13th February, Reno: American Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa, thrust his hands to the sky, jumped into the air and relished his place in bowling history as he claimed the title at the 2011 Bayer USBC Masters on Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium.

Hess defeated top seed Jack Jurek of Lackawanna, N.Y., 225-214, to win his first career Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour title.

"I can't put into words right now what this means, this is just a lifelong dream realized," said Hess, who defeated Mika Koivuniemi of Finland, 254-219, for the right to bowl Jurek. "I am a PBA champion now. It's something I've wanted to do since I was very little."

Jurek opened up the championship match in strong fashion, striking on six of his first seven shots and taking a 22-pin lead after seven frames, but disaster struck for the top seed. Jurek left back-to-back splits for open frames in the eighth and ninth.

"All I was thinking was to keep the pressure on him," said Hess, whose only open in the title match came in the first frame when he failed to convert a 4-9 split. "That's why we bowl 10 frames. I caught my bad break early in the game and was able to come back from it."

After Hess struck on his first shot in the 10th frame, he needed just a handful of pins on his final two shots to win, when Jurek approached him and gave Hess some words of advice.

"He actually came up to me and said congratulations, get your emotions together and make a good shot," Hess said. "He's a true gentleman. I almost feel bad that I took his title away from him, but I earned it."

Jurek finished second at the 2006 Masters to Doug Kent, losing as the top seed in that event as well. He said he felt comfortable and was content knowing he made good shots.

In the semifinal, Hess and Koivuniemi both started with five consecutive strikes before Koivuniemi opened in the sixth frame. Hess went on to throw two more strikes to run his string to seven in a row before leaving the 3-6 in the eighth frame. Hess converted spares in the final three frames to advance.

In the opening match of the day, Koivuniemi jumped out to a big lead against Mike DeVaney of Murrieta, Calif., and took a 230-206 victory.

The 2011 USBC Masters featured a field of 256 of the top professional and amateur players in the world competing for an overall prize fund of US$235,000.

The Masters was the second stop on the new World Bowling Tour organized by the World Tenpin Bowling Association. The World Tour is a new concept developed by the WTBA to showcase the best bowlers from around the world.

Players who compete in the selected international events and finish among the top three men and top three women in the final points standings will be eligible to compete in the World Bowling Tour Finals, a special televised event with a prize fund of US$40,000.

Photos courtesy of Bowl.com.

10th February, Reno: Finn Mika Koivuniemi's proficiency in major tournaments continued Thursday night as he went 2-0 in matches at the 2011 Bayer USBC Masters to lead a group of 16 undefeated players.

Koivuniemi, who last month won US$250,000 for his victory at the Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions, dominated his first two matches at the National Bowling Stadium and is the highest seed remaining in the winners bracket at No. 7.

"I'm probably bowling better than I have in my entire life," said Koivuniemi, who won the Masters in 2000 for his first career Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title. "If I keep it up I like my chances to make the show. But you never know if you will run into someone who will bowl a big series."

Koivuniemi defeated No. 58 Ronnie Russell, 690-572, in the first round and then took down No. 26 Brad Angelo, 754-664, in the three games, total pins matches.

"I really like where I am right now," Koivuniemi said. "It's been a long time since I went 2-0 in matches to start the Masters. I feel like I can bowl good enough to beat anyone right now. A lot depends on who I bowl and what pair I bowl on."

The double-elimination match-play bracket wasn't kind to the top seeds as No. 1 Bill O'Neill of Southampton, Pa., No. 2 George Lambert IV of Canada, No. 3 West Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, and No. 4 Jason Belmonte of Australia were all eliminated on Thursday night.

Defending champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. entered match play as the No. 64 seed and he upset O'Neill in the first round, 739-712, but then went on to lose his next two matches to be knocked out of the tournament with a 1-2 record.

In the winners bracket, two amateurs remained alive in their quest to join an elite list of amateur players to win the Masters. Erik Vermilyea of Mansfield, Texas, and Lucas Legnani of Argentina both stayed unbeaten Thursday. Mathew Jones of Avondale, Ariz., is the lone amateur left in the losers bracket.

The only woman remaining in the field is Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., who made sports history last year by becoming the first woman to win a PBA Tour title. She will take on the man she beat for that title, Chris Barnes, in the losers bracket Friday morning.

A total of 32 players remain in the hunt for this year's Masters title with 16 players in the winners bracket and 16 players in the losers bracket. All players completed 15 games of qualifying over three days to earn their spot in match play.

The USBC Masters is a major on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour and the champion of the event will earn US$50,000. The final four players who survive bracket play will advance to the championship round, which will be televised live on ESPN at 3.00 pm Eastern on Sunday.

Photos courtesy of Bowl.com.

10th February, Reno: Team USA member Bill O'Neill of Southampton, Pa., emerged as the top qualifier of the 2011 Bayer USBC Masters at the National Bowling Stadium on Thursday after 15 games.

The three-time winner on the Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour finished qualifying with a 3434 total, an average of 228.9, and will face defending champion and No. 64 seed Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., in the opening round of the double-elimination match-play bracket at the National Bowling Stadium.

"I haven't been bowling great, so to come out here and throw it well is nice," said O'Neill, who earned a US$1,000 bonus for being the top qualifier. "I have a lot of confidence going into match play."

The top 63 players from the final qualifying standings advanced to match play. George Lambert IV, who led the first two rounds, qualified second with 3423, while Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, was third with 3410.

Match play begins at 4.00 pm Pacific on Thursday with three rounds of matches on the schedule. By the end of the day, only 32 players will remain in the field.

The USBC Masters is a major on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour and the champion of the event will earn US$50,000. The final four players who survive bracket play will advance to the championship round, which will be televised live on ESPN at 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.

Photos courtesy of Bowl.com.

9th February, Reno: Feeling relaxed and laid back after putting up a big score in the first round, Canadian George Lambert IV maintained his lead after two rounds of qualifying at the 2011 Bayer USBC Masters at the National Bowling Stadium on Wednesday.

Lambert finished with a 10-game total of 2356, an average of 235.6, on Wednesday at the National Bowling Stadium. Three-time Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour winner and Team USA member Bill O'Neill is second with 2345.

After shooting 1256 in the opening round, Lambert fired 1100 in Wednesday's second round. He had games of 215, 236, 188, 248 and 213.

"It's just nice to come out and bowl well," Lambert said. "To still be in the lead at the Masters after Day 2? That's where you want to be."

The top 65 players after 10 games advanced to Thursday's third round of qualifying, which will determine the top 63 players who will join defending champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., in the double-elimination match-play bracket.

With a hefty cushion on 63rd place, O'Neill said he will use the final five-game block to gather information for match play.

"I'm going to try some different stuff and see what works," said O'Neill, who shot 1195 for five games on Wednesday. "I want to experiment and get some other bowling balls out of my bag and see what else works out there. I want to be prepared for match play."

Should Lambert retain the No. 1 position heading into match play he would face Williams in the first round. Williams finished the second round outside of the cut number but still advances to match play as the No. 64 seed. He finished in 151st place with a 10-game total of 1937.

"I'm confused because I thought I had been throwing the ball really well," said Williams, a USBC and PBA Hall of Famer who has 47 career titles. "Yesterday the pins didn't fall at all, but today was a little better. At least with the games I bowled, I have some idea what's going on. I'm not in the best frame of mind right now but match play is a different animal and I just have to perform."

The USBC Masters is a major on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour and the champion of the event will earn US$50,000 for first place. The final four players who survive bracket play will advance to the championship round, which will be televised live on ESPN at 3.00 pm. Eastern on Sunday.

At the end of 10 games, two players tied for 65th place and had a one-game roll-off for the final spot in Thursday's final five-game block. Brian Himmler of Cincinnati defeated Tyler Wilds of Mendon, Mich., 185-134, to advance.

Photos courtesy of Bowl.com.

8th February, Reno: Canadian George Lambert IV, who finished third in 2006, got off to a hot start shooting 1256 to take the lead in Round 1 of the 2011 Bayer USBC Masters at the National Bowling Stadium on Tuesday.

After finishing in a tie and losing a roll-off to advance past the first cut last year, George Lambert IV of Canada came into the 2011 Bayer USBC Masters determined to avoid that situation at all costs.

The Canadian got off to a hot start to the tournament, shooting 1256 for five games, an average of 251.2, to take the opening round lead Tuesday at the National Bowling Stadium. Chris Warren of Grants Pass, Ore., the 1990 Masters champion, sits in second with 1200.

Lambert, who finished third at the 2006 Masters, shot an 820 set for his first three with games of 255, 279 and 286 before closing with 203 and 233.

"I tied for the last spot last year, and I remember being lost the last few games," Lambert said. "You have to get what you can get early because it's a shorter format. I definitely didn't want to be fluttering around the bubble tomorrow. I wanted to come out here and get off to a great start."

After Monday afternoon's practice session, Lambert said he was a bit uncomfortable with his ball reaction and entered Tuesday's round unsure of his game plan.

"I came into today pretty nervous because during the practice session my look wasn't very defined," Lambert said. "I didn't know how I was going to play the lanes. I decided to play them a little straighter and it paid off. I caught a couple good pairs and ran with it."

Defending champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. is competing in qualifying after a rule change for this year's Masters. Williams will advance to the match-play bracket no matter what, but can earn a higher seed with a good performance.

The 47-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion from Ocala, Fla., got off to a shaky start in the first round and sits in 205th place with a total of 914. Should he remain outside of the top 64, he would be placed in the No. 64 spot in Thursday afternoon's bracket.

All 256 players will return Wednesday for five games of qualifying before the field is cut to the top 65 for five final games of qualifying Thursday morning. The top 63 players plus Williams will move on to the double-elimination match-play bracket Thursday afternoon.

The 2011 USBC Masters is a major on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour and the champion of the event will earn $50,000 for first place. The final four players who survive bracket play will advance to the championship round, which will be televised live on ESPN at 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.

The tournament is also the second leg of the inaugural WTBA World Bowling Tour in which players will earn ranking points.

Photos courtesy of Bowl.com.