The fourth event of the 2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour takes place at AMF Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, N.Y., with the 2007 Etonic Championship, Nov. 7-11. The event, which started Wednesday with the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round, features a single elimination match play format with the top four bowlers competing for the $25,000 top prize, Sunday, Nov. 11 live at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN.

This week's event also features the second of four PBA Women's Series events following last week's debut in Taylor, Mich. The four-event mini-tour features 16 of the greatest female bowlers in the world who earned their exemptions at the U.S. Women's Open, a United States Bowling Congress (USBC) event. The series, which is sponsored by the USBC, will take place over three of the next four weeks, with the competition running concurrently with Denny's PBA Tour events.

On the men's side, Pete Weber will look to successfully defend the title he won at AMF Thruway Lanes last season when he captured his 33rd career Denny's PBA Tour title, earning the victory over local favorite Doug Kent.

While Weber would go on to win again in 2006-07, so would Kent, who captured two Majors en route to his first career PBA Player of the Year award.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. is finally putting some distance between himself and Earl Anthony.

Williams captured his 43rd career Denny's PBA Tour title and his first since breaking Anthony's all-time record at the start of the 2006-07 season, defeating Eugene McCune, 214-194, to win the 2007 Motor City Classic at Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Mich. Williams also passed Anthony in the record books by winning a title in his 15th consecutive season.

The road to the title wasn't easy for Williams, who trailed in both his matches before both of his opponents left key splits and opened late in the matches. In the semifinals, Williams fell well behind qualifier Jeff Lizzi, who was looking for his first title in almost 15 years, by leaving four 10-pins in the first six frames. But Lizzi's 4-9 split in the eighth opened the door for Williams who struck out in the 10th and watched as Lizzi could not strike with his first ball in the 10th for the win.

Against McCune, Williams again struggled with carry, this time leaving three 10-pins and a 7-pin in the first seven frames. This time, McCune left a 5-7 split and opened, and Williams converted his ninth 10-pin of the day for the win. It was Williams' third win at Taylor Lanes, becoming the first player to win three times in the center.

Last week marked the debut of the PBA Women's Series, a 16-woman mini-tour featuring some of the world's greatest female bowlers. The women will bowl four events in a five-week stretch, with the second event taking place this week in Cheektowaga.

Not surprisingly, the first event was won by one of the greatest female bowlers of all time, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, who knocked off one of the top young females in the sport, Missy Bellinder. Bellinder, who this summer became the first woman to win two PBA Regional Tour titles, led qualifying before winning two matches to advance to the title match where she faced the No. 2 seed Dorin-Ballard, who was dominant in her two match wins.

On Sunday, Dorin-Ballard, who won 20 times on the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour, jumped out to the early lead with four strikes in the first five frames. Bellinder was never able to find her way, allowing Dorin-Ballard to go down in history as the first-ever PBA Women's Series winner.

The 2007 Etonic Championship got underway Wednesday, Nov. 4 with the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round with eight PBA members and the top amateur advancing to Thursday's Round of 64, which features two seven-game qualifying blocks from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. PBA Women's Series qualifying will also take place during that time.

The field will be cut to the top 32 men and top 8 women who will advance to single elimination match play on Friday. The Round of 32 gets underway at 9 a.m. followed by the Round of 16 and the women's Round of 8 at 2 p.m. The men's Round of 8 and women's Round of 4 then follow at 7 p.m. with the top four men and top two women advancing to Sunday's live ESPN-televised finals.

Saturday is a day for the fans as PBA Pro-Ams and Fan Day take place at AMF Thruway Lanes. Pro-Ams take place at Noon, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, the two Denny's PBA Tour semifinal matches will take place starting at 1 p.m. EST live on ESPN. Those two matches will be followed by the title match of the 2007 PBA Women's Series with the winner taking home $10,000. The men's title match will then follow with a one-year Denny's PBA Tour exemption and $25,000 on the line.

Walter Ray Williams Jr.'s combined score of 431 in the championship round last Sunday marked the lowest two-game score for Williams in winning a title since he won the 1994 Showboat Invitational with a 428 two-game series in the semifinal and final.

Williams said Sunday he would have laughed had someone told him before the show that he would shoot 217-214 and win. Turns out it was a laughable idea. It was 13 years ago that Williams defeated Parker Bohn III, 213-194, in the semifinal and Pete Weber, 215-213, in the title match in Las Vegas to win his 14th career title.

Four Denny's PBA Tour exempt bowlers have withdrawn this week – Brad Angelo, Jason Couch, Tim Criss and Patrick Healey Jr. – giving eight spots to PBA members from the Denny's PBA Tour Qualifying Round.

Bowling in the TQRs has proven to be a good training ground for bowlers hoping to work their way onto the Tour full time. Sean Rash and Mike Mineman have taken the shortest routes the last two seasons, each winning titles the same week they qualified through a TQR. On the strength of a record nine weeks where he advanced from the TQR, Dino Castillo (left) earned an exemption for 2007-08 as the high non-exempt bowler in the 2006-07 PBA World Point Rankings.

While their hard work didn't pay off immediately, six bowlers used their experience from the TQRs to earn exemptions via the 2007 Denny's PBA Tour Trials. Chad Kloss, Ronnie Russell and Troy Wollenbecker each spent the entire 2006-07 season chasing the exemption through the TQRs and while they all came up short, their experiences paid off as they finished in the top seven in Tour Trials to each earn their first career exemptions.

Three other Tour Trials qualifiers – Todd Book, Steve Harman and Stevie Weber – also spent considerable time bowling the qualifying rounds.

Last week, Jeff Lizzi became the sixth bowler to go from the TQR to the show and nearly became the third to win a title, falling just short with a 217-215 loss to Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the semifinals.

This summer, the city of Newark, N.Y., honored its hometown hero Doug Kent by establishing August 14 as "Doug Kent Day."

Kent returns to his home area this week for the first time as the reigning PBA Player of the Year with this week's event in nearby Cheektowaga, N.Y.

Last season was the stuff of dreams for Kent, who had the best of his 19 seasons on Tour. The 40-year-old became just the sixth bowler in history to win two Majors in a season, capturing the season's first Major – the 2006 USBC Masters – and winning the 2007 Denny's World Championship late in the season.

In between, Kent also finished second in the 2006 Etonic Championship at AMF Thruway Lanes, where he won the title in 2005. Kent went on to earn a career high $200,530 and to top it all off, he captured the season-ending special event, the "Motel 6 Roll to Riches," giving him the winner-take-all $150,000 top prize.

Kent will look to make a third consecutive championship round at AMF Thruway Lanes this week.

Kent isn't the only bowler returning home this week. Buffalo is a hot bed for bowling as the City of Light has produced four exempt bowlers — Brad Angelo, Tom Baker, Joe Ciccone and Jack Jurek are all natives of Buffalo – while Ryan Shafer makes his home just two hours away in Horseheads, N.Y. Unfortunately, Angelo had to withdraw late this week with a back injury.

On the women's side, Liz Johnson is bowling in her home center as the Cheektowaga, N.Y., native has grown up at AMF Thruway Lanes. While she won't be competing against the men this season, Johnson has had plenty of success in Denny's PBA Tour events in her home center, finishing seventh in last season's Etonic Championship.

Johnson, who made history in 2005 when she became the first woman to advance to the championship Round of a Denny's PBA Tour event, fell to eventual champion Pete Weber in last year's Round of 8.

The rosters are set for the 2007 Regional Players Invitational (RPI) presented by the Sands Regency Hotel Casino, the first of two Majors on the 2007-08 PBA Regional Tour. The event takes place Dec. 4-6 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and will award the winner $10,000 and a spot in the 2008 H&R Block Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

Below is a list of the rosters by region:

PBA CENTRAL REGION
Richie Brown – Marion, Ohio
Kerry Kreft – Hazel Park, Mich.
Eddie Graham – Centerville, Ohio
Ken Abner – Cincinnati, Ohio
Patrick Dombrowski – Parma, Ohio
Brian Waliczek – Birch Run, Mich.
Mike Cimba – Monroeville, Pa.
Emilio Mora Jr. – Defiance, Ohio

PBA EAST REGION
Ray Edwards – Middle Island, N.Y.
Jason Lundquist – Hawley, Pa.
Kevin Cartier – Beverly, N.J.
Scott Santos – Ledyard, Conn.
John Neral – Haskell, N.J.
Chris Monroy – Holden, Mass.
Jeff Ripic – Endicott, N.Y.
Joe Paluszek – Bensalem, Pa.

PBA MIDWEST REGION
Brian Kjergaard – Fulton, Ill.
Jeff Richgels – Madison, Wis.
Dave Traber – Hebron, Ill.
Dale Traber – Cedarburg, Wis.
Dave Beres – Waukesha, Wis.
Tom Hess – Urbandale, Iowa
Mark Johnson – Normal, Ill.
Brad Snell – Mount Prospect, Ill.

PBA NORTHWEST REGION
Don Allen III – Vancouver, Wash.
Scott Archibald – Boise, Idaho
Chester Rogers Jr. – Milwaukie, Ore.
Corey Husted – Clackamas, Ore.
Craig Tuholski – Washougal, Wash.
Hugh Miller – Seattle, Wash.
Bill Machin – Simi Valley, Calif.
Ernie Schlegel – Vancouver, Wash.

PBA SOUTH REGION
John May – Lincolnton, N.C.
Michael Painter – Woodruff, S.C.
Tom Daugherty – Tampa, Fla.
Kip Roberts – Glenallen, Va.
Erik Ramos – Winter Springs, Fla.
Jason Sterner – Roswell, Ga.
Ricky Jewell – Greenville, S.C.
Lee Vanderhoef – Greenville, S.C.

PBA WEST REGION
Paul Smith – Castaic, Calif.
Wayne Webb – Sacramento, Calif.
Dave Arnold – Dublin, Calif.
Jeff Francos – Daly City, Calif.
Dave Wodka – Las Vegas, Nev.
Jon Brandon – Santa Clarita, Calif.
Vince Wood – Moreno Valley, Calif.
Dennis Horan Jr. – Temecula, Calif.

PBA SOUTHWEST REGION
Cory Simmons – Wichita, Kan.
David Anthony – Austin, Tex.
Tyler Jensen – Keller, Tex.
Brett Cooper – Aurora, Colo.
Nathan Bohr – Wichita, Kan.
Casey Powell – Marble Falls, Tex.
Andy Patterson – Tyler, Tex.
Mark Williams – Beaumont, Tex.

Thanks to his win in the 2007 USBC Masters, Sean Rash has the early lead in the 2007-08 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award race. Since Majors carry more weight than standard events, Rash earned 24 points instead of the 16 winners earn in standard events. With two championship round appearances and a victory each, Mika Koivuniemi and Walter Ray Williams Jr. are tied for second.

Players with position, name and points

1. Sean Rash, 24
2. Mika Koivuniemi and Walter Ray Williams Jr., 20 each
4. Steve Jaros, 12
5. Patrick Allen and Mike Wolfe, each.

With his win in the 2007 Motor City Classic, Walter Ray Williams Jr. is back at the top of the new 52-bowler Tournament of Champions roster. The 52 bowlers include the 37 most recent Denny's PBA Tour champions (with priority on the list going to exempt bowlers) and past Tournament of Champions winners up to 52 bowlers total. Since that total does not add up to 52, the list has been filled by PBA Hall of Famers based on most recent Denny's PBA Tour win. Kurt Pilon is now on the bubble, replacing Amleto Monacelli who did not accept his invitation.

Denny's PBA Tour Entrants
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr. - Motor City Classic (11/4/07)
2. Sean Rash - USBC Masters (10/28/07)
3. Mika Koivuniemi - Dydo Japan Cup 2007 (9/23/07)
4. Tommy Jones - PBA Tournament of Champions (4/1/07)
5. Doug Kent - Denny's World Championship (3/25/07)
6. Norm Duke - Pepsi Championship (3/18/07)
7. Pete Weber - 64th U.S. Open (3/4/07)
8. Mike Mineman - Bayer Classic (2/25/07)
9. Patrick Allen - Go RVing Classic (2/18/07)
10. Chris Barnes - GEICO Classic (2/11/07)
11. Jason Couch - Motel 6 Classic (1/28/07)
12. Wes Malott - Discover® Card Windy City Classic (11/26/06)
13. Tony Reyes - Motor City Classic (11/5/06)
14. Ritchie Allen - Motel 6 Phoenix Classic (1/22/06)
15. Brian Himmler - Earl Anthony Medford Classic (1/8/06)
16. Mike Wolfe - Empire State Classic (12/18/05)
17. Mike Scroggins - USBC Masters (11/20/05)
18. Mike Machuga - Greater Omaha Classic (11/13/05)
19. Steve Jaros - Dexter Tournament of Champions (4/10/05)
20. Parker Bohn III - El Paso Classic (1/16/05)
21. Danny Wiseman - USBC Masters (10/31/04)
22. Robert Smith - Odor-Eaters Open (2/15/04)
23. Patrick Healey Jr. - PBA Tournament of Champions (12/14/03)
24. Ryan Shafer - Empire State Open (11/23/03)
25. Mike DeVaney - GEICO Earl Anthony Classic (1/5/03)
26. Eugene McCune - Banquet Classic (11/17/02)
27. Dave D'Entremont - Wichita Open (10/13/02)
38. Tommy Delutz Jr. - Long Island Open (11/18/01)
29. Brian Voss - Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Classic (1/29/06)
30. Jason Hurd - Pepsi Open (11/28/04)
31. Rick Lawrence - BowlersParadise.com Open (11/21/04)
32. Lonnie Waliczek - Odor-Eaters Open (2/26/03)
33. Chris Hayden - VIA Bowling Open (2/16/03)
34. Bryon Smith - USBC Masters (1/19/03)
35. Randy Pedersen - Pepsi Open (11/24/02)
36. Hugh Miller - Dream Bowl 2002 (9/2/02)
37. Kurt Pilon - Peoria Open (9/25/01)

PBA Senior Tour Entrants
38. Tom Baker - USBC Senior Masters & PBA Senior Dick Weber Invitational

PBA Regional Tour Entrants
39. Scott Santos - PBA Regional Players Championship
40. TBA - PBA Regional Players Invitational

PBA Tournament of Champions Winners/PBA Hall of Famers
41. Bryan Goebel - 1998 Tournament of Champions
42. David Ozio - 1991 Tournament of Champions
43. Del Ballard Jr. - 1989 Tournament of Champions
44. Mark Williams - 1988 Tournament of Champions
45. Steve Cook - 1981 Tournament of Champions
46. Wayne Webb - 1980 Tournament of Champions
47. Johnny Petraglia - 1971 Tournament of Champions
48. Dave Husted - National/Senior Doubles (1/15/00)
49. Ernie Schlegel - Bayer/Brunswick Touring Players Championship (11/8/95)
50. Mark Roth - IOF Foresters Open (4/15/95)
51. Gary Dickinson - B.P.A.A. U.S. Open (4/2/83)
52. Dave Soutar - Syracuse Open (11/9/82)

2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Point Leaders
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 49,740
2. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 36,847
3. Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 34,911
4. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 29,190
5. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 28,290
6. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 26,523
7. Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 25,765
8. Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La, 23,514
9. Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 23,050
10. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 21,437

2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Earnings Leaders
1. Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., $104,300
2. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., $57,800
3. Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., $53,200
4. Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., $42,000
5. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., $29,300
6. Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., $27,800
7. Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., $14,300
8. Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, $8,335
9. Stevie Weber, Chalmette, La, $8,200
10. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, $6,700

2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour Average Leaders
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 233.55
2. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 227.43
3. Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 226.82
4. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 225.08
5. Michael Haugen Jr., Cave Creek, Ariz., 224.84
6. Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 224.12
7. Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 223.67
8. Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 223.02
9. Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 222.64
10. Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 222.64
(tie) Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 222.64