BURLINGTON, N.C. - Pete Weber needed a clutch split conversion to win his 28th career Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) title Sunday in the PBA Columbia 300 Tar Heel Open at Country Club Lanes West. Weber, St. Ann, Mo., cleaned up the 3-4-6-7-10 split in the 10th frame against Roger Bowker and picked up his third win of the 2001-2002 season, 218-214, along with the $40,000 top prize.

"I said to myself, ‘you make it - you win, you don’t - you lose.’ It was a simple as that," said Weber. "Roger (Bowker) was on his good lane. I knew he would double in the 10th." "I leave that a lot," Weber said of the split. "So I get a lot of chances to shoot it. For some reason, I just knew I was going to make it. I had missed five-in-a-row. That never happens."

Weber is now tied with Parker Bohn III for fourth place on the all-time win list. He is now 7-0 in three TV finals appearances this season (Grand Rapids, Mich.; Louisville, Ky.). Bowker, a five-time PBA champion, pocketed $20,000.

After opening the match with an open frame, Bowker reeled off three straight strikes and a 4-pin spare. He led by 14 pins entering the sixth frame after Weber began with two strikes, an open in the third (7-10) followed by a spare and a strike.

Then in the sixth, Bowker chopped the 6-pin off a 6-10 spare attempt. "That was the heartbreaker," he said. "I never got it off my thumb cleanly. But the bad part was, I had to turn right around and make a great shot on the lane I wasn’t sure of (left lane)." On that lane, on the very next shot he left a solid 8-10 split and suffered consecutive open frames.

Weber smelled blood. "I was a shark after some raw meat," said Weber about his seventh and eighth frames. "I knew if I doubled there, that would put a lot of pressure on him." He threw the strikes and converted a 10-pin in the ninth frame. Bowker finished the match with five straight strikes.

In the semifinals, Weber beat Jason Couch, 245-182, while Bowker knocked off Wayne Webb, 257-228. Couch, Clermont, Fla., and Webb, Las Vegas, tied for third place with $10,000. In the wild card match Bowker defeated Jason Hurd, 243-177. Hurd, Titusville, Fla., picked up $9,000 in fifth place.

The PBA Tour travels to Latham, N.Y., for the PBA Empire State Open, Feb. 12-17, at Bowlers Club. ESPN will televise the finals live on Sunday, Feb. 17, from 12:30-2 p.m. (ET).

PBA TOUR
PBA Columbia 300 Tar Heel Open
At Country Club Lanes West, Burlington, N.C.
Sunday, Feb. 10, 2002

Pos. Name/Hometown Total/Games Money
1. Pete Weber, St. Ann, MO 463 (2 games) $40,000
2. Roger Bowker, Ocala, FL 714 (3 games) $20,000
3. Wayne Webb, N. Las Vegas, NV 228 (1 game) $10,000
(T) Jason Couch, Clermont, FL 182 (1 game) $10,000
5. Jason Hurd, Titusville, FL 177 (1 game) $ 9,000

PLAYOFF RESULTS – In the wild card match, Bowker def. Hurd, 243-177; in the semifinals, Weber def. Couch, 245-182 and Bowker def. Webb, 257-228; and in the final match, Weber def. Bowker, 218-214.
*This is Weber’s third title of the season and his 28th career title. He now ties Parker Bohn III as fourth on the PBA’s all-time win list.