The summer of 2015 is about to become one of the most competitive in years for PBA members, with five exclusive Xtra Frame tournaments, the first four of seven PWBA Regionals, a number of PBA50 Tour events, a full calendar of traditional PBA standard/PBA50/PWBA Regional Challenge qualifying events, and a significant international tournament in Japan.
For those who are not already Xtra Frame subscribers, below is a perfect set of reasons to sign on. A 12-month XF Season Ticket costs $64.99; a one-month subscription is $7.99 and a three-day subscription is $3.99 if you only want to watch a weekend event. To sign up, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.
Here’s a quick glimpse of the summer agenda:
PBA Tour on Xtra Frame
Of special interest this summer is an expanded schedule of PBA Tour Xtra Frame events that will feature exclusive, live start-to-finish coverage on PBA’s online bowling channel, award PBA Tour titles, and enhanced prize funds. The Xtra Frame Tour events get underway June 19-21 with the Xtra Frame Pensacola South Open at New Liberty Lanes in Pensacola, Fla., followed by the Xtra Frame Lubbock Southwest Open at South Plains Lanes in Lubbock, Texas, June 26-28.
Over the July 31-Aug. 2 weekend, the Xtra Frame Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles event from Palace Lanes in Houston, Texas, will award PBA Tour and PWBA Tour titles. And the Aug. 4-7 PBA/PBA50 South Shore Doubles at Olympia Lanes, Hammond, Ind., hosted by the PBA Central Region, will award both PBA Tour and PBA50 Tour titles. Wrapping up the summer Xtra Frame PBA Tour events will be the Middletown East Open from Mid-County Lanes, Middletown, Del.
PWBA Regionals and PWBA on Xtra Frame
The first four “women only” PWBA Regional tournaments, conducted by PBA’s regional managers, will be open to PWBA-PBA members and amateurs. One event in each of the PBA’s eight regions (East, South, Central, Midwest, Southwest, West, Northwest and Japan) will offer $10,000 prize funds based on a minimum of 40 entries each.
Host centers and cities for the first four events include Bowlium Lanes, Montclair, Calif. (West Region), June 5-7; Secoma Lanes, Federal Way, Wash. (Northwest Region), June 12-14; Pro Bowl West, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Central Region), June 26-27, and Liberty Lanes, Gastonia, N.C. (South Region) July 4-6. Events in the other regions will be held later in the year, avoiding conflicts with the revival of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour program.
And, in addition to the PWBA Regional events, all PWBA Tour events in July, August and September will be televised exclusively on Xtra Frame (click here for the full schedule: http://pwba.com/Tournaments/Schedule).
In addition to the specific “women only” PWBA Regionals, more than 60 additional “standard” regions tournaments will be PWBA Regional Challenge points qualifying events. In those events, women will bowl alongside men, but earn points based upon how they qualify. The leading woman in points in each PBA Region will earn a free entry into PBA World Series of Bowling VII in Reno in December along with a chance to earn a berth in the PWBA Regional Challenge Finals that will air on ESPN.
PBA50 Tour on Xtra Frame
The remaining seven events on the 2015 PBA50 Tour will be held this summer, all except the USBC Senior Masters featuring start-to-finish live coverage on Xtra Frame. Following the PBA Senior U.S. Open, which ends Friday in Las Vegas, PBA50 players will head to Fountain Valley, Calif., for the PBA50 Fountain Valley Open, June 7-10, followed by PBA50 Northern California Classic at long-time host Harvest Park Bowl, Brentwood, Calif., June 14-17.
After a month-long break, “senior” players return to the Midwest for the PBA50 Treasure Island Resort & Casino Open at Island Xtreme Bowl in Welch, Minn., July 19-22; the USBC Senior Masters at Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wis. (covered by BowlTV), July 27-Aug. 1; the PBA/PBA50 South Shore Doubles at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Ind., Aug. 4-7; and a Pro Bowl West doubleheader for “senior” and “super senior” players in Fort Wayne, Ind., to close the season: the PBA50 Fort Wayne Classic, Aug. 8-11, and the PBA60 Dick Weber Super Senior Classic, Aug. 13-15.
Based upon season-long competition points, the top eight PBA50 players will advance to the PBA50 Challenge during WSOB VII in Reno.
International Showcase in Japan
The bowling world also will have its eyes on the recently-announced Round 1 Japan World Open, July 9-12, in Tokyo, that will feature men’s and women’s singles divisions, with first prizes of 10 million yen (US$83,000) in each division, and a special mixed doubles competition including teams representing Eurasia, Africa, the Americas and Japan.
This event, which will feature a number of PBA stars to-be-announced, is being designed as a showcase for the Japan Olympic Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee as bowling makes its bid to be included as a new sport in the 2020 Olympic Games.
Standard PBA and PBA50 Regionals
An extensive schedule of standard regionals, and many of which include PWBA-regional points competitions, and PBA50 regionals also are on tap for the summer months. Regional players also will be competing for high-points honors within their respective regions to earn berths in the end-of-year PBA Regional Challenge at WSOB VII.
For complete schedules, entry information, and details about PBA tournament opportunities for amateur and professional men and women, PWBA and PBA50 competitors, visit pba.com and click on the “schedules” tab
PBA REGIONAL UPDATE: MOHR, WARREN WIN PBA50 TITLES IN ARIZONA
Ron Mohr of North Las Vegas, Nev., and Chris Warren of Grants Pass, Ore., won PBA50 West Region titles in a pair of traditional Arizona events prior to the start of the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open in Las Vegas.
Mohr, a two-time PBA50 Player of the Year, posted a 12-4 match play record and a 6,079 pinfall total Friday to win his ninth career regional title in the PBA50 Miller High Life West Open at Starlite Lanes in Flagstaff, on May 29. Mohr, who earned $1,500, defeated Tony Majcher of Rolling Meadows, Ill., by 36 pins for his title.
Two-days earlier, Warren, the owner of 43 standard PBA Regional titles, earned his first in PBA50 competition in the sixth annual PBA50 Lona King Saguaro West Open at Johnson Lanes in Sun City West. Warren posted a 13-3 match play record and a 5,917 pinfall total for a $4,000 first prize and a 197-pin margin of victory over Paul McCordic of Sugar Land, Texas.
● A busy summer of PBA Regional competition gets underway over the June 5-7 weekend with the Homefield Bowl Eastern Open presented by MOTIV in Yonkers, N.Y.; the Tri City Lanes South Open in Easley, S.C.; the PWBA Western Open – a women only event – at Bowlium Lanes in Montclair, Calif.; and a pair of one-day, reduced entry fee PBA50 Parkin’s Bowling Supply West Open events, also at Bowlium Lanes in Montclair, Calif.
● Jonesboro Bowling Center in Jonesboro, Ark., will highlight the June 12-14 weekend when it hosts the added-money Jonesboro Southwest/Midwest Open presented by MOTIV, offering a projected $5,000 first prize. Elk Grove Bowl in Elk Grove Village, Ill., will host the Tony Grigat Allstate Midwest Open while competition for women and PBA50 players includes the PWBA Northwest Open along with a pair of joint PBA50 Secoma Lanes West/Northwest Open one-day, reduced entry fee events, in Federal Way, Wash.
● The June 19-21 schedule includes the first PBA Tour Xtra Frame tournaments of the summer season, the Pensacola South Open presented by Roto Grip, at New Liberty Lanes in Pensacola, Fla. Also on the weekend schedule are a pair one-day American Family Insurance Midwest Open events presented by Columbia 300 at Tinley Bowl in Tinley Park, Ill.; the Planet Bowl Southwest Challenge for non-title winners in Oklahoma City; the Fort Meade East Challenge for non-winners at The Lanes in Fort Meade, Md.; the J.D. Producing Inc./Triway Lanes Central Open presented by Hammer in Wooster, Ohio, and a PBA/PBA50 doubleheader, the Vanessa Brown Homes West Opens presented by Columbia 300 at Yosemite Lanes in Modesto, Calif.
● Over the June 26-27 weekend, South Plains Lanes in Lubbock, Texas, will host the second PBA Tour Xtra Frame event, the Lubbock Sports Southwest Open presented by Storm. Also on the weekend schedule, Pro Bowl West in Ft. Wayne, Ind., will host the PWBA Central Open along with a one-day, reduced entry fee Central/Midwest Challenge. Sparetimes in Hampton, Va., will host the PBA50 Sparetimes South Open, and Fox Bowl in Wheaton, Ill., will host the PBA50 Tony Grigat Allstate Midwest Open.
● Two events are on the Fourth of July weekend schedule: a PBA and PBA50 Gastonia South Open doubleheader presented by Brunswick at George Pappas’ Liberty Lanes in Gastonia, N.C., and the Grand Hotel, Casino & Resort Southwest Member/Non-Member Doubles at FireLake Bowling Center in Shawnee, Okla.
For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area.
QUICK NOTES
● Reminder: PBA fans who miss the original Tuesday night telecasts of the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing finals on CBS Sports Network can find the shows in the archives on PBA’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame, on Fridays after they air. Xtra Frame is available on three-day ($3.99), 30-day ($7.99) and 12-month ($64.99) subscription plans. To sign up, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.
● The winner of the May MOTIV Xtra Frame sweepstakes and a new MOTIV bowling ball is Larry Robinson of Stockton, Calif. If you are not an Xtra Frame subscriber, you can enter the MOTIV sweepstakes by signing up for a new monthly or full-year Xtra Frame subscription – monthly ($7.99) or 12-month XF Season Ticket ($64.99). MOTIV’s ball-a-month sweepstakes will continue throughout 2015.
● May’s winner in the monthly HotelPlanner.com sweepstakes is William Block. The official travel partner of the PBA awards a $200 lodging gift certificate each month to a lucky person who books a hotel room through HotelPlanner.com. Use the “Book Hotel” link on pba.com and you will be automatically entered. The gift certificate will be valid for hotel room and tax only.
● Reminder: After each Tuesday night Oklahoma’s Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Summer Swing telecast on CBS Sports Network, there will be a short post-game video posted to YouTube. To view the Bear Open video featuring Mike J. Laneside interviewing Tommy Jones, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj6O8Jc8DdY
● Last call: applications for the 2015 PBA Billy Welu Scholarship must be postmarked by June 15. The $1,000 Welu Scholarship Award recognizes exemplary qualities in a collegiate bowler. Eligible candidates must be currently in college and maintaining at least a 2.5/4.0 GPA or equivalent. The two-part application can be downloaded using this link: https://pba.com/Corporate/Scholarships/.