This is a recap of the 1987 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 29th season, and consisted of 33 events.
| PBA Bowling Tour: 1987 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 4 – December 5, 1987 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Marshall Holman |
Del Ballard, Jr. won his first PBA title at the historic U.S. Open sponsored this season by Seagram's Coolers. The tourney offered a $500,000 prize fund and $100,000 first prize—both PBA records. Even Pete Weber's second place check of $55,000 in this event was higher than the previous record first prize of $50,000 set in 1986.[1]
Randy Pedersen took the title in the Toledo Trust PBA National Championship. At the Firestone Tournament of Champions, winner Pete Weber became the youngest bowler ever (24 years, 247 days) to reach 10 career titles.[2]
While he did not go on to win the tournament, Pete McCordic made history at the Greater Los Angeles Open by firing a 300 game in the opening match of the finals. It was the PBA's fourth-ever nationally televised perfect game, and the first since 1974.[3]
Marshall Holman won the PBA Player of the Year vote despite not winning a title—a PBA first. The 20-time titlist did lead the Tour in average and a few other statistical categories.[4]
Tournament schedule
edit| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seagram's Coolers U.S. Open | Narrows Plaza Bowl | Tacoma, Washington | Jan 4–10 | Del Ballard, Jr. (1) |
| AC-Delco Classic | Union Square Lanes | Union City, California | Jan 12–16 | George Branham III (2) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 18–24 | Kent Wagner (1) |
| Greater Los Angeles Open | Gable House Bowl | Torrance, California | Jan 26–31 | Mats Karlsson (2) |
| Quaker State Open | Forum Bowling Lanes | Grand Prairie, Texas | Feb 2–7 | Brian Voss (3) |
| Lite Beer Classic | Don Carter's Kendall Lanes | Miami, Florida | Feb 9–14 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (4) |
| Bowler's Journal Florida Open | Galaxy Lanes | Venice, Florida | Feb 16–21 | Jim Murtishaw (1) |
| True Value Open | Landmark Plaza Recreation Center | Peoria, Illinois | Feb 23–28 | John Gant (2) |
| Lite Beer Championship | Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mar 2–7 | Tom Milton (4) |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Mar 9–14 | Jimmie Pritts, Jr. (3) |
| Miller Lite Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Mar 16–21 | Dave Ferraro (2) |
| Toledo Trust PBA National Championship | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Mar 22–28 | Randy Pedersen (2) |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes Capital Plaza | Washington, DC | Mar 30 – Apr 4 | Randy Pedersen (3) |
| Showboat Atlantic City Open | Atlantic City Showboat Lanes | Atlantic City, New Jersey | Apr 6–11 | Tom Crites (2) |
| Greater Hartford Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Apr 13–18 | Bob Handley (4) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 21–25 | Pete Weber (10) |
| Showboat Doubles Classic | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jun 6–10 | Joe Firpo (1), Del Warren (2) |
| Kessler Open | Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl | Dublin, California | Jun 12–17 | Mark Baker (3) |
| Columbia 300 Open | Skyway Park Bowl | Seattle, Washington | Jun 19–24 | Parker Bohn III (1) |
| Southern California Open | Town Square Lanes | Riverside, California | Jun 26 – Jul 1 | Brian Voss (4) |
| Miller Lite Challenge | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 3–8 | Scott Devers (1) |
| Austin Open | Westgate Lanes | Austin, Texas | Jul 10–15 | Kent Wagner (2) |
| Hammer Open | Boulevard Bowl | Edmond, Oklahoma | Jul 17–22 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (5) |
| Kessler Senior/Touring Pro Doubles | Red Carpet Lanes | Green Bay, Wisconsin | Jul 25–29 | Mickey Spiezio (1), Rowdy Morrow (1) |
| Greater Buffalo Open | Thruway Lanes | Cheektowaga, New York | Jul 31 – Aug 5 | Mark Roth (32) |
| Molson Golden Bowling Challenge | Rose Bowl Lanes | Windsor, Ontario | Aug 7–12 | Harry Sullins (2) |
| Number 7 PBA Invitational | AMF O'Connor Bowl West | Toronto, Ontario | Aug 17-19 | Mark Roth (33) |
| Japan Cup | Tokyo Port Bowl | Tokyo, Japan | Sep 10–14 | Amleto Monacelli (1) |
| Kodak Invitational | Marcel's Olympic Bowl | Rochester, New York | Oct 26–31 | Scott Devers (2) |
| True Value Open | Woodland Bowl | Indianapolis, Indiana | Nov 2–7 | Ron Palombi, Jr. (2) |
| Brunswick Memorial World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 7–14 | Del Ballard, Jr. (2) |
| Budweiser Classic | Columbus Square Bowling Palace | Columbus, Ohio | Nov 23–28 | Leroy Bornhop (1) |
| Budweiser Touring Players Championship | Taylor Lanes | Taylor, Michigan | Nov 30 – Dec 5 | Tom Crites (3) |