The Virginian-Pilot 
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996                 TAG: 9607260220
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 25   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 
                                            LENGTH:   41 lines

USA'S TOP FEMALE BOWLERS ARE COMING TO FRANKLIN

Four of women's bowling's top five money winners this year are expected to be on hand today when activities for the $65,000 Franklin Virginia Open get under way at the Franklin Bowling Center.

The tournament is believed to be the city's first professional sports event.

Heading the list of entrants is Las Vegas' Wendy Macpherson-Papanos, who leads the Sam's Town Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour with $56,780 in prize money through the first 11 national tournaments. Macpherson-Papanos, 28, is also the tour's top-ranked bowler and is second in average (221.01).

Macpherson-Paponos, who rolled her first 300 game at age 14, is a two-time LPBT singles champion this season. No one else has won more than one singles event. She's earned more than $400,000 on the tour in her 10-year career.

Other leading money winners expected to compete in Franklin: No. 2 Tammy ``The Taminator'' Turner ($51,830); No. 3 Sandra Jo Shiery ($41,655) and No. 5 Lisa ``Rocket'' Wagner ($33,880).

The Franklin Virginia Open champion wins $9,000. Second place is worth $5,000, third gets $3,400, fourth pockets $2,800 and fifth collects $2,500.

Action begins Sunday with an official practice session and pro-am, and concludes Thursday with the Top Five stepladder finals.

A detailed rundown of tournament events:

July 28: After the Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour's official practice session from 8:30-10:30 a.m., a Pro-Am event kicks off at 11 a.m. Cost is $50 for adults, $25 for juniors and comes with a VIP pass for the week's event and admission to a bowling clinic with the pros the following day.

July 29: Qualifying begins at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Cost is $5. The pro is scheduled for 6 p.m.

July 30: Practice for the top 32 bowlers from 9:30-10:30 a.m., followed by matchplay at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Admission: $5.

July 31: More matchplay for the top 32 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Five-dollar admission fee again.

Aug. 1: Stepladder finals for the top five at 7 p.m. Cost is $10.

A special weekly pass is available for $20. For more information, call Deborah Elliott at 562-0221. by CNB