Professional Bowlers Association

On this St. Patrick's Day, it was, fittingly, a battle for the green in the $280,000 Society Bank PBA National Championship at Ducat's Imperial Lanes. When the smoke finally cleared, it was Jim Pencak who enjoyed the "luck 'o the Irish" in donning the green champion's blazer and pocketing the $54,000 greenbacks for his second PBA title and first "major."

Pencak, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, won four games and topped Chris Warren in the title match, 223-214, to gain a three-year exemption to the Firestone Tournament of Champions.

"I've worked a long time to get to this point and now things are falling into place," Pencak said. "This is quite a start to my career," the 10-year PBA member joked.

Both finalists spared to open the title game, then Pencak posted a three-bagger, spare and strike to lead by 10 in the sixth frame. Warren then knotted the match in the eighth with his own three-bagger. After sparing in the ninth, he left the difficult 6-7-10 split on his first 10th-frame shot, but converted it. Pencak then got up in his 10th needing only eight, spare and strike to clinch. He struck on his first ball and the rest was simply a formality.

"I was relieved I didn't have to shoot a (10th frame) spare," Pencak said. "The best mark is always a strike. This title means a lot since it's a major, but my first win will always be special, too," Pencak recounted. "I made a big move in changing balls in my second game and felt if I could get out of the gate, everything would be all right." Pencak was 8-0 in his last two championship round appearances in PBA singles competition, with his first win coming from the fourth-seeded position at the LaMode Classic in Green Bay, Wis., last summer.

The opening game of the ABC Sports-televised finals was a tough, 183182, victory Pencak eked out against reigning PBA Player of the Year Amleto Monacelli of Venezuela. Monacelli had won the previous week's tournament at Columbus, Ohio, and needed a double in his 10th frame to advance here, but left a solid 8-pin on his first shot of the 10th frame.

Next up for Pencak was first-time finalist Doug Kent of Canandaigua, N.Y., who bowed, 267-172. In the semifinal game, Pencak opened with a four-bagger against 1986 PBA National Champion Tom Crites of Tampa, Fla., and cruised home, 227-191. Crites earned $15,000 for third, Kent collected $10,000 and Monacelli $8,000.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

PLAYOFF RESULTS-Pencak defeated Monacelli, 183-182; Pencak defeated Kent, 267-172; Pencak defeated Crites, 227-192; and in the championship game, Pencak defeated Warren, 223-214.

56-GAME TOTALS

		Name, City		Pins		Avg		WLT		+		Tot		Amt
#1		Chris Warren, Dallas		12579		224.6		15-8-1		465		13044
2		Tom Crites, Tampa, Fla.		12609		225.2		10-13-1		315		12924
3		Doug Kent, Canandaigua, N.Y.		12443		222.2		16-8-0		480		12923
4		Jim Pencak, Mayfield Heights, Ohio		12504		223.3		13-10-1		405		12909
5		Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela		12406		221.5		16-7-1		495		12901
#6		Brian Voss, Boca Raton, Fla.		12425		221.9		13-9-2		420		12845		$7,000
7		Tom Baker, Buffalo, N.Y.		12418		221.8		14-10-0		420		12838		6,000
8		Ron Palombi Jr., Erie, Pa.		12456		222.4		12-11-1		375		12831		5,000
9		Marc McDowell, Madison, Wis.		12413		221.7		13-11-0		390		12803		4,500
10		Joe Berardi, Wellington, Fla.		12407		221.6		13-11-0		390		12797		4,000
11		Joe Firpo, Lake Worth, Fla.		12367		220.8		13-9-2		420		12787		3,700
12		Bryan Alpert, Las Vegas, Nev.		12420		221.8		11-12-1		345		12765		3,400
13		Tony Westlake, Edmond, Okla.		12322		220.0		14-9-1		435		12757		3,200
14		Jack Jurek. Lackawanna, N.Y.		12293		219.3		14-10-0		420		12713		3,000
15		Frank Ellenburg. Mesa. Ariz.		12231		218.4		16-8-0		480		12711		2,900
#16		Don Genalo, Perrysburg, Ohio		12344		220.4		11-13-0		330		12674		2,800
17		Steve Jaros, Bolingbrook, III.		12296		219.6		12-12-0		360		12656		2,700
18		Robert Lawrence, Austin, Texas		12302		219.7		8-16-0		240		12542		2,600
19		Curtis Odom, Winston-Salem, N.C.		12241		218.6		10-14-0		300		12541		2,500
#20		David Traber, Woodstock, 111.		12251		218.8		8-16-0		240		12491		2,400
21		Jimmie Pritts Jr., Methuen, Mass.		12224		218.3		8-16-0		240		12464		2,300
22		Dave Husted, Milwaukie, Ore.		12187		217.6		8-16-0		240		12427		2,200
23		Steve Hoskins, Tarpon Springs, Fla.		12010		214.5		8-15-1		255		12265		2,150
24		Bill Busby Topeka, Kan.		11914		212.8		6-18-0		180		12094		2,100

Pos.		Name, City/State	Amount
25		Bob Learn Jr., Erie. Pa..	$1,815
26		Richard Abboud, Omaha, Neb.	1,775
		Rick Steelsmith, Wichita. Kan.	1,775
28		Dale Strike, Saginaw, Mich.	1,740
*29		Ron Williams, Ft. Worth, Texas	1,850
30		Pete McCordic, Houston	1,720
31		W. R. Williams Jr., Stockton, Calif.	1,710
32		Jerry Krupa, Richmond, Ind.	1,700
33		Mark Baker, Huntington Beach, Calif.	1,685
		David D'Entremont, Cleveland, Ohio	1,685
35		George Pappas, Charlotte, N.C.	1,670
36		Bob Benoit, Topeka, Kan.	1,660
37		Randy Lightfoot, St. Charles, Mo.	1,650
38		Purvis Granger, Columbus, Ohio	1,640
39		Don Moser, San Jose, Calif.	1,625
		Steve Shellenbarger, Mount Clemens, Mich.	1,625
41		Roger Bowker, Ocala, Fla.	1,610
42		Steve Cook, Roseville, Calif.	1,600
43		Mark Fahy, Chicago	1,590
44		Jeff Bellinger, Columbia, S.C.	1,580
45		Dennis Horan Jr., Santa Clara, Calif.	1,570
46		Jim Tilton, Valencia, Calif.	1,560
47		Bill Heltzel Jr., York, Pa.	1,550
48		Wayne Webb, Beaumont, Texas	1,540
49		Dave Arnold, Mesa, Ariz.	1,530
50		Todd Thompson, Reno, Nev.	1,520
51		Kevin McGerr, Lincoln, Neb.	1,510
52		Bill Oakes, Irving, Texas	1,500
53		Tim Weisbrod, Cincinnati, Ohio	1,490
54		Mark Thayer, Lafayette, Ind.	1,480
55		Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla.	1,465
		Mike Taylor, San Diego, Calif.	1,465
57		Dennis Rakauskas, Clarks Summit, Pa.	1,450
58		Norm Duke, Ft. Worth, Texas	1,440
59		Richard Wolfe, Falls Church, Va.	1,430
60		Doug Johnson, Willard, Ohio	1,420
61		Marshall Misenar, Moraga, Calif.	1,410
62		Pete Weber, Florissant, Mo.	1,400
63		Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, Md.	1,390
64		Tony Marrese, Hilton Head, S.C.	1,380
65		Steve Jakubowski, Toledo, Ohio	1,370
66		Ted Hannahs, Zanesville, Ohio	1,360
67		Mike Miller, Albuquerque, N.M.	1,350
68		Gary Skidmore, Albuquerque. N.M.	1,340
69		Bryan Goebel, Merriam, Kan.	1,330
70		Bob Handley, Pompano Beach, Fla.	1,320
71		Mike Shady, Ripon, Wis.	1,310
72		Mark Roth, Spring Lake Heights, N.J.	1,300
73		Michael Whittington, Richmond, Va.	1,290
74		Danny Broadway, Houston	1,280
75		Chuck Tompkins, Columbus, Ohio	1,270
		Brian Brazeau, Milwaukee, Wis.	1,260
77		Mike Kilgannon. Valley Stream, N.Y.	1,250
78		Joe Salvemini, Colorado Springs, Colo.	1,240
79		Butch Soper, Tustin, Calif.	1,230
80		Rowdy Morrow, St. Louis	1,220
81		Duane Fisher, Gloucester Twp., N.J.	1,210