April 7, 2022 Chase Kaufman

Over the past two weeks, many PBA50 bowlers got in their last taste of regional competition before the PBA50 National Tour commences in Fort Myers. Four events recently occurred east of the Mississippi River which included plenty of recognizable names that will undoubtedly be seen on the main senior slate this summer.

EAST REGION

PBA50 Crystal Lanes Open
The entry list hit triple digits for the Crystal Lanes Open offering a tough task to anyone looking to bring home a title. Just the top 16 bowlers advanced to match play on Sunday after bowling eight games on Saturday. It was a battle of A-squad bowlers battling for the final spot, but recent champion Victor Florie Jr. advanced in a roll-off over Michael Houtz when both players went +157.

Neighbor to the north, Bill Rowe, topped the field going +314 for his eight-game set. However, Sunday was Brad Angelo’s day, as he cruised through the first eleven games of match play without dropping a single meeting. A 277 against Brian LeClair and a 250 against Tim DeGraw virtually clinched the title for Angelo as he accumulated a 152-pin lead with just the position round to go. Angelo’s victory lap would be spoiled by Dave Wodka, with Angelo losing 231-208 but still taking the title by 99 pins. The New York native grabbed his 4th career PBA50 regional title with the win and heads into the national 50 Tour on a good note.

PBA50 Crystal Lanes Open Final Standings

  1. Brad Angelo, 2,500 points, $3,500
  2. Dave Wodka, 1,500, $2,100
  3. Bill Rowe, 1,150, $1,600
  4. Brian LeClair, 950, $1,400
  5. Doug Kent, 850, $1,300

PBA50 East Region Points Leaders

  1. Brad Angelo, 2,500 points
  2. Dave Wodka, 1,500
  3. Bill Rowe, 1,150
  4. Brian LeClair, 950
  5. Doug Kent, 850

View the complete East Region standings

MIDWEST/CENTRAL REGION

PBA50 Liberty Lanes Midwest/Central Open
Just a short drive from downtown Chicago, Liberty Lanes hosted the Liberty Lanes Open, which gathered some names we’ll be seeing over the summer. All 33 contestants threw seven games on Saturday but only eight advanced to match play the next day.

Once again, Tom Adcock found himself in contention after qualifying first at +326 for seven games while Lennie Boresch Jr, Eugene McCune, and Mark Sullivan followed right behind. After eight head-to-head matches, the top four moved to the stepladder finals and included Boresch, Adcock, Lyle Kuhlmann, and Danny Clark.

Clark and Kuhlmann started the stepladder, and it was tight throughout until Kuhlmann missed a 10-pin in the 6th frame. Another open in the eighth from Kuhlmann left the door open for Clark who converted on all three single pins left in the 7th-9th frames and would eventually advance, 200-191.

Match number two was a doozy as both bowlers went into the 9th frame without an open or a double. After Clark struck in the 9th, Adcock stepped up with the match all tied up and the six-time regional champion split in both frames, essentially giving Clark the win, 196-170.

There was a bit of a title gap between the two as Boresch owned 33 regional titles and Clark just one, but that mattered none as Clark began with the front four in the final match. Boresch got back into the match with a turkey in the 6th-8th frames, but a 7-pin in the ninth and a 10-pin on the 2nd shot in the 10th drained his chances. The lefty needed just six pins on two balls in the 10th and got it done. Clark snagged regional title number two and 2,500 points toward the Central Region standings.

PBA50 Liberty Lanes Midwest/Central Open Final Standings

  1. Danny Clark, 2,500 points, $2,000
  2. Lennie Boresch Jr., 1,500, $1,100
  3. Tom Adcock, 1,150, $800
  4. Lyle Kuhlmann, 950, $650
  5. Mitch Beasley, 850, $575

PBA50 Sherry Bodkins Memorial Central Open
A handful of PBA50 bowlers continued their journey through the Central Region as they traveled to Galion, Ohio, to compete in the Sherry Bodkins Memorial Open, and it paid off for some.

The 51 entrants were divided into two squads to shoot eight games apiece and after qualifying, 2022 Cuyahoga Falls Doubles winner Michael Haggitt peered down toward the field. Haggitt averaged 221 for the day, while 16th-place Mike Webb, just crept into the plus, averaging 200.25.

On Sunday, players entered the doors for a 12-game head-to-head slate where for the first time in a while, nobody cruised through the field as no bowler exceeded an 8-3 record. But even then, with just the position round to go, another familiar name, Mitch Beasley, sat atop the leaderboard with a 60-pin advantage. He faced Lennie Boresch Jr. in the last match, while Haggitt still loomed closely behind, also just 60 pins behind the Tennessee native.

The final pair proved to be a tough one for the leaders, as Beasley just squeaked by Boresch, 192-183. Haggitt on the other hand defeated Larry Verble 235-221 to snag 30 bonus pins, but it wasn’t enough as Beasley grabbed 30 extra pins for his win also. In the end, Haggitt finished just 17 pins behind first, unable to capture his second title of the season. After winning in Missouri earlier this year, Beasley did indeed take home his second regional title over the weekend and jumped to third in the Central points standings for his efforts.

PBA50 Sherry Bodkins Memorial Central Open Final Standings

  1. Mitch Beasley, 2,500 Points, $1,500
  2. Michael Haggitt, 1,500, $1,000
  3. Lennie Boresch Jr., 1,150, $850
  4. Bill Watson, 950, $750
  5. Larry Verble, 850, $700

PBA50 Central Region Points Leaders

  1. Parker Bohn III, 5,565
  2. Michael Haggitt, 5,530
  3. Mitch Beasley, 4,615
  4. Lennie Boresch Jr., 4,560
  5. Danny Clark, 4,130

View the complete Central Region standings

PBA SOUTH REGION

PBA50 Century Lanes/PBA Booster Club of Hampton Rds Open
Out in Hampton, Virginia, high scores popped up all around in the South Region event, beginning with 300s shot by Lee Robison and past champion Victor Florie Jr. Plus-140 marked the cut line for the day which both bowlers surpassed, but it was Jay Davis Jr. creating the headline, going +377 for his eight games.

The top 22 bowlers set their alarms for Sunday morning to bowl another four games before cutting to the top eight for single elimination bracket play. Kip Roberts and Walter Ray Williams Jr. made their way from outside the top eight into the next round, while Jay Davis Jr. remained in first.

The first round paid homage to the ongoing Masters with head-to-head three-game series deciding the final four bowlers. In the semifinals, the five-seeded Kip Roberts took out tournament leader Jay Davis Jr. 245-210, while in the other half of the bracket after upsetting Walter Ray in the first round, Chuck Richey Jr. did it again, upsetting Victor Florie Jr. 257-225. In the finals though, Richey Jr. couldn’t complete the trifecta, dropping his match to Kip Roberts, 237-225. Roberts gained his 17th career regional title and second PBA50 regional title, both of which came from the city of Hampton.

PBA50 Century Lanes/PBA Booster Club of Hampton Rds Open Final Standings

  1. Kip Roberts, 2,500 Points, $2,500
  2. Chuck Richey Jr., 1,500, $1,500
  3. Victor Florie Jr., 1,150, $1,000
  4. Jay Davis Jr., 950, $1,000
  5. James Winterfield, 850, $650

PBA50 South Region Points Leaders

  1. Victor Florie Jr., 3,650
  2. Chuck Richey Jr., 3,810
  3. Michael Painter, 2,688
  4. Kip Roberts, 2,500
  5. James Winterfield, 2,255

View the complete South Region standings

Every region has next weekend off, but following the short break, the action ramps right back up. Tons of events transpire over the next couple of months all over the US, including a pair of West Region events in Hawaii. As the PBA Tour finishes up the heart of its season, expect to see some familiar names on the leaderboards in many regions. As always, you can find the entire itinerary right here.