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 692-615

(12) Steve Harman, Camby, Ind., def. (8) Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 652-650





ROUND 3 LOSERS BRACKET

(Losers eliminated, earn $2,500)



(39) Robert Gotchall, Lincoln, Neb., def. (33) Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 647-630

(17) Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, def. (35) Charlie Bruno, Deptford, N.J., 713-580

(29) Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., def. (41) Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 759-686

(25) Craig Tuholski, Washougal, Wash., def. (57) Jason Belmonte, Australia, 671-642



(28) Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, def. (16) PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 668-637

(32) Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., def. (24) Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 720-624

(23) Matthew O’Grady, South Amboy, N.J., def. (11) Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 638-607

(18) Thomas Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, def. (27) Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 713-710





ROUND 4 LOSERS BRACKET

(Losers eliminated, earn $3,000)

Gotchall def. Machuga, 660-641

Loschetter def. Barnes, 728-687

Duke def. Lambert, 670-639

Yamamoto def. Tuholski, 697-644



Scroggins def. Shafer, 712-700

DeVaney def. Rash, 734-673

Buss def. O’Grady, 804-757

Bohr def. Hess, 631-552



ROUND 4 WINNERS BRACKET

Nolen def. Smallwood, 701-634

Wiseman def. Weber, 690-675

Jones def. Sterner, 632-581

Harman def. McCune, 694-686



ROUND 5 LOSERS BRACKET

(Losers eliminated, earn $3,500)

Gotchall def. Loschetter, 724-632

Duke def. Yamamoto, 795-625

Scroggins def, DeVaney, 650-647

Buss def. Bohr, 701-644



ROUND 6 LOSERS BRACKET

(Losers eliminated, earn $4,000)

Gotchall def. McCune, 653-641

Duke def. Weber, 676-659

Sterner def. Scroggins, 706-699

Buss def. Smallwood, 624-597



ROUND 5 WINNERS BRACKET

Nolen def. Wiseman, 677-665

Harman def. Jones, 635-616



ROUND 7 LOSERS BRACKET

(Losers eliminated, earn $7,000)

Duke def. Gotchall, 672-652

Buss def. Sterner, 721-621



ROUND 8 LOSERS BRACKET

(Losers eliminated, earn $11,000)

Wiseman def. Duke, 700-677

Jones def. Buss, 670-650



ROLL-OFF FOR THIRD AND FOURTH SEED

(Winner takes third seed, loser takes fourth seed)

Wiseman def. Jones, 245-192



ROLL-OFF FOR TOP SEED

(Winner takes top seed, loser takes second seed)

Nolen def. Harman, 755-632



300 Games: Round 2- Eugene McCune; Match play- Pete Weber, Wu Siu Hong, Brad Angelo, Norm Duke.



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.



About the USBC

The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services to nearly 2.5 million adult and youth members and enhances the bowling experience. For more information, log on to bowl.com. Bowl with US

[kakcpa]

John Nolen is from my area in Detroit. He is an up and coming bowler on the PBA Tour. He will be exempt for next season thanks to his victory in the RPI. If he wins tomorrow, he will be exempt for 2 years. I had the opportunity to bowl against him in the Detroit Masters tournament a few years ago. He's a good kid.

[The Bowling Guru]

I am pulling for Tommy Jones, as I would like to see him get back to his winning ways. Last time on T.V. he struggled to get a good look with the One Pearl, but he hadn't made it to the telecast for quite a while before that. I was also very impressed with Steve Harman after seeing him in the mixed double classic. Big strong guy, all about power, those are the bowlers I enjoy watching.