Pro Tour Results

Bowling Digest, Dec, 2000

PBA: Northwest Senior Classic

For Sanford, there's no place like Beaverton

There's something about Beaverton that brings out the best in Al Sanford. After winning the Northwest Senior Classic last year--his first title on the PBA Senior Tour--Sanford earned career win No. 2 with a repeat, edging Norb Wetzel 226-224 in the title match.

"The Northwest seems to be lucky for me," said Sanford, who began the match with five strikes over the first six frames and held a 21-pin lead after just three frames. Wetzel put together back-to-back strikes in frames four and five but could not seem to get on track after leaving lone 7-pins in two other frames.

"I was so pumped up after winning the game before the title match," Wetzel said, "1 think it might have hurt me a little."

Wetzel, who bowled a 279 in the semifinals to defeat John Bennett, had an opportunity to top Sanford's 226 with a double in the 10th frame. But after striking on his first ball, Wetzel left behind the 8-pin on his next shot to come up just short of the victory.

Northwest Senior Classic

June 4-8, 2000 Valley Lanes, Beaverton, Ore,

Name                            Avg./Games             Winnings

1. Al Sanford                     226.0/1              $9,000
2. Norb Wetzel                    251.5/2               4,600
3. John Bennett                   245.0/2               3,400
4. Bob Glass                      233.5/2               2,600
5. Dave Soutar                    219.0/1              2,3000

                            Championship Finals

Match 1                      Glass def. Soutar        232-219
Match 2                     Bennett def. Glass        256-235
Match 3                     Wetzel def. Bennett       279-234

PBA: Wichita Open

Shafer wins a thriller to continue his magical year

Perhaps Ryan Shafer is trying to make up for lost time. Shafer, who earned PBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1987, didn't win his first title until earlier this year in Las Vegas. But after dispatching Bob Learn Jr. 217-205 in the title match at Wichita to earn his second victory of the season, Shafer had positioned himself as an early candidate for the PBA Player of the Year award.

"When I made the telecast at the TPC, I started thinking about Player of the Year," said Shafer, who made his fifth championship round appearance of the season in Wichita. "You don't get too many chances at something like Player of the Year. I certainly don't want to focus on it, but it's in the back of my mind."

Shafer's focus was tested at Northrock Lanes in a title match that came down to the last frame. Learn started with strikes in three of the first four frames and picked up a difficult 4-10 split in the 2nd. Shafer had a rockier start, rolling a strike in the first and third frames, and picking up a spare in the second, but left an open frame in the fourth when he failed to convert a 2-10 split. But Learn threw a strike just once over frames five through nine to let Shafer back in the match. Stepping up in the 9th needing three strikes and nine pins on his "fill ball" to seal it, Shafer struck out for the win.

Wichita Open

June 18-23, 2000 Orleans Hotel, Casino & Bowling Center, Las Vegas

Name                            Avg./Games           Winnings

1. Ryan Shafer                    217.0/1             $15,000
2. Bob Learn Jr.                  226.0/2               8,000
3. Mika Koivuniemi                222.7/3               6,000
4. Jess Stayrook                  196.0/1               5,000
5. Walter Ray Williams Jr         211.0/1               4,500
6. Mike Miller                    177.0/1               4,000
7. Parker Bohn III                227.0/1               3,500
8. Tim Criss                      214.0/1               3,000

(*) By PBA rules, a player can finish no lower
than one spot below his seed.

                            Championship Finals
Match 1                    Koivuniemi def. Bohn       256-227
                           Koivuniemi def. Criss      256-214
Match 2                  Koivuniemi def. Williams     215-211
                          Koivuniemi def, Miller      215-177
Match 3                    Learn def. Koivuniemi      247-197
                            Learn def. Stayrook
Final                        Shafer def. Learn        217-205

PBA: Microsoft Network Open

Duke digs deep, defies the odds

Norm Duke won the Microsoft Network Open for his third PBA victory of the season and third in Tucson, and he did it the hard way. Duke, who entered the championship round in fourth place, had to work for a spot in the title match against Chris Barnes, whom he beat 236-228.

"The eight-man format is tough," Duke said. "I had to beat two guys in each of my first two matches and then take on a guy like Chris. [The night before] I said my chances were slim, but I managed to find a way to win."

Barnes got out of the gate quickly in the championship match, bowling four consecutive strikes before converting a single-pin spare in the 5th frame. Duke alternated strikes and spares over the first five frames before striking in the 6th for a double. That's when Barnes made the mistake that likely cost him the match. His first shot found the channel, a devastating mistake considering it had followed a spare.