PBA Bowling Tour: 1993 Season
This is a recap of the 1993 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 35th season, and consisted of 35 events.
| PBA Bowling Tour: 1993 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 5 – December 5, 1993 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. |
PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams, Jr. dominated the season with seven victories and a 299 game in the first match in the Leisure's Long Island open against Robert Lawrence, while leading nearly every statistical category. He had a good chance to tie Mark Roth's 1978 single-season record of eight titles, having collected an additional four runner-up finishes during the year.[1]
Ron Polombi, Jr. captured his second career major title at the Bud Light PBA National Championship. Del Ballard, Jr. became the PBA's third two-time winner of the modern-day BPAA U.S. Open, joining Marshall Holman and Pete Weber.[2]
George Branham III made history in what would be the final Firestone Tournament of Champions, becoming the first African American to win a PBA major. Prior to the tournament, the PBA announced that General Tire would be taking over sponsorship of the ToC, which had been sponsored by Firestone Tire since 1965.[3]
Mike Aulby rolled the PBA's sixth televised 300 game at the Wichita Open, defeating David Ozio 300–279 in the highest-scoring TV match in PBA history.[4]
Tournament schedule
| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC-Delco Classic | Gable House Bowl | Torrance, California | Jan 5–9 | Ron Williams (3) |
| Phoenix Open | Fair Lanes Squaw Peak | Phoenix, Arizona | Jan 12–16 | Parker Bohn III (9) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 17–23 | Mike Aulby (21) |
| Quaker State Open | Forum Bowling Lanes | Grand Prairie, Texas | Jan 25–30 | Steve Hoskins (1) |
| True Value Open | Landmark Recreation Center | Peoria, Illinois | Feb 2–6 | John Mazza (4) |
| Bud Light Hall of Fame Championship | Tropicana Lanes | Richmond Heights, Missouri | Feb 8–13 | Bob Learn, Jr. (2) |
| Cleveland Open | Yorktown Lanes | Parma Heights, Ohio | Feb 16–20 | Ron Williams (4) |
| Bud Light PBA National Championship | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Feb 21–27 | Ron Polombi, Jr. (6) |
| Flagship City Open | Eastway Lanes | Erie, Pennsylvania | Mar 1–6 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (7) |
| Baltimore Open | Fair Lanes Woodlawn | Baltimore, Maryland | Mar 9–13 | George Branham III (3) |
| Johnny Petraglia Open | Carolier Lanes | North Brunswick, New Jersey | Mar 15–20 | Ricky Ward (1) |
| Leisure's Long Island Open | Sayville Bowl | Sayville, New York | Mar 22–27 | Dave Arnold (1) |
| Tums Classic | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Mar 30 – Apr 3 | Jason Couch (1) |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Roseland Bowl | Canandaigua, New York | Apr 4–10 | Del Ballard, Jr. (12) |
| IOF Foresters Bowling for Miracles Open | Club 300 Bowl | Markham, Ontario | Apr 13–17 | Pete Weber (20) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Fairlawn, Ohio | Apr 20–24 | George Branham III (4) |
| PBA Touring Pro/Senior Doubles | St. Clair Bowl | O'Fallon, Illinois | May 11–15 | Teata Semiz, Rich Abboud (1) |
| Columbia 300 Open | Astro Bowling Center | San Antonio, Texas | May 17–22 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (8) |
| Billy Vuckovich III Memorial Fresno Open | Cedar Lanes | Fresno, California | May 24–29 | Randy Pedersen (9) |
| Seattle Open | Skyway Park Bowl | Seattle, Washington | Jun 7–12 | Steve Fields (1) |
| Northwest Classic | Celebrity Bowl | Kennewick, Washington | Jun 14–19 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (9) |
| Oregon Open | Hollywood Bowl | Portland, Oregon | Jun 22–26 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (10) |
| Active West Open | Active West Town Square Lanes | Riverside, California | Jun 28 – Jul 2 | Brian Voss (13) |
| Tucson PBA Open | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 6–10 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (11) |
| El Paso Open | Bowl El Paso | El Paso, Texas | Jul 13–17 | Bob Benoit (4) |
| Wichita Open | Northrock Lanes | Wichita, Kansas | Jul 27–31 | Mike Aulby (22) |
| Choice Hotels Summer Classic | Boulevard Bowl | Edmond, Oklahoma | Aug 2–7 | Steve Jaros (2) |
| Greater Grand Rapids Open | Spectrum Lanes | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Aug 8–12 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (12) |
| Greater Harrisburg Open | ABC West Lanes | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Aug 14–19 | Brian Davis (1) |
| Paula Carter's Homestead Classic | Paula Carter's Pro Bowl | Homestead, Florida | Aug 21–26 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (13) |
| Oronamin C Japan Cup | Tokyo Port Bowl | Tokyo, Japan | Oct 7–10 | Pete Weber (21) |
| Rochester Open | Marcel's Olympic Bowl | Rochester, New York | Oct 16–20 | Roger Bowker (4) |
| Greater Detroit Open | Taylor Lanes | Taylor, Michigan | Oct 23–27 | Norm Duke (4) |
| Touring Players Championship | Woodland Bowl | Indianapolis, Indiana | Oct 30 – Nov 3 | Jason Couch (2) |
| Brunswick Memorial World Open | Brunswick Deer Park Lanes | Lake Zurich, Illinois | Nov 4–10 | Dave Husted (8) |
| Merit Mixed Doubles Championship | Hilton Lanes | Reno, Nevada | Dec 2–5 | Parker Bohn III (10), Aleta Sill |
References
- "1993 Greater Detroit Open". PBA.
- "1993 BPAA U.S. Open". PBA.
- "1993 Tournament of Champions". PBA.
- "1993 Wichita Open". PBA.