PBA Senior U.S. Open counts as a home game for many bowlers

By Case Keefer (contact)

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Char Hammel is one of only three women in the 228-bowler field at this week's PBA Senior U.S. Open at the Suncoast.

She's not intimidated. Why not? Well, because living in Las Vegas means Hammel is accustomed to premier competition whenever she bowls in something as small as a local tournament.

"We have the best bowling in the country here," Hammel said. "This is the one and only place bowling has grown in the last few years."

Hammel moved to Southern Nevada from Southern California six years ago to open a bowling pro shop. Although those plans were derailed and she now works as a poker dealer at Green Valley Ranch, Hammel still is an avid bowler and competes in a number of big tournaments across the country.

She won the United States Bowling Congress Seniors Queens championship a month ago in El Paso, Texas, but prefers to bowl in events around town. Judging by this week's entrant's list, Hammel is not alone in her regimen.

Twenty-six bowlers from Las Vegas are registered in the PBA Senior U.S. Open, which runs until Friday and is open only to bowlers at least 50 years old.

"You see many bowlers retire here," Hammel said. "They come from the Midwest and the East, bowling is more popular in those regions of the country, but this is an excellent place to be."

Wayne Webb, voted the 18th greatest bowler in PBA history, temporarily joined the Las Vegas bowling community eight years ago when he ran the Santa Fe Station pro shop.

Webb, 52, lasted only two years before he moved to Sacramento, Calif., but said the world-class venues made Las Vegas a destination for all bowlers.

"It's the biggest bowling city in the world," Webb said. "You get to bowl on the best of the best here as far as equipment. The casinos put in the newest and best all of the time so you always get a great product. It's always fun to come back here."

Webb's last couple trips to the Senior U.S. Open have gone according to plan. Webb has won the tournament, which always is held in Las Vegas, two years in a row.

If he wins again this week, Webb will become the only bowler to ever win the Senior U.S. Open in three consecutive years.

"It's not really pressure," Webb said. "You just go out there and do the best you can and hope to win the tournament."

Webb now owns a bowling center in Columbus, Ohio, and spends every waking moment trying to make it a perfect venue.

It might not hurt to emulate some of the lanes in Las Vegas, which are certainly revered among area bowlers.

"This is a wonderful place to be a bowler," Hammel said.