Five locals among 100 chasing PBA prize at Red Rock

Dave Wodka wants to show he's really back on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour.

The Henderson resident, who works at the South Point Bowling Center and has returned to the tour on a regular basis after a 10-year hiatus, is in the field of 100 players at the $400,000 PBA Tournament of Champions, which begins Monday at Red Rock Lanes.

It's an event Wodka never has won, and he's hoping being home will give him an advantage on the competition, which includes defending champion Mika Koivuniemi, three-time winner Jason Couch and the legendary Walter Ray Williams, who never has won this event.

"The TOC and U.S. Open are really the pinnacle of the sport for us," Wodka said. "The Tournament of Champions is one of the toughest to win because it's such a showcase of talent."

Wodka is one of five locals in the weeklong competition, which concludes April 15 with the top-four stepladder finals and will be televised live on ESPN. Fellow Henderson resident Eric Forkel and Las Vegas' Kerry Painter, David Haynes and Chris Hayden -- all PBA regional tournament winners -- also are in the field.

Wodka, who won the 1999 Greater Detroit Open and has 14 PBA regional titles, has two TV appearances this season. In November, he was third at the Scorpion Open, which was part of the World Series of Bowling at the South Point, and he finished fifth in Detroit last month.

"I'm probably feeling as well now mentally and physically as I ever have," said Wodka, who turned pro in 1990 and has made $478,000 in his career. "I've developed a renewed enthusiasm to compete, and so I decided to make the commitment to become a competitive player again, which has paid off with a couple of good finishes this year."

This year's TOC will be hard-pressed to top last year's dramatic TV show, in which Koivuniemi came within one pin on his last ball of bowling a 300 game in the semifinals. His opponent, Tom Daugherty, managed only a 100 game, the lowest score in a televised match in the PBA's 53-year history. Koivuniemi defeated Tom Smallwood in the finals.

Today's 12:30 p.m. practice round will be followed by an autograph and photo session at 2:30, and admission is free. Play in the Champions Round begins at 10 a.m. Monday, with the Elite Round beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Tickets are $100 for a weekly pass ($80 for juniors and seniors), and tickets to the 10 a.m. finals are $40 and $60.