The Solution to Restrict US Open Entries

Another US Open is underway at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, with "Maximum Bob" Robert Smith leading the way after round one averaging 232.67.

OUR TOWN'S Pete Weber is tied for 26th, followed by Jeff Carter in 37th (he bowled on TV there a week after his '07 Open TV appearance in New Jersey).

Scott Lavy from St. Charles is 41st, J.R. Raymond from Belleville in 52nd, Tim Behrendt is tied for 62nd, with Rudy Kasimakis and good friend Jerry Gentry from Topeka.

It's great to see bowlers from our area do well, especially those not well known outside the area.

But the complaint has been raised again - that there are those who bowl the Open who shouldn't be there. BOWLING HOOD agrees. An 800 score for last place proves it.

BH isn't here to throw arrows. We have solutions when we see an issue raised.

Here's our two-part solution to restrict entries for the U.S. Open to produce the real cream-of-the-crop:

1. Start conducting regional and sectional qualifiers.
2. Limit entry into the qualifiers to those who have averaged 200 in a PBA experience league.

Golf's U.S. Open uses that method, requiring a 1.4 handicap index to enter. Period. Then go through regionals and sectionals. http://golf.about.com/od/majorchampionships/f/usopenqualifier.htm

OH - golf does allow exemptions to their Open, but it's pretty restricted: About half of the field is made up of players who are fully exempt from qualifying. There are 17 full exemption categories, including winners of the U.S. Open for the last ten years and the other three majors for the last five years, the top 30 from the previous year's PGA Tour money list, the top 15 from the previous year's European Tour money list, and the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings as of two weeks before the tournament.

Golf's field is 150, meaning 75 have to play their way in. Can't bowling do that? It doesn't have to limit the number to 150, but the event does need a higher quality standard who gets in.

Since the U.S. Open is run by the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA), wouldn't it be a great marketing tool for them to schedule and conduct qualifiers at member local/regional centers, then advance it to sectional qualifying?

Tell me this wouldn't work: Exempt PBA exempt players, winner of the PBA RPI, the points leader in each PBA regional, the PBA Senior Tour points leader, and points leader for PBA senior reginals.

Heck, make it fun. Exemption the USBC Open Championship Eagle winners in the regular division.

Anyone else who wants to bowl the U.S. Open: Require bowlers to average at least 190 in a PBA experience league to qualify for entering the regional/sectional qualifiers. Yours truly bowled one last year and didn't average 190 but I have done so in previous years. Implementing that rule would disqualify me this year because I'm just not good enough to bowl the hardest tournament to win.

Good luck to the bowlers listed above. Having bowled against them, they deserve to be there in Indianapolis. But there are a lot who don't have any business being there.