Perfect game helps McCune take early lead in PBA Etonic Marathon Open

(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) - With the help of a 300 game, Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., led after the first round of the Etonic Marathon Open Tuesday at Woodland Bowl, a tournament that incorporates a unique format where players compete on six different PBA lane conditioning patterns over the course of the event.

The 40-year-old McCune, who has one Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title to his credit, topped the 161-player field with a 2,156 nine-game pinfall (239.56 average) on the PBA Tour's Cheetah lane condition. His 300 game came in the final game of the block.

"In general I do pretty well at this center and believe it or not I play most of the Tour conditions pretty much the same," McCune said. "Tonight I had a good situation where I was able to play the same area of the lane and just make some speed adjustments."

McCune, who has been battling chronic knee problems this season, finished eighth in the Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship last November and ninth in the recent United States Bowling Congress Masters, which are his best finishes this season.

"It's been an up and down year and I'm just working through it." McCune said. "It just seems like it's been one thing after the other with the knee. Tonight I was able to keep my ball speed up but as the tournament goes on I might have to work through the pain again."

For the Cheetah pattern the lane is conditioned to 36 feet which is the shortest of the six Tour lane conditioning patterns. The Cheetah generally allows players to make "risk-reward" decisions based on playing the outside areas of the lane.

PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., who won the Cheetah Championship in December, was in 27th after Tuesday's competition.

As part of the Tour's Extreme Swing, the Etonic Marathon Open format consists of 54 games, total pinfall with no match play. That means nine games on the six PBA lane oil patterns, putting the players to a supreme test of stamina and versatility. After Wednesday's competition the field will be cut to the top one-third (53 players) who will bowl nine games each on the Scorpion and Chameleon patterns on Thursday. On Friday the players will bowl on the Earl Anthony and Shark lane patterns.

After Friday's competition, the top five players will compete in the ESPN-televised stepladder finals on Sunday March 1 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. The finalists will bowl on the lane condition selected by the No. 1 qualifier.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR
Etonic Marathon Open
Indianapolis, Ind.

Qualifying Round 1 Standings, Cheetah Pattern (Top 25 after 9 Games)

1, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,156
2, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 2,144
3, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 2,104
4, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2,095
5, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 2,065
6, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,028
7, Derek Sapp, Keokuk, Iowa, 2,022
8, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2,013
9, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,012
10, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 2,011
11, Andrew Cain, Scottsdale, Ariz., 2,004
11, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,004
13, Jason Lundquist, Delaware Water Gap, Pa., 2,003
13, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 2,003
15, George Branham III, Indianapolis, 2,001
16, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 2,000
17, Jason Poli, West Des Moines, Iowa, 1,999
18, Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, 1,997
19, Billy Oatman, Chicago, 1,992
20, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 1,990
21, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,988
22, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,984
23, Bobby Hall II, Landover, Md., 1,980
23, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, 1,980
25, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 1,978

Visit pba.com for complete standings.