AboutIf you’re a female USBC member who has honed your bowling skills, you’ve got to consider entering the U.S. Women’s Open, one of the most prestigious bowling events for women in the United States.Many top amateur and former professional stars in women’s bowling will compete in the event. Last year several foreign bowlers competed, including Malaysia’s Shalin Zulkifli, who finished tied for third.The 2009 U.S. Women’s Open will take place Aug. 3-9 at Sunset Station Hotel and Casino’s Strike Zone Bowling Center. The tournament is open to any female USBC members. The entry fee is $300 prior to July 10 and $350 after July 10. You’ll compete for a total prize fund of $150,000 U.S. dollars. If you win, you’ll take home $25,000!The Tournament will be on Television –
Television Dates:
Five consecutive Sundays
Coverage begins Sept. 14 on ESPN
Read More- Contact UsTournament Information
Toll Free : (800) 514-2695 ext 3173
uswomensopen@bowl.comMedia Contact
Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications
(414) 423-3466
lucas.wiseman@bowl.comBowling Center
Strike Zone at Sunset Station
1301 W Sunset Rd
Henderson, NV 89014
(702) 547-7777USBC Travel
Toll Free - (800) 269-5885
Fax - (414) 421-9188
USBCtravel@bowl.comRead More
- TV ResultsSHOW 1
(5) Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia def. (12) Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 255-206 (4) Tammy Boomershine of North Ogden, Utah, def. Zulkifli, 216-202SHOW 2
(6) Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix def. (11) Kim Terrell-Kearney, Grand Prairie, Texas, 269-172 Pluhowsky def. (3) Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., 236-142SHOW 3
(7) Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, def. (10) Clara Guerrero, Pflugerville, Texas, 218-164 (2) Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, def. Barnes, 258-225SHOW 4
(9) Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., def. (8) Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 212-202 Bellinder def. (1) Shannon O’Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 279-213
SHOW 5SEMIFINALS
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, def. Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix, 268-232 Tammy Boomershine, North Ogden, Utah, def. Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., 269-206FINALS
Boomershine def. Dorin-Ballard, 269-225Read More - Top StoriesU.S. Women’s Open Profiles: Brenda Edwards
8/3/2009By Gianmarc ManzioneThe last time Brenda Edwards saw her father’s hands, they were no longer the rough hands that gripped a drill press in the basement as her mother brought down pitchers of lemonade, the hands that worked a garden hoe as skillfully as they operated a ball spinner, the hands in which she, an 11-year-old girl who already knew so much about ball work that she could have turned a profit as a pro shop assistant, found the safest place she knew.“I looked at his hands, the hands of a man who worked his entire life,” the former Team USA member recalls of her father’s losing battle against pulmonary fibrosis. “He gardened, he bowled, he did pro shop work, and growing up I remember his hands being so strong and rough. They were safe, they were strong and safe. But now his hands were so frail. He had long, skinny fingers now and the skin on them was so smooth. And I was just thinking about how they had changed from the hands of this man who protected me his whole life to being kind of child-like.”By now many people know the Brenda Edwards who shot 300 in the Singles event of the 2009 USBC Open after posting the highest doubles score in the tournament’s 108-year history with boyfriend and USBC Silver coach Stephen Padilla. They know the Brenda Edwards who made the USBC Queens telecast just eight weeks before those glowing scores in Vegas. Maybe they remember the Brenda Edwards who joined Team USA in 2007—the team for which her sister, Jeri Edwards, serves as Head Coach.But what many may not know is that the origin of these triumphs is found in a loss far more brutal than any she could have experienced on the lanes—the loss of a father who, as Edwards freely admits, was her only reason for bowling.“When I bowled on tour it wasn’t because I wanted to, it was because my Dad wanted me to,” Edwards explains of her decision to join the PWBA Tour after winning two national championships with the University of Nebraska. “But looking back on it now, I have come to realize that my Dad and Mom wanted us just to be happy in any pursuit we followed, but as a kid you get it into your brain that this is what is expected of you, and it’s hard to see past that—especially in my family where my brother designs bowling balls for Brunswick, my sister coaches Team USA, and my other sister was Rookie of the Year on the PWBA Tour.”While her father may indeed have been just as happy to see her pursue something other than the family passion as long as it fulfilled her, there is one phone call that Brenda Edwards would not be able to count among her most cherished memories now had she done so—the moment when, having recently returned to the sport after a two-year hiatus in which she “did not bowl at all—not even league—nothing,” Brenda phoned her father to tell that him she had made Team USA.“It was the first time I ever heard him cry,” Edwards recalls of a man whose tough exterior she inherited so thoroughly as to prompt revered bowling psychologist Dr. Dean Hinitz to commonly refer to her as “the warrior.” “He had always been that first call I made after winning a tournament. He was too sick to watch Team Trials in 2007, so when I called him and told him I made the team, he just let out this noise and started crying. I called him the night before I left for camp, and anybody that would have seen me would have thought that I just lost my best friend—I was sobbing, it was so hard for me to tell him how much he meant to me.”Even with an exterior as tough as a “warrior’s,” Brenda Edwards learned in 2008 that life has a way of finding cracks in the most hardened armor. Her father no longer a phone call away to receive reports of his daughter’s latest triumph on the lanes, Edwards struggled to value the sport in which she only participated because, in the Edwards family, bowling is just what you do. After a disappointing Team USA Trials performance last year, Edwards thought she was done with competitive bowling for good—until she sat across a table from boyfriend Stephen Padilla one day and discovered that all she needed to do to get on with the rest of her life was one simple thing—listen.“I just asked her what her Dad would want her to do,” Padilla recalls of the conversation that encouraged Edwards to bowl the 2009 USBC Queens, where she would finish fifth. “She realized he would want her to bowl rather than dwell on him being gone.”There is a lot that Brenda Edwards has come to realize since that day she saw her father’s hands for the last time and was stunned to find a man too frail to resemble that gruff protector who showed her how to sand a bowling ball in the basement—and not all of it has to do with bowling. When Brenda Edwards saw her father’s wiry hands that day, she also saw that nothing—not even the next moment—is guaranteed in life. She saw that each day she gets to spend with the people she loves is a gift, not a given. She saw that however tough her father’s love may have been, it was teaching her something she only could have understood when the time came to learn it on her own.“He was not great with kids,” Brenda recalls of that more virile man she knew. “He started me bowling when I was five, and he never let me throw the ball between my legs. I had to walk up and throw the ball and I could not knock down any pins, and I would cry and not want to do it anymore. And he would say ‘Can you count to four? Then you can do this!’ Oh, that yellow 7-pound ball! I was seven before I shot my first 100 game.”If her father meant to banish the word “can’t” from her vocabulary when she was that 5-year-old girl trying to maneuver a 7-pound ball with one arm, it was a lesson he taught her again in leaving this world—that there is nothing she cannot not do, even if that “something” is putting the pieces of her life back together when he was no longer around to help her summon the courage to believe in herself.After finishing fifth at the USBC Queens in April and posting all-time record scores at the USBC Open just eight weeks later, no one, least of all Brenda, will have any trouble believing in her as she takes the lanes at the Women’s U.S. Open this week. But for a tough-nosed kid who grew to earn the reputation of a “warrior” for her competitive tenacity on the lanes, it is possible that in death, Brenda’s father instilled in her a courage she might not have known she had—the courage to cry.“He was the one who made it OK for me to cry,” Edwards says of boyfriend Stephen Padilla. “Even in the year since my Dad’s passing I have had my moments when I break down and I will lose it, and Stephen is never judgmental with that. He is always very supportive even when I don’t want to talk about it. I can put my head on his shoulder and I feel safe again.”Read More - BowlTVOnce you visit BowlTV for the first time you will quickly find that it becomes a part of your daily routine. There you will find advice on how to play the Cheetah or the Scorpion from the pros who won Lumber Liquidator’s PBA Tour tournaments on those very patterns such as Chris Barnes, Rhino Page or Wes Malott, classic videos of legends such as Marion Ladewig, Dick Weber and Barry Asher in their prime, highlights of Team USA competition from around the world, and much, much more.
ChameleonOnce you visit BowlTV for the first time you will quickly find that it becomes a part of your daily routine. There you will find advice on how to play the Cheetah or the Scorpion from the pros who won Lumber Liquidator’s PBA Tour tournaments on those very patterns such as Chris Barnes, Rhino Page or Wes Malott, classic videos of legends such as Marion Ladewig, Dick Weber and Barry Asher in their prime, highlights of Team USA competition from around the world, and much, much more.
CheetahLength: 35 feet The cheetah may look harmless, but this speedster has a dangerous side. So does this pattern; with risk-reward decision making near the gutter and a normally high scoring pace, there's no room for error.The Cheetah "sprints" back to its roots as the highest scoring of the five named patterns. Originally designed for use on worn lane surfaces, the Cheetah produced the most memorable moments on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour because of its propensity for rewarding players who "live on the edge". The new design once again places a premium on the ball traveling towards the gutter in order to maximize the best possible angle to carry all ten pins. The scoring pace on Cheetah is normally high with the champion being required to know that success means striking and not just hitting the pocket.
ScorpionLength: 41 feet A scorpion is dangerous and unpredictable, like this pattern. If you can't find the right angle on the lanes in a short amount of time, you'll be stung!The Scorpion returns to being one of the more challenging of the five named patterns. While Scorpion is not the longest pattern, because of the large volume of oil on the lane it will for sure play as the "slickest". The pattern shape is very "smooth" and allows for a multiple-angles approach to attacking it based on rev rate, lane surface, ball surface, and ball speed. Since the volume of oil is so large, bowlers will normally see a large difference in how the pattern plays from lane to lane across the house. The pattern is medium scoring based on its ability to confuse bowlers during early portions of the game or series as they move throughout the tournament. In order to avoid being stung, it is imperative that the bowler make quality shots early
in the game in case the Scorpion decides to "mutate".
SharkLength: 43 feet This pattern forces bowlers to play deep inside the center of the lanes, like sharks that troll the depths of the ocean.The Shark demonstrates the largest change from any of the patterns from last year. Returning to the Shark this season is the key characteristic of the "deep inside line" providing a decisive strategic advantage. The "out of bounds" on the outside portion of the lane has been increased, making errant shots wide of the target in danger of once again falling into the "moat". With less oil being placed in the middle of lane on this season’s Shark, bowlers will see their ball roll earlier on the lane compared to years past. Bowlers who play the wrong angle on the Shark will feel as if the pattern is a "reverse block". The scoring pace for this pattern will be medium with the champion having the ability to get the corner pins out while playing a tough angle.
ViperLength: 41 feet A viper strikes with multiple angles of attack. This pattern will challenge players to attack the pins from multiple angles in order to score well.The Viper has also been changed to allow for more ball roll in the middle part of the lane. While the Viper is a multiple angles pattern and normally yields medium to high scores, bowlers this season will need to place a premium on the ball traveling straight through the front part of the lane when the lanes are "fresh". Once Viper breaks down, multiple angles are available for attack. Even with the changes, Viper still remains the most versatile of the five named patterns and can be used on any lane surface. The champion on Viper will be the bowler who can outsmart their opponent playing multiple lines.- ScheduleTournament action begins with practice sessions on Monday, August 3rd. The first three days qualifying for the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open runs from Tuesday, August 4th through Thursday, August 6th and will take place on three different patterns—the Shark on Monday, the Chameleon on Tuesday, and the Cheetah on Wednesday. If you make the cut, you move on to another round of qualifying and, if you survive, the finals on August 8th and 9th. See the official schedule for further details.View Schedule
- RulesJust as tournaments vary in prize funds, formats, entries and venues, the rules applicable to each tournament may also vary from one event to the next. For a better understanding of rules for a particular tournament, visit the site for that specific event.View Rules
- FAQ'sFAQ about PBA Women’s Series
The PBA Women’s Series, presented by the United States Bowling Congress, will return in 2009-10 for the third consecutive season. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions. All information is subject to change.1. What are the specific dates for the events?
The first five Women’s Series events will take place at the PBA World Series of Bowling at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich. (near Detroit). Here’s a more specific breakdown:- Viper Championship TQR: Aug. 13, 9 a.m.
- Chameleon Championship TQR: Aug. 13, 1 p.m.
- Viper Championship: Aug. 14-16
- Chameleon Championship: Aug. 18-20.
- Scorpion Championship TQR: Aug. 22, 9 a.m.
- Shark Championship TQR: Aug. 22, 3 p.m.
- Scorpion Championship: Aug. 23-25
- Shark Championship: Aug. 27-29
- PBA Women’s World Championship: Aug. 30-Sept. 4
- Television taping of all events finals: Sept 5-7 (ESPN Week)
The last week of the World Series is ESPN Week, when all of the television shows that will air during the first half of the 2009-2010 PBA Tour season will be taped. The week will feature many different on-site promotions tied to the production of these shows. Many efficiencies and savings in production costs will result from taping the shows at the end in the same week.3. When will the schedule for the second half of the season be announced?
The full schedule will be released shortly and posted on PBA.com. The remaining PBA Women’s Series events will take place near the beginning of the second half of the season, with the Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship taking place in Medford, Ore., and the last women’s series event taking place at the Earl Anthony Memorial in Dublin, Calif.4. What is the format for each event?
The four PBA World Series of Bowling “animal pattern” championships that include Women’s Series events (Viper, Scorpion, Chameleon and Shark) will use the following format:- Day 1: Practice session
- Day 2: Two seven-game qualifying blocks for all 20 women with a cut to the top eight after 14 games.
- Day 3: Best-of-seven match play until the field is narrowed to the final two women.
For the four pattern championships (Viper, Scorpion, Chameleon and Shark), the prize breakdown is as follows:- First place: $10,000
- Second: $6,000
- Third-fourth: $4,000
- Fifth-eighth: $2,500
- Ninth-20th: $1,400
The Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship will have a similar payout to last year’s inaugural event (prize money for women listed below):- - First: $25,000
- - Second: $13,000
- - Third: $6,500
- - Fourth: $5,500
- - Fifth: $5,000
- - And on down to paying last position 32nd place: $1,500
As the PBA Women’s Series grows, the decision was made to give every woman bowler a chance to earn their way into individual events. This gives players either unable to bowl the Tour Trials or missing the Tour Trials cut more chances to earn their way into fields.7. What is the entry free for the Tour Trials, TQRs and each Women's Series event?
The entry fee for the Tour Trials is $750. Each entry into TQRs is $300 for PBA members ($325 on site the day of the TQR) and $325 for non-members ($350 on site the day of the TQR). The entry fee for each PBA Women’s Series event is $500 (TQR advancers pay the $200 entry fee difference).8. If you are exempt, do you have to bowl every Women's Series event?
No. An exempt woman does not have to bowl every Women’s Series event. She can bowl as many as she wishes. If an exempt player skips an event, that spot goes to the TQR.9. Do you have to become a PBA member to bowl in the Women's Series?
Players do not have to join the PBA in order to bowl the Tour Trials in conjunction with the U.S. Women’s Open but must join the PBA if they make it through the trials and become exempt in the PBA Women’s Series. Players do not have to join the PBA if they qualify for only the mixed doubles event. Regarding the TQRs, players do not have to join the PBA in order to bowl a TQR, but must join the PBA if they make it through one TQR and then wish to bowl another TQR.10. Will the women be given jerseys to wear like the men?
Exempt women can purchase the Gemini dye-sublimated jerseys at wholesale prices and use them to sell space to sponsors under the same logo guidelines given Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt players.11. Will the exempt players be guaranteed a check in the PBA Women's World Championship? What about in the mixed doubles event?
Yes, exempt players will be guaranteed a check in the PBA Women’s World Championships and Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship. This means if a player becomes exempt, they are guaranteed to cash in seven PBA Women’s Series events.12. Are international players eligible to bowl the Women's Series?
Yes. Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia and Clara Guerrero of Colombia were exempt on the PBA Women’s Series last season. International players can try out at Tour Trials during the U.S. Women’s Open following the WTBA World Women’s Championships in Las Vegas and may enter TQRs in Detroit. There is no limit to international player participation and the World Series of Bowling site is more encouraging than ever to international players wishing to test their skills in the PBA.Read More - History
Take a look back at all the great moments and athletes in U.S. Women’s Open history.Event History
Marion Ladewig, nine-time U.S. Women's Open titlist The U.S. Women's Open debuted in 1949 as the BPAA Women's All-Stars Tournament and kept that name until the event was rechristened the U.S. Women's Open in 1971. United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Marion Ladewig took the title the first six years and went on to win again in 1956, 1959 and 1963, racking up a record nine titles.Past Champions
Read More1949
Marion Ladewig1960
Sylvia Martin1971
Paula Sperber-Carter1982
Shinobu Saitoh1993
Dede Davidson1950
Marion Ladewig1961
Phyllis Notaro1972
Lorrie Koch-Nichols1983
Dana Miller1994
Aleta Sill1951
Marion Ladewig1962
Shirley Garms1973
Millie Ignizio1984
Karen Ellingsworth1995
Cheryl Daniels1952
Marion Ladewig1963
Marion Ladewig1974
Pat Costello1985
Pat Mercatanti1996
Liz Johnson1953
No Event1964
LaVerne Carter1975
Paula Sperber-Carter1986
Wendy Macpherson1997
No event1954
Marion Ladewig1965
Ann Slattery1976
Patty Costello1987
Carol Norman1998
Aleta Sill1955 (Jan.)
Sylvia Martin
1955 (Dec.)
Anita Cantaline1966
Joy Abel1977
Betty Morris1988
Lisa Wagner1999
Kim Adler1956
Marion Ladewig1967
Gloria Bouvia1978
Donna Adamek1989
Robin Romeo2000
Tennelle Grijalva1957
No event1968
Dorothy Fothergill1979
Diana Silva1990
Dana Miller-Mackie2001
Kim Terrell1958
Merle Matthews1969
Dorothy Fothergill1980
Pat Costello1991
Anne Marie Duggan2002
No event1959
Marion Ladewig1970
Mary Baker1981
Donna Adamek1992
Tish Johnson2003
Kelly Kulick
2007
Liz Johnson
2008
Kim Terrell-Kearney - HistoryU.S. Women's Open Timeline1971 – After qualifying for the inaugural Women’s U.S. Open as an amateur, southpaw Paula Sperber of Miami turned pro and won her first title in a Kansas City thriller, nipping June Lllewellyn of Pompano Beach, Fla., 5,660-5650, in a total pinfall contest. The 20-year-old Sperber, who later married bowling legend Don Carter, earned $4,000.1972 – By a matter of months, 20-year-old amateur Lorrie Koch of Carpentersville, Ill., became the youngest Open champion when she shocked Mary Baker of Central Islip, N.Y., 5,272-5,189 for the title in Denver. “Koch” is better known today as Lorrie Nichols, a 15-time professional titlist whose initial victory blossomed into induction into the WIBC and Women’s Professional Bowling Halls of Fame.1973 – In a battle of legendary left-handers, Millie Ignizio of Rochester, N.Y., cruised to a 5,553-5,294 victory over Patty Costello of New Carrollton, Md., in Garden City, N.Y.1974 – Irving, Texas, was the site of another battle of legends with San Francisco area roots. Pat Costello of Union City nipped Betty Morris of Stockton 219-216 in the first stepladder final in Women’s U.S. Open history.1975 – Paula Sperber Carter of Miami became the Women’s Open’s first double winner, topping 1972 winner Lorrie Koch-Nichols of Algonquin, Ill. 6,500-6,352 in Toledo, Ohio.1976 – Patty Costello of Scranton, Pa., who was to become the first woman bowler in history to win 25 career titles, earned one of the most important in Tulsa, Okla., edging Betty Morris in a newly-expanded format, 11,341-11,281.1977 – After two runner-up finishes, Betty Morris proved the third time was a charm, defeating Virginia Norton of Southgate, Calif. 10,511-10,358 in Milwaukee.1978 – The amazing “Mighty Mite,” 5-foot-2 Donna Adamek of Monrovia, Calif., began her march to four consecutive Woman Bowler of the Year titles with a 236-202 title match victory over Vesma Grinfelds of San Francisco in Miami.1979 – Long-shot Diana Silva of Albuquerque, N.M., pulled one of the biggest surprises in Women’s Open history, nipping Hall of Famer Bev Ortner of Tucson, Ariz. 11,775-11,718 in Phoenix for her first and only pro title.1980 – Pat Costello of Union City, Calif., joined Paula Sperber Carter as the Open’s second two-time champion, turning back Japanese superstar Shinobu Saitoh, 223-199, in Rockford, Ill.1981 – Donna Adamek became double winner No. 3 with a 201-190 victory over Nikki Gianulias of Vallejo, Calif., in Rockford, Ill.1982 – The top woman bowler in Japanese bowling history, Shinobu Saitoh became the first and only international player to remove the U.S. Open trophy from American soil when she held off the relentless pursuit of Robin Romeo of Beverly Hills, Calif., to win the final total pinfall Open in history 12,184-12,028 in Hendersonville, Tenn.1983 – Dana Miller of Albuquerque, N.M., won a showdown between powerful left-handers, routing Aleta Sill of Dearborn, Mich. 247-200 in St. Louis.1984 – Showing little respect for her “boss” and employer, Karen Ellingsworth of Des Plaines, Ill., upset pro shop owner and 1971 Open champion Lorrie Nichols of Algonquin, Ill. 236-217 in St. Louis. It was Ellingsworth’s first pro triumph.1985 – Veteran contender Pat Mercatanti of Yardley, Pa., the daughter of USBC Hall of Famer Vince Lucci, shook off her “almost” mantle in Topeka, Kan., upsetting Nikki Gianulias of Vallejo, Calif. 214-178 for her first pro title.1986 – Walnut Creek, Calif., high school student Wendy Macpherson pulled off what is arguably the biggest upset in Open history. The youngest Open champion ever (at age 18) and the first amateur winner since Lorrie Koch 14 years earlier, Macpherson defeated Cheryl Daniels, Patty Ann, Pat Costello, and top qualifier Lisa Wagner of Palmetto, Fla, 265-179 for the title in Topeka, Kan.1987 – In the richest Women’s Open in history, Carol Norman of Ardmore, Okla., shocked top qualifier Cindy Coburn of Buffalo, N.Y. 206-179 winning a record $40,000 share of the $200,000 Seagram’s Coolers U.S. Open prize fund in Mentor, Ohio.1988 – Lisa Wagner of Palmetto, Fla., the unanimous Woman Bowler of the 1980’s, landed her most prestigious title and largest paycheck when she defeated Lorries Nichols 226-218 in the second Seagram’s Coolers U.S. Open in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wagner converted her $40,000 first prize into the first $100,000 earnings year in women’s bowling history.1989 – Robin Romeo of Van Nuys, Calif., out-dueled Michelle Mullen of Matteson, Ill., 187-163 in the Seagram’s Coolers U.S. Open in Addison, Ill. Romeo’s $40,000 payday led to a women’s record $113,750 in earnings and Bowler of the Year honors.1990 – Albuquerque’s Dana Miller-Mackie joined the elite ranks of two-time Open champions in Dearborn Heights, Mich., nipping Tish Johnson of Northridge, Calif., in the closest title match in Women’s U.S. Open History, 190-189.1991 – Anne Marie Duggan of Edmond, Okla., earned her “green jacket” with a 196-185 triumph over Leanne Barrette of Oklahoma City in Fountain Valley, Calif.1992 – Tish Johnson avenged her 1990 title match loss, nipping Aleta Sill of Dearborn, Mich. 216-213 in Fountain Valley, Calif.1993 – Dede Davidson of San Jose, Calif., ended Dana Miller-Mackie’s bid to become the first three-time Open Champion in Garland, Texas 213-194.1994 – Twice an Open bridesmaid, Aleta Sill of Dearborn, Mich.., defeated Carolyn Dorin of Richardson, Texas, 279-259; Marianne DiRupo of Succasunna, N.J., and top qualifier Anne Marie Duggan of Edmond, Okla., 290-170, in Wichita, Kan., to win the elusive Open title and complete her quest for the women’s tour’s “Triple Crown.” Sill had won a pair of WIBC Queens and Sam’s Town invitational titles.1995 – Another life-long dream came true when Detroit’s Cheryl Daniels stopped Tish Johnson of Northridge, Calif., 235-180 in Blaine, Minn., to become the Open’s first African-American champion.1996 – Rookie Liz Johnson of Niagara Falls, N.Y., won her first professional title by defeating top qualifier Marianne DiRupo of Succasunna, N.J., 265-236 in the title match of the 1996 U.S. Open. Johnson, a former two-time U.S. Amateur Champion, tied Wendy Macpherson’s 1986 record for highest score in the title match. The Indianapolis event was the first combined Men’s/Women’s U.S. Open in history and the first “arena” final for the women.1998 – All-time women’s money winner Aleta Sill of Dearborn, Mich., made history by becoming the first bowler, male or female, ever to capture the Triple Crown twice in a career by beating Tammy Turner of West Palm Beach, Fla., 276-151 in the finals of the 1998 Open at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. Her 276 broke the previous record of 265 for highest score in the title match held by Wendy Macpherson (1986) and Liz Johnson (1996). Sill, who also won the Open in 1994 to go along with her two WIBC Queens (1983, 1985) and Sam’s Town Invitational (1984, 1986) championships, defeated Succasunna, N.J., native Marianne DiRupo, 242-208 in the semifinals.1999 – Kim Adler of Las Vegas earned her third major title by defeating Lynda Barnes 235-191. Winning the $35,000 first prize, it was also Adler’s 11th career professional title.2000 – In the expansive atmosphere of the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Tennelle Grijalva of Orange, Calif., defeated Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J. 239-155 to take home the $35,000 first prize.2001 – Kim Terrell of Antioch, Calif. won her first major title and eighth overall professional win by defeating Wendy Macpherson 234-220. The 2001 U.S. Open featured a record $300,000 prize fund with Terrell taking home the record $55,000 first prize.2003 – Kelly Kulick defeated Professional Women’s Bowling Association stars Leanne Barrette, Wendy Macpherson, Michelle Feldman and finally Carolyn Dorin-Ballard 261-195 at Sunnybrooke Lanes in Sterling Heights, Mich., to win her first professional title and the $30,000 first prize.2007 – In the U.S. Women's Open's return for the first time in four years, Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y. defeated Shannon O'Keefe or Rochester, N.Y. 248-215 in the championship match at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., to win the $25,000 first prize. The event was telecast over four weeks by ESPN. In the quarterfinals of the event, O'Keefe rolled a historic 299 game.Read More
- HistoryBPAA All-Star Champions
(Renamed U.S. Open in 1971)1949 – Marion Ladewig
1950 – Marion Ladewig
1951 – Marion Ladewig
1952 – Marion Ladewig
1953 – Marion Ladewig
1954 – Marion Ladewig1955 – Sylvia Martin
1956 – Marion Ladewig
1957 – No event
1958 – Merle Matthews
1959 – Marion Ladewig
1960 – Sylvia Martin
1961 – Phyllis Notaro
1962 – Shirley Garms
1963 – Marion Ladewig
1964 – LaVerne Carter
1965 – Ann Slattery
1966 – Joy Abel
1967 – Gloria Simon
1968 – Dorothy Fothergill
1969 – Dorothy Fothergill
1970 – Mary Baker
2007 – Liz Johnson Cheektowaga, N.Y.Read More - Prize Fund2009 Prize Fund
(Unofficial)
Payout ratio 1:4 (Based on 200 entries)Place Amount
1st Place $25,000
2nd Place $15,000
3-4th Place $8,500 each
5-8th Place $6,000 each
9-12th Place $5,000 each
Daily block leaders: 1st Place $750; 2nd Place $500; 3rd Place $250
Total Prize Fund $150,000Read More - Past Events2008 Results
- Round of 16
- (Winners advance to quarterfinals, losers finish tied for ninth and earn $4,000)
(4) Diandra Asbaty, Chicago def. (13) Maxine Nable, Australia, 227-205
(12) Kim Terrell-Kearney, Dover, Del., def. (5) Brenda Mack, Indianapolis, 212-190
- (Winners advance to quarterfinals, losers finish tied for ninth and earn $4,000)
- Quarterfinals
- (Winners advance to semifinals, losers finish tied for fifth and earn $6,000)
(12) Kim Terrell-Kearney def. (4) Diandra Asbaty, 194-191
(6) Shalin Zulkifli def. (14) Jodi Woessner, 266-194
(2) Trisha Reid def. (7) Stefanie Nation, 245-217
(1) Carolyn Dorin-Ballard def. (8) Clara Guerrero, 249-215
- (Winners advance to semifinals, losers finish tied for fifth and earn $6,000)
- Semifinals
- 2008 U.S. Women's Open - Semifinals
- 7/31/2008
- (Winners advance to final, losers finish tied for third and earn $8,500)
(2) Trisha Reid, Columbus, Ohio, def. (6) Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 237-180
(12) Kim Terrell-Kearney, Dover, Del., def. (1) Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, North Richland Hills, Texas, 216-202
- Finals
- (Winner earns $25,000; loser earns $15,000)
(12) Kim Terrell-Kearney, Dover, Del., def. (2) Trisha Reid, Columbus, Ohio, 216-189
- (Winner earns $25,000; loser earns $15,000)
- Round of 16
- Past Events2007 ResultsQuarterfinals
(Single game, single elimination)First Pairing
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, North Richland Hills, Calif., def. Tish Johnson, Napa, Calif., 231-223. (Johnson eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)Kim Terrell, Antioch, Calif., def. Karen Stroud, Victoria, Texas, 236-223. (Stroud eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)Dorin-Ballard def. Terrell, 246-215. (Dorin-Ballard advances to semifinals. Terrell eliminated, ties for fifth place and earns $6,000.)Second Pairing
Missy Bellinder, Fullerton, Calif., def. Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 233-196 (Kulick eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., def. Shannon Pluhowsky, Phoenix, 226-193 (Pluhowsky eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)Johnson def. Bellinder, 215-194 (Johnson advances to semifinals. Bellinder eliminated, ties for fifth place and earns $6,000.)Third Pairing
Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, def. Amanda Burgoyne, Newport, Minn., 205-196 (Burgoyne eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)Michelle Feldman, Skaneateles, N.Y., def. Amy Stolz, Castle Rock, Colo., 211-209 (Stolz eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)Barnes def. Feldman, 289-258 (Barnes advances to semifinals. Feldman eliminated, ties for fifth place and earns $6,000.)Fourth Pairing
Shannon O'Keefe, Rochester, N.Y., def. Olivia Sandham, Wichita, Kan., 247-209 (Sandham eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)Stefanie Nation, Orlando, Fla., def. Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., 184-181 (Macpherson eliminated, ties for ninth place and earns $4,500.)O'Keefe def. Nation, 299-159 (O'Keefe advances to semifinals. Nation eliminated, ties for fifth place and earns $6,000.)Semifinals
Johnson def. Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 257-187. (Barnes finishes tied for third and earns $10,000.)O'Keefe def. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, 223-209. (Dorin-Ballard finishes tied for third and earns $10,000.)Finals
(Single game, single elimination)Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., def. Shannon O'Keefe, Rochester, N.Y., 248-215. (Johnson finishes first and earns $25,000; O'Keefe finished second and earns $15,000.)Read More
Liz JohnsonStats:- 11-Time PWBA Titlist
- 2009 USBC Queens Champion
- Only woman ever to appear on a Lumber Liquidator’s PBA Tour telecast
- 2008 Team USA Trials Champion
Kelly KulickStats:- Became first woman ever to earn Lumber Liquidator’s PBA Tour Exemption on June 4, 2006
- 2003 U.S. Women’s Open Champion
- 2007 USBC Queens Champion
- 2009 USBC Queens Runner-up
Shannon O'KeefeStats:- 5-Time Team USA Member
- Runner-up at 2007 U.S. Women’s Open
- 5th at 2007 USBC Queens
- 2007 Women's World Champion
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