A record total of almost 300 bowlers will flood AMF Euless Lanes starting today for a chance to reach the finals of the U.S. Women’s Open.
But only five will advance to Thursday’s event at Cowboys Stadium.
The qualifying rounds include competitors from Columbia, South Korea, Denmark, England, Finland and the Philippines.
New Jersey’s Kelly Kulick won the event in 2010. She was the first woman to win a Professional Bowling Association Tour title when she won the 45th Tournament of Champions in January 2010.
“I’m ecstatic about how big this tournament has grown,” she said. “There are over 280 entries. And the fact that it is being held at Cowboys Stadium will make it even more exciting and energetic for the crowd to watch.
“This event is taking place in a venue that is unprecedented in bowling. We’ve never bowled outside of a bowling center or an arena. So this is new for everyone. All I can do is hope for the best and hopefully be in the top five that get to bowl for the show.”
There will be three blocks of qualifying. Once the field is cut to 16, bowlers will compete in a round-robin format to determine the top five.
“We have a record number of participants with the strongest ladies from all around the world,” said Grand Prairie’s Stefanie Nation, one of the sport’s young stars. “It will be no easy feat to be one of the top five finalists, but you just have to take it one game at a time and hope for the best.”
By William Wilkerson – wwilkerson@star-telegram.com
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/23/3176116/qualifying-starts-today-for-five.html#ixzz1QDAbIJKh
