Area PBA standout Williams will roll in St. Petersburg Open
By ERIC MUSKATEVC
Published August 5, 2005
When Walter Ray Williams calls, you don't want to miss it.
Liberty Lanes didn't when the famous bowler was on the line to confirm his Aug. 19-21 appearance in the Miller Lite PBA St. Petersburg Open. "This is huge. He is the biggest figure in bowling," said Gerry Klinich, a partner at the St. Petersburg center. "To explain it by analogy, this is like having Tiger Woods show up for your club championship." The Pro-Am bowling event is scheduled for the opening day, and a 128-player field will compete for a $3,000 prize.
Williams, from Stockton, Calif., now resides in Ocala and is the PBA's all-time money winner. He has captured 40 national titles, including five majors, and won more than $3.5 million since joining the circuit in 1980.
"The field will be filled with many champions," Klinich said. "Some will be regional champions, others will be popular bowlers you've seen on television."
Ocala's Jason Hurd, the recent Wichita (Kan.) Pepsi Open winner, and Steve Wilson, a four-time national champ from Lake Worth, are in the tournament.
Locals who qualified through rounds at Liberty in the past month are Clearwater's Manny Valencia, Brett Frisse and Drew Beirlein of Largo, St. Petersburg's Bill Hicks and Keith Glascow, Lenny Solt from Land O' Lakes, Hudson's Tom Bosquez, Bob Smolka of Pinellas Park, Seminole's Greg Ickes and Nick Gates from Indian Rocks Christian.
STATE CHAMP: Vinny Sadowski topped the under-11 boys division of the Pepsi Youth Bowling Championship in Spring Hill last week.
Sadowski received $562 in scholarship money. DID YOU KNOW? The term "turkey" dates to before the turn of the 20th century.
Scoring was much more difficult in those years, and to get three strikes in a row was quite an achievement.
During the week of Thanksgiving or Christmas, the proprietor would present a live turkey to the first person on each team who produced three consecutive strikes. The term has carried over since.
UPCOMING EVENTS: The next Dunedin Doubles Tournament is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Aug. 21.
The event with a four-game handicap format is open to all sanctioned bowlers. For information, contact the center, 727 736-1282 or www.dunedinlanes.com
National Amateur Bowlers Inc will have its next event Sunday at AMF Clearwater.
Club 570, the area's affiliation, will play host to the tournament that guarantees $250 to the winner. The jackpot is sitting at $455, with a strike jackpot of $156.
Squad times are are scheduled for 11 a.m., with semifinals and finals to follow. The entry fee is $25.
There will be a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at AMF Clearwater for the AMF Junior GOLD Sport League.
The sanctioned league will offer scholarship money and a chance to qualify for 2006 Junior Gold National Championship.
The upcoming league competition is open to bowlers 22 and younger as of August 1. For information, call AMF Clearwater Lanes, 461-2511. HIGH SCORERS: At Dunedin Lanes, John Gesell and Scotty Cormley each rolled 300 games for series scores of 772 and 750, respectively.
Bob Eggert (776), Mitch Davis (758), Paul Cameron (714) and Jim Gilbert (714) led the men in high-series performances. Lisa Beck (679) and Jodi Kroeger (655) headed the women.
Jim Schwegman topped the seniors with 647.
At Countryside Lanes, the men's honors went to Dave Mostoller (755), Jerry Brownstein (768), Ron Vassallo (760), Dennis McIntosh (760), Alex Donbergs (783), Charlie Ross (732), Lou Alessi (717), Jeff Walls (790), Chris Samuels (740), Barry Marvel (690), Mike Zody (775), Ado Torrisi (725) and Craig Gurney (747).
Ross, Marvel and Zody each recorded a perfect game in their series. In women's play, the top bowlers were Tara D'Amico (691), Donna Sadowski (560), Sue Bryant (586), Kim Teft (627), Darlene Krah (636), Ruth Griffin (549), Alice Azzarello (569), Viola Bruno (556), Tammy Hodges (543) and Melissa Meier (620).
