The U.S. Open again is proving a leveler of bowling talent. Matchplay started Thursday at AMF Milford Lanes in Milford, Conn. Thefinals from Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., will betelevised live at 1 p.m. today on ESPN.
The men's and women's champion each earns $35,000. It is thelargest prize for women. The champions also are invited to roll thetarget scores for Beat The Champions, the charity bowling event co-sponsored by the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicagoland BowlingProprietors Association.
The cutdown to 45 Wednesday night resulted in some names ofinterest failing to advance. Aleta Sill, last year's women'schampion, took 89th and was gone. She still is seeking to becomethe first woman to earn $1 million in career earnings. Jan Schmidt,the long-time PWBA pro from Rochelle, finished 75th. Lisa Vint,publisher of Windy City Bowling News, was 76th.
After Thursday morning, there were cutdowns to 24 men and 24women. Kris Hall of Rockford took 32nd and won $1,620. Kassy Hyman,the older of the bowling Hyman sisters from Dyer, Ind., was 36th towin $1,575.
That left two area bowlers in the final 24 men and women. The topqualifier from match play receives the top seed in today's final.The next top 14 men and women go into a best-of-five elimination withthe top two men and women reaching the finals.
Bolingbrook's Steve Jaros continued his hot bowling since hisreturn to the PBA tour after the birth of his twins in May. Thearea's top pro was 18th after the first round of match play.Michelle Mullen of Chicago was 11th.
Cheryl Daniels, a former U.S. Open winner, made the cut to 24 andwas 19th after the first round of match play.
Dick Weber's son Pete made the cut to the final 24 and was in 10thplace after the first round of match play. Pete is seeking his thirdU.S. Open title. The Webers are the only father and son to wintitles in the U.S. Open and its predecessor, the America All-StarTournament.
THE PETE BEAT: Tom Johns of Hudson, Ohio, rolled a 300 game in theLumberjack Challenge portion of the 89th AMF Petersen Classic at AMFHoffman Lanes in Hoffman Estates to take over the lead.
The high game in the Classic remains a 279 by James P. Vaughn ofEvansville, Ind. Tom Hess of Des Moines, Iowa, came within five pins(1,595) of becoming the second bowler to top 1,600 this year. Hesstook over second. William Earl Harvill of Downstate Bradford holdsthe lead with a 1,622.
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