Veteran Webb comes up big, wins PBA Senior U.S. Open

The PBA Senior U.S. Open turned into "throwback" day Friday at the Suncoast as scores in the three final matches were reminiscent more of the 1960s than the 21st century.

And Wayne Webb couldn't have been happier.

After fellow PBA Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia averaged 231.53 through the event's first 51 games, Webb won his first PBA title in 11 years by beating the only left-hander in the finals by a score of 204-172.

Of the six games rolled in the stepladder finals, the highest score was a 225 by Webb in the semifinals against Tom Baker. Only three games bettered 200, and the others were 176 or lower.

Petraglia "bowled a great game," said Webb, 50, a Senior Tour rookie. "He didn't miss the pocket until the 10th frame. He just couldn't carry."

Petraglia, 61, winner of 20 PBA titles, said his problem with carrying more than the two strikes was bad placement of the No. 1 and No. 2 pins by the pin-setting machines. Another finalist agreed.

"This was the first time I bowled on this pair," Petraglia said, referring to lanes 57 and 58. "I would have reported it had I seen it before."

The wider gap between the pins could have contributed to the low scores, including three mammoth splits left by Bob Handley in his 156 game in the opening match against Baker.

Baker, who moved from 18th to the fourth seed in the last eight games of match play on Friday, wasn't expecting his 176 to be worthy of winning, but it was good enough against Handley.

The spare leaves in that game harkened to the classic bowling show "Make That Spare."

In the championship game, Webb caught a break after he missed a 10-pin in his sixth frame when Petraglia followed by missing a 7-pin in the seventh frame to lose the lead.

"I couldn't believe I did that," said Webb, who used a sanded 15-pound Brunswick Ultra Zone. It was the only open frame in two games for Webb, who converted two wide splits in his win over Baker.

The challenging pin placements and heavily oiled front part of the lanes made striking difficult and put spare-making at a premium.

"You had to do it all," Webb said. "I like lower scores. The brain has to come into play more."

Webb was surprised to win his first Senior title in only his second tournament but sympathized with Petraglia.

"It's a pretty big letdown for him," said Webb, who won $20,000. "It's tough losing it all in one game."

Petraglia said it has been worse for him as he recalled a loss in the PBA's most prestigious event 34 years ago.

"I led the Tournament of Champions in 1974 by 480 pins and lost to Earl (Anthony) 215-213 in the championship game," he said. "That was a lot more heartbreaking than this."

That is the ultimate throwback memory.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.