PBA Regional Players Invitational 2024

bowlingball.com Staff Writer, Wesley Low


Published: 1/15/2024

Welcome back to the Low Down with Wesley. My apologies for taking such a long hiatus, as I was working on myself and my bowling game to be better for all of you. I need to catch up on the articles and my social media. I'm working on providing the best content

possible between the articles here on BowlingBall.com and my social media accounts.

With that being said, let me give you a recap of what you may have missed. Last season on the PBA Tour felt like my worst and best season. I had cashed in three majors but bowled myself out of cuts during the other events. However, I bowled fairly consistently throughout the year, which was a positive for me as it felt like a roller coaster my first couple of seasons. After coming home from the PBA Tour, I bowled other events locally and on the regional circuit. In July, I felt pain in my back and went to a specialist for an MRI. We looked at my back and wrist, which also felt fatigued. Little did I know, my back was a little messed up, but I had a bone chip and torn ligament in my wrist. I took a few months off and went to a specialist in Platelet Rich Plasma. My doctor has done wonders for me, and now I feel much better coming into the PBA Tour season.

I participated in the PBA Regional Players Invitational in the first week of January. To qualify, you needed to be in the top 8 of your region's points or finish in the top 3 at a regional qualifier. Luckily, I finished high enough in points to bowl the event. With it being my first event, I was nervous to attend and had lower expectations of my goal. Our goal anytime bowling is to bring home a trophy, but I set my expectations as don't take last. Well, just make the cut at your first event and get sharper for the PBA National Tour Season.

We bowled on a 43ft pattern designed by the PBA specifically for this event. My very first game out of the tournament was 188, which had me thinking that I needed to do something better as the scoring pace was much higher out of the gate. After that, I took a breather, readjusted the game plan, and figured out what I needed to be successful. By the end of qualifying, I would end up in 8th place with a 227 average for 18 games. During the qualifying rounds, I used a variety of bowling balls, from Purple Tank, Black Venom, and Jackal Ambush. These were the balls that kept the lane in play while giving me the best opportunity to keep up with the scoring pace.

The next round was a 16-person bracket, with the top four bowlers receiving a two-round bye and the following four bowlers receiving a one-round bye. Fortunately, I received a one-round bye and a break between qualifying and match play. I intended to break down the far left side of the lane to have hook and old to my advantage against my opponent. However, my game plan did not work out as I lost both games to a fellow Motiv Staffer with scores of 210 – 226 and 216 -222. In the end, I finished the event in 9th place. That is not too bad for someone on the injury list for a few months before this event.

Overall, this event was a success for me as it far exceeded my expectations on the lanes. My takeaway from this event for myself and all of you reading this is that injuries can put you down, but don't let them hinder your abilities. Take the time to heal, reset, and maximize your opportunity. When the time comes again, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I hope you guys enjoyed the article; I'll be back next week with a recap of the PBA Players Championship.

-Wesley