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CLOUDY Temp: 45 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 10, 2003 Admitting his surprise in bowling such a strong morning round in the �A� squad qualifying, Medford�s Marshall Holman put himself in fine position Thursday in the PBA Medford Open at Lava Lanes. Holman stood in fourth place after the morning session. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Holman hits stride early Veteran Medford bowler sparks first day of action with ‘A’ squad’s fourth-best morning score By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune The bad guy was now the good guy. The very good guy, as it turned out. Marshall Holman, the Professional Bowlers Association legend from Medford whose fiery, flamboyant style occasionally turned an audience against him in his heyday, was on friendly turf Thursday in the first round of qualifying for the Medford Open at Lava Lanes. He responded with a storybook performance that has local fans daring to mutter, "What if?" Holman, who entered the Hall of Fame in 1990 and has bowled only two tournaments since 1999, came out of nowhere with a pin count of 2,116 and an average of 235 through nine games, the fourth- best in the morning session and seventh overall. The top 64 advanced to today, and their scores carry over. After nine more games starting at 10 this morning, the top 32 will advance to match play at 7 tonight. Holman had only two games under 224 and tossed a 290 into the mix. He had a sizable following throughout the session and, in his last game, gave the fans a treat by rebounding from a spare-spare-open stretch to close out with six straight strikes for a 244. "One of the fun parts about this," said Holman, "is that I bowled for a lot of my career as kind of the villain. Sometimes I’d have as many people rooting against me as for me. Now, I’ve got personal friends and family sitting right there close and applauding me even when I make a spare. It’s a real treat." Top qualifying honors went to Brian Kretzer at 2,183, a 242.56 average. Mike Scroggins was second (2,175) and Bryan Goebel third (2,169). On the local front, Roseburg’s Blaise Bedolla is in 11th place with a score of 2,073, but Bryon Smith, also of Roseburg, missed the cut at 1,927. Among others, Kevin Croucher of Grants Pass missed advancing with a score of 1,910. Jim Brockbank of Medford wasn’t far behind at 1,904. Others to miss the cut were Medford’s Jason Bieghler (1,872), Ashland’s Allan Reyes (1,852), Central Point’s Jason McCleary (1,836) and Klamath Falls’ Greg Newtson (1,814). Two perfect games were rolled, Parker Bohn III recording one in the morning and Roberto Silva in the evening. Holman wasn’t perfect, but he was far better than one might have imagined, given his only preparation was a half-dozen practice games Monday morning and league play once a week. "I feel very fortunate," said Holman, who has 22 career titles, tying him for 10th place all time with Brian Voss. "For the most part, you get out of life what you put into it, and I got a lot more out of it today than I’ve been putting into it." Holman came into the tournament with the same mind-set he had in the inaugural Medford Open last year. "I didn’t want to embarrass myself," he said. Despite battling nerves, he put those concerns to rest early with games of 247, 235 and 226. "I bowled on the tour for many years, won a lot of tournaments, had a lot of success and was one of the most consistent guys out there," said Holman, whose last victory came in 1996 in Troy, Mich. "But when I stepped up there at the start today, I was really nervous. I really didn’t calm down for a few frames." In the fourth game, he threw five strikes in a row, then opened and wound up with a 217. He was disappointed because a strong game there would have put him in a comfort zone. However, he got very comfortable with the 290 in the sixth game, leaving a solid 10-pin on his first ball, picking up the spare, then throwing 11 straight strikes. Holman doesn’t know what’s in store today, but his history on tour might come into play. "I feel like I can draw on that experience, even though it was a long time ago," he said. "I have to be prepared for the lanes to be different and keep an open mind. I can’t come in saying I’m going to throw the same ball on the same line and expect it to work." Kretzer had a lot of things working for him, including the pattern. "This is a pattern I’ve had a lot of success on, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense," said Kretzer, noting that his ball speed is conducive to an inside line, but the pattern forced him to go outside. He started with a 247 and followed with a 190. The next two games were his best of the day, however, at 274 and 280, and got him well on his way. "That pretty much takes worrying about your gut out of play," he said. "You’re able to relax and just bowl." Defending champion Ricky Ward advanced in the 52nd spot, the second time this year he’s made the top 64. Notable players who were eliminated included Ryan Shafer, last year’s runner-up; Jason Couch, the recent Tournament of Champions winner; Hall of Famer Mike Aulby and Norm Duke. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S