Bowling great Petraglia looks to break Vegas jinx
Of his many accomplishments in bowling over half a century, there is one thing Johnny Petraglia has yet to achieve.
He has never won a tournament in Las Vegas.
He has come close, finishing second three times. But the veteran left-hander has another opportunity beginning today when the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open gets underway. The event for bowlers age 50 and older drew a field of 190.
“It would mean a lot,” said Petraglia, 68, who has won the PBA U.S. Open but never the Senior Open. “But I know I’m at the end of my rope. And even on this tour, you can’t spot the top bowlers, 15, 16 pins and expect to win.”
Petraglia has done plenty of winning since turning pro in 1965. The PBA Hall of Famer from Brooklyn is the only bowler to have won a national PBA tour title in six different decades (Dick Weber also won titles in six decades but one of his came at a regional event). He has 14 PBA Tour titles and an additional eight senior titles.
“I still have a love of the game; I still love bowling,” Petraglia said.
And he still loves Las Vegas despite having never won here. He recalls the first time he visited back in 1966 when he and fellow pro Don Johnson drove from Fresno, Calif., and arrived at night. They headed right to Fremont Street and Johnson told Petraglia to get out of the car amid the flashing lights of the Four Queens, Fremont and Binion’s Horseshoe.
“He said to me, ‘You’re standing on the brightest spot in the world,’ ” Petraglia said.
Other than a two-year stint in the Army where Petraglia served in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968, he has been a regular visitor to Southern Nevada. His son, John Jr., runs the pro shop at Sunset Station’s bowling center and the elder Petraglia is impressed by the number of quality facilities the city has dedicated to the sport.
“I like the fact that it became the bowling capital of the world,” Petraglia said. “It’s no wonder the guys love coming here.”
He does miss the Showboat’s bowling center. And even though he twice squandered chances to win there, Petraglia has good memories.
“I always loved bowling there,” he said. “The lanes at the Showboat just seemed to fit my game. And the owners treated you so well. It was like you were family every time you showed up.”
Petraglia last won in 2012 in Kettering, Ohio, at the PBA Senior Dayton Classic. He admits it’s a challenge to make the finals, let alone win with each passing year.
“The equipment is so different now,” he said. “You have so many different balls for the different surfaces. But I’ve learned to adjust as the years have gone by.
“For this event, they made the lanes as tough as possible. I always threw a hook, but for this event, I’m going to have to throw it harder for the ball to hold its speed because you’re not going to be able to hook the ball as much. Hopefully, I’ll be accurate.”
Then there’s the field, which is a Who’s Who of bowling. In addition to Petraglia, Walter Ray Williams, Norm Duke, Pete Weber, Amletto Monacelli, Parker Bohn III and Tom Baker are competing at the Suncoast. Squad qualifying begins today with match play on Thursday. The top four from the four rounds of match play will advance to the stepladder finals at 4 p.m. Friday. Admission is free each day.
Petraglia said his game is in good shape and he feels good physically and he hopes he can have a good run over the next few days and maybe end his Vegas jinx.
“The good weeks are few and far between,” he said. “But when they happen, it’s very special.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.