O’KEEFE EARNS TOP SEED AT 2017 PWBA ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER OPEN
SEMINOLE, Fla. – After a few frustrating weeks on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour, Shannon O’Keefe of O’Fallon, Illinois, got back to feeling like herself again, and it showed as she captured the No. 1 seed for the TV finals of the 2017 PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open.
O’Keefe held the overall lead after the second round of qualifying at Seminole Lanes, and she never relinquished the top spot despite her 2-4 record during the match-play portion of the event Saturday.
She topped the Group A standings with a 5,616 total, locking up a spot in the championship round, which will be taped for delayed broadcast Aug. 6 at Plano Super Bowl in Plano, Texas, and air on CBS Sports Network on Aug. 22.
O’Keefe withstood a potential challenge from Group B leader Giselle Poss of Montgomery, Illinois, who defeated defending champion Rocio Restrepo of Louisville, Ohio, in an epic position-round battle to clinch her first career PWBA TV appearance.
Poss earned the No. 2 seed based on total pinfall, including bonus pins for each of her wins in match play (5,503). O’Keefe and Poss will be joined by No. 3 seed Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, and No. 4 seed Clara Guerrero of Colombia.
O’Keefe, 38, had been battling some issues in her physical game during the past few events, which contributed to her not cashing at the PWBA Greater Detroit Open and the Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship. The recovery period began last week at the PWBA Orlando Open, where she began to feel better and more confident with the help of her ball rep and husband, Bryan.
With an extra set of eyes, O’Keefe focused on a different portion of her physical game each round and ultimately left Orlando with a top-five finish.
“When I start getting in trouble, my shoulders get overactive,” O’Keefe said. “When I push the ball, I’ll chase it with my right shoulder, and then I pull back a little bit and the ball gets stuck behind my back. I’ll have a lot of shots where I’ll miss a little right, and then I’ll grab one. I was really just trying to tighten everything back up, making sure I just drop the ball from the spot in my pushaway, don’t let my shoulder chase it into my swing and keep my left arm really stable. Those things are really important for my success.”
This week, O’Keefe put it all together on the 40-foot Sport Bowling-certified lane condition and will make her first trip to television as a competitor in 2017. She claimed three titles in 2016, including her first professional singles title, but her time on TV this season has been as a sideline reporter on the PWBA telecasts.
“It just feels good,” said O’Keefe, who won the Pepsi PWBA Lincoln Open last season as the No. 1 seed. “It feels good to know I haven’t lost it. I missed back-to-back checks, and those little mental demons do come at you. You start thinking, ‘Gosh, did I lose it? Do I still have what it takes?’ because these young girls are really good. But, I’m still ok. I’m not the old lady yet. I just have to take it one shot at a time and fight my own mental demons, which everybody does.”
Poss, a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University and PWBA Tour rookie, entered the position round trailing Restrepo by 16 pins, which meant the winner of the match would earn an automatic TV bid.
Both players began the match with six strikes, and both players saw their strings end in the seventh frame. Restrepo left a 2-8-10 split for an open frame, while Poss left a 4 pin, which she converted.
Poss, 22, opened in the ninth frame, chopping the 2-4-8 combination, and she needed a double and eight pins in the final frame to shut out Restrepo. Poss showed great poise after the open by tossing three strikes in the 10th frame for a 247-231 victory.
“I’ve been working a lot on my emotions, and after I have an open frame, I tend to have another open frame,” said Poss, who was a 2017 National Tenpin Coaches Association First Team All-American. “I tried to calm myself down as quickly as possible with breathing. Plus, I had nothing to lose, so I just put it all out there for three shots. The third wasn’t the best, but it struck, and I’m happy about that.”
McEwan, 25, made the most of the PWBA’s time in the state of Florida as she qualified for her second television show in as many weeks, this time defeating Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, 208-198, in the Group A stepladder final.
McEwan, who began to feel more like herself recently during the Tour’s second major of the season, now will head to her home state of New York next week looking to qualify for a third consecutive TV appearance. McEwan earned the No. 2 seed for the finals of last week’s PWBA Orlando Open.
“It started at the (Go Bowling) Players Championship, where I started to feel like myself again,” said McEwan, who finished fourth at the 2017 PWBA Storm Sacramento Open. “I told myself to make every tournament for the rest of the season better than the last. So, that mentality has been helping me not put so much pressure on each individual event and instead just focus on improving myself.”
Stefanie Johnson defeated two-time reigning PWBA Player of the Year Liz Johnson of Deerfield, Illinois, 219-159, in the Group A semifinal to advance. It was the first time this season Liz Johnson qualified for match play and did not advance to a television final. She has advanced to the championship round seven times in 2017.
Guerrero averaged 246 during the Group B stepladder finals and captured her spot by defeating Restrepo, her Team Colombia teammate, 244-204, in the final. It has been a tough year for Guerrero, who is battling a finger injury and has come up just shy of television in multiple events.
Guerrero, 35, couldn’t hide her excitement after securing her return ticket to television.
“It feels amazing,” Guerrero said. “I’ve been close twice, and it has been heartbreaking missing the show those times. It has been quite a season mentally, more than anything else. It feels amazing to be back. It feels amazing to get it done against such great players in the stepladder. Just to bowl great again feels amazing and I’m happy to be back on TV.”
Guerrero defeated Erin McCarthy of Omaha, Nebraska, 248-227, in the Group B semifinal.
Competition this week at the PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open included two six-game qualifying blocks Friday at Seminole Lanes to determine the 32 players for Saturday’s cashers’ round.
An additional six-game block Saturday morning narrowed the field from the 32 cashers to 12 players for round-robin match play.
The 2017 PWBA Tour season continues next week with the Nationwide PWBA Rochester Open at AMF Gates Lanes in Rochester, New York.
Go to PWBA.com for more information about the PWBA Tour. Qualifying and match-play rounds of PWBA Tour events are broadcast on Xtra Frame, the exclusive online bowling channel for the Professional Bowlers Association.
About the PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) originally was formed in 1960. The PWBA Tour has events throughout the country, offering high-level competition and top prize money for women bowlers. The PWBA is supported by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC)
PWBA ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER OPEN
At Seminole Lanes, Seminole, Fla.
Saturday’s results
MATCH PLAY- GROUP A
1, Shannon O’Keefe, O’Fallon, Ill., 2-4-0, 5,616.
2, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 3-2-1, 5,473.
3, Liz Johnson, Deerfield, Ill., 4-2-0, 5,383.
4, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 4-2-0, 5,336.
5, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 3-3-0, 5,299.
6, Kamilah Dammers, Aruba, 1-4-1, 5,210.
MATCH PLAY – GROUP B
1, Giselle Poss, Montgomery, Ill., 6-0-0, 5,503.
2, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 3-3-0, 5,473.
3, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 5-1-0, 5,438.
4, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 1-5-0, 5,316.
5, Kaidee Sutphin, Mount Dora, Fla., 2-4-0, 5,226.
6, Josie Earnest-Barnes, Nashville, Tenn., 1-5-0, 5,188
Group A Stepladder
Semifinal – S. Johnson def. L. Johnson, 219-159 (L. Johnson finishes tied for seventh, earns $1,900).
Final – McEwan def. S. Johnson, 208-198 (McEwan earns No. 3 seed for stepladder based on average; S. Johnson finishes tied for fifth, earns $2,100).
Group B Stepladder
Semifinal – Guerrero def. McCarthy, 248-227 (McCarthy finishes tied for seventh, earns $1,900).
Final – Guerrero def. Restrepo, 244-204 (Guerrero earns No. 4 seed for stepladder based on average; Restrepo finishes tied for fifth, earns $2,100).
TELEVISED STEPLADDER FINALS
(Will be taped Aug. 6 and will air Aug. 22 on CBS Sports Network)
Match No. 1: (4) Guerrero vs. (3) McEwan
Match No. 2: (2) Poss vs. Match No. 1 winner
Final: (1) O’Keefe vs. Match No. 2 winner
CASHERS’ ROUND (18-game totals; top 12 advance)
1, Shannon O’Keefe, O’Fallon, Ill., 4,217. 2, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 4,104. 3, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 4,001. 4, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 3,988. 5, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 3,977. 6, Kaidee Sutphin, Mount Dora, Fla., 3,970.
7, Kamilah Dammers, Aruba, 3,965. 8, Josie Earnest-Barnes, Nashville, Tenn., 3,964. 9, Liz Johnson, Deerfield, Ill., 3,936. 10, Giselle Poss, Montgomery, Ill., 3,934. 11, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 3,933. 12, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 3,919.
DID NOT ADVANCE
13, Jennifer Russo (a), Monmouth Junction, N.J., 3,902, $1,200. 14(tie), Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, Sabrena Divis, Gillette, Wyo., and Maria Jose Rodriguez, Colombia, 3,888, $1,200. 17, Brittany Himmelreich, Cressona, Pa., 3,885, $1,200. 18, Bryanna Cot‚, Red Rock, Ariz., 3,880, $1,200.
19, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 3,870, $1,200. 20, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,848, $1,200. 21, Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., 3,828, $1,200. 22, Daria Pajak, Poland, 3,827, $1,200. 23, Verity Crawley, England, 3,822, $1,200. 24, Brittany Smith, Johnston, Iowa, 3,800, $1,200.
25, Liz Kuhlkin, Schenectady, N.Y., 3,797, $1,200. 26, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 3,793, $1,200. 27, Lindsay Boomershine, Perry, Utah, 3,785, $1,200. 28, Tawni Vollmer (a), Lake Wales, Fla., 3,775, $1,200. 29, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,764, $1,200. 30, Danielle Van der Meer, Washington, Ill., 3,743, $1,200.
31, Taylor Bulthuis (a), Coral Springs, Fla., 3,727, $1,200. 32, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 3,656, $1,200.
Friday’s results
QUALIFYING (12-game totals; top 32 advance)
1, Shannon O’Keefe, O’Fallon, Ill., 2,821. 2, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 2,732. 3, Liz Johnson, Deerfield, Ill., 2,718. 4, Giselle Poss, Montgomery, Ill., 2,674. 5, Kaidee Sutphin, Mount Dora, Fla., 2,667. 6, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 2,661.
7, Brittany Himmelreich, Cressona, Pa., 2,644. 8, Verity Crawley, England, 2,634. 9, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 2,633. 10, Kamilah Dammers, Aruba, 2,602. 11, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 2,591. 12, Tawni Vollmer (a), Lake Wales, Fla., 2,590.
13, Maria Jose Rodriguez, Colombia, 2,580. 14, Lindsay Boomershine, Perry, Utah, 2,578. 15, Daria Pajak, Poland, 2,576. 16, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 2,568. 17(tie), Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, and Brittany Smith, Johnston, Iowa, 2,562.
19, Jennifer Russo (a), Monmouth Junction, N.J., 2,551. 20, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,549. 21, Bryanna Cot‚, Red Rock, Ariz., 2,541. 22, Taylor Bulthuis (a), Coral Springs, Fla., 2,539. 23, Sabrena Divis, Gillette, Wyo., 2,538. 24, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 2,536.
25, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 2,534. 26, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 2,533. 27, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 2,521. 28, Danielle Van der Meer, Washington, Ill., 2,517. 29, Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., 2,515. 30, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 2,510.
31, Liz Kuhlkin, Schenectady, N.Y., 2,502. 32, Josie Earnest-Barnes, Nashville, Tenn., 2,489.
DID NOT ADVANCE
33, Kristina Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 2,488. 34, Edissa Andrade (a), Panama, 2,482. 35, Kayla Bandy, Salisbury, Md., 2,481. 36, Karen Boyd (a), Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 2,480.
37, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 2,477. 38, Birgit Poppler, Germany, 2,468. 39, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 2,467. 40, Amanda Fry, Antelope, Calif., 2,464. 41, Kristina Wendell, Kingston, N.Y., 2,461. 42, Nicole Bower (a), Camp Hill, Pa., 2,457.
43, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 2,431. 44, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, 2,429. 45, Megan Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 2,422. 46, Amanda Flood (a), Brandon, Fla., 2,403. 47, Alyssa Harper (a), Deland, Fla., 2,394. 48, Jessica Barrett (a), Cape Coral, Fla., 2,389.
49, Bree Macpherson, Australia, 2,384. 50, Melissa Klug, The Villages, Fla., 2,370. 51, Anggie Ramirez Perea, Austin, Texas, 2,368. 52, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2,366. 53, Heather D’Errico, Rochester, N.Y., 2,356. 54, Summer Jasmin, Beckley, W.Va., 2,353.
55, Amanda Greene, Romney, W.Va., 2,351. 56, Marcia Kloempken (a), Pleasant View, Utah, 2,348. 57, Samantha Schaden, Baltimore, Md., 2,344. 58, Crystal Schoneman (a), Orlando, Fla., 2,335. 59, Sarah Muench, Johnston, Iowa, 2,320. 60, Stephanie Martins, Brazil, 2,312.
61, Amber Vega, Orangevale, Calif., 2,308. 62, Lucy Sandelin (a), Tampa, Fla., 2,296. 63, Leanne Vastbinder (a), Winter Park, Fla., 2,292. 64, Kayla Pashina, Minnetonka, Minn., 2,271. 65(tie), Samantha Linder (a), Sarasota, Fla., and Anna Groce (a), Kernersville, N.C., 2,262.
67, Brooke Bower, Camp Hill, Pa., 2,259. 68, Desiree Negron (a), Puerto Rico, 2,248. 69, Jessica Lesagonicz, Atlanta, Ga., 2,227. 70, Debbie Ayers, La Mesa, Calif., 2,223. 71, Nichole DePaul-Miller, Baytown, Texas, 2,200. 72, Brandi Stephens (a), Stillwater, Okla., 2,195.
73, Pamela Ross (a), Casselberry, Fla., 2,179. 74, Beth Owen Cipielewski (a), Bradenton, Fla., 2,176. 75, Ashley Chiaramonte, Jackson, N.J., 2,165. 76, Stephanie Adams (a), Canada, 2,152. 77, Jessica Peters, Toms River, N.J., 2,135. 78, Tiffany Crosby (a), St. Petersburg, Fla., 2,116.
79, Lina Soto (a), Tampa, Fla., 2,000. 80, Carmen Aguilar (a), St. Petersburg, Fla., 1,962. 81, Jean Cheshier (a), Tampa, Fla., 1,890. 82, Kendra Gaines (a), Orlando, Fla., 1,138 (WD).
ARLINGTON, Texas – United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Leanne Hulsenberg of Pleasant View, Utah, said that if her win at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open ends up being the last victory of her illustrious career, it would be perfectly acceptable, as that experience is among her most treasured.
However, that does not mean the 49-year-old right-hander is a complacent competitor on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour.
In fact, even after decades on the lanes and 27 professional titles to her credit, Hulsenberg still is doing everything she can to be a threat on the PWBA Tour, and her hard work has her gaining momentum as the 2017 PWBA Tour season rolls into its 10th stop.
Hulsenberg will be among the nearly 80 bowlers headed to Seminole Lanes in Seminole, Florida, this week for the 2017 PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open.
Competition will take place Friday and Saturday, with four spots in the event’s stepladder finals and a shot at the $10,000 top prize on the line.
The TV finals will be taped for delayed broadcast on CBS Sports Network in conjunction with the U.S. Women’s Open at Plano Super Bowl in Plano, Texas, during the first week of August. The show will air Aug. 22 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
A recent streak of success has seen Hulsenberg finish sixth at the PWBA Greater Detroit Open, just missing a spot in the championship round, sixth at the Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship and among the 32 cashers at last week’s PWBA Orlando Open.
The mid-season surge almost didn’t happen, however, as the two-time major champion was on the verge of calling it quits following what she described as possibly the two worst weeks of her career when she failed to crack the top 50 at the PWBA Wichita Open and Pepsi PWBA Lincoln Open.
“Coming into 2017, I’d been consistent, but there were no real highlights for me,” Hulsenberg said. “It wasn’t frustrating as much as it was disappointing. I worked incredibly hard before this season to try and change that, including changes in my equipment, losing weight, walking and taking supplements. I did everything I thought I needed to do to be successful in 2017, based on how things went in 2016.”
One of the biggest changes Hulsenberg made was adding finger grips to her equipment for the first time in her career. She thought it might help strengthen her release, give her more rotation and be the secret to success on the PWBA Tour’s challenging lane conditions. Although it seemed to be effective at home, it didn’t translate to the Tour.
Following the PWBA Lincoln Open, rather than give up, Hulsenberg and her husband, Gary, went back to the drawing board.
She drilled six new bowling balls, all without grips, going back to what she knows best, and that seems to have been the difference in recent weeks. She also got a cortisone shot to offer some relief from a chronic bursitis in her hip, which really has helped with the long days of competition.
But, not all of Hulsenberg’s struggles have been physical.
As much as she’d love to win again, her life is far different than when paying the bills depended on her performance.
Now, she can compete simply because she loves the sport and wants to support the PWBA Tour, but it’s third on her priority list behind her family and full-time job with Storm Bowling Products. While this has helped take off some of the pressure to succeed, it also has affected her intensity on the lanes.
“Everything in my life is different now, but my expectations are not,” Hulsenberg said. “I still want to be successful, but I admit I do need to find that fire on the lanes again. Considering how Wichita and Lincoln went, I was just happy to make the cut in Green Bay. I realized after that if I’d just turned it up a little more, maybe I could’ve made the show.”
Hulsenberg now has some additional motivation for the 2017 PWBA season, which will end with the Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.
The special event will include 16 players – all of the eligible winners from the 2017 PWBA Tour season, plus the top point earners to round out the field.
“Bowling well lately has given me some confidence for the rest of the year, and I always look forward to the U.S. Women’s Open, which is right around the corner,” said Hulsenberg, whose other major victory was the USBC Queens in 1999. “I am hoping to make it to the Tour Championship because my son (Barrett) is a huge racing fan and really wants to go to Richmond. It would mean a lot to be able to make that happen.”
Hulsenberg’s last win came on a one-of-a-kind stage – the field at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and it was extra special, not because she downed nearly 300 of the best players in the world to claim the $50,000 top prize and coveted green jacket, but because she got to share moment with her husband and young son.
Having the trophy in one arm, her son in the other, and her husband nearby, was a symbolic bridge between two phases of her life.
“If that’s the last win I ever have, it would be OK, because it was very special and always will be incredible memory,” said Hulsenberg, who defeated defending champion Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, 218-183, to win the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open. “Don’t get me wrong, though, it sure would be nice to win again, and that’s why I keep working so hard.”
All competitors at the 2017 PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open will bowl 12 games of qualifying Friday, before the field is cut to the top 32 for Saturday’s six-game cashers’ round. Their 18-game pinfall totals will decide the 12 bowlers who advance to round-robin match play.
Match-play competitors then will be split into two groups, with the pinfall leader in each group after 24 games, bonus pins for match-play wins included, automatically qualifying for the championship round. The bowler with the higher pinfall will be the No. 1 seed.
The second, third and fourth bowlers in each group will advance to simultaneous group stepladders, with the winner of each also qualifying for the TV finals.
All qualifying and match play rounds of PWBA Tour events are carried on Xtra Frame, the exclusive online bowling channel for the Professional Bowlers Association. Go to XtraFrame.TV for more information.
Thursday, July 6
4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Official practice
7 p.m.: Pro-am
Friday, July 7
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.: Official Practice
12 p.m.: Qualifying Round 1 (fresh oil) (six games)
6 p.m.: Qualifying Round 2 (burn) (six games)
Saturday, July 8
8:30 a.m.: Cashers’ round (fresh oil) (six games)
1 p.m.: Round-robin match play (burn) (six games)
5 p.m.: Group stepladder finals (fresh oil)
About the PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) originally was formed in 1960. The PWBA Tour has events throughout the country, offering high-level competition and top prize money for women bowlers. The PWBA is supported by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).
