Brian Himmler and Wes Malott are anything but strangers when it comes to match play.
Their history against one another will be extended today in the championship round of the Earl Anthony Medford Classic at Lava Lanes.
The Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour event is sold out for the semifinals and finals, but it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 10 a.m.
Himmler and Malott will meet in what represents the marquee semifinal match. Himmler is the defending champion, and Malott leads the tour in finals appearances — this is his fifth — and points.
The other semifinal pits Sean Rash against Patrick Healey Jr.
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Himmler, who was successful the only other time he attempted to defend a title, could become the first repeat winner in the six years Medford has hosted the tournament.
Healey is aiming for his first championship since 2003.
"I get to bowl the No. 1-ranked bowler on tour," says Himmler, who has four career titles and won back-to-back championships at Vernon Hills, Ill., in 2004-05. "Wes is tough. I'm sure it will be a big game and come down to who can throw a big shot when he needs to. We've had some great wars against each other. We're probably about even."
Indeed. In five matches, Himmler is 3-2, but in total games, Malott has the lead, 13-12. Their respective averages over those five matches and 25 games are 227.8 for Malott and 227.4 for Himmler.
In the first year the PBA went to an all-match-play format in the fall of 2004, players were seeded based on their points over the 20 previous tournaments.
As such, Mallot and Himmler found themselves playing each other repeatedly. Between Nov. 5 and Dec. 9, 2004, they met in four tournaments, three times in the round of 64 and once in the round of 32. Each won twice.
"We were getting a little tired of each other," Himmler laughs.
"We've butted heads a lot," says Malott. "We're both bowling really well, and whoever gets the breaks will come out on top."
Last year here, Himmler defeated Tim Criss in the semifinals, then topped Mika Koivuniemi 214-204 in the finals. This week, he's averaged 233.71 in 17 match-play games.
Malott has averaged 236.83 in 15 games, second among the finalists to Rash's 238.03 in 16 games. Healey averaged 227.18 in 19 games.
The oil pattern in use, the Scorpion, is the same one Malott won on earlier this season in the Windy City Classic at Vernon Hills.
Malott, in his fourth full year on tour, had a breakout season last year with his first victory and $130,270 in earnings.
He continued that success in the first half this year, vaulting to the upper echelon of most statistical categories.
However, he returned home to Dallas over the holiday break and didn't practice. He did, however, bowl in a couple of local tournaments on a surface and oil pattern that caused him to change his delivery.
"It made me have a totally different release to get the ball to do what I wanted," he says. "I think I got in a little bit of a bad habit with that, and not practicing over the break got me a little out sync."
Last week in Reno, Nev., at the first stop of the second half, he missed making it to match play for the first time this season.
He returned home, got his game back together, then fine-tuned it once he hit Medford.
Healey struggled earlier this season, but a session with his coach in November has done wonders. He's finished sixth and eighth in his last two events. Prior to that, he failed to make it out of the round of 64 in three of five tournaments.
Healey wowed the crowd Friday in the round of 16 when he rolled back-to-back 300 games in a 4-3 victory over Steve Jaros.
A three-time winner on tour, Healey is the only finalist with a major championship to his credit. He won twice in 2003, including the Tournament of Champions.
The winner today earns $25,000 and exemption on the tour next season.
Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com
