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© St. Petersburg Times, published August 8, 2002
The PWBA honored some past greats and staged its Regional Players Championship, legends pro-am and banquet that ended Tuesday at Gold Coast Hotel bowling center in Las Vegas.
It was the PWBA's fourth RPC event, and for the first time it featured two divisions, ages 49 and under and 50 and over. The banquet and pro-am also were firsts.
The RPC showcased the best PWBA regional champions from around the country and the pro-am featured many members of the WIBC and PWBA halls of fame. Among them were Betty Morris, Susie Reichley, Jeanette Robinson and Lorrie Nichols and, from the Ladies Professional Bowlers Association, Lisa Wagner, Millie Ignizio, Shirley Hintz, Loa Boxberger and LaVerne Carter. Wagner is from Bradenton and Hintz from Cocoa.
Marianne DiRupo won her seventh career title by defeating Leanne Barrette 180-158 in the PWBA's Miller High Life National Players Championship July 25 at Collierville, Tenn.
"It's been four years since I've won, so this is a wonderful feeling," said DiRupo, who earned $13,000.
DiRupo defeated Tammy Turner and Kelly Kulick 266-190-152 in the shootout, then stopped Michelle Feldman 243-191 in the semifinals. Barrette collected $7,000, Feldman $4,600, Kulick $4,200 and Turner $3,700.
Feldman came back Aug. 1 to claim her 10th career title and $10,000 by defeating Kim Terrell 255-180 at the Louisville Open.
Feldman was the top seed with a 15-9-0 match-play record and was facing Terrell in the TV final for the third time.
Terrell won the shootout 255-203-157 over Wendy Macpherson and DiRupo. In the semifinals, Terrell outlasted PWBA player of the year Carolyn Dorin-Ballard 236-226. Terrell earned $5,500, Dorin-Ballard $3,800, Macpherson $3,000 and DiRupo $2,500.
Barrette leads the PWBA with more than $40,000 earned this season. Terrell is second at $39,907 and Kim Adler third at $39,010. Sebring's Kendra Gains is sixth with more than $32,000.
The tour is at Pittsburgh Sept. 15-19 for the Three Rivers Open. The final will be taped and aired on ESPN2 from 10-11 p.m. Sept. 30. A special airing of the PWBA Championships is scheduled for 10-11 p.m. Sept. 16.
A PWBA regional event is slated for Aug. 16-18 at Boynton Beach Bowl, a mixed doubles event at Jacksonville in October and another regional Nov. 15-17 at Galaxy Lanes in Fort Myers.
NEW PBA STOPS: Six new centers, including one in Orlando, will host the 2002-03 PBA season starting Oct. 9 at Wichita, Kan. The 20-city tour will cover 17 states.
The Greater Kansas City Open will be held Oct. 16-20 at Lunar Bowl; Winchester Bowl will host the Memphis Open; and the Miller High Life Open will debut at Hawthorn Lanes in Vernon Hills, Ill. The tour stops at Philadelphia for the first time since 1962 Nov. 20-24 at Sproul Lanes.
The Earl Anthony Classic Jan. 1 at Tacoma, Wash., will see qualifying rounds at Pacific Lanes, with the arena final at the Emerald Queen Casino. Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando hosts the city's first PBA tournament: the Orlando Open Feb. 12-16. The longest running host cities are Toledo, Ohio (21 consecutive years) and Las Vegas (42 years).
SENIOR RACE: With only two events remaining on the PBA Senior Tour, the race for player of the year is anybody's guess as there are no double champions.
Bob Glass, two-time reigning player of the year, has finished second three times and fifth once and still is looking for his first title this season.
Bob Chamberlain has won one title and finished in the top five in two events. Steve Neff of Homosassa Springs, Gene Stus and Ron Winger have one win and have finished in the top five one other time each.
The tour is at Hammond, Ind., Aug. 18-21 for the Lake County Open and ends the season Aug. 24-28 at the Jackson (Mich.) Open.
-- Phil Gulick can be reached at xerxes8@msn.com.