February 10, 2025 Nolan Hughes

The PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic is set to begin at Enterprise Park Lanes in Springfield, Mo.

The action gets underway on Tuesday with the pre-tournament qualifier, practice and pro-am. Qualifying begins on Wednesday.

All qualifying and match play rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

Storylines

The second annual PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic will honor Show Me State legend Pete Weber.

The 37-time PBA Tour and 10-time major champion is among the winningest players the sport has ever seen, and his showmanship transcended the sport.

“To have a tournament named after you is probably the highest honor you can get,” Weber said before last year’s event. “I’m thinking this ranks up there with the fifth U.S. Open and second Triple Crown. It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

Weber hails from St. Louis, a three-hour trek northwest, but two players in the field call Springfield itself home: Boog Krol and Keven Williams.

The two-handers will look for a win on their home turf; Williams came close in 2023, falling to Sam Cooley in the title match.

Players to Watch

This week’s oil pattern length starts with a four — 45-foot Weber — so Santtu Tahavanainen said he expects to bowl well. The Finnish star has made six championship rounds in 24 career events.

Anthony Simonsen has been up-and-down this season, but it’s hard to see the defending champion idling outside of title contention for much longer.

Bill O’Neill led qualifying in last week’s PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic, and earned the top seed in last year’s PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic. The PBA Hall of Fame-electee remains near the top of his game, and the eastern Pennsylvania native will be riding a high following the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory.

Chris Via, who leads the tour with a 228.53 average, has made back-to-back championship rounds in singles events, finishing third in the U.S. Open and second last week in Illinois. Via would like to see that upward trend continue and net his first title since 2021.

Jason Belmonte will not be competing this week. He said he is going home to Australia before heading to Reno at the end of the month.

Format

All players will bowl 18 games of qualifying on the 45-foot Dick Weber oil pattern, named and used in honor of PBA Hall of Famer and Pete’s father, beginning on Wednesday morning.

The top 24 individuals will advance to elimination match play, which will begin Thursday evening. The four winners in Friday night’s Round of 8 will advance to the stepladder finals, as will the highest-seeded loser in that round.

The PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic stepladder finals will air live on FS1 at 1 p.m. ET (noon local time) on Sunday, Feb. 16.

Tournament Schedule

Enterprise Park Lanes | Springfield, MO

All times Central

Tuesday, Feb. 11 | BowlTV
8:30 a.m. — Pre-Tournament Qualifier (seven games)
3 p.m. — Official practice session
6 p.m. — Pro-Am

Wednesday, Feb. 12 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
6 p.m. — Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Thursday, Feb. 13 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games)

Top 24 qualifiers advance to elimination match play

6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 24 (best-of-seven games)

Friday, Feb. 14 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 16 (best-of-seven games)
6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 8 (best-of-seven games)

Sunday, Feb. 16 | FS1
Noon — Championship Round (stepladder finals)

More information on the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic is available here.