Forty-eight players remain after first cut at 2016 World Cup
October 20, 2016
STANDINGS: Men | Women
SHANGHAI - After 20 games over four days, qualifying has concluded at the 2016 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, and 48 players advanced to the event's next round at Hao's Bowling.
Singapore's Bernice Lim, the 2016 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion, out-averaged the entire 144-player field and topped the women's standings with a 20-game total of 4,470, a 223.5 average, while China's Wang Hongbo is one step closer to becoming the second player in history to win the coveted cup on his home soil.
Bob Worrall of the United States is the only bowler in tournament history to accomplish the feat, doing so in 1981, when the event was held in New York City.
Hongbo's unique spinner release proved to be effective on the challenging 42-foot oil pattern this week as he averaged more than 212 to pace the 81-player men's field. He finished with a 20-game total of 4,247, just ahead of Sweden's Martin Larsen (4,220).
Finland's Petteri Salonen turned in the highest block of the day on the men's side, a 1,110 effort, to settle into third place overall with a 4,177 total. He is followed by second-round leader Yan Korshak of Russia (4,163) and Australia's Sam Cooley (4,154).
Team USA's Marshall Kent is seventh with 4,107, while Mexico's Emmanuel Buenrostro grabbed the final spot in Friday's eight-game Round of 24 with a 3,932 total, a 196.6 average.
On the women's side, a handful of players gave chase, but Lim never faltered, closing with a 261 game to secure a 125-pin lead over Team USA's Danielle McEwan (4,345).
Germany's Nadine Geissler is third with 4,300, and Jenny Wegner of Sweden and Lisa John of England are tied for fourth place with 4,279.
Mexico's Iliana Lomeli turned in the highest set of the day, tying the tournament-high game of 290 on the way to a 1,200 series, and she finished qualifying in seventh place with a 4,204 total. Two-time defending champion Clara Guerrero of Colombia advanced in 16th place with a 3,883 total, and India's Sabeena Athica earned the final spot in the next round with a 3,730 effort, a 186.5 average.
For McEwan, a roller coaster of a week appears to be on the upswing, and she hopes to carry that momentum into Friday, rather than experience another valley.
While there are many physical, environmental and even equipment-related factors that can contribute to an inconsistent performance on the lanes, McEwan actually attributes some of her struggles to her mental game.
"I had a great look and threw it really well the first day, and I expected to have the same thing the rest of the way," said McEwan, who collected fourth-place finishes at the QubicaAMF World Cup in 2012 and 2013. "When it wasn't there, I lost focus. Today, I concentrated on making good shots and the right moves, and it worked out."
McEwan also isn't a scoreboard watcher, but it was hard not to take notice of Lim's performance at Hao's Bowling this week. Since pinfall carries over throughout the long format, and four players qualify for the knockout-style semifinals, trying to catch Lim isn't crucial, but it can be motivating.
"There's still 16 games left, half with bonus pins, and the goal is to make the top four," McEwan said. "I try not to look at the scoreboard too much, but I sometimes to glance up there, especially when someone is bowling as well as Bernice did. Seeing that sometimes is motivation to be a little more aggressive and try to chip away. Or, at least, keep up."
Competition at Hao's Bowling in downtown Shanghai's Luwan Sports Complex continues Friday as the top 24 men and top 24 women bowl eight additional games to determine, based on 28-game pinfall, the eight players in each category who will advance to round-robin match play.
The women will hit the lanes first, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern. The men will bowl their eight games beginning at 12:30 a.m. EDT. All rounds of the 2016 World Cup are being broadcast on BowlTV.
The top four men and top four women after 36 games, including bonus pins from eight games of match play, will advance to the new knockout-style semifinals in a special arena setting, where the No. 1 seed will face the No. 4 qualifier and No. 2 and No. 3 will do battle. The winners of each match will earn a spot in the championship game.
The field this week included 81 men and 63 women, representing 84 countries, all of whom bowled 20 games over four days, before the first cut Thursday night.
SHANGHAI - After 20 games over four days, qualifying has concluded at the 2016 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, and 48 players advanced to the event's next round at Hao's Bowling.
Singapore's Bernice Lim, the 2016 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion, out-averaged the entire 144-player field and topped the women's standings with a 20-game total of 4,470, a 223.5 average, while China's Wang Hongbo is one step closer to becoming the second player in history to win the coveted cup on his home soil.
Bob Worrall of the United States is the only bowler in tournament history to accomplish the feat, doing so in 1981, when the event was held in New York City.
Hongbo's unique spinner release proved to be effective on the challenging 42-foot oil pattern this week as he averaged more than 212 to pace the 81-player men's field. He finished with a 20-game total of 4,247, just ahead of Sweden's Martin Larsen (4,220).Finland's Petteri Salonen turned in the highest block of the day on the men's side, a 1,110 effort, to settle into third place overall with a 4,177 total. He is followed by second-round leader Yan Korshak of Russia (4,163) and Australia's Sam Cooley (4,154).
Team USA's Marshall Kent is seventh with 4,107, while Mexico's Emmanuel Buenrostro grabbed the final spot in Friday's eight-game Round of 24 with a 3,932 total, a 196.6 average.
On the women's side, a handful of players gave chase, but Lim never faltered, closing with a 261 game to secure a 125-pin lead over Team USA's Danielle McEwan (4,345).
Germany's Nadine Geissler is third with 4,300, and Jenny Wegner of Sweden and Lisa John of England are tied for fourth place with 4,279.
Mexico's Iliana Lomeli turned in the highest set of the day, tying the tournament-high game of 290 on the way to a 1,200 series, and she finished qualifying in seventh place with a 4,204 total. Two-time defending champion Clara Guerrero of Colombia advanced in 16th place with a 3,883 total, and India's Sabeena Athica earned the final spot in the next round with a 3,730 effort, a 186.5 average.
For McEwan, a roller coaster of a week appears to be on the upswing, and she hopes to carry that momentum into Friday, rather than experience another valley.
While there are many physical, environmental and even equipment-related factors that can contribute to an inconsistent performance on the lanes, McEwan actually attributes some of her struggles to her mental game.
"I had a great look and threw it really well the first day, and I expected to have the same thing the rest of the way," said McEwan, who collected fourth-place finishes at the QubicaAMF World Cup in 2012 and 2013. "When it wasn't there, I lost focus. Today, I concentrated on making good shots and the right moves, and it worked out."
McEwan also isn't a scoreboard watcher, but it was hard not to take notice of Lim's performance at Hao's Bowling this week. Since pinfall carries over throughout the long format, and four players qualify for the knockout-style semifinals, trying to catch Lim isn't crucial, but it can be motivating.
"There's still 16 games left, half with bonus pins, and the goal is to make the top four," McEwan said. "I try not to look at the scoreboard too much, but I sometimes to glance up there, especially when someone is bowling as well as Bernice did. Seeing that sometimes is motivation to be a little more aggressive and try to chip away. Or, at least, keep up."
Competition at Hao's Bowling in downtown Shanghai's Luwan Sports Complex continues Friday as the top 24 men and top 24 women bowl eight additional games to determine, based on 28-game pinfall, the eight players in each category who will advance to round-robin match play.
The women will hit the lanes first, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern. The men will bowl their eight games beginning at 12:30 a.m. EDT. All rounds of the 2016 World Cup are being broadcast on BowlTV.
The top four men and top four women after 36 games, including bonus pins from eight games of match play, will advance to the new knockout-style semifinals in a special arena setting, where the No. 1 seed will face the No. 4 qualifier and No. 2 and No. 3 will do battle. The winners of each match will earn a spot in the championship game.
The field this week included 81 men and 63 women, representing 84 countries, all of whom bowled 20 games over four days, before the first cut Thursday night.