The USBC Masters Tournament….A Truly Major Event By John Jowdy

The United States Bowling Congress Masters will reunite with the USBC Open Championships next season. The two events will be conducted at Cashman Center in Las Vegas with the Masters tentatively scheduled to be held February 8-15, 2009.

Chalk up another coup for Tom Clark, USBC Vice-President of Marketing and Communications who continues to exert all efforts to promote bowling in the right direction.

The Masters is one of the most prestigious bowling tournaments of all time. Moreover, it has taken an even greater significance since becoming one of the "Majors" on the Professional Bowling Association tour.

With the Masters now scheduled for February, the televised finals will no longer be pitted against the National Football League. This schedule time change will certainly gain greater media exposure, plus, consequentially, it will undoubtedly increase the all-important TV ratings.

Dick Evans, the most prolific bowling writer in the country, has often expressed his displeasure regarding the Masters being conducted in a regular bowling center; and rightfully so.

With the exception of the last four or five years, the Masters held all qualifying and finals rounds in an arena setting, alongside the USBC Open Championships. Yet, despite the fact that the televised finals were conducted at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2004 and 2007, qualifying rounds were contested in a privately operated bowling center with limited space for spectators and bowlers alike. It hardly bore resemblance to a "major" event.

The original ABC Masters was conducted in 1951. The Masters complimented the ABC Open Championship Tournament, which, prior to the birth of the PBA, attracted the greatest bowlers in the country. Not too surprising, a great majority of Masters champions have achieved ABC/USBC Hall of Fame status, beginning with the initial champion, Lee Jouglard. Four other Hall of Famers, Dick Hoover, Billy Welu, Billy Golembiewski, and Earl Anthony won it twice. Mike Aulby won it THREE TIMES!

Oddly, a number of less distinguished bowlers carted off a Masters championship but did little else to enhance their careers. For example, since the birth of the PBA, none of the following Masters champions ever notched a PBA title: Lou Scalia, (1967) Jim Chesney (1969), Doug Myers (1979) Neil Burton (1980), Mike Lastowski (1983),Ken Johnson (1992), Jason Queen (1997), Brian Boghosian (1999), Brett Wolfe (2002) and Bryon Smith (2003)

Even more astounding, look WHO they beat!
Jim Chesney beat Barry Asher,
Doug Myers topped Bill Spigner,
Neil Burton knocked off Mark Roth,
Mike Lastowski beat out Pete Weber,
Ken Johnson conquered Dave D'Entremont,
Jason Queen beat Eric Forkel,
Brian Boghosian knocked off Parker Bohn,
Brett Wolfe topped Dennis Horan,
Bryan Smith beat Walter Ray Williams Jr.

With the exception of D'Entremont, Horan, and Forkel, all the above bowlers who lost to the non-PBA titlists are members of either the PBA Hall of Fame, the USBC Hall of Fame, or both Halls of Fame.

The sports world is replete with one-time wonders. Yet, no one can deny or erase the moment of glory of any of the aforementioned non-PBA titlists.

Nor can their names ever be dislodged from the USBC Masters record books.