Home / Sports

MUSCATINE, Iowa – It has been nearly three decades since Muscatine has hosted a Professional Bowlers Association regional event.

The tournament couldn’t have asked for a more recognizable champion.

Pete Weber, who has won more than $3.2 million in the sport, made hundreds of television appearances and the winner of eight professional majors, defeated Tom Adcock of Decatur, Ill., in the open division finals on Sunday afternoon, 247-207, at Plamor Lanes.

Even for a bowler who has claimed 43 regional titles, Weber said he was mildly surprised by his victory that paid $2,200.

The St. Ann, Mo., native nearly didn’t qualify for match play (top 16). He rolled consecutive 250s Sunday morning to earn the 14th seed.

“This really isn’t my favorite pattern to bowl on,” Weber admitted. “I usually don’t bowl very well on this pattern.”

A Cheetah oil pattern was used for the tournament. It often requires bowlers to flirt with the gutter in order to strike and leaves little room for error.

Once Weber got into match play, it didn’t seem to faze him.

He beat third-seeded Darin Galbraith 3-0 in the round of 16, knocked off sixth-seeded David Beres in two games in the quarterfinals and defeated Don Breeden 228-213 in the semifinals.

“The last two months I’ve been throwing the ball really well,” said Weber, who has finished in the top 10 in his last six events. “Still, I really wasn’t expecting to win here. I’ll take it, though.”

Adcock, who hasn’t been a PBA member since 1991, made a strong run through match play and earned the runner-up check of $1,200. He knocked off Omaha’s Mark Zemora in the quarterfinals, then used a 259 in the semifinals to get past top-seeded Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind.

“This was an important week for me,” Adcock said. “I feel like I’ve started to turn the corner for a change. I went through a three- or four-year period where I really struggled, was never consistent.

“Things have started turning around in the last six to eight months. Right now, I’m kind of walking on Cloud nine. It’s one thing to cash in a tournament like this, but to get second and lose to Pete, that’s big for me.”

Weber, nicknamed “PDW,” had strikes in six of the first seven frames of the championship bout to all but secure the win.

“I felt like maybe I was just a little too up and my ball speed was just that much more,” Adcock said. “That’s why I didn’t strike enough.”

Larry Richardson, of Letts, was the lone area bowler to make match play.

After averaging a 226.84 in the qualifying rounds, the ninth-seeded Richardson upended Derek Sapp in the round of 16, 3-1, before falling to McCune in the quarterfinals in three games.

Richardson had an opportunity to win the opening game, needing just a mark in the 10th frame. Instead, he was left with a 7-10 split and settled for a 222.

He rebounded to win the second game, 248-238, before an open fourth frame in game three put McCune in control.

“That was a bad shot,” Richardson said. “I should have had him beat in two games if I mark in that 10th frame of game one, but that’s the breaks of bowling.

“It was a good tournament for me and gives me a lot of confidence.”

Harv Pallas, seeded fifth, defeated 14th-seeded Steve Bergan in the senior division final, 225-176, to collect $1,500.

Weber and Adcock believe Muscatine should be an annual stop on the regional tour. After having close to 170 people participate in Saturday night’s Pro-Am, there were approximately 200 spectators watching Sunday’s match play.

“This is one of the classiest regionals I’ve bowled in, in a long, long time,” said Weber, who signed autographs and posed for several pictures with fans afterward. “This is a bigger crowd than I bowled for the whole month we were in Detroit for the World Series of Bowling.

“We bowl in small towns all the time, and it’s better than being in Chicago or St. Louis because more people come out and watch. When you have someone like myself or Steve Jaros, who are exempt players, that adds to the field and entices people to come.

“I’ll be back. I love this. It was a great weekend.”

Open division

Top 16 after match play

(average based on 13 games)

1. Eugene McCune (Munster, Ind.) 246.38; 2. David Traber (Hebron, Ill.) 236.15; 3. Darin Galbraith (Oskaloosa) 235.92; 4. Steve Jaros (Yorkville, Ill.) 233.30; 5. Jeff Richgels (Madison, Wis.) 232.23; 6. David Beres (Waukesha, Wis.) 230.84; 7. Don Breeden (Clive, Iowa) 229.23; 8. Derek Sapp (Keokuk, Iowa) 227.23; 9. Larry Richardson (Letts, Iowa) 226.84; 10. Dallas Baldridge (Lenexa, Kan.) 226.23; 11. Dave D’Entremont (Middleburg Heights, Ohio) 226.15; 12. Tom Adcock (Decatur, Ill.) 224.53; 13. Mark Zamora (Omaha, Neb.) 224.46; 14. Pete Weber (St. Ann, Mo.) 224.07; 15. Jason Queen (Oreana, Ill.) 223.92; 16. Jeremy Hunt (Sikeston, Mo.) 223.07.

Round of 16 (best of five games) — McCune def. Hunt; Richardson def. Sapp; Adcock def. Richgels; Zamora def. Jaros; Beres def. D’Entremont; Weber def. Galbraith; Breeden def. Baldridge; Queen def. Traber.

Quarterfinals (best of three) — McCune def. Richardson 2-1; Adcock def. Zamora

2-0; Weber def. Beres 2-0; Breeden def. Queen 2-1.

Semifinals (single game) — Adcock def. McCune 259-222; Weber def. Breeden 228-213.

Championship (single game) — Weber def. Adcock 247-207.

Senior division

Semifinals — Harv Pallas def. Dale Traber 258-223; Steve Bergan def. Jim Knoblauch 237-194.

Championship — Pallas def. Bergan 225-176.

Pro-Am Winners

Junior girls — Samantha Cook 1453

Junior boys — Kyle Ferris 1526

High school girls — Kylee Howell 1509

High school boys — Cory Wangberg 1567

Adult women — Barb Heuer 1618

Adult men — Fred Bodman 1685