PERSONAL RECORDS FALL!!!  "You just never know when you're gonna get HOT"!  Not only did this week's Champ break out of a slump, several other bowlers shot ersonal Bests.  The diverse 'Cash List' was the real highlight at Pacific Lanes Saturday.  The range of handicaps was extreme, stretching from Kai Pedro's -5, to Amy Salvo's +68.  If you break the list down by Handicap (incl. Bonus Pins) the low (<15 pins), middle (15-30), high (30>), the balanced Cash List worked out to be pretty even with 8 high, 6 middle, 8 low handicap bowlers.  That's exactly what we hope for every week.  Despite some of the BIG scores, the final outcome wasn't determined until the last game.  Beyond the balanced scoring, newcomer Travis Dill & Tour veteran James Pippin shared the $100 for their 4-Taps, leaving the Jackpot to grow to $2,513.00 for next week.  Speaking of getting HOT, Dave Robins hasn't been with the Tour long (7 entries) and he hadn't shot a 250 (scr.) game before Saturday, when he strung all 12 for his first 300 game.

With really GREAT finishes Saturday, 5 bowlers reached the 1000 mark.  Tim Apthorp shot his Personal Best series with a great 1017 which looked like it would be a Top 3 finish, till Chris Andreula upped the score with an even better 1026, but Chris even got bumped to 4th.  Then, along comes Amy Salvo who, after setting her 'PB' last week,  SHATTERED her one week old mark with a HUGE 1044, but that only boosted her to 3rd place, good for her first Top 3 finish!  Tara Strand upped the scores again, when she shot her 6 year 'PB' series... even higher than she shot when she Won her previous 2 Titles.  Tara's nice 1052 series, would have won most weeks, but the hefty $877.00 runner-up share should serve as a nice reward for shooting her PB.  It's very unusual, to have so many PB's, when the overall scoring looked pretty normal... evidenced by the 'Cut-Line' at an Ideal 922. 

Huyen Thai is no stranger to the Winner's Circle, earning his 6th Career Title... but he's also just coming out of the coldest slump of hisCareer.  Huyen had only reached the Cash List 3 times in his previous 30 entries, before getting SO HOT Saturday that he also shot his Personal Best series, topping 1000 (scratch) for only the second time ever.  That scratch score also earned him an extra $115.00 from the Scratch Pot.  How do you go from your Coldest Slump, to your Best Ever series, all in one jump?  Confirming that, "You never know when you're gonna get HOT", just like all of the other bowlers who shot PBs this week.  Huyen wasn't just being humble, when he said that he was very Lucky!  We saw some of the shots that he got away with, including one strike where he didn't hit the head-pin.  But, we've experienced many times, that when you get into that famous 'Zone', everything just seems to go your way.  We all wish we knew how to find that 'Zone' when we need it, but it just doesn't work that way.  The reward for Huyen's 'PB' was a check for a sweet $1,943.00, pushing his career total to an impressive $18,343.00... not bad for someone who was new to bowling 3 years ago!  He used his Columbia 300, drilled by Pat Johns at HiLine Bowl, for his BIG WIN.  Lucky or not... it was a GREAT performance!  Great Job on Gold Star #6!!