Kulick back on top at USWO
May 10, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas - Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., finished the opening day of match play frustrated but at the top of the leaderboard Monday at the U.S. Women's Open, a United States Bowling Congress event.
After 12 games of match play, Kulick found herself leading with a 5-7 record and a 36-game total of 7,879, including 30 bonus pins for each victory, at Cityview Lanes. Two players are right on Kulick's heels, however, as Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., is second, 11 pins back, and Amanda Beck of Plano, Texas, is third, just 25 pins off the lead.
"The lanes have really played differently each round so far," said Kulick, who made history in January by defeating Chris Barnes to become the first woman to win a Professional Bowlers Association Tour title. "Any hypothesis you come up with to be better prepared for the next block is out the door. I don't think anyone has seen a consistent look each block because no one has really pulled away."
Kulick said the lanes played much more difficult during Monday's match-play round than they did in qualifying, and her game plan to continue to stay near the top of the standings is simple - don't make mistakes.
"At this point it's really all about executing shots and not giving up the pocket," Kulick said. "Spares are the key to keep progressing and then finding the pairs where you can shoot 230s or 240s. There's no magic ball that's going to help anyone strike, it's just about executing."
Johnson finished the day with a 5-7 record and a total of 7,868, while Beck had a 7-5 record and 7,854 total. Shannon O'Keefe of Arlington, Texas, is fourth at 7,697 after going 6-6 in matches, while Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas, went 10-2 and is fifth at 7,688.
Round robin match play continues Tuesday with the final 12 games, which will be broadcast live on BOWL.com, as the players will complete their 48-game totals.
The top five players after 48 games, including bonus pins, will advance to the championship round at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington for the live ESPN2-televised finals at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 12.
After 12 games of match play, Kulick found herself leading with a 5-7 record and a 36-game total of 7,879, including 30 bonus pins for each victory, at Cityview Lanes. Two players are right on Kulick's heels, however, as Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., is second, 11 pins back, and Amanda Beck of Plano, Texas, is third, just 25 pins off the lead.
"The lanes have really played differently each round so far," said Kulick, who made history in January by defeating Chris Barnes to become the first woman to win a Professional Bowlers Association Tour title. "Any hypothesis you come up with to be better prepared for the next block is out the door. I don't think anyone has seen a consistent look each block because no one has really pulled away."
Kulick said the lanes played much more difficult during Monday's match-play round than they did in qualifying, and her game plan to continue to stay near the top of the standings is simple - don't make mistakes.
"At this point it's really all about executing shots and not giving up the pocket," Kulick said. "Spares are the key to keep progressing and then finding the pairs where you can shoot 230s or 240s. There's no magic ball that's going to help anyone strike, it's just about executing."
Johnson finished the day with a 5-7 record and a total of 7,868, while Beck had a 7-5 record and 7,854 total. Shannon O'Keefe of Arlington, Texas, is fourth at 7,697 after going 6-6 in matches, while Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of Keller, Texas, went 10-2 and is fifth at 7,688.
Round robin match play continues Tuesday with the final 12 games, which will be broadcast live on BOWL.com, as the players will complete their 48-game totals.
The top five players after 48 games, including bonus pins, will advance to the championship round at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington for the live ESPN2-televised finals at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 12.