The World Series of Bowling came to an end after the culmination of the PBA World Championship. The event featured three separate tournaments - the Women, the men and the Senior World Championship.
The PBA Women's World Championship featured three 6-game blocks of qualifying, with the field then being cut to the top 20 women. After which, we bowled another 6 games to determine seating and the top four players (which received two byes into matchplay).
The entire tournament I was close to being in the Top 4. However, I didn't fair too well during the last round of six games. I ended up being seated 14th and paired up to bowl Wendy Macpherson the first round of matchplay.
For all of matchplay, we then were moved into the main bay of the bowling center, so the ESPN crew could get the TV show pairs ready in the arena bay. We hadn't bowled in the main bay of the bowling center at all during the entire month and it played completely different. So the first round of matchplay was a bit of a guessing game, whoever guessed right the fastest, was most likely going to win.
Fortunately, I had some help from Dave Smart from 900 Global and figured out some bowling balls and strategies that would work pretty well on the condition. I ended up using the Bounty Hunter for most of matchplay.
In the best 4 out of 7 matchplay finals, I got lined up pretty early against Wendy and ended up winning the match 4-1.
The next day, I then faced Lindsay Baker. In this extremely close match (our first game I won 268-251) we kept going back and forth with some high scores. The match ended up going to game 7, and I advanced, winning 212-180.
In the Super Round of 8, I bowled against Michelle Feldman. We must have bowled on the tightest pair in the center. I was throwing a Bounty Hunter, sanded with 360 grit and then re-sanded with a burgundy scotch brite pad. Needless to say, the ball was a snowball. So not only was I throwing charcoal, but I was also pointing the ball more than I have in a really long time (i.e. standing 6 and aiming at 7).
I didn't figure out how to play the pair until after the first game (i shot 145 the first game). I then rallied back to win the match 4-2.
The next match was the Round of 4, in which the winners would make the TV show. I faced Kelly Kulick and in this difficult match it was Kelly who ended up beating me 4-2.
I guess with a hurt leg, bowling 19 games the last day of matchplay and 48 games total the last tournament, I was pretty happy with how I ended the World Series of Bowling.
The World Series of Bowling concluded this weekend with the taping of all of the World Series of Bowling tournaments over this Labor Day weekend. The shows will air throughout October-December as tape-delayed shows for the first half of the PBA Tour season.
I plan on taking some time off to let my leg heal, but should be back on lanes in no time. Til then...
