Scroggin's Jumps To Lead at PBA Marathon Open

Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, TX, put himself into
position Saturday at AMF Country Club to not only win the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, but win the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Players of the Year title at the same time.

Scroggins, a 46-year-old left-hander, advanced from sixth place at the end of the sixth round, averaging 244 for seven games on the Dick Weber lane conditioning pattern Saturday to clinch the top rung for Sunday’s stepladder finals with a 53-game total of 12,204 pins.

Scroggins, who trails Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, FL, by eight points in 
the PBA Player of the Year race, averaged 230.26 on the seven different lane 
conditions used in the Marathon Open and took the top spot by 54 pins over 
34-time PBA Tour winner Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO. Weber rolled his second 300 
game of the tournament in the final game Saturday to finish with 12,150 pins.

Chris Barnes of Double Oak, TX, qualified third with a 12,125 total followed 
by Brad Angelo of Lockport, N.Y., with 12,006 pins and defending champion Wes 
Malott of Pflugerville, TX, in fifth position with a 12,005 total. Williams, 
who was trying to add to his PBA-record 47 titles, dropped out of the show in 
the final game Saturday, finishing 33 pins behind Malott.

Scroggins’ march to the top qualifying position began when he was 33rd after two 
rounds and it set the stage for a dramatic finale to the Lumber Liquidators PBA 
Tour’s regular season on Sunday. A win would give him three titles for the 
season and nine for his career, along with 16 Player of the Year points. A loss 
in the title match would give him eight points, resulting in a tie with Williams 
and Bill O’Neill of Southampton, PA. But Williams would win Player of the Year 
because he leads the three in overall competition points for the season. 
Williams, at age 50, would then win the points title for a record seventh time – 
breaking a tie with the late Earl Anthony – and he would become the oldest ever 
to win that award.

The irony of Sunday’s situation is that Scroggins also was the deciding factor 
in last season’s Player of the Year race when he defeated Barnes and Norm 

Duke of Clermont, FL, on his way to winning the U.S. Open – and by doing that, 

he knocked both Barnes and Duke out of the race, handing the title to Malott.

“I can’t believe it comes down to one game for Player of the Year,” Scroggins 
said. “It’s weird how things have come down to that. The last two years I’ve 
been close, but this year I hung in.

“I don’t think anyone thought I’d take the lead today, but I’m pretty much 
always the underdog and I’m fine with that. Actually, I like it. Tomorrow, 
everyone’s going to be cheering for Pete (Weber). He’s a hall of famer. Or 
Barnes or Malott. I’ll probably be the fourth or fifth favorite, but I’m used to 
that. I like to sneak up on people.”

Sunday’s finalists bowled 53 games over seven rounds on seven different lane 
conditions. Scroggins, as top qualifier, has selected Saturday’s Dick Weber lane 
condition for the stepladder finals on ESPN Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR
LUMBER LIQUIDATORS MARATHON OPEN
AMF Country Club Lanes, Baltimore, Friday

ROUND OF 16 (after Dick Weber pattern, 53 total games; top five advance to 
Sunday’s finals on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern)
1, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 12,204.
2, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 12,150.
3, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 12,125.
4, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 12,006.
5, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 12,005.
6, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 11,972, $4,500.
7, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 11,918, $4,000.
8, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 11,889, $3,800.
9, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 11,823, $3,700.
10, (tie) Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., and Brian Waliczek, Birch Run, Mich., 11,742, $3,650.
12, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 11,688, $3,400.
13, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 11,673, $3,300.
14, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 11,609, $3,200.
15, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 11,598, $3,100.
16, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 11,569, $3,000.

300 Games (12) – Brad Angelo, Michael Machuga, Derek Sapp, Ryan Shafer, D.J. 
Archer, Robert Smith, Mitch Beasley, Joe Ciccone, Brian Waliczek, Pete Weber 
(2), Jeff Carter.