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Sports

Generations Tour gains a following

By ERIC MUSKATEVC
Published January 28, 2007

Hitting the competitive side of bowling two weeks ago proved Bill Zuben still has it.

But for the Largo legend, his weekend at the Kegel Training and Tournament Center in Lake Wales for the Generations Pro Bowling Tour also proved to be just the fix he needed. Zuben finished 10th in the money for $900 in the GBT Classic Division, just shy of an appearance in the finals.

The former PBA champion knocked down a solid 2,638 pins in 12 games, good for a 219.83 average. In the same division, Ron Woods from Hudson totaled 2,517 for a 209.75 average for $300 in 17th place and Larry Montgomery of Safety Harbor knocked down 2,485 for a 207.08 average for $300 in 19th. In the Senior Division, locals Bill Hicks of St. Petersburg finished 43rd (2,425/202.08), Ty Hendricks of Wesley Chapel finished 45th (2,399/199.92), and William Frye of Tampa finished 51st (2226/185.5)

After filling the previous two Florida events with 96 bowlers each, the GBT will see a record 120 hit the lanes for the Orlando Open at Boardwalk Bowl. In its inaugural season, the number of bowlers entering GBT events has been climbing. Unable to accommodate everyone who wanted to compete at Kegel and last week's Treasure Coast Open in Stuart, Boardwalk Bowl's 80 lanes allow everyone on the Orlando Open waiting list to get a crack at the $7,500 top prize.

At Treasure Coast, Dale Eagle of Tavares took top prize and is continuing to dominate the senior circuit. Eagle has had a solid season in both PBA and GBT competition, winning a combined total of $56,100. He was named to the USBC All-America team as a senior this past week.

Also making moves in Stuart was Senior Division bowler Keith Glasgow from St. Petersburg who placed 33rd with 2,467 pins for a 205.58 average and Classic Division bowlers Patsy DellaPenna from Palm Harbor (2,528/210.67) and Ron Woods again (2,504/208.67) in 26th and 29th, respectively.

NABI: The organization made its first tour stop of the new season in this area last weekend at Countryside, where Tampa's Gizella Beasley took down Mark Merrill, also of Tampa, 227-158 in the finals. Beasley earned $135 and Merrill, who averaged a 193 for the tournament and also hit the strike-pot, made a combined $145. After the NABI Challenge Roll-Off at Countryside, Tampa's Mark Michel holds the lead with a 230 game.

NABI will be at AMF Davie today for Club 591. Call (863) 667-4779 or visit centralflorida.bowlnabi.com.

PBA: In a tournament dominated by left-handers, it was unsurprising that Jason Couch came out on top last Sunday in the Dick Weber Open at Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley, Calif., to successfully defend a title for the third time in his career. What was surprising was that Couch won the tournament as the top seed, which no bowler had done in a stepladder final since February 2005. Couch snapped a nine-game losing streak by No. 1 seeds in stepladder finals, defeating No. 2 seed and fellow lefty Patrick Allen 258-236 to win his 14th career tour title.

The PBA returns to Las Vegas, for the first time since 2003 for the Motel 6 Classic this weekend. The first tour event held in the area was the 1960 Showboat Invitational won by Tom Hennessey and since then the Las Vegas area has hosted 72 tour events. The live ESPN finals are today at 12:30 p.m.

UPCOMING: A Valentine's edition mixed scotch doubles tournament will be at Dunedin on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. Visit dunedinlanes.com or call (727) 736-1282.

[Last modified January 28, 2007, 08:07:03]