Bowling
Brunswick Dominates Competition at 40th Edition of Ballmaster Open
ESCHBORN, Germany, Jan. 20, 2010 – PBA Star, and one of Europe’s most successful bowling exports, Mika Koivuniemi, recently celebrated a great homecoming to his native country of Finland by winning the prestigious Brunswick Ballmaster Open 2010 in Helsinki. Koivuniemi swept the competition using his new C·(System)3.5™ ball from Brunswick, to take home the crown and the €15,000 winner’s check. In the final match of the tournament the “Big Finn” defeated PBA extraordinaire and Brunswick Pro Staff player Parker Bohn III, who cruised through Round Robin to become the number one seed for the stepladder finals, by a score of 248 to 203. The clash of two bowling greats in the final provided a remarkable ending to this 40th anniversary edition of what is regarded as one of Europe’s most traditional and renowned tournaments.
“Winning is always a wonderful feeling, but to win the anniversary edition of this tournament in my home country of Finland is just amazing. Moments like these remind me of why I play this tough and challenging sport. It was great to see the big turnout during the final, which provided the perfect setting for the end of this tournament,” said the happy winner, who had even more reasons to celebrate as he rolled a 300-game during qualification.
“I had a great time at this tournament, which was one of the most professionally run bowling tournaments I’ve ever bowled in. The Brunswick Ballmaster Open is a very highly regarded event throughout Europe and beyond. I look forward to the opportunities to participate in the Ballmaster Open and other European tournaments in the future,” added the excited runner-up, Parker Bohn III.
Other Brunswick players also showed great performances during the Brunswick Ballmaster Open 2010. Finish bowling legend and Brunswick staff player, Kimmo Lehtonen, winner of the 2002 and 2007 tournaments, just missed the stepladder finals, and ultimately landed on a very good fifth position in the final standings. Another legendary European bowler and Brunswick staff player, Gery Verbruggen, also had reasons to celebrate. The Belgian scored a 300-game during the first round of the finals using his Wild Thing™ ball from Brunswick, and secured the 12th position in overall classification.
The success of Brunswick equipment during the Ballmaster Open 2010 falls in line with the recent performance trends of Brunswick’s new ball releases. The manufacturer’s staff players and others using Brunswick balls have been recording great results at tournaments all over the world in the past months. “Our new ball lines have proven to be very successful on lanes across the globe. We have put a lot of effort, research and development into our latest ball releases, and it is really paying dividends now,” said Brunswick Director of Sales and Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Andrea Bisi. “The good news about players’ achievements using our balls keeps coming, and the great performances at Brunswick Ballmaster Open 2010 further underline that trend. Congratulations to Mika, Parker, Kimmo and Gery for their recent success.”
2010 marked the 40th edition of the Brunswick Ballmaster Open. The tournament is organized by Kimmo Lehtonen, Ltd., in cooperation with Brunswick and is held at the 36-lane fully Brunswick-equipped Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland. This year, a record of 507 players competed for a total prize fund of €105,000.
About Brunswick Bowling & Billiards
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation has been a leader in the recreation business for more than 160 years. Founded in 1845 to make billiards tables, Brunswick Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and the leader in bringing Genuine Ingenuity™ to everything it makes. Brunswick Bowling & Billiards, one of the largest operators of full-service bowling and family recreation centers in North America, is a full-line supplier of bowling equipment, supplies and consumer products, and designs billiards tables and accessories. For more information, visit our Web site at www.brunswickbowling.com.
Contact:
Filip Pawelka
Marketing Manager
Phone: +49-(0)6196-4727 32
Email: fillip.pawelka@brunbowl.com
