GLENDALE,AZ (April 2, 2002) — The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is returning to Lihue for the 3rd Annual Rice Shopping Center West Region Open April 21st-23rd. Lihue Bowling Center and Manager Darryl Izumo will once again be the host for
GLENDALE,AZ (April 2, 2002) — The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is returning to Lihue for the 3rd Annual Rice Shopping Center West Region Open April 21st-23rd. Lihue Bowling Center and Manager Darryl Izumo will once again be the host for the event.
Robert Smith, one of the most exciting players on the PBA tour will be headlining the field. Smith, 17th on the PBA Point Rankings, has one of the highest, if not the highest rev rate of any player on tour. He has been tracked at throwing the ball 34 mph with as many as 27 revolutions per shot. In 2000 he won his first title, the prestigious US Open. He swept the Hawaii regional events winning at Lihue and Pearl Harbor. He also has two other National tour titles.
Other notable PBA Regional players slated to compete are National touring player Tony Reyes, National champion Alvin Lou, 2000 West Region Bowler of the Year Gene Bruihl, regional champions Bob Laster, Curtis Woods, Rick Francis, Marv Sargent, Bob Markiewicz and Doug Wilcox. There will also be a number of Hawaii bowlers competing including host Darryl Izumo, Scot Mitamura and Chad Pojas.
The professionals have a practice session on Sunday, April 21st 2:00pm-4:00pm. Following the practice session there will be pro-ams at 5:00pm and 7:30pm. Qualifying for the tournament begins Monday, April 22nd with the professionals bowling ten games starting at 9:00 a.m. The top twelve players then return Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. for the matchplay finals. First place is projected to be $2,000 for this tournament.
The PBA West Region is comprised of professional bowlers from Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii. The West Region conducts 22-24 tournaments throughout the region with the majority of the events during the summer and fall when the National tour is on hiatus.
