Scott Norton (left) of San Francisco overtook Bobby Hall II of Landover, Md., in the final round to win the Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational at the National Bowling Stadium Thursday. Norton averaged 216 over 30 games for a total of 6,482 pins and a 65-pin cushion over Hall, who had led the previous three rounds. As Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational champion, Norton earned a $7,500 prize and a berth in the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas in addition to an exemption to bowl on tour during the 2010-11 season.
Bryon Smith (l.) of Roseburg, Ore., dominated the match play finals Thursday to win the Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational at the National Bowling Stadium. Smith, a former PBA Tour exempt player posted an 11-5 match play record for a 37-game total of 8,290 pins, including match play bonus pins, for a 25-pin victory over Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa. Seven players earned exemptions to bowl on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour during the 2011-12 season.
Two-time PBA regional titlist Jason Wojnar (l.) of Chicago, moved into the lead after three rounds of the Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational Wednesday at the National Bowling Stadium. Wojnar finished the 21-game preliminaries with a 4,704 21-game pinfall (224 average). The 87-player field that features PBA's top regional and senior players
has been cut to the top 16 who will bowl two eight-game round robin
match play rounds on Thursday to determine the final standings. 
Five-time PBA regional titlist Steven Black (l.) of Phoenix, averaged 239.8 to take the first round lead in the 42nd Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational Tuesday at the National Bowling Stadium. Black bowled a 1,679 seven-game pinfall to hold a 37-pin lead over Tyler Jensen (r.) of Fort Worth, Texas, in second with 1,642. The entire 87-player field will bowl two more seven-game qualifying rounds Wednesday to cut to the top 16. 
Among the Professional Bowlers Association's nearly 3,500 regional competitors, winning the Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational ranks high on the wish list. The 42nd annual RPI will feature 84 of the country's top regional players representing PBA's East, South, Central, Southwest, Midwest, West and Northwest Regions who qualified for the event by finishing in the top 25 in points of their respective regions and – for the first time – to PBA Senior players who finished in the top five in points in senior events or who qualified in special senior regional qualifying events.
Regional qualifying has been completed and the top 18 players in six PBA Regional "pods" have been determined for the end-of-season Dick Weber PBA Playoffs which will be held March 9-13, 2011 at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis. The new Dick Weber PBA Playoffs will feature a total of 108 PBA members who have qualified through their respective Regional programs, along with the top 72 players on the 2010-11 PBA Tour competition points list.
Among the Professional Bowlers Association's nearly 3,500 regional competitors, winning the Sands Regency PBA Regional Players Invitational ranks high on the wish list. But winning the 2010 edition at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., Dec. 13-16 means an automatic berth in the "Elite" field for the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions and a shot at a $250,000 prize. The PBA Regional Players Invitational offers a $6,000 first
prize (based on 80 entries). 
PBA Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia (pictured) of Jackson, N.J., defeated David Kneas of Annapolis, Md., 245-189, to win the PBA East Region Howell Lanes Senior Open at Howell Lanes Sunday, and join the legendary Dick Weber as only the second player to win PBA titles in six decades. Petraglia won the first of his 14 PBA Tour titles in Fort Smith, Ark., in 1966 at age 19. With Sunday's title, he also has 12 PBA Regional titles along with seven PBA Senior Tour titles. 
Riga Kalfas (pictured) of Florence, Ky., revived his game just in time to win the PBA Regional Players Championship at Thunderbowl Lanes Monday. Kalfas, a 42-year-old truck driver by day and bowling pro shop operator by night, defeated Chris Collins of Savannah, Ga., 236-216, to complete a near-perfect day and claim the $7,500 first prize along with a guaranteed berth in the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, a record $1 million event with a $250,000 first prize. Coming into the Detroit area event, however, Kalfas was on the brink of giving up the game.
Jonathan Van Hees (l.) of Charlestown, R.I., and Matt White (r.) of Warren, Pa., maintained their one-two positions to lead the field of 32 finalists into the match play finals of the PBA Regional Players Championship. Van Hees averaged 231.12 for 16 qualifying games, topping the field of 172 non-exempt PBA members with a total of 3,698 pins. White finished with a 3,607 total, The field was cut to the top 32 for Monday’s single-elimination match
play finals. 
Winning the 2009 PBA Regional Players Championship at Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Detroit, became a life-changing experience for Joe Ciccone (pictured) of Buffalo, N.Y. Along with the RPC title, Ciccone earned his first trip to the PBA Tournament of Champions, an $8,000 prize and a boost in confidence that helped him also regain his Tour exemption the following week in the PBA Tour Trials. The PBA Regional Players Championship returns to Thunderbowl May 28-31 at Thunderbowl as a stand-alone event.
Two days after graduating from Miami's Gulliver Prep High School, 18-year-old Andrew Koff of Miami defeated David Boyd of Coconut Creek, Fla., 243-199, to win the Professional Bowlers Association South Region's Jupiter Lanes Open Sunday. Koff, competing as an amateur, will receive the $2,500 first prize in the form of scholarship money deposited into his United States Bowling Congress SMART account. He will not receive formal credit for winning a PBA title, nor will he become eligible for the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions, because of his amateur status.
The Professional Bowlers Association has announced the season-ending awards for the 2009-10 PBA Regional Tour season. Each of the seven PBA regions recognized a Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Patterson Award winner. Four regions also recognized a Senior Player of the Year. Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards are voted on by the regional managers and John Weber, Director of the Senior and Regional Tours. The Pat Patterson Awards were selected by the respective regional managers. 