US Open Revisits Indianapolis' Woodland Bowl

The pressure couldn’t be more intense as the Professional Bowlers Association’s
final major championship of the 2009-10 gets underway in the 67th Lumber
Liquidators U.S. Open at Woodland Bowl Tuesday, heading toward a Sunday
conclusion at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

The three previous majors this season have all produced storybook champions:
laid-off General Motors assembly line worker Tom Smallwood wins the PBA World 
Championship in a rags-to-riches story that has captured America’s heart; Kelly
Kulick breaks a 50-year-old gender barrier, becoming the first woman to not only
win a PBA Tour title, but a major championship in the Tournament of Champions,
and finally, Walter Ray Williams Jr., the most successful player in PBA Tour 
history, becomes the second-oldest player ever to win a major when he conquers
the USBC Masters at age 50.

This week, after a 14-year absence, the Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open will add
another capture to its colorful history in a return to 80-lane Woodland Bowl, a
bowling center that has played a prominent role in the sport’s colorful history
for two decades.

The U.S. Open, considered by many to be the most challenging and most
cherished title to win in all of bowling, is an extreme test of bowling skill,
patience and perseverance. At the end of the line, the reward for the player who
overcomes the demanding U.S. Open lane conditions will be a $60,000 first prize
and a three-year PBA Tour exemption.

PBA fans will recall that last year’s U.S. Open in North Brunswick, NJ, was
the decisive event in the 2008-09 PBA Player of the Year race. While the
attention was focused on a battle between top-qualifier Norm Duke and defending
Player of the Year Chris Barnes in the stepladder final, Mike Scroggins of
Amarillo, TX, upset the apple cart, defeating both players for his second
career major title and handing the Player of the Year crown of Wes Malott.

Whoever wins at Woodland Bowl – which has hosted three previous U.S. Opens –
will add to the tournament’s legacy.

Woodland Bowl’s first U.S. Open was won by Ron Palombi Jr. who defeated
Amleto Monacelli, 269-205, in 1990. Most fans don’t remember Pete Weber was
nearly perfect in defeating Mark Thayer of nearby Lafayette, IN, 289-184, for the
1991 title, but everyone who watched certainly remembers the “eagle” trophy
crashing to the floor after Weber hoisted it over his head. In 1996, the Men’s 
and Women’s U.S. Opens were held side-by-side for the first time ever at
Woodland Bowl. The finals were contested before a crowd of 1,600 at Market 
Square Arena where Dave Husted defeated George Brooks to become the first
male to successfully defend his U.S. Open title and become the event’s first
three-time champion. A rookie on the women’s pro tour – Liz Johnson – won the
1996 Women’s U.S. Open.

The next chapter in U.S. Open history begins with 18 qualifying games for all
players – six games each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The field will then be
cut to the top 25 percent for a nine-game “casher’s round” on Friday. The top 24
after 27 games will then advance to three round-robin match play rounds Friday
night and Saturday.

The top four players will advance to the live ESPN stepladder finals on Sunday
at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

The U.S. Open will also have a major impact on the 2009-10 PBA World Points
Ranking race with only four tournaments to follow. With “bonus points” at stake
because it’s a major, the pressure is on players who are battling for the xx
exemptions for the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.

Scroggins returns as the defending champion. Pete Weber will return to
Indianapolis seeking an unprecedented fifth U.S. Open title. Other past U.S. 
Open champions in the field will be Duke (2008), Tommy Jones (2006), Barnes
(2005), Williams (1998 and 2003), Mika Koivuniemi (2002), and Robert Smith
(2000).