PBA National Tour

The 69th U.S. Open, one of professional bowling's most demanding tournaments, will return to Brunswick Zone-Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J., in 2012 for a record seventh time. Defending champion Norm Duke (pictured right) of Clermont, Fla., will be on hand to try to win his eighth career major title, his third U.S. Open crown and the $60,000 first prize.

Sean Rash (pictured) of Montgomery, Ill., was the lone U.S. professional in the finals of the Chameleon Open, which will air Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Chameleaon Open was the second of four PBA "animal pattern" championships conducted during the PBA World Series of Bowling Nov. 6-19, 2011 at South Point Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. Rash meets two-handed rivals Jason Belmonte of Australia and Osku Palermaa of Finland and Venezuelan Ildemaro Ruiz.

Mike Fagan (pictured left with the trophy) of Dallas, seeded second, took revenge for the loss of the winners bracket finals defeating top seeded Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, 246-213, to win the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Masters and the $50,000 top prize. It was the third career PBA title for Fagan and his first major. With the victory in the TV finals at Sunset Station's Strike Zone bowling Center in Las Vegas, Fagan denied Barnes' bid to become the third Grand Slam winner in PBA history.

Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, is now one victory away from claiming the title in the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters. The finals will be broadcast live on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. Eastern (6.30 p.m. CET) Sunday at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas.Rounding out the telecast is No. 2 seed Mike Fagan of Dallas, No. 3 seed Dan MacLelland of Canada and No. 4 seed Bryon Smith of Roseburg, Ore.

Chris Barnes (l.) of Double Oak, Texas, rolled an 806 series including a 300 game en route to earn the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals of the 2012 USBC Masters live on ESPN Sunday, Jan. 29 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. Barnes defeated Mike Fagan of Dallas in the finals of the winners bracket, 806-743. Fagan earned the No. 2 seed. In the opening match of the TV finals, Canadian Dan MacLelland and 2003 Masters champion Bryon Smithof Roseburg, Ore., will square off.

The lone woman remaining in the field - Missy Parkin (left) of Lake Forest, Calif. - was among 16 undefeated players after the opening rounds of double-elimination match play Thursday at the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels USBC Masters. Parkin went 2-0 in matches at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center and with one more victory Friday would break the record for the high finish by a woman at the Masters. Dana Miller-Mackie (2000) and Liz Johnson (2006) hold the record by finishing in a tie for 17th position.

Rick Steelsmith (pictured) of Wichita, Kan., earned high-qualifier honors Thursday after 15 games at the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters. The 1987 Masters champion finished qualifying with 3,505, an average of 233.6, and will face defending champion and No. 64 seed Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa, in the opening round of the double-elimination match-play bracket at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center.

Two-time runner-up Chris Barnes (pictured) of Double Oak, Texas, moved into the lead after two five-game rounds of qualifying Wednesday at the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters. Barnes has totaled 2,352 over the first two days of the event, averaging 235.2 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center. He leads a field of 305 of the best players in the world competing for a total prize fund of $235,000 and a spot on the televised finals, which will be broadcast on ESPN on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

Venezuela's Amleto Monacelli (pictured) took the lead after the first round of qualifying Tuesday at the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Masters by averaging 247.8 over the opening five games. Monacelli, a 19-time PBA champion and PBA Hall of Famer, fired 1,239 in the opening round to lead a field of 305 players vying for a piece of the $235,000 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.

Throwing his traditional rocket to the pocket, Eugene McCune (l.) of Munster, Ind., successfully defended his PBA Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite title Sunday at Fountain Bowl. McCune, who was the top qualifier for the stepladder finals on the high-scoring PBA Cheetah lane conditioning pattern, defeated PBA Hall of Famer and 35-time Tour titlist Pete Weber (r.) of St. Ann, Mo., 245-229, in the championship match for his third career win.

England's Stuart Williams, a third-year PBA competitor, defeated Venezuela's Ildemaro Ruiz, 246-194, to win the PBA Bayer Viper Open at South Point Casino and Hotel, becoming the first English bowler ever to win a PBA Tour title. The finals of the PBA's first tournament of the 2011-12 season was the first of four PBA "animal pattern" championships and has been contested November 18, 20111. The tape-delay telecast of the championship round aired Sunday on ESPN.

Dino Castillo (pictured left) of Carrollton, Texas, bowled two 300 games and averaged 257.33 Saturday to lead qualifying in the Professional Bowlers Association Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite at Fountain Bowl. Castillo had games of 300, 258, 256, 279, 238, 235, 192, 300 and 258 for a 2,316 nine-game pinfall total on the high-scoring PBA Cheetah lane conditioning pattern to top 24 players who advanced to Sunday morning's match play round. In all, thirteen 300 games were bowled in Saturday's qualifying.

After an emotional victory at the 2011 USBC Masters, Tom Hess (pictured) of Urbandale, Iowa, thinks the key to his chances of successfully defending his title is keeping those emotions in check. The Masters, which is one of four majors on the PBA Tour, also is a part of the 2012 World Bowling Tour organized by the WTBA. When the 2012 Masters begins Tuesday at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas, Hess will have around 300 bowlers looking to dethrone him.

For the first time in PBA history, bowling fans will have an opportunity to watch two championships decided in a single day Sunday, when the tape-delay telecast of the Bayer Viper Open airs on ESPN followed by live online coverage of the inaugural Xtra Frame Tour Cheetah Open. Mike Fagan (l.) will head the Viper Open eliminator finalists and is joined by England's Stuart Williams (r.), Sean Rash and Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela.

Finland’s Osku Palermaa became the first international player, and the first two-handed bowler, to win the PBA World Championship when he defeated Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., in the title match, 203-177, to win the $50,000 first prize. The finals of the PBA's first "major" tournament of the 2011-12 season have been contested on November 20, 2011. The tape-delay telecast of the championship round aired Sunday on ESPN.

A pair of international two-handed bowling stars will meet a pair of title-hungry American veterans in the tape-delay telecast of the PBA World Championship Sunday, Jan. 15, which will air in high-definition on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET. Finland's Osku Palermaa and Australia's Jason Belmonte, who developed their unique styles half a world apart, will join 25-year PBA Tour veteran Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., and Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., in the battle for the $50,000 first prize and a major title all four players covet.

A funny thing happened to Australian two-handed star Jason Belmonte (pictured) in Sunday's Mike Aulby Division telecast on ESPN. He recorded the 21st nationally-televised 300 game in PBA history, but it was a sub-200 game that earned him a trip to the PBA World Championship final round. Belmo followed his game-two perfect effort with a less-than-perfect 196-179 victory over Brian Kretzer of Dayton, Ohio, to capture the final berth in the finals which will air Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Australia's two-handed star, Jason Belmonte (pictured), leads the field of four players in Sunday's Mike Aulby Division finals of the PBA World Championship which will air in high-definition on ESPN Sunday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. ET. The Aulby Division is the fourth and last eliminator round telecast that will trim the PBA World Championship field of 16 finalists down to four for a Sunday, Jan. 15, TV show for the $50,000 first prize, the Earl Anthony Trophy and the PBA Tour's first major title of the 2011-12 season.

Sean Rash (pictured left) of Montgomery, Ill., the runaway qualifying leader in the Professional Bowlers Association World Championship preliminary rounds, advanced to the round with a victory in the Johnny Petraglia Division finals that aired on tape delay on Sunday on ESPN. Rash will join Finland's Osku Palermaa, winner of the Don Carter Division; Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., winner of the Billy Hardwick Division, and the winner of next Sunday's Mike Aulby Division finals in the tape-delay World Championship finals on Jan. 15.

Sean Rash (left) of Montgomery, Ill., after a dominating performance in the qualifying rounds of the PBA World Series of Bowling, will head a mixed field of four experienced and youthful players in Sunday's Johnny Petraglia Division finals of the PBA World Championship which will air at 1 p.m. ET in high-definition on ESPN. The finals of the PBA's first "major" tournament of the 2011-12 Tour have been contested November 20 on a pair of lanes specially installed in an exhibit hall at South Point Hotel and Casino in suburban Las Vegas.