In a shootout between two PBA Hall of Fame bowlers, Pete Weber defeated AMF Pro Staffer Brian Voss to win the 61st U.S. Open. Voss has catapulted up the PBA World Point Rankings in 2004, and he is threatening to challenge the top players for the top 8 seeds selected for the World Championships at the end of the PBA season

In the U.S. Open semifinals, Voss defeated Chris Barnes 214-193 to set up his match with Weber. Both Weber and Voss started with a string of strikes until Voss left the 4-6-7 split. However, Voss converted the almost impossible split and it looked like he was on his way to the championship. Unfortunately, Voss next encountered a pocket 7-10 split and his victory opportunity started to fade.

"A month ago I switched to four steps. I had done that for 15 years, then switched back to five steps a while back," Voss said. "I just went back to basics, that and a lot of soul searching. My career was on the line a month ago.

"AMF 300 and I are back together and their latest equipment is really working well for me," Voss continued. "I used the new Triumph TNT all week. Its strong reaction gave me the confidence that it would come back when I swung it out. When it got to the pocket it hit and carried. That gave me the feeling that I could relax even though the conditions were demanding."

Voss also defeated defending U.S. Open champion Walter Ray Williams in the quarterfinals, 260-214, as he struck on 11 of 12 shots.