June 8, 2023 Chase Kaufman

It’s that time of year again: The time when bowlers flee to Hawaii to vacation and "work.”

This year, Fort Shafter Bowling Center and Leeward Bowl hosted the pair of PBA events, bringing some big names to The Aloha State for what turned out to be two spectacular events. Many touring professionals made the trip to compete with many Hawaiians who represented the state quite well, giving each of the pros a run for their money.

Five other events also transpired over the past couple weeks, offering chances to earn points for this year’s Regional Players Invitational and bring home cash.

PBA Celeste Walker Midwest/Central Open

 

Amleto Monacelli may not have been in the field for the PBA Celeste Walker Midwest/Central Open, but the pattern in his name hit the lanes for the 119 bowlers that participated.

Only a handful of times per year does someone deliver a wire-to-wire win, and Nate Purches will be added to that list this season. After staying on top throughout qualifying and each of the advancers rounds, the young gun earned the No. 1 seed for the stepladder.

Cory Hersha defeated Bailey Mavrick in the first match by a good margin and then did the same to the two-seeded Nathan Michalowski. The victory wasn’t easy for Purches in the finals, winning 202-199 after Hersha left the Big Four on his second shot in the 10th frame when he only needed nine pins.

Check out the thrilling final frames here.

PBA Celeste Walker Midwest/Central Open Final Standings

  1. Nate Purches, 2,500 points, $2,500
  2. Cory Hersha, 1,500, $1,700
  3. Nathan Michalowski, 1,150, $1,400
  4. Bailey Mavrick, 950, $1,200

PBA Celeste Walker Midwest/Central Open Full Results

PBA Colony Park Lanes Challenge

If nothing else, a non-champions event always guarantees one thing: that one player will soon become a champion. At the one-day event in York, Pa., 65 athletes sought their first title and the banner to go with it.

The top 12 players advanced to the single-elimination bracket play after a quick lunch break with William Little as the top seed. He fell to Jason Boyer in his first match, who then lost to Adam Zimmerman in the semifinals. Zimmerman would face Jeremy Domingo in a thrilling final where the New York native, Zimmerman, took the win 259-247 for his first career regional title.  

PBA Colony Park Lanes Challenge Final Standings

  1. Adam Zimmerman, $1,600
  2. Jeremy Domingo, $900
  3. Gary Leonard, $750
  4. Jason Boyer, $750

PBA Colony Park Lanes Challenge Full Results

PBA Bowlero Tampa Open

 

Through eight games at the PBA Bowlero Tampa Open, the familiar face of Tom Daugherty qualified first out of the 119 entrants at +216, while the 16th and final qualifying position wrapped up at +60. In the first advancer round, Daugherty relinquished the lead to Colin Champion, who maintained his lead into the final match against Mark Polaski, a non-member.

Both bowlers started strong, and it looked like it would go the way of Champion until he split in the ninth frame. He threw all three strikes in the 10th to force Polaski to doubles and get nine pins on the fill. Polaski came through, striking out for the 239-237 win.

PBA Bowlero Tampa Open Final Standings

  1. Mark Polaski, $2,500
  2. Colin Champion, 1,500 points, $1,900
  3. Sean Connolly, 1,150, $1,190
  4. Tom Daugherty, 950, $1,190

PBA Bowlero Tampa Open Full Results

PBA Colorado Springs Southwest Open

On a demanding Dick Weber pattern, a 191 average was enough to get you a spot into the first advancer round and a check of at least $450. After two advancer rounds, four players remained: Beau Peterson, who smashed the field and led by almost 200 pins; Noah Gallegos; Kris Koeltzow; and Anthony Coats.

Koeltzow won a tight first match over Coats 203-201, and then had a smooth 50-pin victory over Noah Gallegos 255-205. The dominance of Peterson was no more as Koeltzow continued his surge, winning 200-187.

PBA Colorado Springs Southwest Open Final Standings

  1. Kris Koeltzow, 2,500 points, $2,800
  2. Beau Peterson, 1,500, $1,800
  3. Noah Gallegos, 1,150, $1,400
  4. Anthony Coats, 950, $1,150

PBA Colorado Springs Southwest Open Full Results

PBA Yankee Lanes Open

Eighty-two players looked to earn a feather in their cap at Yankee Lanes in Manchester, N.H., this time on the Viper pattern. Alex Cavagnaro held the lead after qualifying and first advancer round, lost it during the second advancer round, but regained it to claim the No. 1 seed in the stepladder.

Arturo Quintero and Tim Foy Jr. duked it out in the first match, but Quintero got the better of Foy, 235-222. John Furey was next and delivered a huge 279 to Quintero’s 236. But Cavagnaro waited in the wings where his run continued as he took down Furey, 226-170, for his fifth career regional title.

PBA Yankee Lanes Open Final Standings

  1. Alex Cavagnaro, 2,500 points, $2,600
  2. John Furey, 1,500, $1,450
  3. Arturo Quintero, 1,150, $1,200
  4. Tim Foy Jr., 950, $1,000

PBA Yankee Lanes Open Full Results

PBA Hawaii Open

The annual trip to Hawaii arose this past week, which included two PBA Regional Tour events a PBA Jr. Regional event. First, the PBA Hawaii Open transpired at the Fort Shafter Bowling Center, where a handful of touring pros decided to take a vacation and bowl simultaneously.

Ramsey Basurto took the top seed after a 300 in Game 7, but Tommy Jones, Sean Rash, Wesley Low, Cortez Schenck, and DJ Archer also found a spot in the bracket. Lo and behold, DJ Archer and Wesley Low faced off in the final match where Low got the job done for regional title No. 6.

PBA Hawaii Open Full Standings

  1. Wesley Low, Jr. 2,500 points, $2,500
  2. DJ Archer, 1,500, $1,800
  3. Ramsey Basurto, 1,150, $1,200
  4. Chasten Pojas, $1,200

PBA Hawaii Open Full Results

PBA Leeward Open

 

To close the Hawaii slate of tournaments, Leeward Bowl threw out the Billy Hardwick pattern for the 70 competitors, and they fared quite well. It took a 214 average to advance to match play, and to get near the stepladder finals, it took about ten pins per game more. After 15 games, it was a star-studded stepladder for a regional event with Jake Peters, Cortez Schenck, Bryan Hahlen, and Tommy Jones in the running for the title.

Tommy Jones dominated the first match, and just happened to roll a 300 to Hahlen’s 207 on his way to the semifinal. His run ended there as Schenck defeated Jones 258-226. But in the final, the chalk hit as Jake Peters narrowly defeated Schenck 223-21, thanks to a game-clinching spare in the 10th frame for his seventh career regional title.

PBA Leeward Open Final Standings

  1. Jake Peters, 2,500 points, $2,400
  2. Cortez Schenck, 1,500, $1,600
  3. Tommy Jones, 1,150, $1,300
  4. Bryan Hahlen, 950, $1,100

PBA Leeward Open Full Results

View the 2023 PBA Regional Tour points leaderboards here.