The "Mack attack" draws first blood on the PBA tour

Bowling Digest, Spring, 2004 by Lydia Rypcinski

INTERNATIONAL BOWLING STAR Tim Mack had hoped to "slip quietly" (in his words) into his new life as a PBA member. However, nothing the former Penn State fullback does can be described as "quiet," and his PBA debut carried all the drama his global fans have come to expect from him.

Mack had submitted his PBA membership application form to tournament director Kirk von Krueger on the Saturday prior to the start of the Miller High Life Open in suburban Chicago in late October, intending to bowl in that event's pre-tournament qualifying tournament (PTQ) as a pro.

However, the application could not be processed in time for the PTQ, in part because Mack had not met some of the requirements for eligibility, such as cashing in two PBA regional events as a member. The snafu prevented Mack from competing in the PTQ and, it appeared, from competing in the tournament at all, as all the guest spots were also filled.

When he heard what had happened, local pro Brian Chilcutt elected to give his guest spot to Mack and qualify through the PTQ instead. "It's all about what's good for the PBA and this tournament, and I know that Tim will be a great asset." Chilcutt said. (Disproving the adage that no good deed goes unpunished, Chilcutt won his tournament spot back in the PTQ.)

Chilcutt's generosity mooted the question of Mack's PTQ eligibility, and the PBA happily accepted Mack as a full member. And Mack made the most of the opportunity, leading the 160-man field after the first nine games. After placing 19th in qualifying, Mack picked off PBA luminaries Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Amleto Monacelli in his first two matches before falling to fellow international star Mika Koivuniemi of Finland, 4-1, in the Round of 8.

Though now a card-carrying pro bowler, Mack can still enter many top European and Middle East events, such as the Super Series in Scandinavia and the Qatar International, which accept entries from PBA members. "The 20-game PBA schedule gives me a lot of opportunity to continue to bowl internationally, and that's what I'm all about--to bowl as much as I can, in as many places as I can," Mack says. "I'm going to miss bowling in Asia, which doesn't allow PBA members to compete right now, because that's where I had my first success. On the other hand, I'll be able to spend more time at home, settle down a little, and start a family." (Mack and PWBA star Brenda Norman have been "an item" for several years.)

"It's important to Tim to keep his international profile. He loves it, and the international bowling world loves him." von Krueger says. "But I think he realizes that the highest level of competition in the U.S. is now on the PBA tour."