ABU DHBAI - USA and Korea remained in the lead while overnight leaders Denmark need a 1,987 series on medium oil, a 220.78 average, to regain the top spot and Korea's Choi Bokeum shoot 717 in squad 3 to take the lead in all-events at the WTBA Men's World Cup Championships in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Australia's Sam Cooley, Jason Belmonte and David Porto closed out their three games on medium oil with a big 729 game to overtake Korea, Sweden and USA en route to move into third place in the trios standings.
Pakistani trio of Ijazur Rehman, M Hussain Chatha and Fazil Mania also performed well and still in the hunt for a podium finish. Belmonte led the team with 1,419 while Cooley added 1,337 and Porto contributed 1,244 for 4000 on the nose with an overall average of 222.22.
Team USA's Mike Fagan, Marshall Kent and Sean Rash remained atop the leader board with 4144 total and average of 230.22. Korea's Park Jongwoo, Hong Haesol and Kim Kyungmin stayed in second place with 4062 or an average of 225.67. Korean Shin Seunghyeon struck three times in the last frame to help his teammates Kang Heewon and Choi Bokeum to maintain a six-pin lead over Sweden's Jesper Svensson, Daniel Fransson and Martin Larsen.
With the final squad 1 yet to bowl the last block, Korea sits in fourth place with 3,986 with Sweden in fifth place on 3,980 and USA's Bill O'Neill, Tommy Jones and Chris Barnes in sixth place with 3,975.
Denmark's Frederik Ohrgaard, Carsten Warming Hansen and Thomas Larsen, who led the first block on long oil with 2,158 an average of 239.78, need a 1,987 series in the last squad, a 220.78 average, to regain the top spot.