By Lucas Wiseman, USBC Communications
HENDERSON, Nev. - Venezuela’s Amleto Monacelli took the lead after the first round of qualifying Tuesday at the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters by averaging 247.8 over the opening five games.
Monacelli, a 19-time PBA champion, fired 1,239 in the opening round to lead a field of 305 of the top bowlers in the country vying for a piece of the $250,000 prize fund at Sunset Station’s Strike Zone Bowling Center. The finals of the event will be broadcast live on ESPN on Jan. 29 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
Fueled by a 298 finish, Monacelli, 50, surged into the lead in the final game of the day. He began the opening round with games of 255, 226, 215 and 245. Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, sits in second with 1,225.
"This morning when I was working out something came to my mind that I wanted to change in my game today," said Monacelli, who will be inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame this April. "I wanted to accelerate a little more toward the release. That’s something I thought had been hurting me a little bit."
Another key to Monacelli’s success Tuesday was his ability to maintain a strong mental game, which is another area he has spent time working on lately.
"I’ve been working really hard to get my mental game back," said Monacelli, whose last PBA title came nearly seven years ago when he won the PBA Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Open in 2005. "I have to keep my mind clean without thoughts of the past or future. I also am trying to keep my wishes and desires out of my body, and that has helped keep my anxiety down a lot."
Rick Steelsmith of Wichita, Kan., rounded out the top three with 1,206, while Alex Aguiar of North Dartmouth, Mass., was the high non-professional in the field in fourth place with 1,179.
After struggling in the Masters in the past, Aguiar was pleased to get off to a stellar start at the event. He’s never made the cut at the Masters and put himself in good position to do so with Tuesday’s opening round total.
"This tournament has been a disaster for me in the past," said Aguiar, who won a PBA member/non-member doubles event in January with USBC Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III. "This is one of those tournaments where things haven’t gone very well for me. It’s very satisfying to come out and not have to press to knock down pins in the second round that you didn’t get in the first round."
All 305 players will return Wednesday for five additional games of qualifying before the field is cut to the top 77 for five final games of qualifying Thursday morning. The top 63 players plus defending champion Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa, will move on to the double-elimination match-play bracket Thursday afternoon.
The USBC Masters is a major on the PBA Tour, and the champion of the event will earn $50,000 for first place. The final four players who survive bracket play will advance to the nationally televised championship round.
2012 USBC MASTERS
At Sunset Station’s Strike Zone Bowling Center, Henderson, Nev.
Tuesday’s Results
QUALIFYING - ROUND 1
(Five games)
1, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,239.
2, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 1,225.
3, Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, Kan., 1,206.
4, Alex Aguiar, N. Dartmouth, Mass., 1,179.
5, Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 1,150.
6, Stuart Williams, England, 1,149.
7, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,146.
8, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 1,145.
9, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,140.
10, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 1,136.
10, John Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,136.
12, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,133.
13, Kris Koeltzow, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 1,132.
14, Keith Odette, Waipahu, Hawaii, 1,130.
14, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 1,130.
16, Christian Jensen, Wichita, Kan., 1,128.
17, Jason Duran, Arvada, Colo., 1,127.
17, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,127.
19, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,125.
20, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 1,120.
20, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,120.
22, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,119.
23, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 1,113.
23, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,113.
25, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,111.
26, Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., 1,110.
27, PJ Haggerty, Roseville, Calif., 1,109.
27, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,109.
29, Vernon Peterson, Lake Wales, Fla., 1,108.
30, Jason Barnhouse, Maple Grove, Minn., 1,105.
31, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,104.
31, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 1,104.
33, Steven Badovinac, Parker, Colo., 1,103.
34, Missy Parkin, Lake Forest, Calif., 1,102.
35, Lee Vanderhoef, Greenville, S.C., 1,101.
35, Bill O’Neill, Southampton, Pa., 1,101.
37, George Brooks, Loveland, Colo., 1,099.
37, Kurt Pilon, Warren, Mich., 1,099.
39, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 1,098.
40, Kyle Barnes, Smyrna, Tenn., 1,096.
40, D.J. Archer, Port Arthur, Texas, 1,096.
42, Daniel Verdecchia, Lawrenceville, Ga., 1,095.
42, Siu Hong Wu, Hong Kong, 1,095.
44, Jessica Baker, Wichita, Kan., 1,092.
44, Tom Daugherty, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,092.
46, Jeff Piroozshad, Coral Springs, Fla., 1,091.
47, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,089.
47, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1,089.
47, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 1,089.
50, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,088.
51, Mathew Jones, Phoenix, 1,085.
52, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 1,084.
53, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,082.
53, Joe Salvemini, Oroville, Calif., 1,082.
55, Raul Rosales, El Monte, Calif., 1,080.
56, John Slavich IV, Schaumburg, Ill., 1,079.
57, Jason Wojnar, Chicago, 1,078.
58, Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 1,074.
59, Shigeo Saito, Japan, 1,072.
60, James Edwards, Columbus, Miss., 1,071.
60, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,071.
60, Chris Hayden, Las Vegas, 1,071.
63, Erik Vermilyea, Mansfield, Texas, 1,069.
64, Jarrett Mizo, Honolulu, 1,067.
65, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,066.
65, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 1,066.
65, Matt McNiel, Chanhassen, Minn., 1,066.
68, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 1,063.
69, Manuel Otalora, Colombia, 1,057.
69, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,057.
71, Michael Herring, Altamonte Springs, Fla., 1,055.
72, Chad Pojas, Wahiawa, Hawaii, 1,051.
72, Nikita Koshelev, Russia, 1,051.
74, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,050.
74, Gary Faulkner, Memphis, Tenn., 1,050.
74, Joseph Yockman, Kapolei, Hawaii, 1,050.
77, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 1,048.
78, Steven McCracken, Parker, Colo., 1,046.
79, Cameron Smith, Glendale, Ariz., 1,045.
79, Stephen Pavlinko, Sewell, N.J., 1,045.
81, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,044.
81, Michael Biederman, Post Falls, Idaho, 1,044.
83, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 1,043.
83, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,043.
85, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 1,042.
86, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev., 1,040.
87, Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., 1,037.
88, Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 1,036.
89, Tim Penner, Wichita, Kan., 1,035.
89, Adam Ishman, Las Vegas, 1,035.
91, Lucas Legnani, Argentina, 1,034.
92, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 1,033.
92, Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La., 1,033.
92, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,033.
95, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,032.
96, Paul Ashby, Middleburg Hts., Ohio, 1,031.
96, Eric Forkel, Henderson, Nev., 1,031.
98, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 1,028.
98, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 1,028.
100, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 1,027.
100, Warren Crawford, McKinleyville, Calif., 1,027.
100, Ken Duffield, Madison, Wis., 1,027.
103, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,026.
104, Richard Mitchell, East Berlin, Pa., 1,024.
104, Tom Anderson, Bonney Lake, Wash., 1,024.
104, Kevin Mikalouski, Hebron, Ind., 1,024.
107, Marc Clyburn, Pittsburg, Calif., 1,023.
107, Eddie VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 1,023.
109, Justin Ledwig, Floresville, Texas, 1,022.
109, Robert Gotchall, Lincoln, Neb., 1,022.
111, Alan Frederick, Las Vegas, 1,021.
112, Neil Makison, Boiling Springs, S.C., 1,020.
113, Jeremy Sonnenfeld, Sioux Falls, S.D., 1,019.
114, Frank Guccione, Castle Rock, Colo., 1,018.
114, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 1,018.
116, Tyler Wilds, Three Rivers, Mich., 1,017.
116, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 1,017.
118, Anthony Pepe, Elmhurst, N.Y., 1,016.
118, Robert Klann, San Antonio, Texas, 1,016.
118, Rob Rice, Sunnyside, Wash., 1,016.
118, Dennis Horan Jr., Oakley, Calif., 1,016.
118, Matthew O’Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 1,016.
123, Caleb Nakata, Loomis, Calif., 1,015.
123, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,015.
123, Scott Shiira, Honolulu, 1,015.
123, Jerry Pruitt, Omaha, Neb., 1,015.
123, J.T. Jackson, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 1,015.
128, J,R, Martino, McMurray, Pa., 1,014.
128, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,014.
130, George Gohagan III, Roswell, Ga., 1,013.
131, Mike Danielson, Portland, Ore., 1,012.
131, Ricky Schissler, Henderson, Colo., 1,012.
131, Paul Moor, England, 1,012.
131, Peter Spreadbury, Oak Forest, Ill., 1,012.
131, Aaron Ramsden, Pleasant Valley, Mo., 1,012.
136, Humberto Vazquez, Mexico, 1,011.
136, Dom Barrett, England, 1,011.
136, Lloyd Burleson, San Diego, 1,011.
139, Thomas Parker, Columbus, Ohio, 1,010.
140, Kevin Duncan, Mexico, Mo., 1,009.
141, Carl Labayan, Long Beach, Calif., 1,008.
141, Bill Crane III, Mishawaka, Ind., 1,008.
143, Eric Schacht, North St. Paul, Minn., 1,007.
143, Jeremy Wood, Bountiful, Utah, 1,007.
145, Eric Martinez, San Antonio, Texas, 1,006.
146, Gerald Marrs, Huntley, Ill., 1,005.
146, Tetsuya Kobayashi, Japan, 1,005.
148, Tony Biondi, Orlando, Fla., 1,004.
148, James Grago III, Rome, N.Y., 1,004.
150, Darwin Wimer, Mesquite, Nev., 1,002.
150, Michael Vasquez, Longmont, Colo., 1,002.
152, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,001.
152, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,001.
154, Mike Albert, Florence, S.C., 1,000.
154, Kyle King, Glendale, Ariz., 1,000.
156, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 999.
157, Brett Cunningham, Clay, N.Y., 998.
158, Adam Barta, Girard, Ohio, 997.
159, Evan Nash, Kennewick, Wash., 995.
160, Chad Newman, Richardson, Texas, 994.
160, Brian Skidmore, Albuquerque, NM, 994.
162, Hugh Miller, Mercer Island, Wash., 992.
162, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 992.
164, L. Carnate, Glendale, Ariz, 991.
164, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 991.
166, Shannon Buchan, Waterloo, Iowa, 989.
166, Bryson Rogers, Durham, N.C., 989.
166, Jacqui Reese, Roseto, Pa., 989.
169, Chad Vendeville, Euless, Texas, 988.
169, Brian Ziesig, Levittown, N.Y., 988.
171, Victor Torres, Elephant Butte, N.M., 987.
171, Robert Piroozshad, Brooklyn, N.Y., 987.
171, Anthony Thompson, Redding, Calif., 987.
174, Mike Bailey, Frisco, Texas, 986.
174, Gabriel Yanes, Corpus Christi, Texas, 986.
174, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 986.
177, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 982.
177, J.R. Raymond, Bay City, Mich., 982.
177, Mark Clark, Naperville, Ill., 982.
180, Takashi Kudoh, Japan, 981.
181, Daniel Hannagan, Mt. Juliet, Tenn., 980.
182, George Burruss, Gurley, Ala., 979.
182, Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., 979.
184, Artavius Clark, Oxen Hill, Md., 978.
184, Fred Mattson, University Place, Wash., 978.
184, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 978.
187, Joseph Ramsdell III, Skowhegan, Maine, 975.
188, John DeBenedetta Jr., Las Vegas, 974.
189, Jason Lee Hummell, Hermiston, Ore., 970.
190, Justin Pisarski, Pittsburgh, 969.
190, Tom Sorce, Blasdell, N.Y., 969.
192, Rob Edwards, Vancouver, Wash., 967.
192, Dustin Ochoa, San Antonio, Texas, 967.
194, George Branham III, Indianapolis, 966.
195, Mike DeVaney, Murrieta, Calif., 964.
196, Kelvin Wiggins, Rocky Mt., N.C., 963.
196, Sam Maccarone, Glassboro, N.J., 963.
196, Eric Espinda, Albuquerque, N.M., 963.
199, Billy Bundza, Tucson, Ariz, 962.
200, Robert McBride, Plano, Texas, 961.
200, Cassandra Leuthold, Black Hawk, S.D., 961.
202, Brandon Kraye, LaHabra, Calif., 960.
202, Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill., 960.
202, Wayne Garber, Modesto, Calif., 960.
205, Stephen Haas, Enola, Pa., 959.
205, George Koufakis, Orlando, Fla., 959.
205, Tim Ursillo, Spring Valley, Calif., 959.
208, David Oulman, Medford, Minn., 958.
209, Aric Nagel, Scottsdale, Ariz., 957.
210, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif., 956.
211, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 954.
212, Curt Schmidt, Algonquin, Ill., 952.
212, Rob Shepherd, Sierra Vista, Ariz., 952.
214, John West, Milwaukie, Ore., 951.
214, Christopher Ziesig, Hicksville, N.Y., 951.
216, Jeffrey Alan Darden, Helena, Ala., 950.
216, Mark Tarkington, Elizabeth City, N.C., 950.
218, Mitch Sacks, Jersey City, N.J., 948.
218, Billy Langford, Lone Grove, Okla., 948.
220, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 946.
221, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 944.
222, Miguel Rosales, Anaheim, Calif., 942.
222, Mike Kanada, Camarillo, Calif., 942.
222, Shinichiro Tamai, Japan, 942.
222, Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 942.
226, Michael Hamilton, Miami, 941.
227, Naoyuki Iguchi, Japan, 940.
227, Rick Kouri, Castle Rock, Colo., 940.
227, Donald Barry Jr., Omaha, Neb., 940.
230, John Conroy, Mahopac, N.Y., 939.
231, Travis Celmer, Wernersville, Pa., 938.
232, Rob Herman, Las Vegas, 937.
232, Kyle Taylor, Loveland, Colo., 937.
234, Chris Viale, Westfield, Mass., 935.
234, Adam Miller, Charlotte, N.C., 935.
234, Riand Poblete, Lynnwood, Wash., 935.
237, Warren Blankenship, Ardmore, Okla., 933.
238, John Janawicz, Winter Haven, Fla., 932.
239, Joseph Nereu, New Bedford, Mass., 929.
240, Dee Dee Jeffery, Newport, Ark., 927.
241, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 925.
242, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 923.
242, Corey Husted, Milwaukie, Ore., 923.
244, Lowell Huber, Westminster, Calif., 921.
245, Eric Tseng, Hong Kong, 920.
246, Martin Haberstich, Henderson, Nev., 919.
246, Robert Miller, Bishop, Calif., 919.
248, Don Allen III, , 918.
249, Justin Stevens, Aiea, Hawaii, 917.
249, Michael Monyak, Las Vegas, 917.
251, Ryan Losli, Portland, Ore., 914.
252, Don Wright, Casper, Wy., 913.
253, Jack Zuniga, Tulsa, Okla., 911.
254, Larry Lanehart, Eagle River, Alaska, 909.
255, Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 908.
256, Tracy Teeters, Beaverton, Ore., 905.
257, Ralph Solan, Harvest, Ala., 904.
258, Kenneth Bland Jr., Germany, 903.
259, James Delacerda, Natchitoches, La., 902.
260, James Peryea, Mooers, N.Y., 900.
261, Rick Rucker, Rock Falls, Ill., 899.
261, Scott Peterson, Oceanside, Calif., 899.
263, Robert Lee, Japan, 898.
264, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 897.
264, Nicholas Amrein, Hillsboro, Ore., 897.
266, David Taylor, Largo, Fla., 896.
266, Michael Teahl, Las Vegas, 896.
268, Daniel Du, Tinley Park, Ill, 895.
269, Scott Brown, Lehi, Utah, 894.
270, Stoney Burke Jr., Rio Rancho, N.M., 893.
271, Michael Mullin, Congers, N.Y., 891.
272, Adam Allen, Spokane, Wash., 889.
273, Philip Layral, Fairbanks, Alaska, 886.
274, John Reed, Pueblo, Colo., 884.
275, Kevin Cook, Casper, Wyo., 882.
276, Derek Swanson, Las Vegas, 881.
277, Harold Hill Jr., San Diego, 878.
277, David Labinski, Milwaukee, 878.
279, Thomas Wolf, Bismarck, N.D., 876.
280, Daniel Struzynski, Dunkirk, N.Y., 875.
281, Devin Bidwell, Simi Valley, Calif., 872.
281, Steven Smith, San Diego, 872.
283, Toshiyuki Kaneko, Japan, 868.
284, Riley Dempsey, Avondale, Ariz., 864.
285, Camerson Potts, Hicksville, N.Y., 862.
286, Brandi Wolfe, Tempe, Ariz., 861.
287, Chris Helton, Fountain, Colo., 855.
288, Daniel Miyamoto, Mililani, Hawaii, 848.
289, William Bell, Roy, Utah, 847.
290, John Schriner, Middletown, Md., 846.
291, Cody Reichenberger, Sarasota, Fla., 840.
292, Chris Hook, Mira Loma, Calif., 837.
293, Chad Lusche, Arvada, Colo., 833.
294, Justin Lynn, St. Charles, Mo., 827.
295, Shane Gillmore, Mayflower, Ark., 825.
296, Dale Lee Lookabaugh, New Kensington, Pa., 822.
297, Robert Danevich, Gilbert, Ariz., 818.
297, Richard Lista, Colorado Springs, Colo., 818.
299, Sean Terry, Chino, Calif., 788.
300, Nicole Ellison, Chatsworth, Calif., 787.
301, Gary Smalling, Johnson City, Tenn., 785.
302, Raymond Gaunt, LaPuente, Calif., 775.
303, Dave Terwilliger, Gilbert, Ariz., 774.
304, Dru Schott, Grants, N.M., 684.
305, William Williams, Stafford, Va., 676.
