Wolfe leads York County Match Play bowling field after qualifying
Ritchie Wolfe blistered the lanes at Suburban Bowlerama on Sunday, averaging 269 for six games to claim the top qualifying spot in the BowlerMaxx York County Match Play Championship.
The southpaw rolled games of 251, 245, 299, 267, 276 and 279 to overtake defending champ Mike Spangler, who led qualifying after Saturday's action at Colony Park North.
Wolfe, the 2019 Match Play champ, carries a 97-pin lead over Spangler into Match Play this weekend. The top 16 bowlers from a field of 63 advanced to match play.
"I got on a good roll today," said Wolfe, who was fourth after the first day of qualifying. "I was very relaxed, and I got a lot of pin carry. I had to remind myself to stay aggressive, but calm."
Despite the lead, Wolfe, a former PBA Tour player, is cautious going into match play.
"This tournament is a marathon, not a sprint. You can't get too comfortable. I know I have to keep the pace up."
He said the momentum can change quickly in match play because of the format, which awards 30 bonus pins for each victory.
"There are still a lot of games left (16) and plenty of great bowlers in the field," he said. "I know I have to persevere. And, if I bowl my best, I will be fine. My experience should help me."
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Bowlers compete in eight games of match play at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lion Bowl and conclude with eight games at 10 a.m. Sunday at Laser Alleys. The tournament winner collects $1,000.
In match play, each bowler receives plus or minus the number of pins over or under 200 each game and 30 bonus pins for a win.
Each bowler rolls one game against every other bowler in the field. The final game is a position round, pitting 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6 and so forth. Bowlers start with the number of pins over 2,400 that they tallied in qualifying.
The field includes five former Match Play champs. They are: Wolfe, Spangler, No. 3 Billy Heltzel Jr., No. 13 Greg Bruff and No. 16 Jerred Poff.
Match Play bowlers and their beginning scores are:
- Wolfe (654)
- Spangler (557)
- Billy Heltzel Jr. (481)
- Jacob Hawkins (474)
- Jim Tomek (444)
- Chris Green (421)
- Mark Fuhrman (410)
- Kevin Appnel (406)
- George Kostjal (405)
- Andrew Carl (402)
- Nick Ryncewicz (399)
- Brandon Updike (397)
- Greg Bruff (394)
- Paul Wolfram (384)
- Jasyn Kitner (374)
- Jerred Poff (366)