Bowlers Journal International - January 2008 - (Page 17) PROBOWLING Lanes went down to the wire, with Kip Roberts prevailing for the $2,500 first RE GIO NAL ROU N D U P NATHAN BOHR HAD ABOUT AS GOOD A MONTH AS ONE COULD HAVE IN PBA Regional action — at least, without winning a title. In the Southwest Region, he finished second in the Odessa (Texas) Open at Diamond Lanes, second in the Beaumont (Texas) Open at Crossroads Bowling Center, and third in the Port Arthur (Texas) Open at MegaPlay USA for a total of $4,000 in prize money. Jeff Campbell crushed Bohr for the $2,200 title in Odessa, 211-137, while Xeno Garcia rode a 10-2 round-robin match play record to the $2,500 title in Beaumont. The Port Arthur title and $2,500 went to Tyler Jensen, who ran way from Ron Boroff in the decider, 247-173. Other Regional results EAST: Senior player Roger Kossert put his experience to work in winning the Ebonite Fort Meade RPI Qualifier at The Lanes-Fort Meade (Md.). He claimed the $2,500 first prize with a 198-190 victory over Scott Denlinger. The $2,500 title in the Blue Valley Lanes Open in Wind Gap, Pa., was claimed by Jonathan Van Hees, who dispatched Larry Porter in the championship match, 238-200. The tournament attracted 144 players. SOUTH: The title match of the the Norfolk (Va.) Open at AMF Norfolk prize. Roberts edged Marty Berks for the big bucks, 225-224. CENTRAL: Ken Abner defeated Senior player Dave Patchen, 257-223, to win the La-Z-Boy Open at Monroe (Mich.) Sport Center. First place paid $2,000. WEST: Ben Laughlin won three fewer matches than John DeBenedetta Jr. in the 16-game round-robin finals of the Ebonite Open at Pickwick Bowl in Burbank, Calif., but had enough pinfall to finish first and claim the $2,000 first prize. NORTHWEST: Erik Hohlbein beat Bob Davidson, 262-224, to earn the $2,000 top prize in the Bowlaway Lanes Open in Walla Walla, Wash. (home of the finest sweet onions on Earth). SENIORS: George Pappas felt right at home in winning the South Region's Senior Gastonia (N.C.) Open at George Pappas' Liberty Lanes (home of some of the finest onion rings on Earth). Pappas outscored Roger Kossert in the title match, 234-210, and collected $1,500. Robert Flaws was nearly flawless in winning the Midwest/Central Victory Lanes Senior Open in Kankakee, Ill. He ran away from Harry Sullins in the title match, 278-216, and earned $1,500. Ted Hannahs outscored Chris Fedden, 233-202, to win the East/Central KOOL FM Senior Open at Brookville (Pa.) Lanes. First place paid $1,700. Dale Traber, long one of the PBA's top Regional players, now is proving to be a force in Senior Regional action as well. He won the Midwest Region's Lancer Lanes Senior Open in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a 211-210 victory over Robert Holzbauer. First place paid $1,500. in every event, and not exactly in the same way, but long-familiar terms such as “bonus pins“ and “position rounds“ came back into vogue for several of the Tour’s events, beginning last season. Furthermore, each time the round-robin system is used, the very traditional stepladder-format TV finals follows. ■ Limiting the Commissioner’s Exemption: Fred Schreyer may still offer an exemption to anyone in any standard tournament, but it’s a big exception when he does. That’s in complete contrast to the first couple of years when the Commissioner’s pick had a designated slot in the field. ■ The Women’s Series: When round-robin match play is not used, only four players qualify for the TV finals. Hence, there is one fewer match, and an extra 15-20 minutes of airtime needs to be filled in a 90-minute show. You can use that time for things like trick shots, player profiles, bowling tips and related features, or, if some integer such as the USBC pays for it, develop a separate, extra championship match. This season, the USBC-funded Women’s Series made PBA champions out of Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Shannon Pluhowski, Joy Esterson and Diandra Asbaty. ■ Injury Deferment Replacements: No more. At least, not after the season starts, although the PBA has changed its policy on this matter so frequently that even players directly affected can barely keep up. For this season, injury deferments granted to Jason Couch and Jeff Carter simply opened up two more guaranteed spots in the Tour Qualifying Rounds, instead of going to the alternates off last season's point list. While that’s good for the TQR, it closed the window Brian Voss and Rick Steelsmith were presumed to have to salvage exemptions this season. ■ Reduction in Multi-Year Exemptions: Tom Baker is working on the fourth year of a five-year exemption by virtue of winning the PBA World Championship to close the 2003-04 season. Never since has a single title been worth so much from an exemption standpoint. It’s nothing against Baker, who continues to be competitive on the Denny’s Tour and dominant as a senior, but the PBA has been incrementally decreasing the length of exemptions, effectively limiting bonuses for major championship to two years. ■ Regional Exemptions Altered: Leading your region in points will no longer get you an exemption for the Denny's Tour after this season. There still will be a vehicle for top regional players to graduate to the big stage, but exemptions for 2009-10 will be determined through the annual Resident Pro Invitational. The field for the RPI will be enlarged (up to 25 from each region) as it becomes, in effect, a Tour Trials for active regional players. Up to eight exemptions will be provided as the annual regional players' all-star gathering undergoes its first major restructuring since Tom Hennessey won the inaugural in 1969. — Lyle Zikes LEGENDS REMEMBERED When Don Johnson won the 1975 Tucson Open, he tied Dick Weber as the all-time leader in PBA titles. While both had a couple more victories to come, by the time Johnson and Weber claimed their 26th and what proved to be final career championships in back-to-back weeks on the 1977 Winter Tour, a fellow named Earl Anthony had already exceeded that number of titles. It’s fitting that, some 30 years later, the three players who fought to be the PBA’s most prominent during an era of professional bowling’s highest TV ratings all have tournaments named after them on the 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour. It will be the sixth consecutive season for the Earl Anthony Memorial event, which originated in Seattle but subsequently shifted to Medford, bowlers journal international 17 JANUARY 2008
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