SHANNON O’KEEFE COLLECTS 15TH TOUR TITLE AT 2022 PWBA TWIN CITIES OPEN
By Jason Thomas
EAGAN, Minn. – Two months ago, Shannon O’Keefe was in tears after cutting short a practice session because of severe pain in her left hip. Concerned that she would not be able to properly prepare for the grind of another season, she kept pushing through the pain and claimed her 15th career title Sunday at the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Twin Cities Open.
The 43-year-old right-hander from Belleville, Illinois, defeated Missy Parkin of San Clemente, California, 213-192, in the title match at Cedarvale Lanes live on CBS Sports Network.
“I can’t even fathom having 15 titles,” O’Keefe said. “It’s been over a year since my last one but given everything I’ve been going through with my injury, I feel so blessed to be able to win again.”
O’Keefe took home the $20,000 first-place prize and earned her second victory at Cedarvale Lanes after winning at the venue in 2019.
In the title match, O’Keefe threw a key turkey, starting in the third frame, to jump out to an early lead. Parkin, who also was the runner-up in Eagan in 2021, kept the match close and put pressure on O’Keefe with a key 4-9 conversion in the eighth frame. But a 4-6 split in the 10th frame allowed O’Keefe to coast to the win with just a few pins in the final frame.
“Yesterday and today felt like the best I’ve thrown the ball in years,” O’Keefe said. “I felt like I had the two lanes on the championship pair playing a lot more similar than everyone else. I just needed to be a little softer on the left lane and that was the key.”
O’Keefe had a long road through a stellar field of finalists to even make it to the title match. She defeated defending champion Dasha Kovalova of Ukraine in the opening match of the afternoon, 227-159, before dispatching reigning PWBA Player of the Year Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, in the second match, 228-163.
In the semifinal, O’Keefe took on long-time Team USA teammate Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, who was making her second consecutive finals appearance after finishing fourth at last week’s United States Bowling Congress Queens. McEwan hit the pocket on all but two shots and rolled a clean 204 game, but O’Keefe caught fire, throwing a late five-bagger to easily take the win with a 247 game.
With the victory, O’Keefe joins Kim Adler, Cindy Coburn-Carroll, Anne Marie Duggan and Lorrie Nichols with 15 career PWBA wins. All four bowlers are members of the PWBA Hall of Fame.
“After attending the PWBA Hall of Fame ceremony at the Queens last week, those legends of the sport are fresh in my mind, and it is just unbelievable to be mentioned in the same breath with them,” said O’Keefe. “I would love to eventually get to 20 titles, but it is so hard to win out here that I am just so grateful for every one, because you never know when it might be your last.”
The 2022 event started with 78 competitors. After 12 games of qualifying on the first day, the top 26 players advanced to the final day of competition before the final five were determined after 24 total games.
The PWBA Tour season continues June 2-5 at the PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open in Seminole, Florida.
Twin Cities Regional
Sunday also saw the running of the PWBA Twin Cities Regional, which was won by Kerry Smith of New Holland, Pennsylvania. Smith defeated Felicia Wong of Canada in the title match, 233-213.
Smith advanced to the title match after defeating Kayla Bandy of Wichita, Kansas, 189-187. In the opening match, Bandy defeated of Alexis Neuer of Milton, Pennsylvania, 244-213.
The 30-player regional field bowled eight games of qualifying, with the top four players advancing to the stepladder finals. The finals were streamed live at BowlTV.com.
For more information on the PWBA, visit PWBA.com.
2022 PWBA Twin Cities Open
At Cedarvale Lanes
Eagan, Minn.
Sunday’s results
FINAL STANDINGS
1, Shannon O’Keefe, Belleville, Ill., 915 (four games), $20,000.
2, Missy Parkin, San Clemente, Calif., 192 (one game), $10,000.
3, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 204 (one game), $7,700.
4, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 163 (one game), $6,600.
5, Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine, 159 (one game), $5,600.
STEPLADDER RESULTS
Match No. 1 – O’Keefe def. Kovalova, 227-159.
Match No. 2 – O’Keefe def. Coté, 228-163.
Semifinal – O’Keefe def. McEwan, 247-204.
Championship – O’Keefe def. Parkin, 213-192.
TWIN CITIES REGIONAL RESULTS
FINAL STANDINGS
1, Kerry Smith, New Holland, Pa., 422 (two games), $1,200.
2, Felicia Wong, Canada, 213 (one game) $700.
3, Kayla Bandy, Wichita, Kan., 431 (two games), $500.
4, Alexis Neuer, Milton, Pa., 213 (one game) $400.
STEPLADDER RESULTS
Match No. 1 – Bandy def. Neuer, 244-213.
Semifinal – Smith def. Bandy, 189-187.
Championship – Smith def. Wong, 233-213.
PARKIN EARNS TOP SEED FOR STEPLADDER AT 2022 PWBA TWIN CITIES OPEN
By Jason Thomas
EAGAN, Minn. – For Missy Parkin of San Clemente, California, it has been a long journey attempting to take home her first Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour title since the relaunch of the tour in 2015, and the 2011 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion will have another chance if she can win one match after earning the top seed for the PWBA Twin Cities Open.
The finals will be broadcast live Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network, with the champion taking home the $20,000 first-place prize.
Joining Parkin in the stepladder will be No. 2 Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, No. 3 Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, No. 4 Shannon O’Keefe of Belleville, Illinois, and No. 5 Dasha Kovalova of Ukraine.
While Parkin led the tournament since Round 2 of qualifying, McEwan and O’Keefe steadily worked their way up the leaderboard to each qualify for their second TV finals of the season. Defending champion Kovalova also continued her strong title defense with her first TV appearance of the new year.
Parkin finished the qualifying rounds with a 5,541 total for 24 games, a 230.88 average, while Kovalova averaged 226.04 to lock up the final spot in the stepladder with a 5,425 total.
While Parkin has consistently been among the top 10 players on tour since 2015, the one missing piece has been adding more trophies to her collection. She has several runner-up and many other top-five finishes to her credit, but she is looking to break through with another win to go along with her USBC Queens title.
Coté is the reigning PWBA Player of the Year and is back on the show again after a slow start to the season.
McEwan is looking to bounce back from a devastating loss in the stepladder last week at the 2022 Queens, where she left a 7-10 split in the final frame of her match against Laura Plazas to finish in fourth place.
The 78-player field bowled 12 games Friday, before the first cut to the top 26 athletes. Advancers bowled an additional six-game block Saturday morning, with the top 12 competing in a final six-game round to determine the five bowlers for the stepladder, based on 24-game pinfall totals.
For more information on the PWBA, visit PWBA.com.
2022 PWBA Twin Cities Open
At Cedarvale Lanes
Eagan, Minn.
Saturday’s results
QUALIFYING ROUND 4
1, Missy Parkin, San Clemente, Calif., 5,541. 2, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 5,507. 3, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 5,469. 4, Shannon O’Keefe, Belleville, Ill., 5,453. 5, Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine, 5,425.
DID NOT ADVANCE
6, Maria José Rodriguez, Colombia, 5,382, $5,200. 7, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 5,366, $4,750. 8, Rocio Restrepo, Uniontown, Ohio, 5,356, $4,300. 9, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 5,353, $4,100. 10, Lauren Pate, Ballwin, Mo., 5,333, $4,000. 11, Brandi Kordelewski, Belleville, Ill., 5,290, $3,900. 12, Liz Johnson, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 5,288, $3,800.
QUALIFYING ROUND 3
1, Missy Parkin, San Clemente, Calif., 4,222. 2, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 4,126. 3, Danielle McEwan Stony Point, N.Y., 4,114. 4, Maria José Rodriguez, Colombia, 4,101. 5, Shannon O’Keefe, Belleville, Ill., 4,078. 6, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 4,025.
7, Rocio Restrepo, Uniontown, Ohio, 3,996. 8, Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine, 3,989. 9, Brandi Kordelewski, Belleville, Ill., 3,972. 10, Lauren Pate, Ballwin, Mo., 3,962. 11, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 3,942. 12, Liz Johnson, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 3,932.
DID NOT ADVANCE
13, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,913, $3,700. 14, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 3,904, $3,600. 15, Kayla Pashina, Minnetonka, Minn., 3,898, $3,500. 16, Taylor Bulthuis, New Port Richey, Fla., 3,867, $3,400. 17, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia 3,865, $3,250. 18, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 3,855, $3,000.
19, Jordan Richard, Maumee, Ohio, 3,847, $2,850. 20, Laura Plazas (n), Colombia, 3,832, $2,600. 21, Daria Pajak, Poland, 3,825, $2,400. 22, Lindsay Boomershine, Perry, Utah, 3,812, $2,200. 23, Stephanie Schwartz, Racine, Wis., 3,807, $1,850. 24, Haley Richard, Tipton, Mich., 3,787, $1,650.
25, Julia Bond, Aurora, Ill., 3,784, $1,550. 26, Jennifer Hocurscak, Orange, Conn., 3,689, $1,500.
EAGAN, Minn. – Through 12 games of competition at the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Twin Cities Open on Friday, Missy Parkin of San Clemente, California, claimed the lead at Cedarvale Lanes.
The 13-time Team USA member and former United States Bowling Congress Queens champion rolled the high game of the day with a 289 and averaged 237.33 for a 2,848 total score to open up a 38-pin lead over her next closest competitor.
“I have a lot of good feelings in this building after finishing second last time we were here,” said Parkin. “I was able to play my A game most of the day and made a few adjustments during the second round to put together a really solid block.”
Maria José Rodriguez of Colombia is second with a 2,810 total, and Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, is third with 2,783.
Shannon O’Keefe of Belleville, Illinois, and Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, round out the top five with 2,714 and 2,709, respectively.
The 78-player field was cut to the top 26 players after Friday’s second round, with Julia Bond of Aurora, Illinois, claiming the final spot with a 2,562 total, an average of 213.5.
Saturday’s third round will consist of an additional six games starting at 11 a.m. Eastern, with the top 12 returning to the lanes for one more six-game round to complete qualifying. The top five players, based on total pinfall for 24 games, will advance to the stepladder finals.
The stepladder will be Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern and broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. The champion will earn $20,000.
EAGAN, Minn. – The Professional Women’s Bowling Association returns to the Twin Cities for the fourth consecutive season, and the best women in the world once again will converge on Cedarvale Lanes.
The third event of the season runs from May 26-29 with the official practice session taking place Thursday, along with a Bowl with the Pros event, and competition will get underway Friday with two six-game qualifying rounds.
Athletes advancing to the Cashers’ Round will bowl an additional six-game block Saturday to determine the top 12 players. A final six-game round will determine the five players for the stepladder finals, based on total pinfall for 24 games.
The finals of the Twin Cities Open will take place Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern, with the winner earning $20,000 live on CBS Sports Network.
All qualifying rounds leading up to the CBS Sports Network show will be broadcast live at BowlTV.com. The event also includes a regional competition Sunday, which also will be broadcast live on BowlTV.
Ukraine’s Dasha Kovalova is the defending champion and no stranger to defending titles after repeating as champion at the PWBA Louisville Open last season. She was dominant during two matches in last year’s stepladder finals at the Twin Cities Open, averaging 263 in two matches to win her third PWBA title. Her fourth career win came later in the season in Louisville.
The 27-year-old right-hander is coming off a bittersweet week at the first major of the season, the United States Bowling Congress Queens, where she led qualifying but lost her first two matches in the double-elimination three-game total-pinfall format.
Kovalova continues to learn on and off the lanes, and while her USBC Queens experience didn’t end the way she hoped, she added a few more notes about how to trust herself and make changes faster. It also helps to have a village of friends she can depend on.
“I learned that sometimes, you just have to learn to lose gracefully and find positive experiences no matter what,” Kovalova said. “For me, it was the unconditional support of my friends and family. And, I also learned to trust my instincts and ball changes faster when I know I need to make a drastic move.”
Kovalova will be bowling with a heavy heart this week after she recently learned of the passing of her grandfather, Yurij Fanygin.
Fanygin was certainly a fan of his granddaughter and is proud of the woman, bowler and artist she has become.
“He would always cheer for me and tell me to throw a lot of strikes for him,” Kovalova said. “When I started my bowling journey, mom would go to Ukraine to work on her doctorate, and he would take me to bowling practices and always spoil me after. Those were good times. And, even though he was far away, he would always call and make sure that I knew he was cheering for me. Unfortunately, he passed during the night, so we didn’t get to say goodbye, but I know that he is not suffering anymore, and it makes me feel better.”
Locally, the Twin Cities area is often well represented at the event and that will continue in 2022.
Lauren Pate, originally from Inver Grove Heights, is a three-time Team USA member and two-time national champion at McKendree University. She now resides in Ballwin, Missouri, and will be competing this week. Amanda Vermilyea, a recent inductee into the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame, was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American, also will hit the lanes. She now resides in Cottage Grove.
Other players competing with local ties include Kayla Pashina and Kalli Triske of Minnetonka, Katie Ann Sopp of White Bear Lake and Justice Schihl of Plymouth.
The Twin Cities Regional will take place Sunday morning and consist of an eight-game qualifying block. The top four players, based on total pinfall, will advance to the stepladder finals.
The 2022 season features 12 events including three majors, seven of which will conclude on CBS Sports Network, and an overall prize fund of approximately $1.4 million, which represents the largest average per event since the tour’s relaunch in 2015.
To learn more about the PWBA Tour, visit PWBA.com.
DAILY SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 26
4 p.m.: Official practice session (90 minutes)
7 p.m.: Bowl with the Pros
Friday, May 27
10 a.m.: Qualifying – Round 1 (six games)
5 p.m.: Qualifying – Round 2 (six games)
Cut to cashers for Round 3
Saturday, May 28
10 a.m.: Qualifying – Round 3 (six games)
Cut to top 12 athletes for Round 4
4 p.m.: Qualifying – Round 4 (six games)
Cut to top five athletes for stepladder finals
Sunday, May 29
8 a.m.: PWBA Regional event – qualifying (eight games)
2 p.m.: PWBA Regional event – stepladder finals
4 p.m.: Live CBS Sports Network Finals
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).
