2000 Season Review

Updated August 28, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The Duke of Whirl

With three victories, including the PBA National Championship in February, Norm Duke held off Ryan Shafer and Chris Barnes to win PBA Tour player of the year honors in 2000.

Duke, who also won the award in 1994, became the eighth bowler in Professional Bowlers Association history to win the honor more than once. Duke's tour-leading three titles brought his career total to 19, ranking him 13th on the all-time wins list.

Former Arizona State University bowler Joe Ciccone started his rookie year by finishing 14th in the National Bowling Stadium National/Senior Doubles in January and finished the season with the PBA Rookie of the Year Award.

He led all rookies in average (210.50), cashes (six), match play appearances (four) and national tour earnings ($9,750).

On the PBA Senior Tour, Roger Workman set a single-season record for earnings ($145,275) but could not take player of the year honors away from Bob Glass.

Glass led the Tour in average and finished in the top 10 in all but one of this year's 12 events. At one point he made five consecutive championship round appearances.

Guppy Troup edged out tour newcomers Rohn Morton and Bill Spigner for rookie of the year honors.

In the PWBA, Wendy Macpherson won bowler of the year honors for her consistent play during one of the most important seasons in the history of the Professional Women's Bowling Association.

Macpherson had 15 top-five finishes and won two titles, including the WIBC Queens in May. She won $108,525 in 2000 and held off Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Michele Feldman, and Cara Honeychurch to win the award. It was her fourth player of the year award in the last five years.

Feldman and Dorin-Ballard each won three tournament titles and Honeychurch led the PWBA in average with a 215.18.

First year player, Tennelle Grijalva of Orange, California captured her first victory at the U.S. Open in July. Honeychurch took the year's third major tournament by holding off Marianne DiRupo in the championship to win the $100,000 Brunswick Women's World Open. And Dede Davidson capped off the season by winning the Sam's Town Invitational, becoming just the fourth woman to win the Triple Crown (U.S. Open, WIBC Queens, and Sam's Town).

The league had unprecedented television coverage in 2000 with all 24 tournaments broadcast on ESPN2. A similar deal was signed in September ensuring coverage for the entire 2001 season as well.