This is a recap of the 1986 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 28th season, and consisted of 32 events. Walter Ray Williams, Jr. won his first three PBA titles on the season, and also won the player vote for the PBA Player of the Year award. This despite the fact that Steve Cook won four titles, including a major at the BPAA U.S. Open. Newcomer Tom Crites took the title at the Toledo Trust PBA National Championship.
| PBA Bowling Tour: 1986 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 6 – December 6, 1986 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. |
In winning his second career Firestone Tournament of Champions ten years after his first, Marshall Holman won the highest single prize check in PBA history to date ($50,000) and also became just the third player to top the $1 million mark in career earnings (joining Earl Anthony and Mark Roth). The win also gave Holman his fourth career major among his 20 total titles.
Late in the season at the Brunswick Memorial World Open, George Branham III made history by becoming the first African American to win a national PBA Tour title.
Tournament schedule
edit| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC-Delco Classic | Union Square Lanes | Union City, California | Jan 6–11 | Randy Pedersen (1) | |
| Greater Los Angeles Open | Gable House Bowl | Torrance, California | Jan 13–18 | Del Warren (1) | |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 19–25 | Gary Skidmore (6) | |
| Quaker State Open | Forum Bowling Lanes | Grand Prairie, Texas | Jan 25 – Feb 1 | Jon O'Drobinak (1) | |
| Lite Beer Classic | Don Carter's Kendall Lanes | Miami, Florida | Feb 3–8 | David Ozio (3) | |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Galaxy Lanes | Venice, Florida | Feb 9–15 | Steve Cook (9) | [1] |
| St. Louis Open | North Oaks Bowl | St. Louis, Missouri | Feb 17–22 | Pete Weber (8) | |
| Lite Beer Championship | Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Feb 24 – Mar 1 | Don Genalo (5) | |
| True Value Open | Landmark Plaza Recreation Center | Peoria, Illinois | Mar 4–8 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (1) | |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Mar 11–15 | Mark Baker (2) | |
| Lite Beer Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Mar 17–22 | Mal Acosta (4) | [2] |
| Toledo Trust PBA National Championship | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Mar 23–29 | Tom Crites (1) | [3] |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes Woodlawn | Baltimore, Maryland | Apr 1–5 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (2) | |
| Long Island Open | Garden City Bowl | Garden City, New York | Apr 8–12 | Peter Hakim (1) | |
| Greater Hartford Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Apr 14–19 | Steve Cook (10) | |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 22–25 | Marshall Holman (20) | [4] |
| Showboat Doubles Classic | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jun 7–11 | Mike Aulby (13), Steve Cook (11) | |
| Kessler Open | Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl | Dublin, California | Jun 13–18 | Dave Husted (4) | |
| Ebonite Firebolt Open | Leilani Lanes | Seattle, Washington | Jun 21–25 | Dale Eagle (3) | |
| Southern California Open | Town Square Lanes | Riverside, California | Jun 27 – Jul 2 | Mats Karlsson (1) | |
| Miller Lite Challenge | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 4–9 | Dave Husted (5) | |
| Austin Open | Highland Lanes | Austin, Texas | Jul 11–16 | Steve Cook (12) | |
| Hammer Open | Boulevard Bowl | Edmond, Oklahoma | Jul 18–23 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (3) | |
| Molson Golden Bowling Challenge | Rose Bowl Lanes | Windsor, Ontario | Jul 25–30 | Don Genalo (6) | |
| Greater Buffalo Open | Thruway Lanes | Cheektowaga, New York | Aug 1–6 | Jeff Bellinger (1) | |
| Columbia Senior/Touring Pro Doubles | Super Bowl Lanes | Erlanger, Kentucky | Aug 9–13 | Teata Semiz (4), Joe Berardi (6) | |
| Japan Cup | Tokyo Port Bowl | Tokyo, Japan | Sep 18–22 | Pete Weber (9) | |
| Kodak Invitational | Marcel's Olympic Bowl | Rochester, New York | Nov 3–8 | Tom Baker (7) | |
| True Value Open | Woodland Bowl | Indianapolis, Indiana | Nov 10–15 | Harry Sullins (1) | |
| Brunswick Memorial World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 15–22 | George Branham III (1) | [5] |
| Budweiser Classic | Columbus Square Bowling Palace | Columbus, Ohio | Nov 24–29 | Dave Ferraro (1) | |
| Budweiser Touring Players Championship | Taylor Lanes | Taylor, Michigan | Dec 1–6 | Mark Williams (4) |