Team USA's Janawicz and Kulick advance at 2019 QubicaAMF World Cup
November 21, 2019
Results
PALEMBANG, Indonesia - It came down to his final frame, but Team USA's John Janawicz again proved why he's a United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer, this time delivering a strike to secure his spot among the top 24 at the 2019 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup.
His Team USA teammate and fellow USBC Hall of Famer, Kelly Kulick, also had a strong finish Thursday at the Jakabaring Sport City Bowling Center and easily advanced on the women's side.
All competitors this week, 73 men and 60 women representing 75 countries, bowled 24 games over four days (six games each day), before total pinfall determined the 24 men and 24 women who will return to the lanes Friday afternoon for eight additional games.
Competition will resume at 2 p.m. local time (2 a.m. Eastern), and total pinfall for 32 games will decide the eight men and eight women who will advance to round-robin match play.
"It feels great to advance, especially with as badly as I bowled two of the four days," Janawicz said. "It's just like anything else. You keep plugging along and hope you can figure it out. I feel very fortunate, and I'm looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow."
Janawicz, a 47-year-old right-hander, hovered around the cutline for most of the four days of qualifying, but some third-round struggles left him needing a big final day to advance.
He started Thursday's final round in 32nd place, and a 234 opening game got him moving in the right direction. His clutch finish earned him the No. 23 qualifying spot, seven pins ahead of 24th place and 12 pins ahead of 25th.
"I've just tried to keep grinding away this week, and I was lucky to get out to a good start today, before having some trouble with the transition," Janawicz said. "I tried some surface changes early and some different things along the way with limited success, but I got enough to make it through. Now, I need to figure out something for tomorrow and see if I can make a run."
South Africa's Francois Louw, the runner-up at the 2015 QubicaAMF World Cup, maintained his spot atop the men's standings for the fourth consecutive day and finished the 24 games with a 5,520 total, a 230 average.
Germany's Oliver Morig qualified second with 5,332 and was followed by Lee Wanhee of South Korea (5,155), Indonesia's Ryan Lalisang (5,128) and defending champion Sam Cooley of Australia (5,115).
Janawicz finished with a 4,753 total, while Belgium's Xavier Milet earned the final spot in the next round with 4,746 total, a 197.75 average.
Kulick, a 42-year-old right-hander and 15-time Team USA member, never fell out of the top four this week and qualified second overall.
Malaysia's Natasha Roslan set the pace for the women with a 5,016 total, a 209 average, and she was followed by Kulick (4,958), two-time World Cup champion Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic and Maria Koshel of Russia, who tied with 4,896 and Korea's Jeon Eunhee (4,875).
"The thought now is to not put pressure on myself to win it, but to think about and enjoy the journey I took to get here, starting with winning the (USBC) Team USA Trials in January," Kulick said. "I am looking forward to the next round. I'll be focused on trusting myself and getting rid of the self-doubt, which sometimes makes me physically tentative. I just want to throw the ball, read the ball reaction and make the moves I need to make."
The next step for the players is to make the cut to the top eight, though Kulick will be focused on maintaining her place in the top four.
The top four players in each division after match play, based on their 40-game pinfall totals, including bonus pins for each win, will move on to the knockout-style semifinals. The top seed will face the No. 4 seed in one semifinal, and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds will meet in the other. The semifinal winners then will bowl for their respective titles.
Match play, the semifinals and both finals will take place Saturday.
"We accomplished our first goal and had both players advance to the next round, and now it's time to take all the things we've learned this week and see if we can keep the momentum going," Team USA head coach Rod Ross said. "Our eyes ultimately will be on the top four. Because of the format, it's not about leading. It's just about getting there and giving yourself a chance."
The United States is the defending champion on the women's side this week in Indonesia, with Kulick looking to retain the title Shannon O'Keefe claimed in Las Vegas last year.
Past champion Krizziah Lyn Tabora of the Philippines (2017) also is in the field this week, and she qualified in 19th place with a 4,560 total.
The World Cup first was contested in 1965, and the tournament now is considered one of the sport's most prestigious singles titles. It also is recognized as the largest event in the sport in terms of number of countries competing.
The last time the event was held in Indonesia was in 1980, when it visited Jakarta.
To see the complete schedule for the 2019 World Cup, visit QubicaAMF.com.
PALEMBANG, Indonesia - It came down to his final frame, but Team USA's John Janawicz again proved why he's a United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer, this time delivering a strike to secure his spot among the top 24 at the 2019 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup.
His Team USA teammate and fellow USBC Hall of Famer, Kelly Kulick, also had a strong finish Thursday at the Jakabaring Sport City Bowling Center and easily advanced on the women's side.
All competitors this week, 73 men and 60 women representing 75 countries, bowled 24 games over four days (six games each day), before total pinfall determined the 24 men and 24 women who will return to the lanes Friday afternoon for eight additional games.
Competition will resume at 2 p.m. local time (2 a.m. Eastern), and total pinfall for 32 games will decide the eight men and eight women who will advance to round-robin match play.
"It feels great to advance, especially with as badly as I bowled two of the four days," Janawicz said. "It's just like anything else. You keep plugging along and hope you can figure it out. I feel very fortunate, and I'm looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow."
Janawicz, a 47-year-old right-hander, hovered around the cutline for most of the four days of qualifying, but some third-round struggles left him needing a big final day to advance.
He started Thursday's final round in 32nd place, and a 234 opening game got him moving in the right direction. His clutch finish earned him the No. 23 qualifying spot, seven pins ahead of 24th place and 12 pins ahead of 25th.
"I've just tried to keep grinding away this week, and I was lucky to get out to a good start today, before having some trouble with the transition," Janawicz said. "I tried some surface changes early and some different things along the way with limited success, but I got enough to make it through. Now, I need to figure out something for tomorrow and see if I can make a run."
South Africa's Francois Louw, the runner-up at the 2015 QubicaAMF World Cup, maintained his spot atop the men's standings for the fourth consecutive day and finished the 24 games with a 5,520 total, a 230 average.
Germany's Oliver Morig qualified second with 5,332 and was followed by Lee Wanhee of South Korea (5,155), Indonesia's Ryan Lalisang (5,128) and defending champion Sam Cooley of Australia (5,115).
Janawicz finished with a 4,753 total, while Belgium's Xavier Milet earned the final spot in the next round with 4,746 total, a 197.75 average.
Kulick, a 42-year-old right-hander and 15-time Team USA member, never fell out of the top four this week and qualified second overall.
Malaysia's Natasha Roslan set the pace for the women with a 5,016 total, a 209 average, and she was followed by Kulick (4,958), two-time World Cup champion Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic and Maria Koshel of Russia, who tied with 4,896 and Korea's Jeon Eunhee (4,875).
"The thought now is to not put pressure on myself to win it, but to think about and enjoy the journey I took to get here, starting with winning the (USBC) Team USA Trials in January," Kulick said. "I am looking forward to the next round. I'll be focused on trusting myself and getting rid of the self-doubt, which sometimes makes me physically tentative. I just want to throw the ball, read the ball reaction and make the moves I need to make."
The next step for the players is to make the cut to the top eight, though Kulick will be focused on maintaining her place in the top four.
The top four players in each division after match play, based on their 40-game pinfall totals, including bonus pins for each win, will move on to the knockout-style semifinals. The top seed will face the No. 4 seed in one semifinal, and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds will meet in the other. The semifinal winners then will bowl for their respective titles.
Match play, the semifinals and both finals will take place Saturday.
"We accomplished our first goal and had both players advance to the next round, and now it's time to take all the things we've learned this week and see if we can keep the momentum going," Team USA head coach Rod Ross said. "Our eyes ultimately will be on the top four. Because of the format, it's not about leading. It's just about getting there and giving yourself a chance."
The United States is the defending champion on the women's side this week in Indonesia, with Kulick looking to retain the title Shannon O'Keefe claimed in Las Vegas last year.
Past champion Krizziah Lyn Tabora of the Philippines (2017) also is in the field this week, and she qualified in 19th place with a 4,560 total.
The World Cup first was contested in 1965, and the tournament now is considered one of the sport's most prestigious singles titles. It also is recognized as the largest event in the sport in terms of number of countries competing.
The last time the event was held in Indonesia was in 1980, when it visited Jakarta.
To see the complete schedule for the 2019 World Cup, visit QubicaAMF.com.