# 1978 PBA Tour season

This is a recap of the 1978 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 20th season, and consisted of 35 events. Mark Roth set a PBA record by winning eight titles on the season, doubling his career total to 16. He also shattered Earl Anthony's single-season earnings record, taking home $134,500 in prize money.
Earl Anthony captured the second Firestone Tournament of Champions title of his career, in the process becoming the first PBA Player to reach 30 titles. Nelson Burton, Jr. won the BPAA U.S. Open, while Warren Nelson was the surprise winner at the MGM PBA National Championship.

## Tournament schedule

| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
| Miller Lite Classic | Gable House Bowl | Torrance, California | Jan 4–7 | Mark Roth (9) |
| Ford Open | Mel's Southshore Bowl | Alameda, California | Jan 10–15 | Marshall Holman (6) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Hotel Lanes | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 15–21 | Bill Coleman (1) |
| Quaker State Open | Forum Bowl | Grand Prairie, Texas | Jan 24–28 | Mark Roth (10) |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Jan 31 – Feb 4 | Mark Roth (11) |
| Dutch Masters Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Feb 7–11 | Dick Ritger (19) |
| Midas Golden Challenge | Expressway Lanes | Gretna, Louisiana | Feb 14–18 | Pete Couture (1) |
| AMF Magicscore Open | Kissimmee Lanes | Kissimmee, Florida | Feb 21–25 | Earl Anthony (29) |
| Burger King Open | Don Carter's Kendall Lanes | Miami, Florida | Mar 1–4 | Randy Lightfoot (1) |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Brunswick Friendly Lanes | Greensboro, North Carolina | Mar 5–11 | Nelson Burton, Jr. (13) |
| Rolaids Open | Dick Weber Lanes | Florissant, Missouri | Mar 14–18 | Dave Davis (17) |
| Miller High Life Open | Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mar 21–25 | Fred Jaskie (1) |
| Long Island Open | Garden City Bowl | Garden City, New York | Mar 28 – Apr 1 | Johnny Petraglia (11) |
| Greater Hartford Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Apr 4–8 | Mark Roth (12) |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes | Towson, Maryland | Apr 11–15 | Butch Soper (1) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 17–22 | Earl Anthony (30) |
| Columbia PBA Doubles Classic | Leilani Lanes | Seattle, Washington | May 31 – Jun 4 | Mike Berlin (5), Jimmy Certain (1) |
| City of Roses Open | Timber Lanes | Portland, Oregon | Jun 8–9 | Mark Roth (13) |
| MGM PBA National Championship | MGM Grand Lanes | Reno, Nevada | Jun 11–18 | Warren Nelson (1) |
| San Jose Open | Saratoga Lanes | San Jose, California | Jun 21–25 | Mark Roth (14) |
| Fresno Open | Cedar Lanes | Fresno, California | Jun 30 – Jul 3 | Dave Davis (18) |
| Salt Lake Open | Bonwood Bowl | Salt Lake City, Utah | Jul 7–10 | Wayne Chester (1) |
| Tucson Open | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 14–17 | Jeff Mattingly (1) |
| Amarillo Open | Amarillo Bowl | Amarillo, Texas | Jul 21–24 | Steve Westberg (3) |
| Houston Open | Stadium Bowl | Houston, Texas | Jul 27–31 | Steve Neff (4) |
| Sarasota Open | Galaxy Lanes | Sarasota, Florida | Aug 3–8 | Steve Martin (1) |
| New England Open | Lang's Bowlarama | Cranston, Rhode Island | Aug 11–14 | Mark Roth (15) |
| Buffalo Open | Thruway Lanes | Cheektowaga, New York | Aug 18–21 | Larry Laub (10) |
| Waukegan Open | Bertrand Lanes | Waukegan, Illinois | Aug 24–27 | Fred Conner (1) |
| Quad Cities Open | Plaza Bowl North | Davenport, Iowa | Sep 1–4 | Steve Jones (2) |
| Brunswick Regional Champions Classic | Brunswick Olympic Bowl | Rochester, New York | Oct 27–30 | Mark Roth (16) |
| Kessler Open | Ken Nottke's Bowl | Battle Creek, Michigan | Nov 3–6 | Guppy Troup (1) |
| Northern Ohio Open | Westgate Lanes | Fairview Park, Ohio | Nov 10–13 | Marshall Holman (7) |
| Syracuse Open | Strike 'n Spare Lanes | Mattydale, New York | Nov 17–20 | Bill Spigner (2) |
| Brunswick World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 25 – Dec 2 | Wayne Webb (1) |