Found out that for the plastic ball tourney that the pros are using plastic all week (they get 2 balls that they can use for the week). The tourney does not count for points for the exemption but it does count for the money title. Enough of the players put up a stink about it so it didn't count.

now thats a cool tourney!!!

I think I saw that the TQR will allow reactives though, which stinks. Probably because the PBA is providing the plastic balls, and they can't provide balls for everyone that wants to get in the TQR.

I would think that they could just tack on a few dollars to the entry fee to make up for the balls.

I am guessing each bowler will have a Geico ball and a Denny's ball

Anybody have predictions for who might win this? WRW comes to mind first, but I'll take Michael Haugen Jr. since he throws it so straight most of the time even with reactives.

Don't count out the high rev players. They're going to get the ball to move more than the other guys, and they'll generate a lot more pin action.

I like Jason Coach or TJ.

I take WRW. He has done it with any type of ball already. Most others used high end balls in their PBA career.

I think that WRW and Duke will have a shot just because of how accurate they are. TJ and Robert Smith will have a chance because like Lefty said, they generate a ton of revs and pin action.

revs dont mean as much on plastic balls. they go straight. WRW has played the same line with plastic balls before reactive was even available.

Jason Couch has used plastic balls on TV when the lanes got dry, and he created lots of entry angle and carry. TJ can do anything. I stand by my picks

I beg to differ. Revs mean more for plastic than today's reactives/particles because the core/cover combination for plastic balls are not very powerful, so revs are the X-factor. 15-20 years ago when I was a junior bowler, the guys who could rev the ball with the "less powerful" (compared to today's equipment) urethane and plastic balls were the ones scoring - depending on their accuracy. Look at what Mark Roth did to the sport in the late 70's and early 80's and look at the pocket Pete Weber used to make with his shot compared to the "strokers" of the day. I can agree and know all too well that accuracy makes all the difference, but when we're talking about professionals here, there's not a big difference between "most accurate and least accurate", however, there is a big difference between high rev and low rev.

FWIW, during the urethane years when Walter Ray was a relative newcomer to the tour, he was pretty much ineffective (6 titles from 1981 to 1992), but upon the advent of "the resin age", that's when he really became a force (38 titles from 1993-present). I'm not saying his success was all because of resin equipment, but the equipment was certainly better for his game and he adapted well to it. Pete Weber struggled to get used to resin for a time, but since he has adapted and he's been moderately effective post-urethane (19 titles before 1993, 15 since 1993).

If plastic goes straight how come I've used mine and covered 20+ boards with it on occasion? Its all about the condition, and rev rate plus surface prep. You can dull a plastic ball and get a bit more grip out of it and with a lot of revs like Robert Smith, TJ, Jason Couch and so on especially on a dry enough condition of or if they slow the speed down some.

I'm with Brian. I would go with Pete, because he combines high revs with accuracy. Walter is very accurate but gets help from the resin reactive bowling balls. He would begin to leave weak 10 pins again. The accurate high rev bowlers will probably dominate.

http://www.bowl.com/articleView.aspx?i=14828&f=7

the last two videos (toward the bottom), show WRW striking with his plastic ball presumably on the short pattern. I'd take my bets on him.

I'm sure the lanes that WRW was bowling on were dry enough for him to be using that ball, and he is one of the more versatile bowlers on tour, for sure. Nobody said he can't compete with a plastic ball - he is the most prolific winner in tour history for a reason - but the odds favor the bowler who has revs and WRW isn't exactly in the class of Tommy Jones, Robert Smith or Jason Couch. The margin of error with a plastic ball is much smaller than a resin ball, and revs increase that margin of error.

Shoot, I don't profess to be pro material, but I have a chance of walking into an event, winning the qualifier and winning the tournament as well as the next guy. The problem is my odds are slim. Same scenario with a stroker/tweener using plastic against a high rev bowler; no doubt they could win, but the odds favor the bowler with hand. I never count out WRW for any event, but you have to believe he has to be near perfect in an event such as this.

I think Pete will be the best bet, maybe Barnes or someone with a similar style could challenge since they have a decent amount of revs and usually good accuracy.

Exactly. Lower rev players are the ones who benefited the most from todays bowling balls. Revs are absolutely more important with plastic and urethane.

Resin has helped a lot of low rev bowlers become better bowlers. I have a buddy of mine from college who was a good bowler when he joined the team. He was throwing a yellow dot. He would get a few strikes and pick all of his spares. At his first tourney, he was killing the pocket and leaving 10 pin after 4 pin after 10 pin. One of the guys picked up his ball and put his hand in it. It fit. He went to his bag and grabbed a T-Shark (old Track resin ball). He told Mark: Use this, move here, aim there. He had the next 7. Resin made him a great bowler. Before, he would have the occasional 220 game but was always around 190. After he was averaging almost 220.

I think a high rev guy will take it. I don't think WRW or Duke will be able to carry the corner pins.

Deadeye won in Florida during his hot streak in 1993 using a plastic ball playing an outside shot that week, he was that dominant as he went on to win 7 titles that year with practically every piece of equipment out there at the time.

the high rev player WHO IS ACCURATE will dominate. both factors must be in place.