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O'Keefe earns top seed at PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open
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 (above left, with No. 2 seed Giselle Poss) 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 (right).
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 (left), 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 (right), 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 (left) 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.
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Leanne Hulsenberg gaining momentum heading into St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open
2017 PWBA Tour Schedule
From left to right: Shannon O'Keefe, Giselle Poss, Danielle McEwan and Clara Juliana Guerrero.
PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open – Match Play Results
Players with position, hometown, match play record, 24-game total and average
1, Shannon O'Keefe, O'Fallon, Ill., 2-4-0, 5,616
(earns No. 1 seed for stepladder based on total pinfall)
2, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 3-2-1, 5,473 (advanced)
3, Liz Johnson, Deerfield, Ill., 4-2-0, 5,383 (advanced)
4, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 4-2-0, 5,336 (advanced)
5, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 3-3-0, 5,299 (eliminated; earns $1,600)
6, Kamilah Dammers, Aruba, 1-4-1, 5,210 (eliminated; earns $1,600)
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).
1, Giselle Poss, Montgomery, Ill., 6-0-0, 5,503
2, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 3-3-0, 5,473 (advanced)
3, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 5-1-0, 5,438 (advanced)
4, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 1-5-0, 5,316 (advanced)
5, Kaidee Sutphin, Mount Dora, Fla., 2-4-0, 5,226(eliminated; earns $1,600)
6, Josie Earnest-Barnes, Nashville, Tenn., 1-5-0, 5,188(eliminated; earns $1,600)
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).
PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open – Televised Stepladder Finals
(Will be taped Aug. 6 and will air Aug. 22 on CBS Sports Network.)
First Match: No. 4 Guerrero vs. No. 3 McEwan
Semifinal Match: No. 2 Poss vs. Match No. 1 winner
Championship: No. 1 O'Keefe vs. Match No. 2 winner
PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open – Cashers' Round
Players with position, hometown and 18-game total; top 12 advance to match play
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.
Missed Cut:
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.
PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open – Qualifying Standings
Players with position, hometown and 12-game total; top 32 advance (a-amateur)
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.
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).
2017 PWBA Tour
Giselle Poss
Josie Earnest-Barnes
Kaidee Sutphin
Kamilah Dammers
Professional Women's Bowling Association
PWBA St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open
Rocio Restrepo
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