High Scoring Pace Defines Opening Round of PBA Chameleon Championship
The third title event PBA World Series of Bowling (WSOB) XVI produced the highest scoring pace thus far at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. Sixteen players averaged north of 250, and another 18 players averaged more than 240 in the first round of PBA Chameleon Championship qualifying.
Kevin McCune led the 200-player field with a total pinfall of 1,545 (+345) for his six games, eclipsing Zach Wilkins by one pin.
McCune competed on B-squad and said the torrid scoring pace produced by A-squad affected his gameplan for the 41-foot Chameleon oil pattern.
“(The high scoring pace) might make you force something a little bit sooner than what you normally would, because you know you have to strike a little bit,” McCune said. “Luckily for me, I barely moved tonight and was able to stay in one ball all six games. Hopefully I can do the same thing tomorrow because obviously the scores are going to be high and I’m only 76 pins ahead of the cut.”
EJ Tackett (+269), the two-time defending PBA World Championship winner, sits in 24th place after the first six games on Chameleon. After the second round of qualifying on Sunday, the top 24 players in the PBA Chameleon Championship will advance to elimination match play.
Wilkins, Zach Weidman, Yuma Haraguchi and Jesper Svensson round out the top five in the PBA Chameleon Championship.
Svensson, one of 14 Swedish players in the field, said it’s awesome to see so many of his fellow countrymen compete in the WSOB each year.
“It’s cool to see everybody out here and a lot of them are doing good, too,” Svensson said. “I think they can make a name for themselves and start their journey. I believe a lot of them have the abilities to be competitive out here as well, they just need to fully commit to it. And with the PBA-Sweden (Region) helping to make Swedish bowling more involved with the PBA, it’s great.”
B-squad begins the day at 9 a.m. Pacific/local time, followed by A-squad at 2:30 p.m. PT (5:30 p.m. ET). The Round of 24 will begin at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) Sunday night.
The Rounds of 16 and 8 will take place on Tuesday, March 18, leading to the championship round that day at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET) on FS1.
All rounds of PBA WSOB XVI qualifying and match play will be livestreamed on BowlTV.
The PBA World Championship includes qualifying games from the PBA Scorpion, Viper, Chameleon and Shark Championships.
The top 50 players after those 48 combined games will advance for 16 games of advancer rounds. Then the top 16 players will bowl an additional 16 games of round-robin match play.
Jason Belmonte, who ranks 15th in the PBA Chameleon Championship, maintained his lead in the PBA World Championship. He owns a total pinfall of 7,115 (+1,115) through 30 of 48 games, an average of just over 237.
Belmonte and EJ Tackett, who ranks second in the major, have won a combined six of the last eight PBA World Championship titles.
Round 1 Leaders | PBA Chameleon Championship
- Kevin McCune, 1,545 (+345)
- Zach Wilkins, 1,544 (+344)
- Zach Weidman, 1,536 (+336)
- Yuma Haraguchi, 1,534 (+334)
- Jesper Svensson, 1,532 (+332)
- Dallas Leong, 1,529 (+329)
- Tun Hakim, 1,528 (+328)
- Nathan Ruest-Lajoie, 1,528 (+328)
- Mitch Hupé, 1,514 (+314)
- Pontus Andersson, 1,510 (+310)
- Brandon Flora, 1,510 (+310)
Full standings are available here.
Round 5 Leaders | PBA World Championship
- Jason Belmonte, 7,115 (+1,115)
- EJ Tackett, 7,072 (+1,072)
- Tim Foy Jr., 7,052 (+1,052)
- BJ Moore, 7,017 (+1,017)
- Boog Krol, 6,971 (+971)
- Jesper Svensson, 6,940 (+940)
- Darren Ong, 6,927 (+927)
- Trevor Roberts, 6,885 (+885)
- Zach Wilkins, 6,864 (+864)
- Matt Ogle, 6,850 (+850)
Full standings are available here.
Tournament Schedule
National Bowling Stadium | Reno, NV
All times Pacific/local
Sunday, March 9
9 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
Top 24 players advance to elimination match play
7 p.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 24 (best-of-five games)
Monday, March 10
9 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Shark Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
Tuesday, March 11
9 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - A-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA Shark Championship - B-Squad Qualifying Round 2 (six games)
Top 24 players advance to elimination match play
Top 1:4 of field advance to PBA World Championship advancer rounds
7 p.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 24 (best-of-five games)
Wednesday, March 12
12 p.m. — PBA World Championship - Practice
Thursday, March 13
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship - Advancer Round 1 (eight games)
Friday, March 14
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship - Advancer Round 2 (eight games)
Top 16 players advance to PBA World Championship round-robin match play
3 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Meet and Greet
4 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Practice
6 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Match Play
Saturday, March 15
9 a.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Match Play
12:30 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championships - Stepladder Finals (MIXED, U18 Boys and U18 Girls)
3 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic pres. by Pilgrim’s - Finals
7 p.m. — PBA Jr. National Championship - Finals taping
Free Tickets
Sunday, March 16
9 a.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Scorpion Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)
Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Scorpion Championship Finals
5 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Scorpion Championship - Finals
Free Tickets
Monday, March 17
9 a.m. — PBA Viper Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Viper Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)
Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Viper Championship Finals
4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Viper Championship - Finals
Free Tickets
Tuesday, March 18
9 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)
Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Chameleon Championship stepladder finals
4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Chameleon Championship - Finals
Free Tickets
Wednesday, March 19
9 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)
Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Shark Championship stepladder finals
4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Shark Championship - Finals
Free Tickets
Thursday, March 20
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 1 (eight games)
5 p.m. — PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 2 (eight games)
Top five players advance to PBA World Championship stepladder finals
Saturday, March 22
12 p.m. on FOX — PBA World Championship Finals
Free Tickets
More information on the PBA World Series of Bowling XVI is available here.