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Pa.’s Gollick rolls highest score in opening round
HUBBARD
Of the left-handers finishing near the top following Saturday morning’s opening round of the PBA Hubbard Open, Tommy Gollick made the most of the favorable lane conditions at Bell-Wick Bowl.
The 38-year-old Gollick, of Oberlin, Pa., topped 56 other “A” squad bowlers with the highest score of 1,913 pins.
“They favored the left side a little bit,” Gollick said of the conditions. “We [lefties] are kind of used to seeing the lane a little differently, so it was a little more favorable to us, for sure.”
Gollick’s score was just 10 pins better than Matthew O’Grady of Matawan, N.J., the second-highest “A” squad finisher. Following O’Grady were David Knight of Folcroft, Pa.; Brett Spangler of Niles; Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y.; Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y.; and J.R. Raymond of Bay City, Mich.
Although all appeared poised to advance to today’s top 16, Saturday’s “B” squad bowlers would have the final word. Each squad comprised 57 bowlers.
“Since it’s only the second time I’ve been here, I’m learning that some of the center [Bell-Wick] was installed at different times and I’m getting used to the different sections of the center,” Gollick said of the benefit of familiarity. “It always helps when you go to a pair [of lanes] and know what it’s going to do so you can make your move before you even throw a shot. I’m slowly getting used to that.”
Gollick said that he enters East Region events when his schedule permits. He’s outside of Harrisburg — a 4 Ω-hour drive — so travel is a big consideration.
“I hit pretty much all the East Region stops as often as possible,” Gollick said. “It’s rare that I miss one.”
Hubbard (East/Central Region) is the farthest west he’s come for a regional, but he likes the set-up.
“The nice thing is, we still get points in both regions,” Gollick said.
Gollick works for a non-profit organization, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, where he runs the print shop. He also has a part-time job operating a pro shop at a local bowling center.
Although Gollick thought that Spangler and Ciminelli, also lefties, had good ball reaction, Ciminelli thought otherwise.
“I had one big game when I made a ball change to Karma Pearl in the seventh game when I shot 279,” said Ciminelli, the Hubbard Open’s inaugural champion in 2011. “The other seven games I threw plastic.
“There’s so much hook out there, there’s almost no choice. You have to throw something super-weak; most guys are throwing urethane, but even that’s too much for me.”
He said he’d probably start Saturday by throwing plastic to give himself the best chance.
“There’s a lot of transition on our [left] side, so, at least now I have an idea that I could probably go to that Karma Pearl as soon as I carry down. I’m just not sure when.”
Ciminelli won the 2015 U.S. Open in November and two other titles in a four-month span.
“It’s been a great run,” he said. “I’m just trying to ride that wave.”
Although a right-handed bowler, Shafer didn’t seem to have any problems.
“This [Cheetah] isn’t my forte, but I had a good urethane ball [Black Hammer urethane] to start with [the first game] when the lanes were pretty flush and I evened out the reaction.
“Then I moved to a pair where guys had been throwing urethane the first game, so I switched to a Viral, which is medium-resin.
“I did nothing to it, just threw a basic spare release and the ball reacted pretty good the next five games. I ended in the middle [lanes] of the house where it hooked a little more, so I had to go back to urethane.”
Shafer said he’s got to clean up his spare-shooting.
“The middle [lanes at Bell-Wick] is really hooking, so I was missing spares I wouldn’t normally miss, but I struck enough to make up for it. So Sunday, in match play, I need to clean that [spare shooting] up a little bit.”