Professional bowling returns to Springfield this weekend

Professional Bowlers Association tournament play is scheduled to take place this weekend in Springfield, bringing with it an estimated economic impact in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The second annual Pete Weber Missouri Classic is slated to be held on Feb. 16 at Enterprise Park Lanes in Springfield, according to a news release. It will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

The tournament is named after Missouri native and professional bowler Pete Weber, a 37-time PBA Tour and 10-time major championship winner as well as a winner of PBA’s triple crown – U.S. Open, PBA World Championship and PBA Tournament of Champions. Two Springfield-area residents, Boog Krol and Keven Williams, are among bowlers competing in this year's tournament, according to the release.

“To have a tournament named after you is probably the highest honor you can get,” Weber said before last year's event, according to the release. “I’m thinking this ranks up there with the fifth U.S. Open and second Triple Crown. It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

Around 300 people watched the Springfield tournament live on location last year, according to past reporting. According to 11Frame.com, a digital bowling news site, approximately 368,000 people tuned in to watch on television, giving it the highest viewership for a PBA event on FS1 since 2021. More than 27 million viewers watched the PBA on Fox Sports in 2024.

Stan Adams, director of sports business development for the Springfield Sports Commission, said via email that the Pete Weber Missouri Classic would bring economic benefits to the Queen City.

"We are thrilled that this marquee event has returned to Springfield for the second straight year," Adams, said, estimating an economic impact of nearly $234,000. "That does not include the media value we will receive for the final on Sunday being aired nationally on FS1."