This is a recap of the 1981 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 23rd season, and consisted of 33 events. 1981 was a season of "fours" for Earl Anthony. He won an unprecedented fourth PBA Player of the Year award (his first since 1976), and captured his fourth PBA National Championship among his four titles on the season.

PBA Bowling Tour: 1981 Season
LeagueProfessional Bowlers Association
SportTen-pin bowling
DurationJanuary 6 – November 21, 1981
PBA Tour
Season MVPEarl Anthony
PBA Tour seasons

Marshall Holman, who had served a suspension for part of the 1980 season, came back strong to win three titles in 1981, taking his second career major at the BPAA U.S. Open. Steve Cook was the titlist at the Firestone Tournament of Champions.

Tournament schedule

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Event Bowling center City Dates Winner
Miller High Life Classic Brunswick Wonderbowl Anaheim, California Jan 6–10 Steve Martin (4)
Showboat Invitational Showboat Bowling Center Las Vegas, Nevada Jan 11–17 Mark Roth (24)
ARC Alameda Open Mel's Southshore Bowl Alameda, California Jan 20–24 Bob Handley (1)
Quaker State Open Forum Bowling Lanes Grand Prairie, Texas Jan 27–31 Marshall Holman (12)
BPAA U.S. Open Big Texan Lanes Houston, Texas Feb 1–7 Marshall Holman (13)[1]
Rolaids Open Dick Weber Lanes Florissant, Missouri Feb 10–14 Earl Anthony (33)
AMF Magicscore Open Landmark Plaza Recreation Center Peoria, Illinois Feb 17–21 Earl Anthony (34)
Cleveland Open Buckeye Lanes North Olmsted, Ohio Feb 24–28 Mal Acosta (1)[2]
PBA National Championship Imperial Lanes Toledo, Ohio Mar 1–7 Earl Anthony (35)[3]
Miller High Life Open Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mar 10–14 Mike Durbin (8)
King Louie Open King Louie West Lanes Overland Park, Kansas Mar 17–21 Marshall Holman (14)
True Value Open Don Carter's Kendall Lanes Miami, Florida Mar 24–28 Bo Bowden (1)
Fair Lanes Open Fair Lanes Woodlawn Baltimore, Maryland Mar 31 – Apr 4 Wayne Webb (7)
Long Island Open Garden City Bowl Garden City, New York Apr 7–11 Earl Anthony (36)
Greater Hartford Open Bradley Bowl Windsor Locks, Connecticut Apr 14–18 Wayne Webb (8)
Firestone Tournament of Champions Riviera Lanes Akron, Ohio Apr 20–25 Steve Cook (3)[4]
U.S. Polychemical Open Mowry Lanes Fremont, California May 19–23 Mal Acosta (2)
City of Roses Open Timber Lanes Portland, Oregon May 26–30 Bill Spigner (3)
Seattle Open Leilani Lanes Seattle, Washington Jun 2–6 Jeff Morin (1)
Pennzoil Open Gable House Bowl Torrance, California Jun 9–13 Tom Baker (2)
Tucson Open Golden Pin Lanes Tucson, Arizona Jun 15–19 Matt Surina (3)
Showboat Doubles Classic Showboat Bowling Center Las Vegas, Nevada Jun 23–27 Joe Hutchinson (3),
Tom Baker (3)
Denver Open Celebrity Fun Center Denver, Colorado Jul 3–7 Tom Baker (4)
Waukegan Open Bertrand Lanes Waukegan, Illinois Jul 10–14 Ted Hannahs (1)
Canadian Open Rose Bowl Lanes Windsor, Ontario Jul 17–21 Mike Aulby (4)
Buffalo Open Thruway Lanes Cheektowaga, New York Jul 24–28 Roy Buckley (7)
Sarasota Open Galaxy Lanes Sarasota, Florida Jul 31 – Aug 4 Mike Durbin (9)
Aqua Fest Mr. Gatti's Open Highland Lanes Austin, Texas Aug 7–11 Dave Soutar (16)
Kessler Classic Woodland Bowl Indianapolis, Indiana Oct 16–20 Steve Cook (4)
Lansing Open Royal Scot Lanes Lansing, Michigan Oct 23–27 Mark Roth (25)
Columbia 300 Open Westgate Lanes Fairview Park, Ohio Oct 30 – Nov 3 Mark Roth (26)
Syracuse Open Brunswick Holiday Bowl Syracuse, New York Nov 6–10 Frank Ellenburg (1)
Brunswick Memorial World Open Brunswick Northern Bowl Glendale Heights, Illinois Nov 15–21 Steve Martin (5)

References

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  1. ^ "1981 BPAA U.S. Open". PBA.
  2. ^ "1981 Cleveland Open". PBA.
  3. ^ "1981 PBA National Championship". PBA.
  4. ^ "1981 Firestone Tournament of Champions". PBA.
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