Professional Bowlers Association

Ron Palombi Jr. earned his sixth PBA title, but needs just one more "major" following his triumph in the $300,000 Bud Light PBA National Championship to complete professional bowling's "Triple Crown." Leading qualifier Palombi, Erie, Pa., defeated thirdseeded Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., 237-224, for the $55,000 first prize at Ducat's Imperial Lanes.

Palombi could not sustain his momentum in the King of the Hill game immediately following however, and Ron Williams continued his reign as "King" via his 185-179 survival victory. Williams now has dispatched Erie's two favorite PBA champs (Bob Learn Jr. and Palombi) on successive weeks.

In the championship game, Palombi started with a spare and four in a row, while McCune spared, struck, spared again, and then tacked on his own four-bagger to lead by one pin after seven frames. Palombi then doubled and McCune sealed his fate when he failed to convert the 2-4-5 in his ninth frame. Ironically, Palombi hadn't realized he had won and when he finally did, burst into tears as he embraced his parents.

In the King of the Hill game, neither player was sharp, but Williams looked especially flat when he opened in both his third and fifth frames. Palombi also opened in his fifth, but couldn't put Williams away and when he failed to convert the 2-4-10 split in the 10th frame, Williams was a winner again for the seventh time in eight appearances in 1993.

The first "jewel" of the "Triple Crown" opened with McCune bombing fourth-seeded Adam Apo of Honolulu, Hawaii, 245-214. McCune then benefited by a critical mistake by Philip Ringener in the semifinal game. Ringener, Big Spring, Texas, needed just a spare to advance for the opportunity to gain his first PBA title but dumped his first shot in the loth frame into the right-hand channel and fell, 215-204.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

PLAYOFF RESULTS-McCune defeated Apo, 245-214; McCune defeated Ringener, 215-204; and in the championship game, Palombi defeated McCune, 237-224. KING OF THE HILL-Ron Williams, Fort Worth, Texas, defeated Ron Palombi Jr., 185-179, for $5,000.

56-GAME TOTALS

		Name, City		Pins		Avg		WLT		+		Tot		Amt
#1		Ron Palombi Jr., Erie, PA		13063		233.3		17-7-0		510		13573
#2		Philip Ringener, Big Spring, TX		13002		232.2		14-0-1		435		13437
#3		Eugene McCune, Munster, IN		12932		230.9		11-13-0		330		13262
4		Adam Apo, Honolulu, HI		12936		231.0		9-14-1		285		13221
5		Brian Voss, Boca Raton, FL		12785		228.3		14-9-1		435		13220		$8,000
#6		Pete Weber, Florissant, MO		12716		227.1		16-8-0		480		13196		7,000
7		Dave Husted, Milwaukie, OR		12698		226.8		15-9-0		450		13148		6,000
8		Stephen Hardy, Nashua, NH		12708		226.9		14-10-0		420		13128		5,500
9		Walter Ray Williams Jr., Stockton, CA		12682		226.5		12-12-0		360		13042		5,000
#10		Randy Pedersen, Hollywood, FL		12579		224.6		15-9-0		450		13029		4,600
11		Jeff Morin, Rockaway, NJ		12638		225.7		13-11-0		390		13028		4,300
12		Jason Couch, Winter Garden, FL		12603		226.1		12-12-0		360		12963		4,000
13		Nelson Burton Jr., St. Louis, MO		12519		223.6		14-10-0		420		12939		3,700
#14		Pete McCordic, Katy, TX		12545		224.0		11-12-1		345		12890		3,400
15		Gary Dickinson, Edmond, OK		12521		223.6		11-13-0		330		12851		3,300
16		Derek Williams, Groves, TX		12430		222.0		12-12-0		360		12790		3,200
17		Mark Turney, Corpus Christi, TX		12471		222.7		10-13-1		315		12786		3,100
18		Danny Broadway, Houston		12478		222.8		10-14-0		300		12778		3,000
19		Jimmy Keeth, West Palm Beach, FL		12240		218.6		12-12-0		360		12600		2,900
20		Dennis Jacques, Monmouth Jet., NJ		12371		220.9		7-16-1		225		12596		2,800
21		Gregory Look, High Ridge, MO		12324		220.1		9-15-0		270		12594		2,700
22		Del Ballard Jr., Richardson, TX		12364		220.8		6-18-0		180		12544		2,600
23		Dave Dobrzykowski, Toledo, OH		12193		217.7		9-15-0		270		12463		2,500
24		Ernie Schlegel, Vancouver, WA		12117		216.4		11-13-0		330		12447		2,400

Pos.		Name, City/State	Amount
*25		Dale Eagle, Evansville, IN	$2,220
26		Billy Young, Edmond, OK	2,120
27		Brad Kiszewski, Buffalo, NY	1,980
28		Mike Miller, Albuquerque, NM	1,950
29		Kevin McGerr, Lincoln, NE	1,920
#30		Jeff Smith, Little Falls, MN	1,900
37		Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, TX	1,880
32		John Delp, West Lawn, PA	1,860
33		Kelly Coffman, Topeka, KS	1,840
34		Eric Forkel, Chatsworth, CA	1,820
35		Ron Williams, Fort Worth, TX	1,800
36		Warren Nelson, Fresno, CA	1,780
37		Ken Muscato, Canandaigua, NY, and Ricky Ward, N. Fort Myers, FL	1,750
39		Kirk von Krueger, Pensacola, FL	1,720
40		Gary Hancock, Chattanooga, TN	1,700
41		Ray Edwards, Centereach, NY	1,680
42		Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela	1,670
43		John Mazza, Mt Clemens, MI	1,660
44		Hugh Miller, Seattle	1,650
45		Tom Baker, Buffalo	1,640
46		Ed Richardson, Corpus Christi, TX	1,630
47		Gary Smith, East Peons, IL	1,620
#48		Kent Wagner, Palmetto, FL	1,610
49		Dale Strike, Saginaw, MI	1,600
50		Jeffrey Dreyfus, Fort Wayne, IN	1,590
51		Rich Abboud, Omaha, NE	1,580
52		Bob Learn Jr., Erie, PA	1,570
53		Dave Ferraro, Kingston, NY, and Butch Soper, Lake Havasu City, AZ	1,555
55		John Forst Salt Lake City, UT	1,540
56		Mike Jasnau, Fishkill, NV, and Billy Yinger. Arlington, TX	1,525
58		Dave Arnold, Gilbert, AZ	1,510
59		Jeff Handing, Frederick, MD	1,500
60		Dale Traber, Cedarburg, WI	1,490
61		Joe Baca, Dublin, CA, and Tim Criss, Bel Air, MD	1,475
63		Jason Cooper, Reisterstown, MD	1,460
#64		Brian Thyes, Green Bay, WI	1,450
65		Barry Zimmerman, Grand Forks, ND	1,440
#66		David Traber, Woodstock, IL	1,430
67		Scott Devers, Richmond, IN	1,420
68		Cherie Standish, Kalamazoo, MI	1,410
69		Norm Duke, Oklahoma City, OK	1,400
70		Bob Laster, Anaheim, CA	1,390
71		Edward McDonnell Jr., Sunnyvale, CA	1,380
72		Brian Berg, Edmond, OK	1,370
73		Adam Cotton, Coral Springs, FL	1,360
74		Michael Azcarate, Pembroke Pines, FL, and Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, OH	1,345