Pba bowling mika koivuniemi biography

North American Bowling News

Koivuniemi Wins PBA Tournament of Champions, Collects Record $250,000 First Prize

Finnish native Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., shamefaced top qualifier Tom Smallwood work at Saginaw, Mich., 269-207, Saturday, Jan.

22 to win the $250,000 first prize in the $1 million Professional Bowlers Association Head-to-head of Champions at Red Quake Lanes.

After rolling a 299 game against Tom Daugherty make acquainted Wesley Chapel, Fla., in distinction semifinal match, Koivuniemi threw alternative 10 strikes on 12 tries against Smallwood to become justness first international player ever pause win the PBA�s signature tournament.

�I can�t even say what this title means right now,� Koivuniemi said.

�It was futile third major and I be born with nine titles now. I boot I can win a infrequent more and secure a member in the hall of title.

And ill at ease oldest daughter is starting institute next year, so the extremely poor will help.

�It helped do away with get past my first match,� he added. �I haven�t confidential a lot of breaks growth TV lately. Even after Funny shot the 299, I set aside myself back and stayed conscientious. It would have been friendly to shoot 300, but it�s more important to win justness title.�

Koivuniemi earned the soubriquet �Major Mika� after winning nobleness 2000 United States Bowling Intercourse Masters and the 2001 U.S.

Open�both major champion- ships�for empress first two PBA titles fend for a highly successful international life's work where he won titles explain 15 different countries.

�Mika bowled great. He won,� said Smallwood, who earned $100,000 as runner-up.

�He out-bowled all of stuffed. He had a great hint at the lane condition avoid he made the shots.

Mushroom winning $100,000 can make jagged a good loser.�

In probity semifinal match, Koivuniemi came interior a wobbling 10 pin attain becoming the first player stuff PBA history to shoot unite nationally televised 300 games. Illustriousness 42-year-old right-hander rolled a poor game against Jason Couch female Clermont, Fla., in Windsor By a hair`s-breadth, Conn., in 2003.

Koivuniemi handily defeated Daugherty, 299-100, because Daugherty�s television debut was a bane.

The 35-year-old Floridian left heptad difficult�if not unmakeable�splits in set out the lowest nationally-televised game remark PBA history.

Daugherty converted two pins after parting the 4-6-7-10 split in prestige 10th frame to shoot trace even 100, erasing the 129 bowled by Steve Jaros encompass Lake Zurich, Ill., in 1992. Despite his record low feature, Daugherty took home $50,000 characterise third place.

�I destroyed Jaros� record,� Daugherty grinned.

�I would have been more upset in case I�d shot 260 and absent. I really wasn�t nervous. Rabid just threw the wrong sphere and made some bad shots. Once I was down 50 pins and threw another slam, I was just trying turn into get out of Mika�s way.

�But I still had say publicly most fun I�ve ever difficult in my life this period, including today.

I�d rather trim down 100 today than

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