This is the 2007-2008 season in review for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA).[1]
Season Highlights
- Chris Barnes made the final match in four tournaments, winning two titles en route to PBA Player of the Year honors. This marked the first PBA season that a points system (not a player vote) determined Player of the Year.[2]
- Sean Rash became the second bowler (Hugh Miller was the other) to win titles in his first four televised appearances, as he captured his first major title at the USBC Masters in November.[3]
- Walter Ray Williams, Jr. won two titles early in the season, raising his all-time PBA leading total to 44. This gave Williams a title in 15 straight seasons, tying Earl Anthony's 1970-84 streak. Williams also led the tour in average, setting the second-highest season mark in history at 228.34.[4]
- Norm Duke completed a stunning comeback from an injury-marred first half (which put him in danger of losing his tour exemption) to win the last two majors of the season (PBA World Championship and 65th U.S. Open).[5]
- Rookie Rhino Page set a record by making five televised finals while starting from the Tour Qualifying Round (TQR). He won his first PBA title in the Go RVing Classic -- his fifth trip to the finals.[6]
- Rob Stone took over play-by-play duties from Dave Ryan on ESPN broadcasts of the PBA Tour. 13-time PBA titleist Randy Pedersen continued as the on-air analyst.
Awards and Leaders
Player Of The Year: Chris Barnes
Rookie Of The Year: Rhino Page
High Average Award: Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (228.34)
Money Leader: Norm Duke ($176,855)
2007-08 Tournament Recap
- Majors are noted in boldface.
| Date | Event | City | Oil Pattern | Winner (Title #) | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep. 23 | Dydo Japan Cup | Tokyo | Standard | Mika Koivuniemi (8) | Mike Wolfe | 200-178 |
| Oct. 28 | USBC Masters | Milwaukee | Standard | Sean Rash (4) | Steve Jaros | 269-245 |
| Nov. 4 | Motor City Classic | Taylor, MI | Viper | Walter Ray Williams Jr. (43) | Eugene McCune | 214-194 |
| Nov. 11 | Etonic Championship | Cheektowaga, NY | Scorpion | Mike Wolfe (3) | Walter Ray Williams Jr. | 256-225 |
| Nov. 18 | Lake County Indiana Classic | Merrillville, IN | Chameleon | Michael Haugen Jr. (1) | Wes Malott | 247-239 |
| Nov. 25 | CLR Windy City Classic | Vernon Hills, IL | Shark | Robert Smith (7) | Brad Angelo | 223-205 |
| Dec. 2 | Great Lakes Classic | Wyoming, MI | Cheetah | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (44) | Chris Loschetter | 276-204 |
| Dec. 9 | Lumber Liquidators Championship | Baltimore, MD | Scorpion | Patrick Allen (10) | Wes Malott | 247-217 |
| Dec. 16 | Spartanburg Classic | Spartanburg, SC | Viper | Parker Bohn III (31) | Rhino Page | 267-257 |
| Jan. 6 | ConstructionJobs.com Classic | Reno, NV | Shark | Tommy Jones (11) | Patrick Allen | 254-214 |
| Jan. 13 | Earl Anthony Medford Classic | Medford, OR | Cheetah | Wes Malott (3) | Rhino Page | 255-193 |
| Jan. 20 | Motel 6 Dick Weber Open | Fountain Valley | Standard | Mike Scroggins (4) | Chris Barnes | 226-171 |
| Jan. 27 | Tournament Of Champions | Las Vegas | T of C | Michael Haugen Jr. (2) | Chris Barnes | 215-214 |
| Feb. 10 | Bayer Classic | El Paso, TX | Shark | Chris Barnes (9) | Tommy Jones | 241-158 |
| Feb. 17 | Pepsi Championship | Elkhorn, NE | Scorpion | Mike Scroggins (5) | Walter Ray Williams Jr. | 214-194 |
| Feb. 24 | Denny's World Championship | Indianapolis | World Championship | Norm Duke (28) | Ryan Shafer | 202-165 |
| Mar. 2 | Don Johnson Buckeye St. Classic | Columbus, OH | Viper | Chris Barnes (10) | Ken Simard | 209-197 |
| Mar. 9 | Go RVing Classic | Norwich, CT | Chameleon | Rhino Page (1) | Jack Jurek | 244-220 |
| Mar. 23 | GEICO Classic | West Babylon, NY | Cheetah | Tommy Jones (12) | Pete Weber | 257-191 |
| Mar. 30 | 65th U.S. Open | North Brunswick, NJ | U.S. Open | Norm Duke (29) | Mika Koivuniemi | 224-216 |
Additionally, Danny Wiseman and Michael Fagan won the PBA's Exempt Doubles Classic on a February 3 telecast, defeating Joe Ciccone and Ronnie Russell, 210-208. It was Fagan's first career PBA title, and Wiseman's 12th.
Marking the end of the 2007-08 PBA season on ESPN, the fourth annual Motel 6 Roll To Riches was contested on April 13, 2008 in Orlando. In a unique format, six bowlers (Doug Kent, Sean Rash, Michael Haugen Jr., Norm Duke, Parker Bohn III and Chris Barnes) battled for a $150,000 winner-take-all prize. Parker Bohn III won the final "race to six strikes" against Norm Duke to take home the prize. (Earnings in this event do not count toward PBA career totals.)
|
||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
