30th September, Bangkok: PBA pro and top seed, Jason Belmonte of Australia responded with a perfect game to beat challenger, Mike Fagan of USA in the second deciding final match to win the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 title on Friday.

The title match between PBA pro and top seed, Jason Belmonte and challenger, Mike Fagan certainly lived up to its billing as the best-ever finals of the inaugural PTT World Bowling Tour hosted by the amazing Thai Tenpin Bowling Association.

Fagan thrilled the capacity crowd that has gatered at the concourse of the Major Cineplex on the fifth floor of the Siam Paragon Shopping Mall with 12 consecutive strikes for the first perfect game on the specially constructed pair of Brunswick TV lanes to beat Belmonte, 300-211 in the first match.

But the two-handed Aussie returned with his own 300 in the deciding match to defeat Fagan, 300-205 to win the coveted crown and picked up a whopping top prize of 1 million Thai Baht (approx. US$32,250).

"I had a bit of a problem in the first match when I had two splits," said the 28-year-old 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year, Belmonte from Orange in New South Wales, Australia.

"I knew that if Mike (Fagan) had shot a 300 in the first match, it will be hard for him to repeat with another good game so I took advantage of it. I had to make sure I threw my ball straight out further to the right for it to get into the pocket.

"Mike has been fantastic all week and after he had beaten Ryan, I knew it was going to be a tough game. I'm glad to have made it counted when it mattered most. The tour has been fantastic and the host has put up a fantastic tournament."

Fagan, who settled for the first runnerup prize of 500,000 Thai Baht (approx. US$12,120), ended the superb run of PBA pro and the only surviving left-hander, Ryan Ciminelli of USA, 234-214 to earn a crack at the title.

Eighth seed, Ciminelli had edged No. 6 seed and Thai national bowler, Peerawich Rungcharoen with a strike to Peerawich's 6 pins in the one-ball roll-off to break the tie after squaring off at 227 each in the first match in which seventh seed and PBA pro, Sean Rash managed 214.

Ciminelli was unstoppable when he trashed No. 4 seed and Korean PBA pro, Choi Won Young and No. 5 seed and UAE national bowler, Sayed Al Hashemi, 278-238-245 to win the second match.

The American continued with his sizzling form to cruise into the third match after he dispatched No. 3 seed and another PBA pro, Dan Maclelland of Canada, 280-258 before Fagan put an end to his fine run in the fourth match.

Ciminelli took home 300,000 Thai Baht (approx. US$9,670) for finishing third while Maclelland went home with 200,000 Baht. Choi (5th-100,000 Baht), Sayed (6th-90,000 Baht), Peerawich (7th-85,000 Baht) and Rash (8th-80,000 Baht) finished in that order.

Earlier in the day, Belmonte shot the tournament's third perfect 300 in the sixth and final game of the Round 4 finals to snatch top seed with 1387 pinfalls. Mike Fagan finished second with 1377 while Dan Maclelland claimed third spot with 1372.

UAE's Hussain Al Suwaidi missed the top 8 finals by 12 pins finishing ninth with 1301 while PBA pro, Norm Duke, who was second in yesterday's Round 3 finals, ended in 11th position behind Surasak Manuwong of Thailand in tenth.

Dr. Chodechai Suwanaporn, Executive Vice President for Energy Economics & Policy of the title sponsor PTT Public Company Limited was on hand to present the prize to the champion. Mr Vicha Poolvaraluck, Chairman of Major Cineplex Group PLC was also on hand to present prizes to the runnerup.

Police Lt. General Somyot Poompanmoung, Assistant Commission General and President of the Thai Tenpin Bowling Association and Mr Toti Lopa, President of the Philippines Bowling Congress were also on hand to present prizes.

Attending on behalf of the newly re-elected World Tenpin Bowling Association President, Mr Kevin Dornberger, was second Vice President, Mr Michael Seymour of Australia.

Over 85 bowlers from the PBA, Korean PBA and amatuers from Australia, Chinese Taipei, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Kuwait, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sweden, UAE and host Thailand participated in the championship.

The World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 was the sixth leg of the inaugural WTBA World Bowling Tour. The seventh and final leg will be the AMF Australia MAsters 2011 which will be held the AMF Bowling Rooty Hill in Sydney, Australia from 10th to 22nd October.

The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of more than 100 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit www.worldtenpinbowling.com.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

29th September, Bangkok: Professional bowlers from the PBA and the KPBA dominated the Round 3 finals of the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 as Americans Sean Rash, Norm Duke and Korean Choi Won Young took the top 3 spots on Thursday evening.

Two-time PBA Player of the Year (1994, 2000), Norm Duke got off the mark with a sizzling 289 opener to lead two-handed Finn Osku Palermaa, who shot 268 in his opening game. The 47-year-old from Clemont, Fl., continued his blistering pace with 248 and 236 to open up a gap of 41 pins over Korean PBA pro, Choi Won Young at the halfway mark.

Duke, with 34 PBA titles to his credit, rolled 221 in the fourth to increase his lead to 53 pins as another PBA pro and owner of 4 PBA titles, Sean Rash closed in into second spot with Choi slipping down to third.

The 29-year-old Rash of Montgomery, Ill., fired a splendid 266 to move ahead of Duke by 5 pins with the final game to play while the Korean stayed close with the leading duo.

Rash hung on to the lead ending with 213 for a total of 1420 as Duke was unable to respond settling for second with 1401 and 19 pins adrift. Choi took third spot with 1360, a further 60 pins away.

Hong Kong national bowlers, Michael Mak and Michael Tsang did well to make the top 12 cut in fourth and eighth positions with 1359 and 1316 respectively while their team-mate and a lefty, Joshua Chow crashed out in 19th.

Two Thais made the cut with ex-national, Surasak Manuwong and Peerawich Rungcharoen taking fifth and seventh positions while three Emiratis led by three-time Asia No. 1, Hussain Al Suwaidi in sixth, Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi ninth and Sayed Al Hashemi clinching 12th spot.

A Qatari, Yousef Al-Jaber survived to make the cut in tenth while the sole left-hander and KPBA pro, Kang Sung Yu joined his team-mate Choi in the next round in 11th position.

Two-hander Palermaa missed the cut by 9 pins after he finished 13th spot with 1285. Local favourite, Yannaphon Larpapharat also missed the cut in 14th position with 1282. Round 2 leader and PBA pro, Tommy Jones ended his campaign in 15th with 1281.

Samho Korea Cup runnerup and another lefty, Parker Bohn III also failed to progress ending in 20th position. Out of the seven left handers in the finals, only one made the cut. Lefties Atchariya Cheng, Shaker Al Hassan, Naif Oqab and Remy Ong all finished in the tail end of the field.

The top 12 will be joined by qualifiers from the top bracket positioned 1-8 to contest the 6-game Round 4 finals tomorrow at 10.00am local time. The top 8 at the end of the finals will advance to the TV Shootout finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

29th September, Bangkok: Newly-crowned Samho Korea Cup champion and American PBA pro, Tommy Jones comfortably topped the Round 2 finals of the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand at the Blu-O Paragon Bowling Center on Thursday.

Thai national bowler, Badin Lerdpiriyasakulkit started off with a cracking 290 to lead Norwegian Tore Torgersen by 54 pins. But the Thai's lead lasted only one game after PBA pro, Tommy Jones fired 279 following his 236 opener to take over the running.

The 32-year-old from Simpsonville, SC., who won the Samho Korea Cup just a week ago, was on fire reeling in 249, 289, 224 and 248 to end the finals with a record-breaking 1525 series.

Torgersen, who battled for second spot with Badin throughout the round, eventually clinched secomd spot with 1394, 131 pins adrift the Jones. Badin settled for third spot with 1391, a further 3 pins away.

Three Thai bowlers did well to make the top 10 cut with Peerawich Rungcharoen, Surasak Manuwong and youngster Atchariya Cheng finishing fourth, seventh and ninth with 1349, 1263 and 1219 respectively.

Two Emiratis, Naif Oqab and Sayed Al-Hashemi also made the cut in fifth and eighth positions with 1284 and 1251 while Yousef Al-Jaber of Qatar and Michael Tsang of Hong Kong survied in sixth and tenth spots.

Another Thai youngster, Phumin Klandiba missed the cut in 11th position with 1204, 10 pins off tenth-placed Tsang with 1214. Swede Peter Ljung ended in 13th while the only women in the finals, Angkana Netvriseth failed to progress finishing 14th.

The top 10 will join the 16 qualifiers positioned 9-24 for another 6 games from scratch later this evening. The top 12 will advance into the next round tomorrow to join the 8 qualifiers from the 1-8 top bracket for the Round 4 final 6 games.

The top 8 at the Round 4 will proceed to the TV Shootout finals which will be staged at the specially built two lanes at the foyer of the Siam Paragon Shopping Center.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

28th September, Bangkok: American PBA pro, Rhino Page regained his spot in the Top 8 qualifying bracket of the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 by moving into second spot in the final squad on Wednesday evening.

Page had earlier rolled 723 at the 3.00pm squad to take his 9-game tally to 2171 to break into the top 8 to tie with Hong Kong's Michael Mak in seventh position.

But at the 7.00pm squad, UAE's Mohamed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi and PBA pro, Norm Duke improved to take up seventh and eight positions knocking Page out of the top 8 bracket.

The 28-year-old American from Dale City, Fl., made another attempt in his subsequent squad but failed to make any improvements until the final 10.00pm squad in which he fired 228, 256 and 259 for a superb 743 taking his new 9-game tally to 2233 and well into the top 8 in second spot.

At the same squad, Korean PBA pro, Jeong Tae-Hwa, who was sitting one spot behind Page in 12th, also broke into the top 8 with an improved 735 series to take eighth position with 2203.

Page and Jeong pushed Mohamed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi of UAE and another PBA pro, Norm Duke down to 11th and 12th spots and out of the top bracket.

Other changes to the standings saw another Emirati, Mahmood Al Attar improving from the third 25-42 bracket from 35th position into the second 11-24 bracket in 21st position with 2126.

Second perfect gamer, Basel Al-Anzi of Kuwait almost forced a roll-off for Singapore's Remy Ong and Hong Kong's Joshua Chow if he struck out in his final frame to move from the third bracket into the second. But fortunately for Ong and Chow, the Kuwaiti failed to make it count.

At the lower end, Norway's Tore Torgersen made the cut with 2035 to take up 37th position while Peter Ljung of Sweden tied 38th position with Qatar's Fahad Al-Emadi with 2031 forcing the pair having to go into a one-ball roll-off to break the tie.

Both struck in their first throw but Ljung, who delivered a light pocket leaving two pins but was lucky to see the two pins falling for a strike. Fahad missed the pocket to hit eight pins and handling the tie to the Swede.

The one-game desperado squad was contested which saw Hong Kong's Wicky Yeung coming out on top with 277 to earn 41st position in the standings. UAE' Mohamed Dawood earned the 42nd position with 232.

Qualifiers from positions 25-42 comprising of 18 bowlers will contest the Round 2 finals tomorrow at 1.00pm. The top 10 would join the qualifiers from the second bracket, two local Thai qualifiers from positions 9-10 and 14 qualifiers from positions 11-24 making up 26 for Round 3 finals.

The top 12 finishers at the end of the 6-games Round 3 will join qualifiers from positions 1-8 for Round 4 finals on Friday, September 30. The top 8 would advance to the TV Finals which will be staged at two lanes constructed at the foyer of the Siam Paragon Shopping Center.

The TV Finals will be telecast LIVE over the local stantion, True Visions (Channel 3) at 3.00pm local time. Players seeded 6, 7 and 8 will meet in the first match. The winner will meet players seeded 4 and 5 for the second match.

The winner will face player seeded No. 3 for the third match. The winner of the third match will meet player seeded No. 2. Finally, the winner will meet the top seed in the title match.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

28th September, Bangkok: 2004 World Ranking Masters champion, and UAE national bowler, Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi broke into the top 8 qualifying bracket of the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 after two stunning attempts on Wednesday.

The burly Mohammed Khalifa fired 202, 265 and 249 for a splendid 716 series for an improved total of 2168 but still failed to break into the top 8 bracket. With sheer determination, the 46-year-old 1988 AMF World Cup champion notched up another superb 713 with 259, 247 and 207 in his subsequent attempt.

His new total of 2195 was enough for Mohammed Khalifa to break into the top 8 this time round. PBA pro and winner of 34 PBA titles, Norm Duke also put in the scintilating performance to roll a 753 series to break into the top 8 in seventh position with 2193.

Both the efforts of the Emirati and the American disloged Hong Kong youngster, Michael Mak into 11th position and out of the top 8.

Another PBA pro, Rhino Page, who had made the top 8 just a squad ago with a superb 767 series, slipped to 12th position. Dan Maclelland of Canada also shot 753 to move up from fifth to third pushing down early leader, Wun Siu Hong of Hong Kong down to fourth. PBA pro, Jason Belmonte of Australia, who dropped out earlier, bounced back with 2187 but is on the bubble in eighth position.

Apart from the shuffling of places in the top 8, major movers in the second 11-24 qualifying bracket were Samho Korea Cup runerup, Parker Bohn III improving from 18th to 16th position with 2145 behind Finn Osku Palermaa in 15th with 2156.

Filipino, Biboy Rivera shot 769 to move up from 37th position in the third bracket to 17th position in the second bracket with 2137. Second runnerup of the recent Samho Korea Cup and Korean PBA pro, Kang Sung Yu left position 24 to 18 with an improved 2131.

Korean PBA pro, Jeong Tae-Hwa slipped down to 11th on 2180 while Sean Rash also slipped down to 19th from 13th. Newly-crowned Samho Korea Cup champion and PBA pro, Tommy Jones improved from 31st position to 24th position with 2089.

Thai national bowler, Phumin Klandiba headed the 25-42 third qualifying bracket with 2087 while the last spot is shared by Hong Kong's Eric Tseng and KPBA pro, Gu Yong Jin with 2030.

Five Swedes have yet to make the cut. Peter Ljung was Sweden's best performer in 45th position with 2000 as Nina Flack, Mathias Arup, Sandra Andersson and Elin Adolfsson have yet to impress.

Qualifying will end late tonight at the 11.00pm squad. A one-game desperado squad will be held to pick the top 2 scorer who will join the Round 2 finals in 41st and 42nd position.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

27th September, Bangkok: PBA pro Ryan Ciminelli shot the tournament's first 800 en-route to claiming pole position in the qualifying standings of the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 disloging another PBA pro, Mika Koivuniemi into second spot.

Ciminelli of Cheetowaga, NY., who had only one PBA title to his credit, became the first bowler in the tournament to roll an 800 series. The 25-year-old American started off with a scintilating 279 in his opening game at the 4.00pm squad.

He followed it up with two back-to-back 260s with 268 and 267 for a series of 814 to add to his two other best attempts of 737 and 713 for a new 9-game aggregate of 2264 to take over top spot in the standings.

Ciminelli also became the fourth bowler to crack the 2,200-mark. Brief leader and current WBT ranking leader, Mika Koivuniemi of Finland slipped back to second with 2216 which he occupied before this squad.

Former PBA and Korean PBA pro, Jeong Tae-Hwa cracked into the top 8 bracket after he improved his earlier total of 2146 to 2180 after chalking up 719 in the same squad for sixth position.

The second Hong Kong national bowler, Michael Mak impressed with 739, 726 and 706 for a total of 2171 to occupy seventh position while the final top 8 spot went to PBA pro, Jason Belmonte of Australia with 2170.

Both the leader and the Korean pro efforts relegated Thai youth, Dechochai Tinjiratip back into ninth position and missing the automatic qualification into Round 4 finals. His compatriot. Yannaphon Larpapharat joined him in tenth.

2010 Dubai Open and 2010 Singapore Open champion, Shaker Al Hassan settled for the top spot of the 11-24 qualifying bracket on 2160 with his fellow countrymen, Sayed Al Hashemi hanging on to 24th position with 2052.

Local lad, Atittarat Cheng headed the 25-42 qualifying bracket with 2043 as the cut is now raised to 182-over occupied by American PBA pro, Rhino Page with 1982.

Other notable PBA pros, Sean Rash finished 13th with 2130, Parker Bohn III 18th with 2087, Norm Duke 20th with 2083, Osku Palermaa 27th with 2039 and Tommy Jones 28th with 2037.

Qualifying will end tomorrow, September 28 and the Round 2 finals comprising of a total of 18 qualifiers from positions 25-38, positions 39-40 local seeded bowlers and positions 41-41 from the one-game desperado squad.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

27th September, Bangkok: Two-time PBA Player of the Year and current WBT Ranked No. 1, MIka Koivuniemi moved into the lead of the qualifying standings at the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 with a superb fourth attempt on Tuesday.

Koivuniemi, who had occupied second spot 29 pins behind overnight leader, Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong with 2180 from three attempts, took to the lanes for his fourth try. The Finn downed 258, 247 and 256 for a sizzling 3-game series of 742.

His superb effort took his 9-game tally to 2216 to become the second player to crack the 2,200-mark and finished in the lead, 7 pins ahead of Wu, who has 2209.

The 44-year-old, who resides in Hartland, Mich., has nine PBA Tour titles including the 2000 USBC Masters, 2001 US Open and most recently, the 2011 Tournament of Champions. Koivuniemi had a good run at last month's Daejeon Open but miss the TV finals after finishing eighth.

PBA pro, Mike Fagan became the third player to surpass the 2,200-mark after an improved third series of 696 to 748 to moved him up from fifth to third on 2208. Canadian Dan Maclelland also improved from sixth to fourth with 2183.

PBA pro and two-hander, Jason Belmonte of Australia slipped down to fifth with 2170 while the biggest mover was winner of two international titles and current leader in Asian Ranking, Shaker Al Hassan of UAE.

The Emirati southpaw chalked by 740, 710 and 710 for a 9-game aggregate of 2160 to crack into the top 8 bracket in sixth position. Local youngster, Dechochai Tinjiratip returned into the top 8 with 2159 for seventh position after slipping out overnight.

The eighth position went to PBA pro, Ryan Ciminelli with 2156. Korean PBA Jeong Tae-Hwan headed the 11-24 qualifying bracket with 2146 and local youth, Atittarat Cheng hold out 24th spot with 2043.

Thai national bwoler, Peerawich Rungcharoen headed the 25-42 bracket with 2039, 2 pins ahead of newly-crowned Samho Korea Cup champion and PBA pro, Tommy Jones in 26th position. Another two-time PBA Player of the Year and owner of 34 PBA Tour titles, Norm Duke hold out 38th spot with 1935.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's Basel Al-Anzi became the second bowler to hit a perfect game today. The first came from Thailand's Phoemphun Yakasem on Monday. The cut has been raised by 30 pins to 135 over from 105 overnight. With two remaining days of qualifying left, the cut will most likely hover around the 220-230 point.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

26th September, Bangkok: PBA bowlers made an impact on the third day of qualifying at the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 as current WBT Ranking leader, Mika Koivuniemi shot into second spot behind leader, Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong on Monday.

Mika Koivuniemi, who had a disappointing performance last week's Samho Korea Cup in Busan in which he failed to make the Top 36 round after the preliminary 18-games qualifying round, bounced back here to fire 713 in his initial attempt on Sunday.

The two-time PBA Player of the Year (2003-04, 2010-11) chalked up 706 in his second attempt for a 6-game total of 1371 but could not be placed in the qualifying standings without his third try.

The 44-year-old Finn with nine PBA titles to his credit, silenced his critics with a sizzling 761 series to take his tally to 2180 to finish second to leader, Wu Siu Hong of Hong Kong.

PBA pro and 2010 Samho Korea Cup champion, Jason Belmonte of Australia fired 2170 to take up third in the standings. PBA pros dominated the next three positions with newcomer, Ryan Ciminelli, Mike Fagan and Canadian, Dan Maclelland in fourth to sixth.

The remaining two places in the 1-8 qualifying bracket went to Thai national bowler and winner of two international titles this year, Yannaphon Larpapharat in seventh with 2144 and UAE's Mohammed Al-Qubaisi in eighth with 2133.

Thai youngster, Dechochai Tinjiratip slipped down to ninth and Badin Lerdpiriyasakulkit improved to tenth position as top Thai qualifiers with 2127 and 2105 respectively.

Three-time Asia Ranked No. 1, Hussain Al Suwaidi headed the 11-24 bracket with 2127 after being pushed down by the Americans. Hong Kong's Eric Tseng held the 24th position with 1993.

UAE's Mahmood Al Attar headed the 25-42 qualifying bracket with 1993, just one pin ahead of PBA pro and newly-crowned Samho Korea Cup champion, Tommy Jones in 26th position. UAE's Hassan Al-Zaabi and Thai national women bowler, Angkana Netrviseth tied 38th spot with 1905.

Although the cut is now at just 105 over, the realistic cut is estimated to be around the 220-230 over range. The bar will certainly be raised over the remaining next two days of qualifying. Round 2 finals will be contested on September 29.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

25th September, Bangkok: Lead changed hands on Day 2 of the qualifying rounds at the inaugural PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 as Hong Kong's Wu Siu Hong took over the lead in the standings on Sunday.

Wu Siu Hong, who had a total of 1939 before he took to the lanes at the 30-lane Brunswick Blu-O Paragon on the second day of qualifying rounds. The 26-year-old chalked up a scintilating 763 for a new total of 2152 to move into the front.

At his subsequent attempt, the Hong Kong national bowler went one up with another superb 745 series to take his tally to 2209. Wu's last title was winning the 2010 ABF Tour Saudi leg and helping his country to win the Team silver medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games.

A welcome change of fortune is what Wu will be hoping for after having earned an automatic entry into Round 4 finals. Local lad Dechochai Tinjiratip did well to move out of the 25-42 qualifying bracket and well into the top 8 bracket with a superb 2071 to tie up second spot with overnight leader, Remy Ong of Singapore.

PBA pro and left-hander, Ryan Ciminelli posted 737, 713 and 616 for a total of 2066 to finish fourth. There is a good chance the American can move up with an improvement on his lowest series.

Another southpaw and 2010 Asian Championship silver medalist, Naif Oqab of UAE slipped down to fourth despite improving his 9-game tally to 2059. Local youth, Phumin Klanbida, Hong Kong's Michael Mak and UAE's Mohammed Al-Qubaisi made up the top 8.

ABF Tour Hong Kong champion, Annop Arromsaranon and ex-national bowler, Somjed Kusonpithak occupied the ninth and tenth positions reserved for local qualfiers with a total of 1919 and 1821 respectively.

Three-time Asian Ranked No. 1, Hussain Al-Suwaidi of UAE headed the 11-24 qualifying bracket with 1997 ahead of Qatar's Mansour Al-Awami in 12th with 1990 and Hong Kong's Michael Tsang in 13th with 1987.

Several top European players have already made their minimum 3 attempts. Peter Ljung of Sweden finished 22nd with 1901. Tore Torgerson of Norway 27th with 1779 and World Championship Doubles gold medalist, Mathais Arup of Sweden 29th with 1737.

Reigning World Bowling Tour leader and PBA pro, Mika Koivuniemi of Finland impressed with just one attempt with 713 and looked set to put in a good challenge for the lead. PBA pros, Rhino Page and Norm Duke have made just one attempt so far.

Recent Samho Korea Cup first runner-up and PBA Hall of Famer, Parker Bohn III and his PBA compatriot, Sean Rash and PBA Rookie of the Year 2009, Jason Belmonte will also be taking to the lanes tomorrow.

Three Swedish top female player headed by WBT Women Ranked No. 3, Nina Flack together with Sandra Andersson and Elin Adolfsson have made two more attempts and will be making their third to move into the qualifying bracket.

18 qualifiers from the 25-42 bracket will contest the 6-game Round 1 finals on September 29. The top 10 will be joined by the 16 qualifiers from the 9-24 bracket for another 6-games in Round 3.

The top 12 together with the 1-8 qualifiers bracket making up 20 players will contest the Round 4 finals in which the top 8 will advance to the TV shootout finals on September 30.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

24th September, Bangkok: Remy Ong of Singapore got off to a cracking start to take the lead in the opening day of the overseas qualifying rounds at the PTT World Bowling Tour Thailand 2011 underway at Brinswick Blu-O Paragon Bowling Center on Saturday.

Ong got off the mark with 225, 256 and 223 in his first attempt for a sizzling 704. The 32-year-old left-hander followed it up with 190, 236 and 266 in his second attempt for another superb 692. He started his third squad with 186 but stepped up his pace to fire 233 and 256 to end the round with 675 to give himself the early lead.

The Singaporean, who came from Busan in Korea after competing in the DSD Samho Korea Cup in which he made the Top 36 finals but ended in a disappoting 36th, will be hoping to put in a better performance here in Bangkok.

Asian Championship two silver medalist, Naif Oqab of UAE posted the highest 3-game series so far with 718 to add to his two other attempts of 675 and 595 for a 9-game aggregate of 1988 for second spot.

The southpaw can surely improve his lowest series of 595 in an effort to overtake Ong for top spot. Naif's fellow countrymen, Hareb Al-Mansoori did well to take up third spot with 1956. Hong Kong's Wu Siu Hong and local lad, Phumin Klandiba completed the top 5 with 1939 and 1898 respectively.

Bowlers will be ranked based on three 3-game series. Qualifiers ranked 1 to 8 will automatically advance to Round 4 finals. Qualifiers ranked 9 and 10 (reserved for local) and qualifiers ranked 11 to 24 will advance to Round 3 finals.

Qualifiers ranked 25 to 38, positioned 39 and 40 (resereved for local seeded) and qualifiers from the one-game desperado squad (ranked 41 and 42) will bowl six games in the Round 2 finals.

The top 10 will join qualifiers ranked 9 to 24 for another 6 games in Round 3 finals from scratch during which the top 12 will advance to Round 4 finals joined by qualifiers ranked 1 to 8 for another 6 games.

The top 8 will advance to the TV Final round in which players seeded 6, 7 and 8 will meet in first match over 1 game. Winner will bowl players seeded 4 and 5 over another 1 game in the secomd match.

The winner of the second match will meet player seeded 3 for the third match. The winner in the third match will meet player seeded 2 in the fourth match and finally the winner will meet the top seed in the title match on a best twice format.

The champion will walk away with the top prize of 1 million Thai baht (approx. US$32,250) from a total prize pool in excess of 4.5 million baht (approx. US$130,000).

The inaugural World Bowling Tour Thailand, the seventh leg of the WTBA World Bowling Tour, is sponsored by PTT (Petroleum Authority of Thailand), a major oil & gas company specializing in petrolchemical and oil refinery.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.