Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Pete Weber (pictured right) will be among the PBA champions who will be on hand when the PBA Tour makes its first visit to the Omaha/Council Bluffs area since 2008 for the PBA Xtra Frame Iowa Midwest Open Oct. 9-11 at Thunderbowl in Council Bluffs.

Several top PBA Midwest Region players, PBA Tour stars and some of the future stars of professional bowling will compete for a PBA Tour title in the 21st stop of the 2015 season.

The Iowa Midwest Open is one of several modified format PBA Tour events that are broadcast live in their entirety on pba.com's online bowling channel Xtra Frame.

Among the PBA champions already entered in addition to Weber, who will be trying for his 38th Tour title are; eight-time PBA Tour winner and 2011-12 Player of the Year Sean Rash (left) of Montgomery, Ill.; 13-time winner and 2004-05 Player of the Year Patrick Allen (right) of Mount Kisco, N.Y.; four-time winner Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix; three-time winners Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind.; Ronnie Russell of Marion, Ind., and Dick Allen of Columbia, S.C.

Also in the field will be recent PBA Rookies of the Year E.J. Tackett of Huntington, Ind., and Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., along with one-time Tour winner Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Future stars include PBA Southwest Region two-hander Anthony Simonsen of Princeton, Texas; 2015 Rookie of the Year contender A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Ill., and amateur standout Matt McNiel of Prior Lake, Minn., who recently became a PBA member.

Among local favorites entered will be Team USA member and Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) rookie Erin McCarthy of Omaha, who finished second in the 2015 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Queens tournament. Also entered is Dave Axon of Bellevue, Neb., a three-time PBA50 regional titlist and a competitor on the PBA50 Tour for players 50 years of age and older.

The Omaha/Council Bluffs area has been a regular host of both PBA regional and tour events. The last PBA Tour event in Omaha was the 2008 Pepsi Viper Championship at Thunder Alley which was won by Brad Angelo of Lockport, N.Y. The last Tour event in Council Bluffs was the GoRving Classic at Thunder Bowl in 2007, won by Patrick Allen of Mount Kisco, N.Y.

Competition for the Iowa Midwest Open begins Saturday, Oct. 10 with eight-game qualifying rounds beginning at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. (Qualifying times subject to change). The top 16 players will advance to the match play rounds on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 9 a.m. After match play the top four players will advance to the stepladder finals.

On Friday, Oct. 9, a practice session will be held from 3-5 p.m. where bowling fans get can get player autographs and photos. Bowling fans have the opportunity to enter a pro-am which gets underway at 7 p.m. on Oct. 9. Admission is free for all sessions. For pro-am entry information visit thunderbowl.com or call (712) 328-2374.

 

 

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PBA Xtra Frame Iowa Midwest Open Schedule

Thunderbowl in Council Bluffs, Iowa (all times Central)

Friday, Oct. 9, 2015
3-5 p.m. - Practice Session
7 p.m. – Pro-am

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015
(Qualifying times subject to change)
9 a.m. - A Squad qualifying (8 games)
3 p.m. - B Squad qualifying (8 games)
Top 16 players advance to match play

Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015
9 a.m. – Match play
Top four players advance to a stepladder finals.