History of QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup

The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup is a prestigious amateur singles event within the sport of 10-pin bowling, sanctioned by World Bowling and sponsored by QubicaAMF Worldwide. It is the largest annual international sports championship in terms of participating nations. Since its inception in 1965, this event has brought together champions from all over world so that players from small countries with few bowling facilities rub shoulders with the greats of the sport, all on equal terms and all in a spirit of friendly competition. Heads of state, members of royal families, government ministers, media personalities and renowned sportspeople have all been to the tournament and even tried their hands at bowling. Strong competition each year from potential hosts makes the selection of venue very tough – a state-of-the-art QubicaAMF bowling centre and good local backing are a must. The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup has visited every continent, 41 cities in 31 different countries as of the 2015 edition.^[1]

1965 to 1968 'The International Masters'

1965: The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup began as a tournament called the International Masters, held on December 12, 1965 at the 12-lane Stillorgan Bowl, Dublin, Ireland. The tournament's three-day format (eventually becoming week-long) was modeled loosely after that used by the Professional Bowlers Association. Players had to bowl a total of 38 games which was based on the complicated Petersen Points system, which for this tournament was one point per pin scored, 50 bonus pins for a game won.

20 players took part in the inaugural tournament, with Tom Hathaway, Vittorio Noveletto and Richard Hall the favorites according to Irish bookmakers to capture the first ever International Masters, but a dental technician from Helsinki, Finland, Lauri Ajanto, surprised everyone. Ajanto, one of the top four going into the final day of play, won the title largely because Hall defeated his buddy Hathaway in a critical match in the final round. At the same time, the Finn struck on his final ball to go over the top. As Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs president and fellow Finn Kauko Ahlstrom embraced the champion, Hall sank to the bowlers' bench and wept. The QubicaAMF BWC was off and running.^[2]

1966: The second International Masters was staged at the grounds of world-famous Wembley Stadium, at Wembley Stadium Bowl in London, England. The tournament used the Petersen Points system from the previous year. 24 nations were represented, among them last year's champion Lauri Ajanto and last year's 3rd-place finisher Vittorio Noveletto. Ajanto finished 17th this time, while Noveletto was in contention for the title. Noveletto came up short but not without giving 19-year-old John Wilcox, later elected to the American Bowling Congress's Hall of Fame, a big scare. Heading into the last two game match, Wilcox led Noveletto by 241 pins. Noveletto defeated Wilcox in those last two games, 233-181 and 202-167, but he still fell 54 pins shy of taking the title.^[3]

1967: The third International Masters was held at Bowling de Paris, an elegant 12-lane center in the French capital's massive central park known as Bois de Boulougne. 30 nations were represented, split into three squads of 10 players each. In each squad, all the players faced each other in two game matches with bonus pins to determine the top four. 12 bowlers would advance to a semifinal round, where the top four in pinfall here would advance to the final round. Jack Connaughton was number one after the semifinals, clinching the top position for the stepladder finals and needing only one win to clinch the title. In the finals, he defeated Kazou Hayashi 195-172 to make it two straight wins for the U.S.^[4]

1968: The fourth International Masters moved across the Atlantic, to Guadalajara, Mexico. 35 nations would take part in the first International Masters held outside Europe. The U.S. was going for a three peat, but their representative, Jerry Steere finished 9th after leading earlier in the week. A locksmith, Fritz Blum, qualified second for the stepladder finals. Blum defeated hometown favorite Benny Corona in the semifinals and in the final, Blum cruised past top qualifier Jim Kramer in the two-game matchup, 385-334.^[5]

1969 to 2004 'AMF Bowling World Cup'

1969: With the Japanese bowling boom just getting underway, it made sense to stage the fifth edition of this now-classic tournament in Tokyo. The tournament had a new name too, now called the AMF Bowling World Cup.

Fritz Blum was back to defend his title, but he'd been in a terrible automobile accident back home in which his ribs were crushed and his lungs punctured, and it showed. "For two days," he told sportswriters, "I was playing with the angels." Understandably, Blum bowed out early, making way for a new array of would-be contenders. Ut Lenevat, who finished 7th in Guadalajara last year, averaged 208 for the closing two days of the Bowling World Cup, marking the emergence of Asian bowlers as a force in international bowling. As silky and deadly as his style was, however, the title went to Graydon "Blondie" Robinson, a 41-year-old sheet metal worker who edged Lenevat 379-373 in the last two games. Two easy, missed spares in the second game of the matchup cost Lenevat dearly, because "Blondie" strung a five-bagger at the same time.

The first staging of the tournament in Asia signaled the world that bowling, and particularly the Bowling World Cup, meant to make itself a name in the international sports movement.^[6]

1970: The 6th edition of the AMF Bowling World Cup was held at Rodovre Bowling Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. There was a record 43 entries, meaning the number of participating nations had doubled in the six-year history of the AMF World Cup. Klaus Mueller, who was introduced to tenpin bowling by watching American serviceman practice at a military center, qualified in top position with a 205 average and in the three game final, defeated Henry Tan 651-581. Mueller's win was West Germany's second title in three years.^[7]

1971: The 7th AMF Bowling World Cup was held at Four Seas Bowling Center, in the midst of Hong Kong's hubbub. Klaus Mueller was back to defend his title and would make the semifinals, finishing fourth. The winner was Roger Dalkin, a student at Georgia Tech with a rifle-shot delivery, who defeated 1968 3rd-place finisher Benny Corona in the three-game finale, 542-524. It would be Dalkin's only international championship; yet he would continue to influence international bowling years later, when he was elected executive director of the world's largest bowling membership group, the American Bowling Congress.^[8]

1972: The Hamburg AMF Bowling World Cup is best remembered for taking "one giant step for womankind," so to speak. Women bowlers joined the men on the tournament lanes for the first time at St. Pauli's Astrid Bowl and Mexico, which came so close in 1971 to claiming its first Bowling World Cup trophy, finally broke through with Irma Urrea. Urrea, a grandmotherly type from Mexico City, easily turned away Oy Sri-Saard, 591-537, in the three-game women's finale. Urrea, 45, still holds the record as the oldest women's winner. Urrea would later be elected to the International Bowling Hall of Fame.

On the men's side, defending champion Roger Dalkin was back, but a heavy work schedule (he was now running the student union at Georgia Tech after graduating) had kept him from reaching the dominant form he displayed in Hong Kong. Honors instead fell to Ray Mitchell, a 40-year-old telephone company executive from Toronto. Mitchell, who averaged 207 over the final stages of the tournament, managed to eke out a 550-532 victory over Filipino police officer Loreto Maranan in the televised men's finals.

In addition to the Bowling World Cup's welcoming women for the first time, another noteworthy event happened at Hamburg. Bernd Baule racked up the highest single-game score to date in the tournament, with his 297 game in qualifying. The mark would stand for more than 20 years.^[9]

1973: The man who won the 1973 AMF Bowling World Cup almost did not make it into the country, much less the tournament finals.

British entry Bernie Caterer was detained upon his arrival at the Singapore airport because his hair was too long. Singapore officials had previously decided that any male who wore his hair longer than the neckline was suspect, possibly a drug dealer or some other undesirable type, and Caterer's Mod-styled locks exceeded the limit. After extensive negotiations, Caterer and his hair were allowed to enter the country. Lucky for him; Caterer went on to become the first British bowler to win the Bowling World Cup. He inched past Glen Watson, 643-642, by converting a 6-10 spare in the 10th frame of the final game, and filled the mark with a nine-count. Kesinee Srivises captured the women's division when she defeated Mele Anaya, 569-495.^[10]

1974: The AMF Bowling World Cup visited South America for the first time, held at Prados del Este in Caracas, Venezuela. The women's title went to a 20-year-old social worker, Birgitte Lund, who defeated Dale Gray, 573-565, in the three-game women's final. This would be Denmark's only Bowling World Cup titleto date. In the men's division, Louis Wildermeersch was taking his fifth fling at the title. A Belgian dockworker, Wildermeersch was a wry soul and a great favorite of the media, but he lost out again, this time to Jairo Ocampo, 587-563.^[11]

1975: The tenth anniversary of the AMF Bowling World Cup was a genuine thriller, from the police escorts of media and players to and from the airport, to trying to wrap up tournament activity each night before the government-imposed martial law curfews fell. Host proprietor Popit Puyat, a member of the Philippine senate, even managed to arrange a visit for World Cup visitors with then president Ferdinand Marcos. It was a special occasion and another milestone in the event's colourful history.

The athletes lived up to the expectations raised by the lavish receptions and media coverage. Cathy Townsend and Hattieanne Morrissette, who were roommates for the tournament, were slated to face off for the women's title, prompting Morrissette, a stunning black woman, to say, "This will be the chocolate-and-vanilla finals." "Vanilla" won, 540-509. Lorenzo Monti became the first-ever Italian champion when he defeated Carlos Lovera, 561-544.^[12]

1976: Steaming bazaars, screaming traffic, wondrous woven rugs, and the beginning of a bowling legend marked the 12th AMF Bowling World Cup, held at the Persopelis Bowling Center in Tehran, Iran.

After placing second in 1975, Carlos Lovera was back for another run at the title. His unexpected opponent in the finals was a shy, 19-year-old lefty Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno. Paeng had been impressive all week long, but Lovera's experience made him the favorite. And it seemed from the start that it would be Lovera's tournament; he opened the final three-game set with a 200-181 victory over Paeng. That was all the motivation the novice needed; Paeng went on to win, 571-567, in one of those cliffhangers that would become his trademark. The Tehran Bowling World Cup marked the first time that Nepomuceno's fortunes were intertwined with those of the BWC, but it was destined to be far from the last.

The women's title went to Lucy Giovinco, a university student from Florida who thrashed Doris Gradin, 620-504. Like Nepomuceno, Giovinco was only 19; but she made her own BWC history by becoming the first in what would be a long line of U.S. female champions. Giovinco also set the women's high single-game mark at the time with a score of 266 during her three-game match with Gradin.^[13]

1977: When the 13th AMF Bowling World Cup returned to England in 1977, a new bowling group was there to greet it. The World Bowling Writers, an international association formed with the intent of enhancing bowling communications around the world, attracted a dozen writers to its first meeting, held during tournament week. They were rewarded with plenty to write home about, in the person of Arne Stroem. A husky player with a strong physical game, Stroem's forte was his ability to psyche out his opponents. He was always late for his matches; he bowled with painful deliberation; and he never spoke a word. He introduced tactical mental strategy to big-time international bowling. He would make the three-game finals where his tactics drove Philippe Dubois crazy. In a very close match, Stroem ended up winning, 606-603.

In the women's competition, Canada was the first nation to win two BWC titles when Rea Rennox beat American college student Lauren LaCost in the finals, 570-542.^[14]

1978: The 14th AMF Bowling World Cup came to Bogota at a time when there was an average of 187 street robberies a day. The law of averages pre-destined BWC bowlers and visitors to be part of those statistics, and the law did not fail. At least a dozen bowlers were mugged or robbed. Tom Marshall, the British player, broke a boy's arm after the kid pinched his watch. "Let him go," said a cop. "He's already suffered enough."

Things were nearly as difficult on the lanes as they were on the streets. A lot of bowlers couldn't get used to Bogota's elevation, nearly 9,000 feet above sea level. A few, like Inger Levhorn, actually fainted and were attended to by the ever-present medical technicians with their oxygen tanks. Levhorn eventually withdrew from the competition, but Lita de la Rosa, a tiny Filipina with a bad heart and a backup ball, persevered: she beat Pauline Cafolla in the finale, 564-497.

The men's competition started with a double-take: after the first day, a New Caledonian named Lionel Garnier was setting the pace with just a 194 average. However, Garnier soon dropped back, and Samran Banyen and Philippe Dubois, emerged as the eventual finalists. Though Dubois established a commanding lead after the first of three games, 218-184, he was destined to be a Bowling World Cup bridesmaid again. Banyen gave Thailand its first and to date only men's Bowling World Cup championship with a 653-582 drubbing of France's favorite bowler.^[15]

1979: The 15th AMF Bowling World Cup held in Bangkok, Thailand will be remembered for Philippe Dubois finally winning the elusive Bowling World Cup title. In his third consecutive final, he had to go against a hometown favorite, Montree Vipitsini, for the championship. Neither bowler was able to muster much steam, but Dubois's experience in the two previous finals paid off. He outlasted Vipitsini, 567-549, to take the men's title. This would be France's only AMF World Cup title to date.

The women, particularly Olivia Garcia, were the players who really gave the crowds at Sukhumvit Bowl something to shout about. Garcia, better known to the bowling world as Bong Coo, fired a then record-breaking three-game set of 649 as she demolished 1975 finalist Hattieanne Morrissette in the finals. The injured Morrissette could muster only a 587 total, good enough to win the previous two years, but second-rate in 1979 thanks to Coo's mastery of the lanes. This was the second consecutive victory in the women's division for the Philippines.^[16]

1980: The 16th AMF Bowling World Cup was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Paeng Nepomuceno captured his second Bowling World Cup title in his patented style. The lefthander edged Alfonso Rodriguez, 676-663, despite Rodriguez's closing 240 game, to become the first bowler (men or women) to win the Bowling World Cup twice. The victory by Paeng was the third year in a row Philippines had taken one of the titles.

Jean Gordon gave Canada its third women's crown when she stopped Hannelore Hoplitschek, 602 to 557.^[17]

1981: Sixteen years after beginning life as the International Masters, the AMF Bowling World Cup finally alighted in the United States. Adding to the excitement was the fact that No. 17 was held in New York City's Madison Square Garden, the most famous sports citadel in the world at the time.

Bob Worrall, the U.S. men's representative, had actually witnessed the first Bowling World Cup in Dublin. His father, a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army, had been stationed there at the time. The 7-year-old Bob watched virtually every frame of the tournament, adopting Tom Hathaway as his personal favorite and becoming a bowling fanatic in the process.

Worrall bowled in the 1980 AMF Bowling World Cup after winning the ACU-I that year, but he finished a distant 17th in Jakarta. He won the ACU title again in 1981, getting himself a rematch at Madison Square Garden. This time, the American qualified first and, in his first-ever appearance before TV cameras, crushed Manny Magno, 221-179. (TV required that the format change from three games to one to decide the championship.) This would be the only time to date that a host representative has won the AMF Bowling World Cup.

Pauline Smith's triumph in the women's division was the non-surprise of the year. She had just been named England's Bowler of the Year and was an established threat in every major international tournament. Seeded fourth at Madison Square Garden, Smith climbed the stepladder and finally defeated Miyuki Motoi, 203-195, for the crown.^[18]

1982: The AMF Bowling World Cup visited the Netherlands for the first time, in Scheveningen for the 18th edition.

Jeanette Baker, an Australian secretary, captured the media's fancy with her stylishly short skirts, sassy haircut and uninhibited body language during the week-long tournament. She also captured the No. 1 position for the stepladder finals in the women's division and eventually the title, dropping Inger Levhorn in the championship match. Levhorn, who fared much better at sea level than she did in the rarefied atmosphere of Bogota four years earlier, managed to beat defending champion Pauline Smith before slumping under Baker's onslaught, 212-166. The new champion burst into tears after the contest. "It's wetter in here than a Dutch canal," she joked.

Norwegian psych-master and 1977 champion Arne Stroem qualified second and was all but conceded his second BWC title. After trundling out in a red jump suit, Stroem went into his patented routine: snorting, pacing about wildly, adjusting his equipment, ignoring his opponents. It worked, of course; Stroem dispatched Tsung-Cheng Cheng before whipping the top seed, Kru Somsak, 223-195 for his second men's crown, at the time joining Paeng Nepomuceno as the only bowlers (men or women) to win two AMF Bowling World Cups.^[19]

1983: Jeanette Baker arrived to defend her title in Mexico City after what can only be described as a horrific year. Following her victory in Scheveningen, Baker took an office job with AMF in Australia. The Australian Tenpin Bowling Congress took exception, saying that the paid employment with a bowling company made Baker a 'professional'. (Remember, these were still the days of Avery Brundage-inspired 'pure' amateurism.) An appeal to the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs, bowling's international governing body, restored Baker's amateur status but not before she had missed out on the 1983 FIQ World Championships.

So it's little wonder that Baker arrived in Mexico City hoping to make a point. She had embarked on a furious training program prior to winning Australia's BWC qualifier; once in Mexico City, she cloistered herself in her hotel room when not competing. Her asceticism and dedication were rewarded, as she trounced Gisela Lins, 233-194, to win the women's crown, making it back-to-back Bowling World Cup championships. Baker became the first bowler, male or female, to successfully defend the title.

Yu-Tien Chu became the first 'helicopter' spinner (so named because of the unique twist delivered to the ball) to win a major global bowling championship when he defeated Michael Chuah, 213-180.^[20]

1984: The Rushcutter Bowling Center in Sydney, Australia, host of the 20th anniversary edition of the AMF Bowling World Cup, delivered some of the most demanding lane conditions that tournament bowlers had ever experienced. Nobody, with the exception of Shelagh Leonard, could crack an egg during the first few days. Leonard's omelet was a record-setter at the time: the women's new single-high game score of 277. Annie Francois earned the top rung on the stepladder but lost the title to second-seeded Eliana Rigato, a private nurse from northern Italy, 192-171. Rigato's victory was totally unexpected by everyone, including herself. During the TV interview, conducted by way of an interpreter, she wept, and reportedly continued to do so all night in her hotel room. The men's title went to yet another U.S. college student, Jack Jurek, who climbed from third place to beat Nakeesatit Katha, 204-168. In contrast to Rigato, Jurek was smooth and confident in his victory lap, and later went on to win a PBA national title. For the first time, a new award, the Country Champion Award, was given to the country with the best combined finishes in the men's and women's divisions. The country champion award is now called the Bent Petersen Award.^[21]

1985: Seoul was already in the grips of Olympic fever, with the Olympics still three years away, when the AMF Bowling World Cup traveled to Bang 10, the four-story host center. So it would have been appropriate if British representative Judy Howlett, whose brother competed in Olympic-level yachting, had won the women's title. Indeed, Howlett, a fitness buff and a frequent competitor in the World Cup, led most of the way and looked like a tournament lock. Due to being the top seed, Howlett needed only one win to claim the title, but couldn't overcome the luck of the Irish in the championship match. Tall, red-haired Marjorie McEntee, a barmaid from Dublin, walloped her British neighbor, 205-171 and 196-167, to capture Ireland's first-ever major international title. It was McEntee's first and only moment on the international stage; she drifted from sight after Seoul and was not heard of again. This was Ireland's only AMF Bowling World Cup title to date.

In the men's division, Alfonso Rodriguez avenged his 1980 loss to Paeng Nepomuceno by winning the men's title. As the top seed, Rodriguez only needed to win once and did so. He punched out with a dramatic three-bagger in the 10th for a 206-193 victory over long-time Dutch national team member Eric Kok.^[22]

1986: Prior to 1986, Sweden had never won the AMF Bowling World Cup, their best finish (men or women) was a pair of 2nd places, by Doris Gradin in 1976 and Inger Levhorn in 1982. This changed when the AMF Bowling World Cup made its second appearance in Copenhagen. Sweden ended their winless drought in the AMF Bowling World Cup by sweeping both the men's and women's titles, the only country in BWC history to accomplish this feat.

Both champions had amazing stories to tell of their paths to victory. Annette Hagre, a 34-year-old secretary from Malmö, had endured a long and difficult operation to remove a ganglion in her bowling wrist a few months before the tournament. She didn't begin practicing until about a month before Copenhagen, but still managed to lead the field at Rodovre Bowling Center every day but one, with a 200-plus average, demolishing just about every record en route to the title. Hagre finally dispatched Rebecca Watanabe in the two-game title match, 405-393.

Peter Ljung, a 19-year-old rookie from Sweden's north, had a story that was even more astonishing. An out-of-work youngster from a bleak village, he learned to bowl without an instructor or even a how-to book. Who would have guessed that a floppy-haired Scandinavian would be the one to deny Paeng Nepomuceno his third Bowling World Cup crown, by a score of 413-392. Ironically enough, Ljung was the same age - 19, as Nepomuceno when the Filipino star won his first BWC.^[23]

1987: The 23rd AMF Bowling World Cup visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first time. The eventual winners, Remo Fornasari, 51, and Irene Gronert, 43, had a point to prove after both lost their national team berths when their federations decided to "build for the future."

Gronert cruised into the finals at Mirama Bowl as the top seed. She then convincingly doused Heidi Lind in the title match, 181-116, as Lind left seven splits to card the worst title game ever in the tournament's history. Not only did the over-the-hill Gronert win, but she picked up Holland's first and to date only Bowling World Cup title in the process.

Fornasari was reportedly so angry after he was dropped from the Italian team that he stopped bowling for a year and a half. "But I decided to come back and prove something to the federation," he said. He won the Italian national championships and, thus, a trip to Malaysia. Fornasari's three-step delivery and hole-ridden rental shoes were enough to stop 'helicopter pilot' spinner Wu Shin-Bin, 225-172, in the final match. Appropriately, Fornasari's victory made him the oldest person ever to win the AMF Bowling World Cup, a mark which still stands today.^[24]

1988: The AMF Bowling World Cup's third visit to Mexico, and its second to Guadalajara, was heralded in spectacular fashion, as horse-drawn carriages paraded the contestants through the city streets on their way to the opening ceremonies at Teatro Delgado. An unusual pairing of a Swedish coach and Arab protege introduced yet another milestone to the classic event.

Tony Rosenqvist had enjoyed running his family's bowling center in Malmo, Sweden. But when sports leaders from the United Arab Emirates offered him a huge salary and rent-free apartment to come down and train their bowlers, Rosenqvist headed to Dubai, where he met Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi. The 22-year-old Khalifa already had a rich bowling background. During his five years of college study in the U.S., he had worked out with several PBA players. Rosenqvist helped refine the raw talent, and Khalifa won the UAE World Cup qualifier and, eventually, the pole position for the Guadalajara finals. His opponent was Ian Bradford, whose finesse stood in stark relief to Khalifa's bombast. It was a day for bombast. Khalifa struck out from the ninth for 246 while Ian sank out of sight with 197, and the United Arab Emirates had its first international champion in any sport. Linda Kelly, a 39-year-old Dayton school teacher, captured the women's crown when she decisioned Diana Tanlimco, 199-170, becoming the first U.S. female champion since Lucy Giovinco won in 1976.^[25]

1989: Where else could the Silver Anniversary edition of the AMF Bowling World Cup be held but at its birthplace Stillorgan Bowl in Dublin, Ireland. Stillorgan bowl was much bigger now, thanks to the addition of more lanes and a big billiard parlor over the years. The fields were much bigger, too, the talent much deeper, and the celebrations more intense. Yet the celebrations could not dull the brilliance of the athletes competing for this special title. Salem Al-Monsuri became the first ever Qatari and second Persian Gulf bowler in a row to capture the title when he edged Kenneth Andersson in the finale, 226-223. Patty Ann, a former member of the U.S. women's pro tour who had reclaimed her amateur status, won the women's section the 2nd title in a row for USA in another heart-stopper when she defeated intrepid Martina Beckel, 202-191. Ann clinched her dream with a convincing strike on her final delivery.^[26]

1990: The balmy, exotic resort town of Pattaya, Thailand, on the Gulf of Siam, was the site of the World Cup's biggest controversy, and possibly its greatest international newsbreak.

The seeds had been sown several months earlier, when a mild-mannered electronics salesman named Guy Merhavy won Israel's national qualifying tournament. No Israeli had ever done very well in the international finals of the AMF Bowling World Cup, but Merhavy managed to advance to match play. The bowlers from predominantly Muslim countries not only were amazed by Merhavy's performance, they were angered and frightened. They announced that they were going to withdraw from the tournament. 'The government will close down our bowling federation if we bowl head-to-head matches with the Israeli', said Salem Al Monsouri, the defending champion. Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi, Sharif Mahmood, Rahman Yahya, and Liu Joe Liang expressed similar sentiments. Eventually, three bowlers - Al-Monsuri, Khalifa and Mahmood did withdraw from the tournament. This turned well for Philip Dunne, Carlos Denot, and Sam Goh. The Arab withdrawals rescued them from elimination. The situation also generated far more coverage than the tournament had ever enjoyed before.

Merhavy eventually placed 13th, and Dunne, one of the last-minute replacements, advanced to the stepladder and finished fourth. Hawaiian Adam Apo was the only man to average 200 for the tournament, but he tied Tom Hahl in the title game 190-190. Hahl, then a Helsinki pro shop owner, won the two-frame rolloff, 48-39. Hahl's victory was the first for Finland since Lauri Ajanto won the inaugural edition in 1965. He has since settled in Singapore, where he has a thriving career teaching bowling to European business people living abroad in that country.

Despite suffering a painful knee injury, Linda Graham made it three in a row for U.S. women by defeating Marie Holmqvist, 187-178. Graham's World Cup victory was a key factor in her being elected to the Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.^[27]

1991: The 27th AMF Bowling World Cup visited China for the first time, held at Beijing in a bowling center housed in a massive Holiday Inn complex, actually a city-within-a-city. There were a dozen restaurants, a grocery store, numerous retail outlets, even luxury apartments. The bowlers and their entourages explored Tienanmen Square, the Great Wall of China, and countless other tourist and cultural attractions between rounds at the lanes.

A gangly young American from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jon Juneau claimed the fifth-seeded position in the men's stepladder and proceeded to beat some of the best in the business: Paeng Nepomuceno, spinner Cheng-Ming Yang, Gery Verbruggen, and finally Ulf Hamnas. Hamnas had been sensational all week but four opens in a row in the title game sank him, 205-149. Asa Larsson claimed the top seed by 300 pins ahead of the women's field going into the stepladder, and she put the finishing touches to her dominance by edging 1981 AMF BWC champion Pauline Smith in the finale, 190-184.^[28]

1992: The 28th AMF Bowling World Cup returned to France for the first time in 25 years, held in Le Mans. The stepladder finals were held for the first time 'arena style'. This was the idea of Jean Jacques Le Terrec, who figured that his modest sized bowling center, which had held the earlier rounds of the BWC, would not be able to accommodate all the people who wanted to witness the stepladder finals.

Martina Beckel, who lost to Patty Ann in the finals three years earlier, avenged her earlier loss by dispatching Maria Laura Lanzavecchia in the women's finale, 221-179. Despite the loss, Lanzavecchia achieved the highest finish (men or women) for Argentina in the BWC. Beckel's teammate, Achim Grabowski had already won two stepladder matches to reach the final and was leading Paeng Nepomuceno in the finals until a 4-6-7 split in the 9th frame doomed his chances of victory. Bowling in front of a large contingent of expatriate Filipinos who had made the drive from Paris, Nepomuceno stepped up in the 10th frame needing only a mark and 4 pins to win and delivered two strikes to clinch his third BWC, 210-185. This third victory put Paeng into the Guinness Book of World Records, as the only athlete to win a world championship in each of three consecutive decades.^[29]

1993: The opening ceremonies of the first AMF Bowling World Cup to be held on the African continent featured a traditional Zulu welcoming dance, replete with spears and shields. That, however, was the last thing that could be labeled "traditional" about the 29th edition of the tournament.

The AMF BWC, held at Gerald Paluzzi's Northcliff Bowl in suburban Johannesburg, featured the World Cup's first 'rain delay', when an exceptionally heavy downpour one day caused water to leak onto the lanes. Free-time activities included trips to nearby Sun City (a mini Las Vegas) and game parks, but only if the athletes had taken their precautionary malaria pills well ahead of time. ( Stacy Robards did but had a bad reaction, and she sweated buckets in the closing rounds.) Apartheid was in its death throes and security was tight, with armed police checking ID tags at the center entrance.

None of this affected Pauline Smith, winner of the 1981 AMF BWC in New York City and 1991 finalist. Similar to 1981 when she plowed through the four player stepladder finals as a fourth seed, Smith was the fourth seed again, this time in a five player stepladder finals. Smith plowed through four straight stepladder foes and won her second crown with a 178-177 heart-stopper over Rosalind Greiner, a Dutch national player who had been born in Johannesburg. Smith became the second woman to win two AMF BWCs. Nor did it matter to Rainer Puisis, who qualified second in the men's stepladder. He first ousted Paeng Nepomuceno, 227-174, and then devastated Tomas Leandersson in the clincher, 258-184. Also noteworthy was for the first time in BWC history, both champions from the previous year, in this case Nepomuceno and Martina Beckel, returned for a chance at a repeat title.^[30]

1994: For many years, Fernando Gutierrez was the best bowler in the host city of Hermosillo, in northwest Mexico. Whenever he went to the USA for business or on holiday, he visited every bowling center he could find. He finally decided to build his own center in his hometown, a beautiful edifice called Bol Satellite that would become the venue for the 30th AMF Bowling World Cup.

The 1994 AMF BWC was marked with sadness, as both the mother of tournament director Bernard Gibbons and the founder of the tournament, Vic Kalman, died that week. But it spawned unparalleled joy, as well, when colorful Canadian Jack Guay rolled the first perfect game in the tournament's history. Dutch star Annemiek van den Boogaart put up the new women's single-game mark as well at the time, with 280.

The surprise of the women's field that year was Anne Jacobs. The 40-year-old Johannesburg housewife not only won the qualifying round but also took the title by ousting 1976 champion Lucy Giovinco, 226-206. Jacobs was the first South African athlete to win an international sports championship following the collapse of apartheid in her home country and returned home to ceaseless telephone and television interviews and guest appearances.

The men's title went to Tore Torgersen, who nipped 1988 champion Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi in the finale, 217-215.^[31]

1995: Sponsored by Pin 1, AMF's distributor in the northern half of South America, the 31st AMF Bowling World Cup was held at 50-lane, bi-level Planet Bowl, Sao Paulo. The high-tech edifice was one of the favorite after-hours spots of Sao Paulo's newly rich, and it provided some remarkable scoring. For the second year in a row, Canada's Jack Guay shot a 300, a perfect game. America's Patrick Healey, Jr. also shot 300 to set the scoring pace for the 57-nation field.

Healey, the U.S. national amateur champion, went on to win the pole position in the stepladder, from whence he defeated second-seeded Nobuyuki Takahama for the title, 237-222. 17-year-old Gemma Burden, author of a then record eight game series of 1,804 in the early going, became the youngest Bowling World Cup champion when she outlasted Kendra Cameron, 197-175, for the women's title.^[32]

1996: Bowling champions from 71 countries gathered somewhat cautiously at Dundonald's Ice Bowl in Belfast for the 32nd AMF Bowling World Cup, the sectarian violence that had plagued Northern Ireland for generations not far from their minds. But thanks to tight security, both visible and undercover, there wasn't a hint of unpleasantness at Northern Ireland's first international sports championship of any kind.

Scoring was decidedly torrid, especially for a couple of lefthanders from the other side of the world. Cara Honeychurch, a treasury analyst from Melbourne, Australia, placed third in the women's qualifying but was unstoppable in the stepladder finals. She dispatched defending champion Gemma Burden, 1992 champion Martina Beckel, and then Malaysian phenomenon, Shalin Zulkifli, possibly the most-hyped young bowler on the international scene. But Honeychurch, who has won her share of medals in Asia, was obviously unimpressed. She reeled off a 253 to Zulkifli's 204, making her three-game total an overwhelming 761.

Paeng Nepomuceno had been experiencing severe pain in his bowling wrist for months prior to Belfast, and it didn't seem likely that he could endure the strain of the weeklong BWC format. However, he managed to nail the top seed in the stepladder format by averaging 218 in the match play phase, better than eight pins more than runner-up Drew Hylen. Hylen earned a final crack at Paeng when he defeated Carl Bottemley in the penultimate match, 201-179, but he wilted in the title game while Paeng captured his record fourth BWC crown, 243-172.^[33]

1997: The first AMF Bowling World Cup staged in the Middle East racked up a lot of other 'firsts': the first perfect game in the World Cup by a woman ( Shalin Zulkifli), the first World Cup to feature actor Omar Sharif in the opening ceremonies, the first BWC to attract contestants from more than 80 nations (83, actually) and, finally, the first BWC in which the finals were staged outdoors.

The setting for the 1997 finale in Cairo, Egypt could only be described as incredible. Two lanes were built about three feet off the desert floor, positioned so that the players faced the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx while bowling. Though a canopy provided some relief from the sun, the breeze constantly blew sand on to the synthetic surface. 'It's the first time I've seen a brown track on a ball', said Len Charney.

Despite these formidable distractions, and the intense security presence necessitated by the Luxor tourist massacre that occurred earlier that week, the bowlers performed admirably. Christian Nokel, bedecked in baseball cap and sunglasses, beat Gery Verbruggen, 212-178, and then edged 'helicopter pilot' spinner Yung-Nein Peng, 210-200, to win the men's title. Lee Ji-Soon dropped Zulkifli in the women's opener, 203-190, but then lost the crown to another spinner Su-Fen Tseng, 236-225.^[34]

1998: The AMF Bowling World Cup has enjoyed some sensational opening ceremonies during its 34 years, but nothing could possibly match the show in Kobe, Japan. A long parade of floats, called danjiri and carried aloft by dozens of people, drifted between Kobe's gleaming high rises. The people of Nada Ward, the neighborhood in which Grand Rokko Bowl resides, threw a huge outdoor "block party" to greet the bowlers. The Kobe Volunteer Fire Department belted out American march tunes.

The 34th AMF BWC was visiting Japan for the first time since 1969. Sixty-eight nations sent their best to Kobe, an impressive feat in view of the financial and monetary crisis that had so recently swept throughout Asia. When spinner Cheng-Ming Yang, the reigning FIQ World Masters champion, signed in, traditional shooters knew they had a battle on their hands. Sure enough, the 34-year-old Yang led throughout the tournament with a 214 average and then cruised to a 233-152 victory over Mario Quintero. Maxine Nable, a 21-year-old medical office receptionist from Sydney, Australia, defeated defending champion Su-Fen Tseng in a much more dramatic 235-231 showdown. Tseng was bidding to join Jeanette Baker as the only bowlers to win back-to-back titles. This was the second year in a row Chinese Taipei had both their representatives contesting the final.

Also noteworthy was 1998 was the year that AMF bid a fond farewell to Bent Petersen who retired after 36 years with the company. Petersen joined the company in 1962 as a financial controller in Scandinavia and spent more than a decade in Japan before head up AMF's International operations.^[35]

1999: The 35th AMF World Cup and last of the millennium made its second visit to the United States, held in Las Vegas. For the third time in four years, the women's title went to an Australian. Amanda Bradley, who demolished the women's 48-game record by toppling 10725 pins and averaging 223.4 (including bonus pins earned in matchplay) to earn the top seed in the stepladder finals, defeated 1997 champion and 1998 finalist Su-Fen Tseng 219-179 in the women's championship match. Tseng was making her third stepladder finals appearance and seeking her second AMF BWC title, but three open frames, including a 7-10 split, consigned her to second place.

The men's title went to Ahmed Shaheen, becoming the third Arabic bowler, and the second from Qatar, to win the AMF Bowling World Cup. Shaheen, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from Doha who rolled a perfect game in the 1997 AMF Bowling World Cup in Egypt, defeated early leader Shigeo Saito 196-155 and top seed Frank Boerner 224-184 to claim his crown. Five consecutive strikes early in the match iced the victory for Shaheen by the eighth frame.^[36]

2000: The 36th annual AMF Bowling World Cup welcomed a record 88 nations to host center Bowling Internacional de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal. The total was five more than the previous record set in 1997 in Cairo, Egypt.

The 2000 AMF BWC introduced a new best-of-three-games, single-elimination format to replace the matchplay and stepladder formats of previous BWCs. The single-elimination phase was held over two days on specially installed lanes in the Atlantic Pavilion in Lisbon's Nations Park, site of the 1998 World Expo.

Women's champion Mel Isaac, the No. 6 seed in the single-elimination phase, defeated 1999 WTBA World Masters champion Ann-Maree Putney and 1999 World Masters bronze medalist Kirsten Penny before overpowering Clara Guerrero, 2-1 (203-150, 178-207, 215-180) to win the title.

Tomas Leandersson, the men's No. 2 seed, erased the bitter memory of his runner-up finish to Rainer Puisis in the 1993 AMF BWC by sweeping 1994 BWC champion Tore Torgersen in the men's final round, 2-0 (247-226, 209-201). Torgersen needed to double in the 10th frame of the second game to force a third and deciding game but was able to strike only once.^[37]

2001: The 37th AMF Bowling World Cup visited Pattaya, Thailand for the second time in eleven years and the third time overall in Thailand.

Kim Haugen, the No. 8 seed in the single elimination phase, was the first person, men or women, to sweep through the arena "knockout" rounds-quarterfinals, semifinals and finals-without losing a single game. The lefty averaged 237.67 in the arena while dispatching the top seed, Scott Norton, (202-200, 212-182), Hirofumi Morimoto, (259-232, 225-223), and 1999 champion Ahmed Shaheen (238-216, 290-186).

Nachimi Itakura became the first Japanese bowler to win the Bowling World Cup. The 26-year-old barber shop assistant from Wakayama City defeated Liza del Rosario 2-0, (247-224, 257-224).^[38]

2002: The 38th AMF Bowling World Cup was held in eastern Europe for the first time, at Toss Boulinga Halle in Riga, Latvia. Two lefties, Mika Luoto and Shannon Pluhowsky emerged as champions. Incidentally, the last time a Finnish man and a U.S. woman won the AMF BWC was in 1990.

Pluhowsky dominated the women's division in leading wire-to-wire en route to the title. In qualifying, she averaged 232.31, on average 12 pins better than her nearest competitor, to clinch the top seed for the knock-out match play. In the knock-out rounds, Pluhowsky only lost once in her three matches (quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals) to capture the title, eventually defeating Nikki Harvey in the final, (224-165, 202-183).

Luoto barely squeaked into the knock-out match play rounds by two pins. He took full advantage of the change in format to best of three knock-out match play. Luoto swept Paul Trotter, Talal Towereb, and fellow lefty Remy Ong in the final (232-216, 279-222) to become the second straight No. 8 seed to win the title and not lose during the knock-out match play portion of the tournament. Ong, despite losing in the final, matched Henry Tan's 1970 second place, which is the best finish for a Singaporean male bowler in the AMF BWC.

Despite losing to eventual champion Luoto in the knock out quarterfinals, what Paul Trotter did in the first three games of qualifying was simply incredible. His very first game in qualifying was a 300 game. He didn't stop striking there, as his next two games were 298 and 298, for an incredible AMF BWC record high three-game series of 896!^[39] To put the 896 three game score in perspective, Trotter threw 34 out of a possible 36 strikes.

2003: The 39th AMF Bowling World Cup visited Central America for the first time, held at Planeta Sipango bowling centre in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. For the second time after 1993, both defending champions, Mika Luoto and Shannon Pluhowsky, returned for a chance to defend their title.

Last year, Luoto qualified in the 8th and last spot for the knock-out match play rounds by two pins and then went on to win the title. The player who came up two pins short last year was Christian Jan "C.J." Suarez. This year, Suarez made sure he wasn't missing the knock-out rounds as he qualified 7th, nine pins above the cut to the top 8. In the quarterfinals, Suarez defeated Chris Van Damme 2-0 (196-195, 183-140) and then avenged last year's heartbreak when he knocked out Luoto in the semifinals 2-1 (189-264, 265-214, 182-178) to advance to the finals. In the finals, he became the first Filipino since 1996 and the first Filipino male bowler other than Paeng Nepomuceno to win the title by defeating Marcel van den Bosch 2-0 (205-202, 232-209). Van den Bosch matched Eric Kok's second place in 1985, which is the best finish for a Dutch male bowler in the BWC.

The women's title went to Kerrie Ryan-Ciach, who went through quite an eventful week. Ryan-Ciach barely made it to Tegucigalpa in time to compete in the BWC. A previous commitment in Canada forced her to miss the women's official practice session, and she had to be slotted into the men's session at the last minute. The hectic schedule caught up with Ryan-Ciach midway through the qualifying phase, when she became ill with a virus and had to be treated by an emergency medical team. "Whatever medicine they (the technicians) gave me sure worked," Ryan-Ciach said. "I was back to normal after two days." Back to normal indeed, as Ryan-Ciach qualified for the knock out phase and then won three knock-out match play rounds to win the title. She first defeated Tere Piccini Healey in the quarterfinals, 2-1 (240-223, 204-215, 220-193) and popular Costa Rican representative Marie Ramirez in the semis, also 2-1 (237-236, 195-197, 215-211). In the finals, Ryan-Ciach knocked off defending champion Shannon Pluhowsky, 2-0 (210-160, 234-225) to become the first Canadian to win the AMF BWC since Jean Gordon won in 1980. Pluhowsky was bidding to join Jeanette Baker as the only bowlers to win back-to-back titles.^[40]

2004: The 40th AMF Bowling World Cup was held in Singapore at newly built Super Bowl SAFRA Mount Faber. This was Singapore's second time hosting the AMF BWC, having previously hosted the 1973 edition. A record that still stands today, 95 nations (a record 93 men, and 73 women) competed. This edition of the AMF BWC saw 8 perfect games thrown, 10 years after the first 300 was thrown. Only the 2013 edition had more thrown in a single BWC year. Jason Belmonte led men's qualifying after 32 games averaging 238.72 and Shalin Zulkifli leading the women's qualifying that included an eight-game block record of 1944 on her way to averaging 234.13 for 32 games heading into the top 8 best of 3 knock-out rounds. Belmonte and Zulkifli would both lose in the knock-out quarterfinals by identical 2-0 scores.

No. 8 seed Kai Virtanen rolled a 300 in game 1 on his way to ousting Belmonte. Virtanen won his semifinal match over Yahav Rabin 2-1 to reach the finals. In the finals, Virtanen defeated No. 2 seed Petter Hansen 2-1 (258-208, 216-233, 258-242). Hansen had a chance to win the title, needing a mark (strike or spare) in the 10th frame of the final game, but left a disastrous 2-8-10 split instead and failed to convert it.

Kerrie Ryan-Ciach, who won the AMF World Cup the previous year in Tegucigalpa, barely made the knock-out rounds, rolling a 290 game in the last game of qualifying to sneak in as the No. 8 seed by 3 pins. Ryan-Ciach eliminated Zulkifli, then won her semifinal match over Yoselin Leon, 2-1, to reach the finals and a chance to win consecutive titles which had only been done only once (Jeanette Baker 1982,83). In the finals, Ryan-Ciach faced a familiar opponent in No. 2 seed Shannon Pluhowsky. It was Ryan-Ciach who defeated Pluhowsky the previous year in Honduras that prevented Pluhowsky from winning consecutive titles. This time, Pluhowsky, 2002 AMF BWC champion, avenged last year's defeat and Ryan-Ciach's chance of winning consecutive titles, winning 2-0 (236-200, 234-185) to become the third woman to win two AMF BWCs.^[41]

2005 to present 'QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup'

2005: From 2005, the Bowling World Cup officially became known as the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, following the joint partnership between Qubica and AMF. The 41st QubicaAMF BWC visited a new location, Ljubljana, Slovenia. For the first time since the introduction of knock-out stages (introduced in 2000), both the top seeds won the title. Michael Schmidt led the event from the very first squad. He averaged 232.5 in his 32 games of qualifying to earn that top seed. Lynda Barnes averaged even higher – 235.2. They both carried all before them in the knock out stages. Schmidt outlasted Or Aviram 2-1 (211-200, 205-233, 216-214). It was the first time since 1972 that a Canadian man has won the tournament, when Ray Mitchell was the champion. Barnes only lost in the knock out stage and eventually defeated Fiona Banks in the finals 2-0 (230-197, 219-188). USA kept hold of the title won last year by Shannon Pluhowsky in Singapore.^[42]

2006: The 42nd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup visited Caracas, Venezuela for the second time, previously having hosted in 1974. The BWC saw the return of stepladder finals for the first time since 1999. The top 3 after 40 games qualified for the stepladder finals, where No. 2 bowler meets No. 3 bowler in the semifinals in best of 3 format. The semifinal winner would then face No. 1 bowler also in a best of 3 format for the title.

For the second year in a row, the winner of the men's division led the tournament wire to wire. Last year in Slovenia, it was Michael Schmidt. This year it was the human pin-shredding machine Osku Palermaa. Palermaa became the first two handed "shovel" style bowler to win the BWC. In qualifying, Palermaa bowled two 300s, a first in QubicaAMF BWC history, had a then record eight-game series of 2,057, and a record 32 game average of 246.22, on his way to clinching the top seed. In the finals, Palermaa defeated third seed Petter Hansen, 2-1 (258-182, 183-216, 221-204). Ironically, it was the second time Hansen has lost the championship match to a Finn. He fell to Kai Virtanen in Singapore two years ago. Hansen had defeated defending champion Schmidt, who was looking to become the first male bowler to win back-to-back titles, in the semifinals to reach the final. The women's champion was Diandra Asbaty. Her 2-0 victory over Lisa John in the championship match (232-214, 226-199) made it three BWC victories in a row for U.S. women. This was the second time (first was 1988, 1989, 1990) U.S. women had won three straight BWCs. They have also taken four BWC titles in the last five years. This was also the third time in five years that a Finnish man and U.S. woman won the BWC titles in the same year and the fourth time overall (1990, 2002, 2004, and 2006).^[43]

2007: The 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup visited Russia for the first time, held at Kontinent Bowling Centre in St Petersburg. This BWC reintroduced round robin matchplay format (30 bonus pins for a win, 15 bonus pins for a tie), which consisted of 8 games and narrowed the top 8 down to the top 3 who advanced to the stepladder finals. Ann-Maree Putney became the fifth Australian woman to win the World Cup, defeating Sun Hee Lee in the finals 2-0 (280-201, 247-226). Bill Hoffman prevented Australia from sweeping the titles, defeating Jason Belmonte 2-1 (227-147, 192-268, 221-181). Hoffman's victory was the first for a U.S. male since 1995 and also was the 4th year in a row that the USA had won the BWC, but the last three years it has been the women who have finished on top of the podium. Overall, USA had taken one of the titles five of the last six years.^[44]

2008: The 44th QubicaAMF World Cup was held in the newly built Bol 300 in Hermosillo, Mexico. This was Hermosillo's second time hosting the QubicaAMF World Cup, the first coming in 1994. 20-year-old student Jasmine Yeong-Nathan, became the first Singaporean bowler to win the BWC title defeating defending champion Ann-Maree Putney 2-0 (263-222, 298-215). The men's title went to Derek Eoff who defeated Martin Larsen 2-1 (221-229, 279-279 rolloff 59-37; 278-196). Eoff's victory was the second straight for U.S. men and also was the 6th time in seven years that USA has taken one of the titles.^[45]

2009: The 45th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup was held at Melaka International Bowling Center in Melaka, Malaysia. This was the first time in 22 years that Malaysia hosted the BWC. In the women's division, Caroline Lagrange went undefeated in the top 8 round robin match play to earn the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals. In the finals, Lagrange came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat No. 3 seed Zara Giles, 2-1 to win the women's title. Lagrange dropped the first game, 189-194, but rebounded with a 210-181 win to level the match. Needing a double and four pins to win the decisive game, Lagrange delivered three strikes to seal the victory, 218-211. In the men's division, Choi Yong-Kyu became the first Korean to win the QubicaAMF World Cup, defeating 2005 champion Michael Schmidt (236-173, 227-208) in the finals. Choi dominated the men's division, leading since day 2 of qualifying and rolled the only 300 game in the tournament. Choi's victory denied Schmidt a second title and Canada a sweep of the titles.^[46]

2010: The 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup was held for the third time in France, at Bowling de Provence centre in Toulon. A record 167 bowlers (91 men and a record 76 women) from 92 nations competed. In the women's division, Aumi Guerra became the first bowler from Dominican Republic to win the QubicaAMF BWC, defeating tournament leader Gye Min-Young 2-1 (203-226, 202-196, 240-196). This was the third time a Korean female bowler finished 2nd (previously in 1997 and 2007). In the men's division, Michael Schmidt won his second title, joining Paeng Nepomuceno and Arne Stroem as the only male bowlers with at least two BWC titles. Schmidt, who was denied a second title last year, defeated Matt Miller 2-1 (205-246, 212-207, 224-188).^[47]

2011: For the second time after 1993, Northcliff Bowling Center in Johannesburg, South Africa hosted the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup. The defending champions from 2010, Michael Schmidt and Aumi Guerra, were back for a chance of a repeat title. Incidentally, the 1993 AMF BWC in Johannesburg also featured both defending champions.

Aumi Guerra dominated the women's division in setting records for three game series (803), five game block (1304), and average after qualifying and top 24 (241.00). She easily clinched the top seed for the stepladder finals, averaging 238.00 for 36 games. In the final she faced 2006 Champion Diandra Asbaty. Guerra handily won game 1 behind 11 strikes 266-201. Asbaty won game 2 227-214 to force a game 3. In game 3, Asbaty needed a strike on the 1st shot in the 10th frame to win the title, but left a 10 pin and Guerra prevailed 202-199. Guerra became the fourth woman after Jeanette Baker (1982, 83), Pauline Smith (1981, 93) and Shannon Pluhowsky (2002, '04) and the seventh player overall to win multiple BWC titles. Guerra and Baker are the only players who have successfully defended their title. The men's champion was Jason Belmonte, who proved the old adage that the third time is the charm. In 2004, he qualified as the top seed, only to be eliminated in the knock-out quarterfinals. In 2007, he was the top seed again, but lost in the stepladder finals. This year, he rolled two 300s during qualifying on his way to earning the second seed for the stepladder finals. He defeated Mykhaylo Kalika 2-1 in the stepladder semifinals and came back from a 1-0 deficit in the best of 3 final to defeat top seed and fellow PBA member Tommy Jones 2-1 (259-279, 247-216, 259-236). Belmonte became the first Australian male to win the QubicaAMF World Cup.^[48]

2012: The 48th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup visited Poland for the first time, held at Sky Bowling Center in Wroclaw. Aumi Guerra was attempting to become the first bowler in QubicaAMF World Cup history to win a third BWC title in a row. The women's division was dominated by three women who all averaged over 230 to qualify for the stepladder finals. Guerra qualified as top seed for the stepladder finals and was joined by No. 2 seed Kirsten Penny and No. 3 seed Shayna Ng. Ng defeated Penny in the semifinals 2-0 (246-215, 231-191) to advance to the finals. In the finals, Guerra won the first game 269-224, needing one more win for the three-peat. However, Ng won the last two games (267-259, 247-169) to become the second Singaporean to win the Bowling World Cup. Incidentally, both times Singapore has won the BWC in the women's division, it was against the defending champion. In the men's division, Syafiq Rhidwan became the first bowler from Malaysia to win the BWC. As the third seed in the stepladder finals, he got past No. 2 Andrés Gómez 2-1 (234-236, 224-201, 258-213). In the finals he defeated top seed Marshall Kent 2-0 (236-225, 237-221). This was USA's second consecutive defeat in the men's final.^[49]

2013: The 49th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup visited Russia for the second time in six years, this time in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. In the women's division, Caroline Lagrange, led wire-to-wire to win a second BWC title. Lagrange, who in her only other BWC appearance won the title in 2009, had a record 32 game average of 244.03 on her way to clinching the top seed for the stepladder finals after 40 games. In the finals she faced Cherie Tan, who was looking to make it two straight BWC titles in the women's division for Singapore. Lagrange and Tan split the first two games. In game three Tan needed two strikes and three pins in the 10th frame to win the title. After getting the first strike, Tan left a 7 pin on her second shot and Lagrange prevailed 2-1 (242-207, 212-247, 215-213). Lagrange becomes the fifth woman (joining Jeanette Baker, Pauline Smith, Shannon Pluhowsky, Aumi Guerra) and eighth bowler overall to win multiple BWCs. In the men's division, Or Aviram, runner-up in 2005, became the first Israeli bowler to win the Bowling World Cup. As the No. 3 seed for the stepladder finals, Aviram defeated No. 2 seed Alexei Parshukov 2-0 (213-171, 220-205) and in the finals he defeated No. 1 seed Guy Caminsky 2-1 (279-245, 214-277, 258-182).

This BWC was a high scoring affair. The cut to the top 24 in the men's division was a 227.71 average. There was 16 perfect games , doubling the previous record of 8 in 2004. Both of this year's champions bowled 300s in qualifying, with Aviram bowling two 300s. Chris Sloan and 1994 champion Tore Torgersen also bowled two 300s. Torgersen's 300s came in consecutive games, the first time that has happened in QubicaAMF BWC history. The men's record for a six-game block, 1538, that was set in 2007 was broken as well. Peter Hellström was first to break the record with 1543 on day 1 of qualifying. Hellström's record lasted one day, as Mats Maggi rolled a 1599 six game block in day 2 qualifying to set the new record.^[50]

2014: The 50th anniversary of the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup was held at Sky Bowling Centre in Wroclaw, Poland. Sky Bowling Centre previously hosted the QubicaAMF BWC in 2012. In the women's division, Clara Guerrero took the lead after the Top 24 round, set an 8-game block record (1948, previous record was 1944) in the Top 8 round-robin matchplay to clinch the top seed and in the finals, defeating Sin Li Jane 2-1 (239-234, 243-257, 265-211). Guerrero's 3 game series final of 747 also is a new record. Guerrero becomes the first Colombian female bowler to win the BWC. Guerrero had previously finished runner-up in 2000.

In the men's division, Tobias Börding had led from Qualifying Day 1 and cruised to the top seed for the finals after 36 games. In the finals, he faced PBA star Chris Barnes, who was participating in the BWC for the first time in his illustrious career. Barnes, who just bowled a perfect game on his way to defeating Mykhaylo Kalika in the stepladder semifinals 2-0 (215-204, 300-219), carried the momentum into the finals, where he defeated Börding 2-0 (269-248, 231-216). Barnes joins his wife, Lynda, in winning the BWC, becoming the only husband-wife duo to achieve this. Barnes' victory was the 10th by a U.S. male bowler and the 18th overall, which is the most by a nation.^[51]

2015: The 51st QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup was held in the United States for the third time. Sam's Town bowling lanes in Las Vegas was hosting for the second time, previously hosting in 1999. In the women's division, there were four former champions in the field: Shannon Pluhowsky (2002, 2004), Kerrie Ryan-Ciach (2003), Aumi Guerra (2010, 2011), and defending champion Clara Guerrero. Ryan-Ciach would finish 15th, Guerra finished 11th having earlier led the tournament after 8 games. Guerrero took the overall lead after 24 games, held it after 32 games, and eventually clinched the top seed after 40 games. Pluhowsky, who led after 16 games, made the stepladder finals as the third seed and defeated Maria Bulanova 2-1 (219-174, 177-242, 238-194) in the semifinals. In the finals, Pluhowsky was bidding to become the first woman to win three BWC, while Guerrero was trying to become the third women to win consecutive titles. In the end, it was Guerrero winning 2-0 (202-177, 243-238) to become the sixth women to win two BWC titles, ninth bowler overall in BWC history to win multiple titles and joins Jeanette Baker and Guerra in winning consecutive titles.

In the men's division, unlike the women's division, there were no previous champions in the field. Francois Louw took the lead after 24 games and never relinquished it, leading after 32 games and 40 games to clinch the top seed for the finals. Wu Siu Hong and Jaris Goh joined Louw in the stepladder finals. None of the countries in the stepladder finals had ever won a men's BWC title, so one was going to make history for their country. In the semis, Hong swept Goh 2-0 (198-173 and 223-194) to advance to the finals. In the finals, Hong had a shaky start, starting with back to back open frames, his only open frames for the match, as he defeated Louw 2-0 (233-219, 223-180) to become the first bowler from Hong Kong to win the BWC.^[52]

References

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