The familiar script plays out with few changes: a short rewrite here, a new scene there. But in the end, Auburn's Michelle Feldman again emerges as the star in her latest blockbuster.
Making up for lost time as a once dominant bowling professional, Feldman, 32, took the drama out of the CLR Carmen Salvino Scorpion Championship in Vernon Hills, Ill.
She averaged 236.33 for nine games in Friday's round robin.
That burst helped her overtake Missy Bellinder, who led Feldman in total pinfall after Thursday's opening 14-game block, 3,352-3,338.
By nailing down her third straight No. 1 seeding in the Women's Series event, which runs alongside the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, Feldman shoots for her second consecutive title Sunday on ESPN (Time Warner channel 24) against the No. 2-seeded Bellinder. The telecast begins at 1 p.m.
“She's excited, and she should be. This is three TV shows in a row,” said her grandfather Gary Feldman, who spoke to Michelle immediately after Friday's play.
“But she's not snobbish or being big-headed about it. She's just having a lot of fun.”
Scores were high at Brunswick Zone Hawthorn, outside of Chicago, but Feldman slipped at the end of her first block Thursday, rolling 178 and 187. Still, she held third place in the initial 16-player field after seven games.
Feldman, co-owner of Falcon Lanes, quickly atoned for those missteps.
She opened the next block with 279, and later added a pair of 289s, leapfrogging friend and Hall of Famer Carolyn Dorin-Ballard for second place.
Feldman was nicely positioned entering Friday's head-to-head play, with her total pinfall carrying over.
She proceeded to take the sting out of the PBA Experience Scorpion condition, touted as an unpredictable and often difficult scoring pattern.
With the field cut to 10, Feldman methodically separated herself in impressive fashion.
She rolled games that ranged from a high of 257 to a low of 225. With a 7-2 match-play record, which earned her 30 extra pins for each victory, she easily outscored Bellinder, 5,675-5,391.
Feldman, who won 12 titles on the now-folded Professional Women's Bowlers Tour, continues to outshine the best bowlers in the world.
Other competitors Friday included Liz Johnson (two-time Women's U.S. Open Champion) and Diandra Asbaty (three-time All-American, University of Nebraska).
CLR Carmen Salvino Scorpion
Championship
Brunswick Zone Hawthorn,
Vernon Hills, Ill.
Friday's results
1. Michelle Feldman, Auburn, N.Y., 7-2-0, 5,675
2. Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., 3-6-0, 5,391
3. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, N. Richland Hills, Texas, 4-5-0, 5,361, $5,000
4. Jennifer Petrick, Canton, Ohio, 5-3-1, 5,304, $4,000
5. Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 4-5-0, 5,287, $3,500
6. Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 5-2-2, 5,194, $3,000
7. Shannon O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 5-3-1, 5,183, $2,500
8. Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 4-5-0, 5,174, $2,200
9. Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 5-4-0, 5,131, $2,100
10. Brenda Mack, Indianapolis, 1-8-0, 4,861, $2,000
She averaged 236.33 for nine games in Friday's round robin.
That burst helped her overtake Missy Bellinder, who led Feldman in total pinfall after Thursday's opening 14-game block, 3,352-3,338.
By nailing down her third straight No. 1 seeding in the Women's Series event, which runs alongside the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, Feldman shoots for her second consecutive title Sunday on ESPN (Time Warner channel 24) against the No. 2-seeded Bellinder. The telecast begins at 1 p.m.
“She's excited, and she should be. This is three TV shows in a row,” said her grandfather Gary Feldman, who spoke to Michelle immediately after Friday's play.
“But she's not snobbish or being big-headed about it. She's just having a lot of fun.”
Scores were high at Brunswick Zone Hawthorn, outside of Chicago, but Feldman slipped at the end of her first block Thursday, rolling 178 and 187. Still, she held third place in the initial 16-player field after seven games.
Feldman, co-owner of Falcon Lanes, quickly atoned for those missteps.
She opened the next block with 279, and later added a pair of 289s, leapfrogging friend and Hall of Famer Carolyn Dorin-Ballard for second place.
Feldman was nicely positioned entering Friday's head-to-head play, with her total pinfall carrying over.
She proceeded to take the sting out of the PBA Experience Scorpion condition, touted as an unpredictable and often difficult scoring pattern.
With the field cut to 10, Feldman methodically separated herself in impressive fashion.
She rolled games that ranged from a high of 257 to a low of 225. With a 7-2 match-play record, which earned her 30 extra pins for each victory, she easily outscored Bellinder, 5,675-5,391.
Feldman, who won 12 titles on the now-folded Professional Women's Bowlers Tour, continues to outshine the best bowlers in the world.
Other competitors Friday included Liz Johnson (two-time Women's U.S. Open Champion) and Diandra Asbaty (three-time All-American, University of Nebraska).
CLR Carmen Salvino Scorpion
Championship
Brunswick Zone Hawthorn,
Vernon Hills, Ill.
Friday's results
1. Michelle Feldman, Auburn, N.Y., 7-2-0, 5,675
2. Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., 3-6-0, 5,391
3. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, N. Richland Hills, Texas, 4-5-0, 5,361, $5,000
4. Jennifer Petrick, Canton, Ohio, 5-3-1, 5,304, $4,000
5. Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 4-5-0, 5,287, $3,500
6. Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 5-2-2, 5,194, $3,000
7. Shannon O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 5-3-1, 5,183, $2,500
8. Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 4-5-0, 5,174, $2,200
9. Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 5-4-0, 5,131, $2,100
10. Brenda Mack, Indianapolis, 1-8-0, 4,861, $2,000
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