September 15, 2023 Chase Kaufman

For over 50 years, the PBA Regional Tour has crowned the best of the best in the sport of bowling more than 7,000 times. Some win one title; others continue their legacy and compile 10, 20, or even 50 regional titles. That shared characteristic of these competitors is their persistence to re-enter the winner's circle, no matter how many times they have already been there.

For Dave Johnson, that persistence lasted a full 42 years, a new record for time between regional titles. Out of Ashtabula, Ohio, Johnson won his first regional event in Indianapolis in 1981. During his regional title drought, Johnson picked up a national title by winning the Bud Moore Classic in 2022. Johnson has competed on the PBA50 Tour and has accumulated over $10,000 in earnings in each of the past two seasons.

On the PBA Regional Tour, Johnson’s closest call back to the podium was a second-place finish to Troy Lint last March. But now, Johnson is a champion again.

Most Years Between Regional Titles

  • Dave Johnson, 42
  • Bruce Hall, 37
  • Keith Kolozsi, 36
  • Dennis Lane, 35
  • Lee Brosius, 32
  • Brian Hayes, 31
  • Joe Staton, 30

Read more on how Johnson and others this September earned their titles in this week’s regional recap:

PBA Bowlero Lakeside Midwest Open

The top 12 dominated the 36-foot Bill O'Neill oil pattern, creating +189 for eight games as the score to move on. From Brentwood, Tenn., former PBA Rookie of the Year Kamron Doyle led qualifying at +333, and the next day, he picked up right where he left off. With a low game of 215, Doyle accumulated a 133-pin lead with a position round remaining to essentially seal the deal. He took home $2,600 for his efforts in Valley Park, Mo., during his second win on the regional tour, both as a non-member.

PBA Bowlero Lakeside Midwest Open Final Standings

  1. Kamron Doyle, $2,600
  2. Matt Russo, 1,500 points, $1,800
  3. Nate Purches, 1,150, $1,300
  4. Chris Hill, 950, $1,100

PBA Bowlero Lakeside Midwest Open Full Results

PBA50 Hammer Strike Zone Open

Pottsville, Pa., hosted the Hammer Strike Zone Open, just a short 45-minute drive from Blandon, the home of would-be odds-on favorite Troy Lint. The newest PBA50 Player of the Year qualified fourth to earn a double-bye and won his first match 2-0. In the semifinals, he took on Sammy Ventura, who just took down the one-seed Jay Davis Jr. In a thrilling one-game battle, Ventura moved on via a roll-off after they tied at 214. Jay Boyle would be the final opponent, and Boyle got the best of Ventura in this one, winning 191-176 for his third career PBA50 title in the East.

PBA50 Hammer Strike Zone Open Final Standings 

  1. Jay Boyle, 2,500 points, $1,500
  2. Sammy Ventura, 1,500, $925
  3. Troy Lint, 1,150, $800
  4. Rick Graham, 950, $800

PBA50 Hammer Strike Zone Open Full Results

PBA/PBA50 Lutz Do It Home Improvements Baker Doubles Presented By Ryano’s Pro Shop

At an always-fun baker doubles tournament, 36 over/under age-50 teams competed at Rocky Mt. Bowling Center. Team Tom (Daugherty and Hess) led at +225 for their 12 baker games, and they eventually earned the No. 2 seed after another 12 games of match play. Zachary Tackett and Michael Ritz snagged the four-seed, Dick Allen and Dan Knowlton took the three, but the team to beat was top-seeded Nate Garcia and Walter Ray Williams Jr. 

In the opening match, the 191 from Allen/Knowlton was good enough to move past Tackett/Ritz’ 170. In the second match, Daugherty/Hess left the door open with a four-count on their fill, but Allen/Knowlton failed to double and lost 199-181. In another exciting final match, Daugherty/Hess stepped up needing a strike or nine-spare strike to win, but a split downed their chances after missing the conversion.

The 208-196 win marked title No. 63 for the all-time leader Walter Ray Williams Jr. and No. 3 for Nate Garcia, his second of the year. 

PBA/PBA50 Lutz Do It Home Improvements Baker Doubles Presented by Ryano’s Pro Shop Final Standings

  1. Nate Garcia and Walter Ray Williams Jr. 2,500 points, $4,000
  2. Tom Daugherty and Tom Hess, 1,500, $2,200
  3. Dick Allen and Dan Knowlton, 1,150, $1,800
  4. Zachary Tackett and Michael Ritz, 950, $1,600

PBA/PBA50 Lutz Do It Home Improvements Baker Doubles Presented by Ryano’s Pro Shop Full Results

PBA50/60 Visit Kingsport Baker Doubles

Staying in the South Region the following weekend, Warpath Lanes hosted another doubles tournament, but this one of the 50/60 variety. In a similar format the stepladder finalists came down to the position round, where Jason Couch and Dick Gran won their match to jump ahead of Dan Knowlton and Tom Adcock. 

In a close first match, James Campbell and Tom Milton got the first strike in the 10th frame to shut out Gran and Couch in an opening-match win 227-222. The second match was never close as Campbell/Milton struggled to get anything going while the duo of Scott Greiner and James Storts threw the back-seven for a 249-184 win. 

Then Gary Faulkner and Walter Ray Williams Jr. stepped into the ring, and things were all tied up through seven frames of the final match. But Greiner/Storts stepped up in the eighth frame and doubled while their opponent split. Faulkner/Williams Jr. never caught up and lost 216-184.

 PBA50/60 Visit Kingsport Baker Doubles Final Standings

  1. Scott Greiner and James Storts, 2,500 points, $4,000
  2. Gary Faulkner and Walter Ray Williams Jr., 1,500, $2,250
  3. James Campbell and Tom Milton, 1,150, $1,900
  4. Jason Couch and Dick Gran, 950, $1,700

PBA50/60 Visit Kingsport Baker Doubles Full Results

PBA Hot Springs Village Southwest Open

The springs may have been hot, hot, hot, but the lanes were cold, cold, cold as -41 was enough to make it inside the cut at Liberty Lanes, even with the fair amount of big names. Shawn Maldonado led at just +142 for seven games. After an advancer round, 16 bowlers moved into bracket play, where three of the four top seeds advanced to the semifinals.

In the first semifinal match, the one-seed Ildemaro Ruiz Jr. defeated the four-seed Austin Boulds, while in the other matchup, Deo Benard (the lone non-double-bye recipient) took down Jonathan Norman. In the final match, both multi-time regional titleists put up a good fight, but Benard took the win 2-1 for his fifth career title.

PBA Hot Springs Village Southwest Open Final Standings

  1. Deo Benard, 2,500 points, $2,700
  2. Ildemaro Ruiz, Jr., 1,500, $1,700
  3. Austin Boulds, 1,150, $1,250
  4. Jonathan Norman, 950, $1,250

PBA Hot Springs Village Southwest Open Full Results

PBA50 J.D. Producing/Triway Lanes Central Open

On the 42-foot Rick Steelsmith pattern, Dale Csuhta averaged 245 for eight games at Triway Lanes in Wooster, Ohio. Once match play began the following day, Csuhta continued to bowl well, but Dave Johnson outshined the field throughout the day. Johnson qualified fourth, but dominated match play with a low game of 219. With over a 300-pin lead with a game to go, Johnson took his shoes off, kicked back, and relaxed. He closed with a 223 to earn his second career regional title and first in 42(!!!) years.

PBA50 J.D. Producing/Triway Lanes Central Open Final Standings

  1. Dave Johnson, 2,500 points, $1,600
  2. Larry Achten Jr., 1,500, $1,125
  3. Dale Csuhta, 1,150, $1,000
  4. Jeff Johnson, 950, $900

PBA50 J.D. Producing/Triway Lanes Central Open Full Results

PBA50 West/NW Klamath Falls Legends Classic

In a double dose of West Coast action, the seniors kicked things off bright and early on Saturday morning. Rich Corwin, a four-time regional titleholder, led qualifying at +198 for eight games.

The next day, match play shook everything up as it typically does. Corwin dropped from first to seventh, while Eric Adolphson jumped from fifth to first with one game to go. He took on Clyde DeLoach, where DeLoach needed a 35-pin win to jump to first. In the comfort of his home state, DeLoach put together a 257 to the 192 of Adolphson and took home his first title. 

PBA50 West/NW Klamath Falls Legends Classic Final Standings

  1. Clyde DeLoach, 2,500 points, $2,000
  2. Eric Adolphson, 1,500, $1,400
  3. Michael Kennedy, 1,150, $1,100
  4. Curtis Woods Jr., 950, $1,000

PBA50 West/NW Klamath Falls Legends Classic Full Results

PBA West/NW Klamath Falls Open

In addition to leading qualifying by averaging 245, Lanndyn Carnate delivered a 300 in Game 7. But the first perfect game came from Ramsey Basurto in the tournament’s opening game, and Basurto took whatever magic he used then during match play the following day. The California resident was the lone competitor without a sub-200 game on Sunday. Basurto’s hard work was tested in the position round as Jake Peters needed a 98-pin victory to steal the win. Peters got close, shooting a 267, but Basurto pieced together a 177, just enough to give him his second title of the season.

PBA West/NW Klamath Falls Open Final Standings

  1. Ramsey Basurto, 2,500 points, $2,200
  2. Jake Peters, 1,500, $1,500
  3. Lanndyn Carnate, 1,150, $1,000
  4. Nick Borgaro, 950, $1,000

PBA West/NW Klamath Falls Open Full Results

View the season-long points standings in each region here.