2nd December, Doha: Fourth-seed, Cameron Weier of Federal Way, Washington defeated Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., 453-431 to win his first PBA and WBT title at the concluding PBA-WBT #3 15th Qatar Bowling Open in his third attempt.

Weier, the two-time NAIA Collegiate All-American winner beat second-seed, Rash 218-197 in the first game of all-American Step 4 finals. Both started off the second game with four strikes-in-a-row but it was Weier who added two more in frames five ans six.

Although Rash fought back galantly with three more strikes and needed to strike out to have any chance of snatching victory, a stubborn pin 10 in the ninth and a split in the tenth sealed the victory for Weier, 235-234 and a two game total of 453-431.

"I had to overcome Marshall in the semi-final and it wasn't easy," said the 25-year-old, who had finished third runner-up in 2013 and second runner-up in 2014.

"Marshall bowled well but I guess I had the better carry. Sean is one of the best competitor that I have bowled against and I knew it was not going to be an easy match. But I'm glad I kept my composure and focused on making sure I make good shots.

"You could call it third time lucky and I'm glad I came through to win my first PBA and World Bowling Tour title," added the champion, who pocketed the top prize of US$40,000.

Rash had earlier dispatched third-seed and two-time PBA-World Bowling Tour winner, Thomas Larsen of Denmark, 481-467 in the other semi-final to advance to the championship round. Rash took home US$20,000 while Kent and Larsen earned US$7,000 each.

Kent had topped the six-games Step 2 finals with 1458 ahead of Rash in second with 1450. Larsen and Weier made the shootout Step 3 semi-finals in third and fourth with 1448 and 1411 respectively.

Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC., missed the cut by three pins to finish in fifth position with 1408 while Step 1 leader, Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla., finished in six position with 1399.

156 bowlers from the American zone, European zone and Asian zone took part in the six days qualifying rounds before the finals today. Jesper Svensson and Jenny Wegner of Sweden won the European Tour ranking titles.

Mr Abdul Salam, President of Qatar Bowling Federation together with Mr Brent Perrier, CEO and Vice President of main sponsor, Brunswick and EBT Director, Mr Kim Jensen were on hand to present the prizes to the winners.

The next 2016 PBA-WBT is the 9th Kingdom International Open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from December 3 to December 7 followed by the final leg of the 2015 ABF Tour - Saudi.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Doha.

2nd December, Doha: PBA pro, Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla., won the Step 1 Finals of the PBA-WBT #3 15th Qatar Bowling Open comfortably ahead of Osku Plaermaa of Finland in second and Ray Teece of England third.

2014 World Youth Championships Doubles gold medalist, Pontus Andersson of Sweden got off the block with a scintilating 267 to lead Palermaa by 9 pins with Ray and Richard Teece of England colse behind.

But Andersson stumbled to a poor 148 as Ray Teece added 247 to his opening game of 250 to move into the lead. Palermaa continued to trail in second while Daugherty close in on the leading duo in third.

A big game of 277 by Daugherty saw the 40-year-old American pro taking over the lead as Teece slipped to second, albeit just seven pins adrift. Palermaa dropped down to fourth as Kamron Doyle of USA moved into third.

Daugherty kept a same distance of seven pins from Teece after the fourth game but added a stunning 278 in the fifth to pull away. Doyle kept pace but was 43 pins behind. He eased off with 222 to end the finals with 1475.

The leader, whose first PBA title came after he won the 2013 Bowlers Journal Scorpion Open, Las Vegas, finished third in 2015 PBA Players Championships. The two-handed Finn recovered to tie second with Teece on 1407, 68 pins behind Daugherty. Best Asian was Bader Ashaikh of Saudi Arabia in fourth with 1405.

All the top five scored past the 1400-mark with Doyle completing the top five with 1403. There was a scrap for the 18th and final cut position between several bowlers but it was three-time champion, Dominic Barrett of England squeezing in on 1253.

Salem Al-Marzouqi of Qatar missed the cut by just two pins with 1251. The top 18 finishers will be joined by the top 10 seeded qualifiers for another six games in Step 2 finals at 1.45pm local time.

The top four at the end of the Step 2 finals will advance to the Step 3 and Step 4 TV shootout finals to determine the champion.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Doha.

1st December, Doha: American debutant, JR Raymond of Bay City, Mich., cracked into the top bracket of the qualifying standings at the PBA-WBT #3 15th Qatar Bowling Open after topping Squad 16 on Monday.

Qatari youngster, Jassim Al-Muraikhi set a blistering pace in the opening game with 278 to lead Mohammed Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia in second and Filipino, Hashim Guinomla third. A big game of 267 from Raymond in the second saw the American taking over the running, seven pins ahead of Jassim.

Another stunning 289 allowed Raymond to build up a gap of 50 pins from Guinomla at the halfway point of the squad, with a second American, Tom Daugherty gradually moving up to third.

The leader added 235 and 259 in his next two games for a five game total of 1270 and well poised to crack into the top ten. Raymond eventually eased off with 201 for a total of 1471.

Daugherty's back-to-back 260s in the fourth and fifth games including a 204 in the sixth, gave him a total of 1413 to finish second, 58 pins adrift. Guinomla recoverd with a strong 239 to take third and barely made the cut for Step 1 finals with 1344.

Another American pro Adam Johnson, who threw away his chance to qualify in his previous squad, came close to making the cut but fell short again by 16 pins with 1328 for fourth position in this squad.

Meanwhile, Brits dominated the earlier Squad 15. Three-time Qatar Open champion, Dominic Barrett of England topped the squad with 1400 ahead of compatriot, John Wells in second with 1388 and Raymond Teece third with 1384. All three qualified for Step 1 finals.

Overnight leader, Cameron Weier of Federal Way, Washington remained firmly in pole position with 1524 in the overall standings. Raymond moved into second spot pushing down Indonesia's Ryan Lalisang into third on 1467.

QubicaAMF World Cup champion, Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong and 2012 World Youth Masters gold medalist, Daniel Fransson of Sweden tied fourth with 1448. Squad 12 leader and Day 4 high series award winner, Tommy Jones of USA slipped to sixth with 1432.

Stuart Williams of England and 2014 Saudi Open champion, Marshall Kent tied at 1414 to complete the top ten of the top bracket. Current cut at 34th position is tied by Marek Talpa of Czech Republic and Hashim Guinomla on 1344.

The top two qualifiers from Day 1 went to Qataris, Hazeem Al-Muraikhi and Mohammed Jamal. The top two from Day 2 again went to Qataris, Zakareya Al-Zoqari and Jassim Al-Muraikhi while the two from Day 3 went to Christopher Sloan of Ireland and Jenny Wegner of Sweden.

The one-game desperado squad will be held after the last Squad 17 ends to allow the top three finishers to join tomorrow's Step 1 finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Doha.

30th November, Doha: PBA pros, Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC. and Andres Gomez of Colombia topped Squad 12 and 13 of the PBA-WBT #3 15th Qatar Bowling Open respectively to move into the top bracket of the qualifying standings.

Jones, who won the Bear Open for his 16th career title, posted 1432 in his first attempt to top Squad 12. Stuart Williams of England finished second with 1414 while his fellow-countrymen, Richard Teece took third spot with 1382.

In the following Squad 13, 2014 World Youth Championships Team gold medalist, Kamron Doyle of USA set the early pace after rolling the tournament's fourth 300 in his second game.

The 17-year-old Doyle was 59 pins ahead of Andres Gomez halfway through the squad but stumbled to a 187 and 180 in the fourth and fifth games, allowing the Colombian to take over the running. Gomez ended the squad with 1416 followed by Sean Rash of USA in second with 1404.

Doyle ended in third on 1377 with Pontus Andersson of Sweden and 2015 Kuwait Open champion, Brad Angelo completing the top five with 1364 and 1356 respectively.

Squad 12 leader, Jones moved into fifth position in the overall standings and earned a bye into Step 2 finals. Day 4 high series award winner, Cameron Weier of USA remained in pole position with 1524.

Day 3 high series award winner, Ryan Lalisang of Indonesia also remained in second with 1467 while QubicaAMF World Cup champion, Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong and Daniel Fransson of Sweden tied fourth place with 1448.

Ronnie Sparks Jr of USA, Andres Gomez, Stuart Williams, Marshall Kent of USA and Day 2 high series award winner, Mohammed Al-Merekhi of Qatar completed the top ten of the top bracket.

Day 1 high series award winner, Mohammed Janahi of Bahrain dropped out of the top bracket to head qualifiers positioned 11 to 34 on 1405. The current cut at 34th position went to debutant, Anggie Ramirez of Colombia with 1328 (or 128 over), which has surpassed last year's cut 117 over.

Qualifying will end tomorrow with three more squads which will be followed by the one-game desperado squad for the top three finishers to join Step 1 finals on December 2.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Doha.

29th November, Doha: Two-time Qatar Open runner-up, Cameron Weier of Federal Way, Washington became the first qualifier to surpass the 1500 mark to go top of the qualifying standings at the PBA-WBT #3 15th Qatar Bowling Open on Sunday.

Weier got off the block with 224 as 2014 Saudi Open champion, Marshall Kent of Yakima, WA. set the pace with 258 in his opening game. Weier added a 234 in the second game but continued to trail Kent by 10 pins.

The 25-year-old two-time NAIA Collegiate All American picked up his pace with a blistering 269 to take over the running, 15 pins ahead of his compatriot. Another stunning 276 took Weier 28 pins ahead of two-time Qatar Open champion, Remy Ong of Singapore.

The leader ended the squad with 254 and 267 to become the first qualifier to surpass 1500-mark on 1524 and to take over the lead in the overall standings. Debutant, Ronnie Sparks Jr. stormed home with 279 and 280 to snatch second spot with 1428.

Kent settled for third position with a good effort of 1414 while Ong finished fourth with 1391. England's Stuart Williams of England rounded out the top five with 1361 while Danielle McEwan of USA was the best female in sixth with 1348.

Several PBA debutants, JR Raymond, Andrew Cain and Andrew Anderson finished seventh, 10th and 12th respectively.

Weier, who will most likely pick up Day 4 high series award of US$250, took over the lead of the overall standings. Day 3 high series winner and overnight leader, Ryan Lalisang of Indonesia slipped to second on 1467.

Newly-crowned QubicaAMF World Cup champion, Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong tied third position with Daniel Fransson of Sweden on 1448 while Sparks Jr. completed the top five with 1428. Ong is the cut of the top bracket in tenth with 191 over.

2015 ABF Tour Qatar leg champion, Ghanim Aboujassoum of Qatar, Squad 10 joint leaders, Osku Palermaa of Finland and McEwan tied at 1387 to head the second bracket in 11th position.

Current cut at 34th position after Squad 10 went to Ali Al Qaseer of Bahrain on 1273 (93 over). Last year's cut was 117 over and with two additional days left for qualifying, the cut could be more than last year.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Doha.

28th November, Doha: Two-time ABF Tour 2015 champion, Ryan Lalisang of Indonesia topped Squad 6 with a stunning 1467 to take over the lead of the qualifying standings at the PBA-WBT #3 15th Qatar Bowling Open on Saturday.

The 34-year-old Indonesian started off moderately with 202 in his opening game as two-time PBA-WBT winner, Thomas Larsen of Denmark set the pace with 247. Lalisang followed it up with 214 and 235 before setting the lanes ablazed with back-to-back 279s.

The pace-setter ended his squad with a superb 258 for a six-game total of 1467 putting in top spot. Salem Al-Marzouqi of Qatar trailed in second with 1398 while Larsen finished third with 1371.

Lalisang earned a bye to qualify for Step 2 finals and stand a chance to pick the Day 3 high series award worth US$250 if his total holds well. Jenny Wegner of Sweden was the top female finisher in this squad with 1320.

Meanwhile, Daniel Fransson of Sweden set the pace in the following Squad 7 but missed 15 pins to overhaul Lalisang after tieing with newly-crowned QubicaAMF World Cup champion, Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong on 1448.

Martin Larsen of Sweden and Osku Palermaa of Finland both rolled the tournament's second and third perfect games during Game 4 of the squad. Larsen ended in third with 1363 while Palermaa finished seventh with 1271.

Qatari youth, Jassim Al-Muraikhi did well to take fourth with 1297 ahead of Joshua Chow of Hong Kong and Perttu Jussila of Finland in fifth ans sixth positions respectively with 1295 and 1276.

Lalisang led the overall standings followed by Wu and Fransson tieing second spots. Day 2 high-series award winner, Mohammed Al-Merekhi of Qatar dropped to fourth with 1413 while overnight leader, Mohammed Janahi of Bahrain rounded out the top five with 1405.

The cut for Step 2 finals is held by Hazeem Al-Muraikhi of Qatar with 1338. First perfect gamer, Zakareya Al-Zoqari of Qatar headed the second bracket in 11th position with 1335 and the cut in 34th position went to Taisier Al-Qusei of Palestine with 1252.

Qualifying will continue with three days and will end on December 1 followed by the one-game desperado squad for the top finishers to join the Step 1 finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Doha.

27th November, Doha: 2014 ABF Tour TOC first runner-up, Mohammed Janahi of Bahrain set the early qualifying pace by topping the overall standings of the 2016 PBA-WBT # 15th Qatar Bowling Open underway at Qatar International Bowling Center.

Bowling in the opening squad of the tournament, Janahi got off the block with a cracking 267 following it up with 211, 223 before another stunning 266 in the fourth game. The 35 year-old Bahraini closed out with 229 and 209 for a 6-game total of 1405.

His effort won him the Day 1 high-series award worth US$250. 2015 ABF Tour Qatar leg champion, Ghanim M Aboujassoum of Qatar did extremely well to finish second with 1348 while his team-mate, Hazeem Al-Muraikhi finished third with 1338.

Mohamed Jamal of Qatar topped the second squad with 1334 to finish fourth overall while Squad 3 leader, Abdulla Abdulhakim of Bahrain rounded out the top five with 1308 after topping Squad 4.

Meanwhile, Zakareya Al-Zoqari of Qatar rolled the first perfect game of the tournament in his second game of Squad 4 but only managed to end in third with 1335. Qatar youth, Mohammed Al-Merekhi took over the lead in the overall standings with 1413.

Janahi slipped down to second with Ghanim improving his score from 1348 to 1387 but also slipped down to third. Hazeem and Zakareya completed the top five after four squads.

Qualifiers positioned 1 to 10 will earn one bye and qualify for Step 2 finals. Qualifiers positioned 11 to 34 (24 players) will qualify for Step 1 finals together with the top three from the desperado squad.

The top two qualifiers from Day 1, top two from Day 2 and top two from Day 3 not in positions 1 to 34, will also make the cut for the Step 1 finals. The 15th Qatar Bowling Open, a major World Bowling Tour, is the third stop of the 2016 PBA-WBT.

The champion will walk away with the top prize of US$40,000 and PBA bowlers will be awarded an international PBA title. Qualifying will end on December 1 and the finals on December 2.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Doha.