Thursday, November 11, 2004

First Woman Qualifies for PBA Event

With the PWBA (Professional Women's Bowling Association) folding, I think this will be the first of many tournaments a woman will qualify for. It could definately help generate some sponsorship money. In this day and age I would think companies would line up out the door to sponsor a semi-major co-ed professional event.
Liz Johnson became the first woman to qualify for a PBA Tour event Wednesday when she finished fourth in the PBA Tour Qualifying Round of the PBA Uniroyal Tire Classic at Freeway Lanes in Wickliffe, Ohio, the PBA announced.

Johnson, of Cheektowaga, N.Y., a suburb of Buffalo, finished with a nine-game total of 2,074 and finished as the top amateur of the day with a 230.44 average. The top five non-exempt PBA members and the top amateur move on to the 64-person, single-elimination match play event starting Thursday.
"This is pretty exciting," Johnson said. "I came in here with no expectations. It was actually a last-minute decision to enter. I started off bad out of the gates, but I focused and got better game by game. I'm pretty happy with the results."
Johnson started the day with a 153, but came back to average 255 over the next six games, including a high of 278 in game four. After a 177 in Game 8, she sealed the deal with a 214 in the final game of the night.
Johnson was an 11-time winner in the Professional Women's Bowling Association. She won the 1996 U.S. Open on the way to winning the 1996 Rookie of the Year.