Stylish Weber Has Substance Too

Pete Weber may be known more for style than substance, more for showmanship than skill, but he proved Sunday the reason he is professional bowling’s prime-time player.

Weber, known for his high-energy antics during televised matches, flashed his usual flamboyance during the U.S. Open final Sunday, but still found time for a 231-178 victory over a rejuvenated Brian Voss at the Anaheim Convention Center.

It was the second victory in three weeks for the self-proclaimed bad boy of bowling, the 31st of his career and his seventh major championship.

His array of fist pumps and pointing energized the crowd of about 1,000, but his dominant performance spoke loudest.

“I got that bad boy image and people go after it,” Weber said. “If they want to think about it that way, then fine. It doesn’t bother me. I’m just another person trying to make a living, doing what I can to make sure I win.”

Weber entered Sunday’s final as the top qualifier and didn’t have to bowl until the final match. He watched as Voss bowled 11 strikes in a 260-214 quarterfinal victory over Walter Ray Williams, then dispatched Chris Barnes, 214-193, in the semifinals.

Weber began the final with four consecutive strikes and finished with three strikes in his last four shots. He left a small opening when he missed a 6-7-10 spare in the fifth frame, but Voss missed a 7-10 split in the same frame and missed a 3-10 spare in the seventh.

On Saturday, Voss made a 7-10 spare, and in the match against Weber, he converted a difficult 4-6-7 but ran out of clutch shots. Still, he was happy with second. A month ago, plagued with personal problems, the 22-time tour winner had fallen to 73rd on the season points list.

He has yet to win this season, but a bevy of high finishes catapulted him to 16th after Sunday.

“I’ve never been happier with second place in my life,” he said. “Four weeks ago I was at the bottom of the world ... but things are going really well now.”

Weber now has his sights set on winning something else: the PBA player-of-the-year award. He is fourth on the PBA career victories list, third on the major-championship victories list with seven and joins Dave Husted as the only three-time U.S. Open champion in the modern era, but Weber has never been selected player of the year.

“This keeps me in the race,” Weber said. “That is what I’m gunning for.”

With five events left on the 20-tournament PBA schedule, Weber, Williams and Patrick Healy each have two victories and a major title.

Weber now leads in national points with 201,115 -- 4,230 more than Brad Angelo.

His $100,000 earnings Sunday also put him atop the season money list with $196,467 -- $19,967 ahead of Williams. The season ends March 21 with the final major of the year: the PBA World Championship in Michigan. The players vote for the player of the year.

“I’m not going to be able to take any time off now,” Weber said.