There's a new article on the PBA website that talks about new changes to the World Championships.  Now, non-members will be allowed to bowl to be the PBA World Champion.  I can understand wanting to allow top international bowlers to increase the size and caliber of the field.  But everyday, ordinary amateurs, just like every other tour stop?  I don't like that.

The article mentions that now three of the four majors (Masters, Open, and WC) will allow amateurs, but under the new rules, if an amateur wins the WC, he's eligible to bowl in the ToC as well (it mentions that, but still thinks that amateurs are excluded).

I realize that amateurs simply don't win PBA tournaments.  Every now and then you'll get an amateur or two in the Masters finals and they even win from time to time.  I don't remember ever hearing of an amateur winning the US Open, apparently it's sufficiently rare that Palermaa's appearance in 2004 was a Really Big Deal (not a Hammer bowling ball).  Pat Healey made the show at the ToC in '95 as an amateur.

But there should be some tournaments that are exclusively for PBA members.  The World Championships, as a major tournament, should be PBA-only.  Maybe with special invitations to foreign professionals.  But not every house hack that wants to put up the $500.

SH