Pro Bowlers Rolling In

If America’s 24th best basketball player dropped into Lihu’e — Detroit’s Jerry Stackhouse or New Jersey’s Stephon Marbury — one might expect throngs of people to show up for autographs and photo opportunities. Same with baseball or football.

Will the same hold true for bowling? Perhaps not, but Lihu’e Bowling Center manager Darryl Izumo anticipates many will fill the center for the Second Annual Rice Shopping Center West Region Open April 22-24. The featured bowler at the event, Izumo said, will be Robert Smith, currently ranked 24th on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Also rolling for a projected first-place prize of $2000 will be PBA Tour member Tony Reyes and defending champion Gene Bruihl.

But Smith will be the bowler to watch.

“He’s probably got the most powerful ball in all of bowling,” said Izumo, who finished fourth in last year’s Rice Shopping Center Open.

Reyes concurred, then spoke even bolder of Smith.

“Robert is fearsome and talented,” said Reyes, who admits to being a rival of the bowler. “He’s got natural ability like nobody you’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of ability given from God.”

Smith is the reining U.S. Open champion, winning the event in just his third year on the PBA Tour. The victory, along with the U.S. Amateur title he won in 1993, bestowed upon him the honor of being the first individual ever to win both events. Since joining the tour in 1998, Smith has placed in the top 24 in 20 events in which he’s entered.

“Robert’s got ties to Hawai’i, too,” Izumo said. “His wife is from here and he’s been bowling in the state for a long time, so it’d be nice to support him.

“Besides, it’s not every day you have pro athletes come to town.”

Even more rare is the chance for amateurs to line up beside the pros. For a $150 entry fee, Izumo said anyone is welcome to join the action, which officially kicks off Monday morning at 9 a.m. The pros will be throwing practice balls Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and a pro-am will follow from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We had a little qualifying tournament a couple of weeks ago,” Izumo said. “And four bowlers from Kaua’i qualified to have us pay their entry fee for this tournament.

“It’s a very unique thing that these guys will get to play right along with the pros. It’s a good chance to see where you stack up against the best in the country.”

Those four qualifying bowlers are Cy Gushikuma, Vance Akiyama, James Saballa and Randy Iloreta. Paid Kaua’i entrants are Rick Darnell and Darren Allos.

Izumo said he has commitments from 40 bowlers, 26 of whom are professionals. Four of those are on the PBA Tour. Signed up now are six amateurs from Kaua’i, two from the Big Island and a handful from Oahu.

“Last year we had 31 total bowlers,” Izumo said. “So, as I’d hoped, the thing is growing.”

Izumo explained that the Rice Shopping Center Open is one of “20-30 events on the West Region Tour.” There are seven regions dividing the country. Above them shines the illustrious PBA Tour, where the top 52 bowlers in the world ply their trade.

“The PBA is to the seven regions as the PGA Tour in golf is to the Buy.com Tour,” Izumo said. “It’s that tier below.”

In addition to his title as the defending champion of the Rice Shopping Center Open, Bruihl is also the reigning Western Region Bowler of the Year.

“Each region operates pretty much independent of the others,” Izumo said. “They’ve each got their own player of the year, their own statistics, things like that.

“The regions do all come together for one big tournament, though.”

Hawai’i hosts two events in the Western Region.

Following Tuesday’s final at Lihu’e Lanes, many of the participating bowlers will head to Oahu for the 23rd Hawai’i West Region Open in Pearl Harbor, being held April 27-29.

Izumo has especially strong ties to the event. He won it in 1984.

“It was the seventh annual,” Izumo said. “And a lot of fun.”