Asbaty, Jones headed to South Africa for World Cup

ARLINGTON, Texas - Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., and Diandra Asbaty of Chicago will look to continue the success Team USA has had in international competition in 2011 when they take part in the QubicaAMF World Cup this week.

The 47th QubicaAMF World Cup, the final event on the Team USA schedule in 2011, begins Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 80 countries expected to take part.

The United States has won 18 of a possible 25 gold medals in international events this year, including four gold medals at the World Women's Championships, four at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Men's Championships, three at the Pan American Games and seven at the Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas.

AsbatyWCAsbaty, a 13-time member of Team USA, will compete in the World Cup for the second time and hopes to continue the trend of Team USA success this year.

"Although this is an individual event, it will be a team effort," said Asbaty, who won the 2006 World Cup in Caracas, Venezuela. "I will do the very best that I can to continue the already very successful year that Team USA has had. When I'm there, I will feel the strength of my team. I'm not doing this for myself, I'm doing this for Team USA and the entire country."

It will be the first time Jones has competed in the World Cup. The 13-time Professional Bowlers Association winner has been looking forward to competing in the event.

"The World Cup is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bowl," Jones said. "I have heard nothing but great things about the event, and I have followed the history of the event for many years. It's been a goal of mine for a long time to get to compete in the World Cup and having that chance is an amazing feeling."

The World Cup begins with official practice Wednesday and all participants will bowl 20 games of qualifying over four days beginning Thursday. The field will be cut to the top 24 men and top 24 women for eight additional games Dec. 5.

The top eight men and top eight women after 28 games advance to the Round of 8 on Dec. 6, where the field will be paired down to the top three men and top three women for the stepladder finals Dec. 7.