| PBA Bowling Tour: 1978 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 4 – December 2, 1978 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Mark Roth |
This is a recap of the 1978 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 20th season, and consisted of 35 events. Mark Roth set a PBA record by winning eight titles on the season, doubling his career total to 16. He also shattered Earl Anthony's single-season earnings record, taking home $134,500 in prize money. [1]
Earl Anthony captured the second Firestone Tournament of Champions title of his career, in the process becoming the first PBA Player to reach 30 titles. [2] Nelson Burton Jr. won the BPAA U.S. Open, while Warren Nelson was the surprise winner at the MGM PBA National Championship.
| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Lite Classic | Gable House Bowl | Torrance, California | Jan 4–7 | Mark Roth (9) |
| Ford Open | Mel's Southshore Bowl | Alameda, California | Jan 10–15 | Marshall Holman (6) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Hotel Lanes | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 15–21 | Bill Coleman (1) |
| Quaker State Open | Forum Bowl | Grand Prairie, Texas | Jan 24–28 | Mark Roth (10) |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Jan 31 – Feb 4 | Mark Roth (11) |
| Dutch Masters Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Feb 7–11 | Dick Ritger (19) |
| Midas Golden Challenge | Expressway Lanes | Gretna, Louisiana | Feb 14–18 | Pete Couture (1) |
| AMF Magicscore Open | Kissimmee Lanes | Kissimmee, Florida | Feb 21–25 | Earl Anthony (29) |
| Burger King Open | Don Carter's Kendall Lanes | Miami, Florida | Mar 1–4 | Randy Lightfoot (1) |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Brunswick Friendly Lanes | Greensboro, North Carolina | Mar 5–11 | Nelson Burton Jr. (13) |
| Rolaids Open | Dick Weber Lanes | Florissant, Missouri | Mar 14–18 | Dave Davis (17) |
| Miller High Life Open | Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mar 21–25 | Fred Jaskie (1) |
| Long Island Open | Garden City Bowl | Garden City, New York | Mar 28 – Apr 1 | Johnny Petraglia (11) |
| Greater Hartford Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Apr 4–8 | Mark Roth (12) |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes | Towson, Maryland | Apr 11–15 | Butch Soper (1) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 17–22 | Earl Anthony (30) |
| Columbia PBA Doubles Classic | Leilani Lanes | Seattle, Washington | May 31 – Jun 4 | Mike Berlin (5), Jimmy Certain (1) |
| City of Roses Open | Timber Lanes | Portland, Oregon | Jun 8–9 | Mark Roth (13) |
| MGM PBA National Championship | MGM Grand Lanes | Reno, Nevada | Jun 11–18 | Warren Nelson (1) |
| San Jose Open | Saratoga Lanes | San Jose, California | Jun 21–25 | Mark Roth (14) |
| Fresno Open | Cedar Lanes | Fresno, California | Jun 30 – Jul 3 | Dave Davis (18) |
| Salt Lake Open | Bonwood Bowl | Salt Lake City, Utah | Jul 7–10 | Wayne Chester (1) |
| Tucson Open | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 14–17 | Jeff Mattingly (1) |
| Amarillo Open | Amarillo Bowl | Amarillo, Texas | Jul 21–24 | Steve Westberg (3) |
| Houston Open | Stadium Bowl | Houston, Texas | Jul 27–31 | Steve Neff (4) |
| Sarasota Open | Galaxy Lanes | Sarasota, Florida | Aug 3–8 | Steve Martin (1) |
| New England Open | Lang's Bowlarama | Cranston, Rhode Island | Aug 11–14 | Mark Roth (15) |
| Buffalo Open | Thruway Lanes | Cheektowaga, New York | Aug 18–21 | Larry Laub (10) |
| Waukegan Open | Bertrand Lanes | Waukegan, Illinois | Aug 24–27 | Fred Conner (1) |
| Quad Cities Open | Plaza Bowl North | Davenport, Iowa | Sep 1–4 | Steve Jones (2) |
| Brunswick Regional Champions Classic | Brunswick Olympic Bowl | Rochester, New York | Oct 27–30 | Mark Roth (16) |
| Kessler Open | Ken Nottke's Bowl | Battle Creek, Michigan | Nov 3–6 | Guppy Troup (1) |
| Northern Ohio Open | Westgate Lanes | Fairview Park, Ohio | Nov 10–13 | Marshall Holman (7) |
| Syracuse Open | Strike 'n Spare Lanes | Mattydale, New York | Nov 17–20 | Bill Spigner (2) |
| Brunswick World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 25 – Dec 2 | Wayne Webb (1) |