SEATTLE – The Professional Bowlers Association’s World Series of Bowling was created in 2009 to provide the sport with its greatest international showcase and countless memorable moments have been recorded for the history books. But the fifth edition of the multi-event championships, scheduled for Oct. 25-Nov. 3 at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas, is likely to provide the most drama and excitement of all of them.
WSOB V will include new events, a sold-out field of 240 of the world’s most talented players representing a record 22 countries, and an end-of-season battle for the PBA’s most prestigious honors including Player of the Year, eligibility for the 2014 PBA League Draft, and much more as the extended, 14-month 2012-13 season draws to a close.
Bowling fans around the world will be able to follow the action by watching more than 60 hours of live online coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s exclusive webcasts; live scoring on pba.com, and 14 hours of nationally-televised coverage on ESPN over seven consecutive Sundays, starting Dec. 1.
The fifth edition of the World Series will retain its traditional roots. It will feature four animal pattern championships (the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion Championships, conducted on the unique lane conditioning patterns that bear those animal names), and the qualifying rounds for the four animal events will determine the 24 finalists who will compete for the 2013 PBA World Championship. All five of the championship tournaments will be televised by ESPN. First prize in each animal pattern event is $20,000; first prize in the PBA World Championship is $50,000.
Also returning to the World Series schedule will be the World Tenpin Bowling Association’s World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals, presented by the PBA. The top three men and the top three women, based upon a rolling two-year points competition in WBT events held around the world, will bowl in a three-player stepladder finals. Each champion will win $20,000.
New to the World Series program will be a PBA50 Finals and a PBA Regional Players Invitational Finals, which will be contested on Nov. 3. The PBA50 Finals will feature the PBA50 Tour’s three top point-earners (PBA Hall of Famers Walter Ray Williams Jr., Amleto Monacelli and Pete Weber) in a stepladder final with a $10,000 top prize at stake. The players will be seeded based on their rankings in the 2013 PBA50 competition points list. No. 2 Monacelli will bowl No. 3 Weber in the first match, with the winner advancing to meet No. 1 Williams.
The PBA RPI Finals will feature six RPI champions representing the PBA’s East, South, Central, Midwest, Southwest and combined West/Northwest Regions. RPI finalists will be seeded for television based upon their 28-game qualifying totals in the four animal pattern events. Players who rank second, fourth and sixth will bowl the opening match; players who rank first, third and fifth will bowl the second match. The two winners will then bowl for a $6,000 first prize and a berth in the 2014 PBA Tournament of Champions.
Also new to the WSOB V program will be a special High 5 Gear PBA League Challenge Match: USA vs. The World that will kick off the World Series on Friday, Oct. 25, and provide Xtra Frame subscribers with a preview of the PBA League’s new singles, doubles, trio and team format that will debut in late January. The Challenge Match also will be available to Xtra Frame non-subscribers for a special one-time pay-per-view cost of $5. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.
WSOB V will conclude with three days of ESPN television finals, Nov. 1-3, on special lanes installed in South Point’s Exhibition Hall B. Tickets for all television events are available through PBA’s official website, pba.com, and at the control counter at South Point Bowling Center.
The five PBA Tour events will have a major bearing on the 2012-13 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year and Harry Golden Rookie of the Year races, along with the George Young Memorial High Average Award and Harry Smith Point Leader Award races. Heading into the World Series, Jason Belmonte is the leading contender for Player of the Year honors, but he’s being chased by Mika Koivuniemi, Sean Rash, Wes Malott, Tommy Jones, Scott Norton and Pete Weber.
The final 2012-13 competition points standings will determine eligibility for the 2014 PBA League Draft, which will be held in South Point Bowling Center (and webcast live on Xtra Frame) on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. PT. All eight PBA League managers will draft one additional player for their 2014 rosters. The PBA League begins its second season of competition in late January at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.
Throughout the World Series, PBA fans around the world will be able to follow all qualifying and match play rounds live on Xtra Frame, and by tracking “live scoring” on pba.com. For a complete roster of players, click here: http://www.pba.com/Rosters/Details/1955. One competitor fans will be watching with special interest is NFL all-star wide receiver and PBA League owner Terrell Owens, who will make his PBA debut in the World Series.
If all of these activities aren’t enough, there also will be optional PBA All-Regions Singles and PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles tournaments over the Nov. 1-3 weekend. And the Teen Masters Grand Championship will be decided on the television lanes in South Point’s Exhibition Hall B on Friday, Nov. 1.
PBA WORLD SERIES OF BOWLING V SCHEDULE
South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas (ESPN finals in South Point Exhibition Hall B)
(All times Pacific)
Friday, Oct. 25
8:30 a.m. – Squad A practice session
12:30 p.m. – Squad B practice session
3 p.m. – High 5 Gear PBA League Challenge Match: USA vs. The World (covered live on Xtra Frame)
Saturday, Oct. 26
PBA Cheetah Championship
8 a.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2
Sunday, Oct. 27
PBA Viper Championship presented by PBA Bowling Challenge
8 a.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2
Monday, Oct. 28
PBA Chameleon Championship
8 a.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2
Tuesday, Oct. 29
PBA Scorpion Championship
8 a.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2.
Wednesday, Oct. 30
Top 24 based on 28 combined qualifying games from Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion championships advance to PBA World Championship round robin match play
11 a.m. - PBA World Championship round-robin match play (8 games)
6 p.m. – PBA World Championship round-robin match play (8 games)
Thursday, Oct. 31
12:30 p.m. – PBA All-Region and PBA West Member/Non-Member Doubles practice session
2-6 p.m. - PBA World Championship round-robin match play (8 games)
Top five advance to ESPN finals taping Nov. 3
Friday, Nov. 1
South Point Exhibition Hall B:
6 p.m. – Teen Masters Grand Championship finals
South Point Bowling Center:
8 a.m. - PBA All-Region Singles Squad A qualifying (8 games)
2 p.m. – PBA All-Region Singles Squad B qualifying (8 games)
Top 16 advance to best-of-five-game single-elimination match play
Saturday, Nov. 2
South Point Exhibition Hall B:
9:45 a.m. – PBA League Challenge (details to be announced).
1 p.m. – PBA Cheetah Championship four-player ESPN stepladder finals. ESPN telecast: Sunday, Dec. 1, 1 p.m. ET.
3 p.m. – PBA Viper Championship presented by PBA Bowling Challenge four-player ESPN stepladder finals. ESPN telecast: Sunday, Dec. 8, 1 p.m. ET.
5:30 p.m. – PBA Chameleon Championship four-player ESPN stepladder finals. ESPN telecast: Sunday, Dec. 15, 1 p.m. ET.
7 p.m. – PBA Scorpion Championship four-player ESPN stepladder finals. ESPN telecast: Sunday, Dec. 22, 1 p.m. ET.
South Point Bowling Center:
8 a.m. - PBA All-Region Singles Round of 16 best-of-five games match play
10 a.m. – PBA All-Region Singles Round of 8 best-of-three games match play
11 a.m. – PBA All-Region Singles Semifinals (one game)
11:30 a.m. – PBA All-Region Singles championship match (one game)
2 p.m. – PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles qualifying (7 games)
Sunday, Nov. 3
South Point Exhibition Hall B:
10 a.m. – WTBA World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s finals presented by PBA. ESPN telecast: Sunday, Jan. 5, 1 p.m. ET.
12:30 p.m. - PBA World Championship five-player ESPN stepladder finals. ESPN telecast: Sunday, Dec. 29, 1 p.m. ET.
3:30 p.m. – PBA Regional Players Invitational Finals and PBA50 Tour Finals. ESPN telecast: Sunday, Jan. 12, 1 p.m. ET.
South Point Bowling Center:
8 a.m. – PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles Round of 16 best-of-five match play
11 a.m. – PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles Round of 8 best-of-three match play
1 p.m. – Semifinal match (one game)
1:45 p.m. – Championship match (one game)
7 p.m. - 2014 PBA League Draft (South Point Bowling Center), covered live on Xtra Frame.