March 28, 2023 Chase Kaufman

In the busiest fortnight of the year so far for the PBA Regional Tour, seven events took place across the country right in the middle of the PBA National Tour season. It seems to be the case every week, a competitor won their first regional title and a legend creeped up the all-time wins list. 

PBA50 Lafayette Lanes Fayetteville Open

 

At Lafayette Lanes, 102 senior bowlers hit the lanes on the Dick Weber pattern, where familiar face Walter Ray Williams Jr. claimed the top spot. Williams went +315 for eight games, over 100 pins higher than the next competitor. He held the one-seed after the advancer round to earn a double-bye, but fell in the semifinals to Victor Florie, Jr.

Chris Johnson claimed the other spot in the finals after defeating Peter Dohan, Jr. 2-1 in the best-of-three match. After splitting the first pair in the final, Johnson pulled out the deciding Game 3, 187-164, for the win for his first PBA50 title and third overall. 

PBA50 Lafayette Lanes Fayetteville Open Final Standings

  1. Chris Johnson, 2,500 points, $2,000
  2. Victor Florie, Jr., 1,500, $1,100
  3. Walter Ray Williams Jr., 1,150, $925
  4. Peter Dohan Jr., 950, $925

PBA50 Lafayette Lanes Fayetteville Open Full Results

PBA50 Bowlmor Lanes II Midwest Open

 

At another senior event, this time in the Midwest region, the 4.4:1 ratio Mark Roth oil pattern proved no match for these guys. Thirteen bowlers averaged 221 or better, enough to make it into the advancer round but not into match play. Although holding a record of 3-4, Kevin Rothove maintained a 240 average and a 62-pin lead going into the position round. Rothove’s 219 was enough to hold onto the lead, earning the win and $2,000.

  1. Kevin Rothove, $2,400
  2. Jerry Gentry Jr., $1,400
  3. Mitch Beasley, 1,150 points, $1,100
  4. Bill Nichols, 950, $950

PBA50 Bowlmor Lanes II Midwest Open Full Results

PBA Greater Buffalo Open

Following the Tournament of Champions, a handful of participants traveled east to Buffalo for the Greater Buffalo Open at AMF Airport Lanes. Even with the number of PBA Tour participants, Dean Vargo of Willowick, Ohio, still led qualifying at +276 for eight games. In match play, Canadian Bill Rowe rose to the top, going 10-5 with a game remaining. Rowe had a 53-pin lead to spare, but shot a 269 anyways to seal the win. 

PBA Greater Buffalo Open Final Results

  1. Bill Rowe, 2,500 points, $3,000
  2. Ryan Ciminelli, 1,500, $1,600
  3. John Furey, 1,150, $1,100
  4. Arturo Quintero, 950, $1,000

PBA Greater Buffalo Open Full Results

PBA50 Timber Lanes Open Presented by Arnicare

Dave Merrill and Troy Lint smoked the field at Timber Lanes in Oxford, Pa., being the only two to shoot above +200. After the first advancer round, those two remained on top, but now Lint sat in first. One advancer round later, Merrill stole the top spot back heading into the stepladder finals. Lint, Ryan Shafer and Darryl Bower snagged the spots.

Shafer defeated Bower in the first match, 206-176, but Lint knocked off Shafer in the second match, 236-216. The final battle between Merrill and Lint, who flip-flopped throughout the tournament, was won by Lint in a close one, 255-248.

PBA50 Timber Lanes Open presented by Arnicare Final Standings

  1. Troy Lint, 2.500 points, $1,700
  2. Dave Merrill, 1,500, $1,250
  3. Ryan Shafer, 1,150, $1,100
  4. Darryl Bower, 950, $1,000

PBA50 Timber Lanes Open presented by Arnicare Full Results

PBA50 Liberty Lanes Midwest/Central Open

 

In a dual-region PBA50 event held at Liberty Lanes in Illinois, 50 bowlers coincidentally bowled in the one-day tournament. Anything above +180 was good enough to advance past qualifying as eight bowlers moved into match play. After eight more head-to-head games, Lyle Kuhlmann earned the No. 1 seed, followed by Chris Barnes, Mitch Beasley and Lennie Boresch Jr.

Boresch won the first match, 243-226, then defeated Barnes, 257-233, and wrapped it up with a win against Kuhlmann. Boresch picked up title No. 34, his first since being inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame. 

PBA50 Liberty Lanes Midwest/Central Open Final Standings

  1. Lennie Boresch Jr., 950 points, $2,000
  2. Lyle Kuhlmann, 2,500, $1,200
  3. Chris Barnes, 1,500, $900
  4. Mitch Beasley,1,150, $800

PBA50 Liberty Lanes Midwest/Central Open Full Results

PBA Bowlers Academy Open

 

The West Region held the PBA and PBA50 Bowlers Academy Classic in Clovis, Calif., and a combined 150 bowlers tested their luck at Bowlero Clovis. Twenty four players moved into the advancer round before bowling another five games to determine the eight bracket play competitors.

Merwin Tan of the Philippines led after 13 games, averaging 226, to claim the top seed. From there, Tan continued his dominance, dispatching Nickolas Freiberg, Brandon Kring, then PJ Haggerty in the finals 216-203. Tan threw six strikes in the final eight frames to clinch the win in his first-ever PBA event. 

PBA Bowlers Academy Open Final Standings

  1. Merwin Tan, $2,500
  2. PJ Haggerty, 1,500 points, $1,600
  3. Brandon Kring, $1,150
  4. Dupree Dickey, $1,150

PBA Bowlers Academy Open Full Results

PBA50 Bowlers Academy Classic

In the PBA50 division, -7 was the cut line to reach for an extra five games, but after those five games, the cut for the top eight increased to +109. The Ron Mohr vs. John Burkett match headlined the start of bracket play, but Mohr handed Burkett two straight losses, 208-184 and 212-147. Mohr swept Bob Newman in the second match, 2-0, and then defeated Noel Vazquez in the finals, 190-170. That makes senior regional title No. 26 for Mohr and moves him to within one of the all-time lead (Walter Ray Williams Jr., 27). 

PBA50 Bowlers Academy Classic Final Standings

  1. Ron Mohr, 2,500 points, $2,400
  2. Noel Vazquez, 1,500, $1,600
  3. Rick Meneley, 1,150, $1,150
  4. Bob Newman, 950, $1,150

PBA50 Bowlers Academy Classic Full Results