Friday, March 14, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Pete Weber has been a professional bowler more than half his life and he isn't even 35 years old.
He broke in in 1979 as a gifted teenager, the son of a legend. He even beat his father, Dick, in the first tournament he competed in as a pro, the Brunswick World Open.
From there, it was all uphill for Weber. He evolved into a promising newcomer, stepped up into superstar status and has remained there -- with one blip on the screen in 1995 -- ever since.
This year, he's posted four top-five finishes and won the Tucson Open on Feb. 8. It was his first win in four years and his first win in this country since 1992. His 1993 titles were in Toronto and Japan.
"I've thrown the ball very good this year," said Weber, 34. "My confidence level is getting higher -- it's almost there. When I win again, it's there."
Weber was in fifth place after 16 grueling games Thursday at the 38th annual Showboat Invitational. He qualified fourth for match play before slipping a notch Thursday night. The 24 pros remaining have another 16 games of match play today. The final eight are scheduled at 6:15 p.m.
In his 18 seasons on the PBA Tour, Weber has 21 titles. He's captured the U.S. Open twice, plus the Tournament of Champions and the PBA National Championship. He is the 1985 Showboat champion.
Already, he's earned $36,134 this year in five events. In addition to Tucson, he was fourth at the Northwest Classic three weeks ago and second to Jim Johnson Jr., two weeks ago at the Oregon Open. Last week, at the AC-Delco Classic, Weber was third, losing to Parker Bohn III in the semifinals after beating Walter Ray Williams, Jr., in the previous match.
Still, when Weber broke through in Tucson, a long dry spell ended and took a weight off his shoulders.
"Sometimes, you get a target put on your head and guys max out against you," said Weber, who resides in St. Ann, Mo. "I guess it was annoying."
Strangely enough, for all of Weber's titles and mammoth seasons, he's never been the player of the year.
"It's the only thing that's eluded me," he said, before adding with a sly smile, "If I keep bowling this way, they're not gonna have a choice."
As for his chances this week, Weber said, "I'm not far behind. Anything can happen."
Bits and pieces
* WIDE-EYED: Venezuela's Amleto Monacelli, in 12th position after Thursday's action, won his first professional tournament in the United States at the 1988 Showboat. He beat his idol, Mark Roth, in the championship game. Monacelli was asked to recall the culture shock he experienced on his initial trip to the Nevada desert. "I love this town," said Monacelli, a regular at this event since 1982. "The first time I came here, I was coming in from Los Angeles, and it was at night. There were all these lights. I didn't want to go to sleep." Monacelli, 35, was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame earlier this year. He is the first international player to be so honored.
* ON THURSDAY: Walter Ray Williams, Jr., took a 340-pin lead into match play, but his lead was only 82 pins by the end of the day. Eric Forkel of Tucson, Ariz., had climbed into second place, and Mike Miller of Albuquerque, N.M., was only six pins behind Forkel. Bob Benoit of Topeka, Kan., and Weber were separated by two pins in the fourth and fifth positions.
* DON'T BE CONFUSED: Although the nationally televised finals of the Showboat are being shown live to the Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones (3 p.m. in the East, 2 in the Central and 1 in the Mountain), the show won't be broadcast in Las Vegas until 3 p.m. Saturday. ABC-TV, as it has for the past 36 years, is handling the chores. Chris Schenkel and Nelson Burton Jr. -- one of the longest running broadcast teams in television history -- are the announcers.
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