| PBA Bowling Tour: 1996 Season | |
| League: | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport: | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration: | January 22 – December 15, 1996 |
| Season: | PBA Tour |
| Mvp: | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. |
| Seasonslist: | Professional Bowlers Association Seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | PBA Tour |
| Prevseason Link: | PBA Bowling Tour: 1995 Season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1995 |
| Nextseason Link: | PBA Bowling Tour: 1997 Season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1997 |
This is a recap of the 1996 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 38th season, and consisted of 29 events.
Dave D'Entremont won his first career major at the Brunswick World Tournament of Champions.[1] Likewise, long-time PBA Tour professional Butch Soper captured his first career major at the PBA National Championship.[2]
Dave Husted became the first PBA player to win three modern-day BPAA U.S. Open titles, and the first to win back-to-back as he successfully defended his 1995 U.S. Open crown.[3] [4]
Though shut out in the major tournaments, Walter Ray Williams, Jr. collected five titles on the season and led the tour in earnings, helping him win PBA Player of the Year honors for the third time in his career.
At the Columbia 300 Open, C.K. Moore rolled the PBA's ninth televised 300 game, becoming the first Tour rookie to do so.[5] Later in the season, at the Flagship Open, Bob Learn, Jr. rolled the PBA's 10th televised perfect game in his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. At this same event, Learn shattered the PBA record for a four-game TV series by downing 1,129 pins. The old record was set in 1995 by David Ozio, who toppled 1,070 pins.[6]
| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria Open | Landmark Recreation Center | Peoria, Illinois | Jan 22–26 | Wayne Webb (18) | |
| Columbia 300 Open | Highland Lanes | Austin, Texas | Jan 29 – Feb 2 | C.K. Moore (1) | |
| Reno Open | Reno Hilton Bowling Center | Reno, Nevada | Feb 5–9 | Dave Arnold (2) | |
| Oregon Open | Hollywood Bowl | Portland, Oregon | Feb 12–16 | Brian Voss (16) | |
| Track Synergy Open | Celebrity Bowl/Tri-Cities Coliseum | Kennewick, Washington | Feb 18–23 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (17) | |
| Tucson Open | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Feb 25 – Mar 1 | Bryan Goebel (8) | |
| AC-Delco Classic | Cal Bowl | Lakewood, California | Mar 5–9 | Tom Baker (8) | |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Mar 10–16 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (18) | |
| Quaker State 250 | Warrior Coliseum | Grand Prairie, Texas | Mar 17–23 | Steve Wilson (1) | |
| Comfort Inn Classic | Don Carter's All-Star Lanes-Sawgrass | Sunrise, Florida | Mar 26–30 | Steve Hoskins (4) | |
| Flagship Open | Eastway Lanes/Erie Civic Center | Erie, Pennsylvania | Apr 2–6 | Bob Learn, Jr. (3) | |
| Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open | Carolier Lanes | North Brunswick, New Jersey | Apr 9–13 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (19) | |
| Bud Light Championship | Sayville Bowl | Sayville, New York | Apr 16–20 | Philip Ringener (1) | |
| Brunswick World Tournament of Champions | Brunswick Deer Park Lanes | Lake Zurich, Illinois | Apr 21–27 | Dave D'Entremont (5) | |
| IOF Foresters Open | Classic Bowl | Mississauga, Ontario | May 14–18 | David Traber (3) | |
| Greater Baltimore Open | Country Club Lanes | Baltimore, Maryland | May 21–25 | Mike Aulby (24) | |
| Greater Hartford Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | May 28 – Jun 1 | Dennis Horan (2) | |
| PBA National Championship | Ducat's Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Jun 2–8 | Butch Soper (6) | |
| Greater Detroit Open | Taylor Lanes | Taylor, Michigan | Jun 11–15 | Doug Kent (1) | |
| Kingpin Classic | Northrock Lanes | Wichita, Kansas | Jun 18–22 | Jess Stayrook (6) | |
| Oronamin C Japan Cup | Tokyo Port Bowl | Tokyo, Japan | Sep 19–22 | Steve Wilson (2) | |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Woodland Bowl | Indianapolis, Indiana | Sep 28 – Oct 4 | Dave Husted (13) | |
| Cleveland Open | Brunswick Ambassador Lanes | Bedford, Ohio | Oct 5–6 | George Branham III (5) | |
| Ebonite Classic | Bowl One Lanes | Troy, Michigan | Oct 11 – Nov 15 | Marshall Holman (22) | |
| Rochester Open | Marcel's Olympic Bowl | Rochester, New York | Oct 19–23 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (20) | |
| Touring Pro/Senior Doubles | East Providence Lanes | East Providence, Rhode Island | Oct 26–30 | Eric Forkel (4), Gene Stus | |
| Greater Harrisburg Open | ABC West Lanes | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Nov 2–6 | Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (21) | |
| Bayer/Brunswick Touring Players Championship | Olympic Lanes-Harmar | Harmarville, Pennsylvania | Nov 8–12 | Mike Aulby (25) | |
| Merit Mixed Doubles Championship | Sam's Town Bowling Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Dec 13–15 | Mark Williams (7), Aleta Sill |