The U.S. Open, the final event of the 2018 PBA Tour season, is now over and left us with a lot to digest as we head into the start of the 2019 season in January.

Here are three observations from the U.S. Open:

Two different approaches to offering opinions

If there’s one thing you can always count on from Pete Weber it’s that he will always speak his mind and hold nothing back. He didn’t disappoint at the U.S. Open last week after he withdrew and offered his candid comments.

Weber was clearly frustrated with his physical state and his annoyances with some of the rules at the U.S. Open seemed to simply push him to a breaking point and let his emotions take over.

Some may agree or disagree with Weber’s comments, but he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and tell everyone how he felt. Honestly, bowling needs more of this even if it’s not as robust as Weber’s comments.

But let’s look at how Amleto Monacelli approached his complaints about the U.S. Open. Monacelli, despite being a member of the USBC and PBA Halls of Fame, was forced to bowl the PTQ to get into the U.S. Open.

He managed to express his displeasure with the situation and spoke his mind without letting his emotions boil over. There are ways to speak your mind and be critical while doing it in a way that shouldn’t result in a fine from the PBA or the USBC.

Many of the younger players on tour could learn from Monacelli’s approach off the lanes.

Butturff dominates again but comes up empty

You have to feel for Jakob Butturff after he finished second at the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year.

Last year, he led the field by 617 pins and this year dominated by 552 pins yet failed to go home with the trophy, big payday and green jacket both years.

This is the tough reality of professional bowling on television. Although many events feature a lot of games leading up to the television finals, a player like Butturff’s fate can be determined by just one game.

Imagine if you were competing in the Boston Marathon and you led the race by 10 minutes after 26 of the 26.2 miles only to have the organizers stop you and tell you you’ll finish the last 0.2 miles against the top five runners, all starting at the same time.

All of the sudden, the marathon you entered has become a sprint and it has leveled the playing field against the rest of the top five.

This may be a harsh comparison, but it is probably how Butturff feels right now. Although there is no one to blame because this is the way bowling has been forever and most likely will continue to be, and the players know the format going in.

Having a stepladder finals creates the drama and excitement bowling needs at the end of an event. Although, sometimes it just feels wrong.

Player, rookie of the year decisions tough

Now that the season is over the voters will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to the PBA Player of the Year and PBA Rookie of the Year races.

The Player of the Year race has to be one of the most uncertain in recent memory. Had EJ Tackett or Jakob Butturff won the U.S. Open, it would have made the picture a little clearer.

With neither of them winning, we are left to drill down into the statistics from this season as the voters, made up of PBA members and selected media, will have a tough decision to make.

The same could be said about the PBA Rookie of the Year race. The only rookie to win a title this year was Annop Arromsaranon of Thailand, who won the Busan Cup against a very limited field of PBA players.

Arromsaranon only competed in three events, none of which took place on U.S. soil, and that makes things very interesting. Will the voters decide to give him top rookie honors even though he clearly did not make regular appearances on the PBA Tour?

Perhaps the voters will take a closer look at a bowler like Kamron Doyle, who did not win an event this year, but did compete in a majority of PBA stops with some success.

Ballots for the two honors are expected to be out any day now and voting will be underway soon.