QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup

QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup

Sport	Ten-Pin Bowling
Founded	1965
Singles entrants	133 (73 men, 60 women) from 75 countries [1]
Most recent champion(s)	Men: Francois Louw Women: Rebecca Whiting
Sponsor(s)	QubicaAMF Worldwide
Official website	QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup

The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, previously known as the International Masters and AMF Bowling World Cup, is an annual Ten-pin bowling championship sponsored by QubicaAMF Worldwide, and the largest in bowling in terms of number of participating nations. Each nation chooses one male and/or one female bowler to represent them in the tournament, and in the majority of cases, this is done by running a qualifying tournament, the winners of which (male and/or female) are chosen.

History

The Bowling World Cup was created by AMF's European Promotions Director at the time, Victor Kalman, and Gordon Caie, AMF's Promotions Manager in the UK at the time. ^[2] Dublin, Ireland in 1965 hosted the first-ever Bowling World Cup, then called the International Masters. 20 bowlers, all men, participated. Lauri Ajanto became the first-ever winner of the BWC. Women first competed in 1972, the 8th edition of the AMF Bowling World Cup in Hamburg, West Germany where Irma Urrea became the first-ever woman to win the BWC.

13 countries have participated in every Bowling World Cup since its inception: Australia, Belgium, England (as Great Britain from 1965 to 1995), Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and United States. ^[3]

As of 2019, the Bowling World Cup has visited 42 different cities in 31 different countries.

Currently the men's champion is Francois Louw and the women's champion is Rebecca Whiting. ^[4] On March 9, 2020, World Bowling and QubicaAMF announced a merger of the World Bowling Singles Championships and the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup into one annual event, that will continue to be called the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup from 2020 onwards. ^[5] The 56th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup was to be held in Salmiya, Kuwait at the Kuwait Bowling Sporting Club ^[4] in November 2020, but was postponed to March 2021 and then further postponed to October 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic ^[6] and then canceled all together.

Format

Qualifying Rounds

• Stage 1: Qualifying Round of 24 Games, total pinfall. Top 24 Men, Top 24 Women advance to Stage 2, total pinfall carries over. ^[7]
• Stage 2: Top 24 Men, Top 24 women bowls 8 games. Top 8 Men, Top 8 Women based on total pinfall after 32 games advance to Stage 3. ^[7]
• Stage 3: Top 8 Men, Top 8 women bowls another 8 games in a round robin format, 30 bonus pins for a win, 15 bonus pins for a tie. Top 4 Men, Top 4 Women after 40 games (total pinfall + bonus pins) advance to the knockout finals. ^[7]

Knockout Finals

• Semifinals: First seeded bowler vs Fourth seeded bowler; Second seeded bowler vs Third seeded bowler, winners (Men and women) advance to the finals. ^[7]
• Finals: Semifinal winners bowl for the title. (Men and women) ^[7]

Lane Pattern

For the 2019 BWC, all games are bowled on one pattern, typically a 41 foot pattern unless lane topography at the host site dictates that the pattern be adjusted one foot less or one foot more. ^[8]

Previous winners

Single

Year	Location	Men	Women
1965	Dublin, Ireland	Lauri Ajanto	Women did not participate from 1965-1971
1966	London, England	John Wilcox
1967	Paris, France	Jack Connaughton
1968	Guadalajara, Mexico	Fritz Blum
1969	Tokyo, Japan	Graydon Robinson
1970	Copenhagen, Denmark	Klaus Müller
1971	Hong Kong	Roger Dalkin
1972	Hamburg, West Germany	Ray Mitchell	Irma Urrea
1973	Singapore	Bernie Caterer	Kesinee Srivises
1974	Caracas, Venezuela	Jairo Ocampo	Birgitte Lund
1975	Makati, Philippines	Lorenzo Monti	Cathy Townsend
1976	Tehran, Iran	Paeng Nepomuceno	Lucy Giovinco
1977	Tolworth, England	Arne Svein Ström	Rea Rennox
1978	Bogotá, Colombia	Samran Banyen	Lita dela Rosa
1979	Bangkok, Thailand	Philippe Dubois	Bong Coo
1980	Jakarta, Indonesia	Paeng Nepomuceno	Jean Gordon
1981	New York City, United States	Bob Worrall	Pauline Smith
1982	Scheveningen, Netherlands	Arne Svein Ström	Jeanette Baker
1983	Mexico City, Mexico	Chu You-tien	Jeanette Baker
1984	Sydney, Australia	Jack Jurek	Eliana Rigato
1985	Seoul, South Korea	Alfonso Rodríguez	Marjorie McEntee
1986	Copenhagen, Denmark	Peter Ljung	Annette Hagre
1987	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Remo Fornasari	Irene Gronert
1988	Guadalajara, Mexico	Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi	Linda Kelly
1989	Dublin, Ireland	Salem Al-Monsuri	Patty Ann
1990	Pattaya, Thailand	Tom Hahl	Linda Graham
1991	Beijing, China	Jon Juneau	Åsa Larsson
1992	Le Mans, France	Paeng Nepomuceno	Martina Beckel
1993	Johannesburg, South Africa	Rainer Puisis	Pauline Smith
1994	Hermosillo, Mexico	Tore Torgersen	Anne Jacobs
1995	São Paulo, Brazil	Patrick Healey Jr.	Gemma Burden
1996	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Paeng Nepomuceno	Cara Honeychurch
1997	Cairo, Egypt	Christian Nokel	Tseng Su-fen
1998	Kobe, Japan	Yang Cheng-ming	Maxine Nable
1999	Las Vegas, United States	Ahmed Shaheen	Amanda Bradley
2000	Lisbon, Portugal	Tomas Leandersson	Mel Issac
2001	Pattaya, Thailand	Kim Haugen	Nachimi Itakura
2002	Riga, Latvia	Mika Luoto	Shannon Pluhowsky
2003	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Christian Jan Suarez	Kerrie Ryan-Ciach
2004	Singapore	Kai Virtanen	Shannon Pluhowsky
2005	Ljubljana, Slovenia	Michael Schmidt	Lynda Barnes
2006	Caracas, Venezuela	Osku Palermaa	Diandra Asbaty
2007	Saint Petersburg, Russia	Bill Hoffman	Ann-Maree Putney
2008	Hermosillo, Mexico	Derek Eoff	Jasmine Yeong-Nathan
2009	Malacca Town, Malaysia	Choi Yong-kyu	Caroline Lagrange
2010	Toulon, France	Michael Schmidt	Aumi Guerra
2011	Johannesburg, South Africa	Jason Belmonte	Aumi Guerra
2012	Wrocław, Poland	Syafiq Ridhwan	Shayna Ng
2013	Krasnoyarsk, Russia	Or Aviram	Caroline Lagrange
2014	Wrocław, Poland	Chris Barnes	Clara Guerrero
2015	Las Vegas, United States	Wu Siu Hong	Clara Guerrero
2016	Shanghai, China	Wang Hongbo	Jenny Wegner
2017	Hermosillo, Mexico	Jakob Butturff	Krizziah Tabora
2018	Las Vegas, United States	Sam Cooley	Shannon O'Keefe
2019	Palembang, Indonesia	Francois Louw	Rebecca Whiting
2021	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Tom Daugherty	Shayna Ng
2022	Queensland, Australia	Carl Eklund	Colleen Pee
2023	Salmiya, Kuwait	Xiang Yi Zhang	Shannon O'Keefe
2024	Lima, Peru	Robin Ilhammar	Jenna Stretch
2025	Kowloon, Hong Kong	Du Jianchao	Natasha Roslan

Source: ^[9]

Number of titles by country/territory

Men Country/Territory Titles Years United States 12 1966, 1967, 1971, 1981, 1984, 1991, 1995, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2021 Finland 5 1965, 1990, 2002, 2004, 2006 Philippines 1976, 1980, 1992, 1996, 2003 Canada 4 1969, 1972, 2005, 2010 Norway 1977, 1982, 1994, 2001 Sweden 1986, 2000, 2022, 2024 Germany 1968, [a] 1970, [a] 1993, 1997 China 3 2016, 2023, 2025 Australia 2 2011, 2018 Qatar 1989, 1999 Chinese Taipei 1983, 1998 Italy 1975, 1987 South Africa 1 2019 Hong Kong 2015 Israel 2013 Malaysia 2012 South Korea 2009 United Arab Emirates 1988 Mexico 1985 France 1979 Thailand 1978 Colombia 1974 Great Britain [9] 1973

Women Country/Territory Titles Years United States 11 1976, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2018, 2023, 2024 Australia 7 1982, 1983, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2007, 2019 Canada 6 1975, 1977, 1980, 2003, 2009, 2013 Singapore 4 2008, 2012, 2021, 2022 Philippines 3 1978, 1979, 2017 Sweden 1986, 1991, 2016 Great Britain [9] 1981, 1993, 1995 Colombia 2 2014, 2015 Dominican Republic 2010, 2011 Malaysia 1 2025 Japan 2001 Wales [9] 2000 Chinese Taipei 1997 South Africa 1994 Germany 1992 Netherlands 1987 Ireland 1985 Italy 1984 Denmark 1974 Thailand 1973 Mexico 1972

1. As West Germany.

Team

Year	Location	Men	Women
2022	Queensland, Australia	United States	Sweden
2025	Kowloon, Hong Kong	Malaysia	United States

Number of titles by country/territory

Men Country/Territory Titles Years United States 1 2022 Malaysia 2025

Women Country/Territory Titles Years Sweden 1 2022 United States 2025

Records

Winners

• Paeng Nepomuceno holds two Guinness World Records from his victories in the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup. His four victories (1976, 1980, 1992, 1996) came in a record three different decades. ^[10] He also holds the record for the youngest men's champion, 19, when he won his first of four titles in 1976. ^[10] Incidentally, Nepomuceno won his titles in Olympic years.
• The oldest champions are Remo Fornasari, 51, when he won in 1987; ^[11] and Irma Urrea, 45, when she won the very first women's title in 1972.
• Gemma Burden holds a Guinness World Record as the youngest Bowling World Cup Champion, 17, when she won in 1995. ^[12]
• Two other men besides Nepomuceno has won multiple Bowling World Cup titles, Arne Svein Ström (1977 and 1982) and Michael Schmidt (2005 and 2010).
• Six women have each won two times, Pauline Smith (1981 and 1993), Jeanette Baker (1982 and 1983), Shannon Pluhowsky (2002 and 2004), Aumi Guerra (2010 and 2011), Caroline Lagrange (2009 and 2013) and Clara Guerrero (2014 and 2015).
• Baker, Guerra, and Guerrero are the only bowlers in QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup history to win consecutive titles.
• Only once has a country swept the men's and women's titles in the same year. This occurred in 1986 when Sweden incidentally defeated Philippines in both the men's and women's finals.
• A host representative has won the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup three times. Bob Worrall won in New York City in 1981, Wang Hongbo won in Shanghai in 2016, and Shannon O'Keefe won in Las Vegas in 2018.
• Chris Barnes (2014 men's champion) and Lynda Barnes (2005 women's champion) is the only husband-wife duo to win the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup. ^[13]
•   United States is the most successful nation in the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, winning a combined 23 titles ^[14] (12 men's titles, ^[15] 11 women's titles ^[16] )

Scoring

Category	Record	Player	Year/Venue
Qualifying Rounds [a]
Men's Individual Game	300	59 300s have been bowled in the qualifying rounds. [b]
Women's Individual Game	300	15 300s have been bowled in the qualifying rounds. [c]
Men's 3 Game Series	896	Paul Trotter [18]	2002, Riga, Latvia
Women's 3 Game Series	803	Aumi Guerra [d]	2011, Johannesburg, South Africa
Men's 5 Game Block	1307	Ahmed Shaheen [19]	2002, Riga, Latvia
Women's 5 Game Block	1304	Aumi Guerra [19]	2011, Johannesburg, South Africa
Men's 6 Game Block	1599	Mats Maggi [20]	2013, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Women's 6 Game Block	1531	Lynda Barnes [21]	2005, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Men's 8 Game Block	2088	Tommy Jones [22]	2011, Johannesburg, South Africa
Women's 8 Game Block	1948	Clara Guerrero [23]	2014, Wrocław, Poland
Men's High Average [e]	246.22	Osku Palermaa [24]	2006, Caracas, Venezuela
Women's High Average [e]	244.03	Caroline Lagrange [25]	2013, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Finals - Arena "Knockout" Rounds (2000-2005), (2016-) [f] and Stepladder
Men's Individual Game	300	Kai Virtanen [26]	2004, Singapore
		Chris Barnes [13]	2014, Wrocław, Poland
Women's Individual Game	298	Jasmine Yeong-Nathan [27]	2008, Hermosillo, Mexico
Men's 2 Game Series	536	Petter Hansen [26]	2004, Singapore
Women's 2 Game Series	561	Jasmine Yeong-Nathan [27]	2008, Hermosillo, Mexico
Men's 3 Game Series	778	Derek Eoff [27]	2008, Hermosillo, Mexico
Women's 3 Game Series	747	Clara Guerrero [28]	2014, Wrocław, Poland

1. Qualifying rounds consists of three or four days of qualifying, eight games in the Top 24 round, and round-robin match play.
2. Jason Belmonte and Tore Torgersen has bowled the most 300s, each with three. ^[17] In 2013, Torgersen became the first in QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup history to bowl consecutive 300s. ^[17]
3. No women has bowled multiple 300s as of 2019. ^[17]
4. Qualifying Day 2: Games 6, 7, 8: 244, 280, 279
5. 32 Games
6. From 2000-2005, Arena Knockout Rounds was a format of three rounds of single elimination, best-of-three-games. From 2016 till present, Arena Knockout rounds is a format of two rounds of single elimination, one game matches.

Appearances and Participation

• Most Appearances, Men - 16, Paeng Nepomuceno

1976, 1979–1980, 1982, 1985–1989, 1991–1996, 2009

• Most Appearances, Women - 17, Aida Granillo ^[29]

1982-1983, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1994-1996, 1998-2000, 2002–2006, 2008

• Erik Kok has participated in the Bowling World Cup in five different decades. ^[30]

1979–1980, 1985, 1989, 1995, 2005, 2014

• Most Championship Appearances, Stepladder and Arena, Men - 9, Paeng Nepomuceno

1976, 1980, 1986, 1989, 1991–1993, 1995–1996

• Most Championship Appearances, Stepladder and Arena, Women - 7, Shalin Zulkifli

1996–1998, 2000–2001, 2003–2004

• Most Countries - 95 in 2004 ^[17]
• Most Bowlers, Men and Women Combined - 167 in 2010 ^[17]
• Most Bowlers, Men - 93 in 2004 ^[17]
• Most Bowlers, Women - 76 in 2010 ^[17]

Awards

• The Bent Petersen Country Award is awarded to the country with the best combined finishes in the men's and women's divisions. It is named after Bent Petersen, who ran AMF’s international operations for 36 years before retiring in 1998. ^[31] Originally known as the Country Champion Award, it has been awarded at the BWC since 1984. The first winner of the award was Thailand. ^[32] Australia are the most recent winners. ^[4] In 2000, the award was renamed in honor of Petersen. Petersen died on November 21, 2014. ^[33]
• Highest Game Award is awarded in both the men's and women's division to the bowlers who had the highest one game score during the tournament. There have been 76 ^[34] 300s bowled at the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup (61 by men, 15 by women). Jack Guay bowled the first-ever 300 game in 1994, the 30th year of the AMF Bowling World Cup; while Shalin Zulkifli was the first woman to bowl a 300 in 1997. ^[17] United States has the most 300s by a country, seven.
• The Barry James Sportsman Award and Jacky Felsenstein Sportswoman Award, awarded to one male bowler and one female bowler, is voted for by the participating bowlers. Representatives from Canada and Mexico have each won this award more times than any country, seven times each.

References

1. "abf-online.org - brought to you by ASIAN BOWLING FEDERATION". www.abf-online.org. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
2. "Humble Beginnings by Keith Hale - A World Cup Story". Talk Tenpin.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. "50th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup officially declared open | bowlingdigital.com". www.bowlingdigital.com. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
4. "South Africa, Australia win titles at 2019 QubicaAMF World Cup". USBC.
5. "World Bowling and QubicaAMF Work to Form a New Partnership". QubicaAMF Worldwide.
6. "World Bowling and QubicaAMF Announce Postponement of the 56th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup to October 2021". QubicaAMF Worldwide. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
7. "53rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup kicks off with Opening Ceremonies". Bowlingdigital. 6 November 2017.
8. "2019 proposed lane conditions" (PDF). QubicaAMF. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
9. All QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup Winners
10. "Paeng's Guinness World Records". Philippine Star.
11. Oldest Men's Champion
12. "Youngest tenpin bowling world champion". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
13. "Chris Barnes sweeps two opponents to win men's title in 50th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup". Bowlingdigital.
14. "Medal Tally All (Men & Women)". European Tenpin Bowling Federation.
15. "Medal History Men". European Tenpin Bowling Federation.
16. "Medal History Women". European Tenpin Bowling Federation.
17. "Stats, records and more stuff on the 51st QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup". Bowlingdigital.
18. "Australian National Records". Tenpin Bowling Australia.
19. "Aumi does it again!". QubicaAMF.
20. Men's 6 Game Block Record
21. Women's 6 Game Block Record
22. Men's 8 Game Block Record
23. Women's 8 Game Block Record
24. Men's High Average Record After 32 games
25. Women's High Average Record After 32 games
26. "40th AMF Bowling World Cup". Asian Bowling Federation.
27. "High scoring finals see championship go to Singapore and USA". QubicaAMF.
28. Women's 3 game Series Record
29. Most Appearances Male or Female
30. Participation in each of the last five decades
31. Bent Petersen Award
32. First Country Champion Award
33. "A very sad farewell to AMF legend, Bent Petersen 1932–2014". Bowlingdigital.
34. "Kyle Troup achieves perfection: Wins Qualifying at the 54th Bowling World Cup". Bowlingdigital. 9 November 2018.

External links

• Bowlingdigital World Cup Section
• European Tenpin Bowling Federation World Cup Page