Mike Fagan (pictured left with the trophy) of Dallas, seeded second, took revenge for the loss of the winners bracket finals defeating top seeded Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, 246-213, to win the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Masters and the $50,000 top prize. It was the third career PBA title for Fagan and his first major. With the victory in the TV finals at Sunset Station's Strike Zone bowling Center in Las Vegas, Fagan denied Barnes' bid to become the third Grand Slam winner in PBA history.
The 69th U.S. Open, one of professional bowling's most demanding tournaments, will return to Brunswick Zone-Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J., in 2012 for a record seventh time. Defending champion Norm Duke (pictured right) of Clermont, Fla., will be on hand to try to win his eighth career major title, his third U.S. Open crown and the $60,000 first prize. 
Sean Rash (pictured) of Montgomery, Ill., was the lone U.S. professional in the finals of the Chameleon Open, which will air Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Chameleaon Open was the second of four PBA "animal pattern" championships conducted during the PBA World Series of Bowling Nov. 6-19, 2011 at South Point Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. Rash meets two-handed rivals Jason Belmonte of Australia and Osku Palermaa of Finland and Venezuelan Ildemaro Ruiz.
National Basketball Association All-Star point guard Chris Paul and his new Los Angeles Clippers teammate, power forward Blake Griffin, are rapidly becoming the most dynamic duo in the NBA. But on the bowling lanes in Sunday's ESPN telecast of the Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational
presented by Sheets Brand from Lucky Strike LA Live, Paul gave Griffin
an unwanted "assist" that helped Griffin's team win the trios event and
end Paul's two-year hold on the trophy. 
The Professional Bowlers Association has launched a new membership drive to encourage new members to experience PBA competition, former members to return to the fold, invite young bowlers to test their skills at the PBA level at an affordable price, and attract bowlers from around the world to enjoy the benefits of PBA membership as competitors in the new PBA-WTBA World Bowling Tour program. The new membership campaign introduces a new low-cost PBA24 membership and a new PBA International membership.
The nation's top youth bowlers will have the opportunity to compete on PBA lane conditions and rub elbows with the greats in the game when Teen Masters Qualifiers will be conducted in conjunction with selected PBA Regional tournaments in 2012. PBA has entered into an agreement with Killer 'B' Promotions to conduct 18 Teen Masters qualifiers at PBA Regional events beginning in March through the end of May. The Teen Masters qualifiers will be conducted on lanes designated for Teen Masters competition.
The Professional Bowlers Association and the World Tenpin Bowling Association Wednesday announced an historic agreement that will result in the first true global professional bowling tour. The alliance will allow international and domestic PBA members who compete in World Bowling Tour events to earn PBA Tour titles in WBT events and to bowl in PBA Tour events in the United States.
Benjamin Doyle said he became a Sean Rash fan when Rash first joined the PBA Tour on a regular basis. But the 16-year-old Casper, Wyo., youth bowler (r.) never imagined he'd have the opportunity he got last week when he met and bowled with Rash (l.) during the USBC Masters at Sunset Station in Las Vegas. Doyle, a brain tumor survivor, got his chance through the Make A Wish Foundation. He spent more than an hour on the lanes with Rash on Jan. 28 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center.
Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, is now one victory away from claiming the title in the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters. The finals will be broadcast live on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. Eastern (6.30 p.m. CET) Sunday at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas.Rounding out the telecast is No. 2 seed Mike Fagan of Dallas, No. 3 seed Dan MacLelland of Canada and No. 4 seed Bryon Smith of Roseburg, Ore.
Chris Barnes (l.) of Double Oak, Texas, rolled an 806 series including a 300 game en route to earn the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals of the 2012 USBC Masters live on ESPN Sunday, Jan. 29 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. Barnes defeated Mike Fagan of Dallas in the finals of the winners bracket, 806-743. Fagan earned the No. 2 seed. In the opening match of the TV finals, Canadian Dan MacLelland and 2003 Masters champion Bryon Smithof Roseburg, Ore., will square off.
The lone woman remaining in the field - Missy Parkin (left) of Lake Forest, Calif. - was among 16 undefeated players after the opening rounds of double-elimination match play Thursday at the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels USBC Masters. Parkin went 2-0 in matches at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center and with one more victory Friday would break the record for the high finish by a woman at the Masters. Dana Miller-Mackie (2000) and Liz Johnson (2006) hold the record by finishing in a tie for 17th position.
Rick Steelsmith (pictured) of Wichita, Kan., earned high-qualifier honors Thursday after 15 games at the 2012 Alka Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels United States Bowling Congress Masters. The 1987 Masters champion finished qualifying with 3,505, an average of 233.6, and will face defending champion and No. 64 seed Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa, in the opening round of the double-elimination match-play bracket at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center.
Venezuela's Amleto Monacelli (pictured) took the lead after the first round of qualifying Tuesday at the 2012 United States Bowling Congress Masters by averaging 247.8 over the opening five games. Monacelli, a 19-time PBA champion and PBA Hall of Famer, fired 1,239 in the opening round to lead a field of 305 players vying for a piece of the $235,000 prize fund at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center. The finals of the event will be broadcast live on ESPN on Jan. 29 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
Throwing his traditional rocket to the pocket, Eugene McCune (l.) of Munster, Ind., successfully defended his PBA Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite title Sunday at Fountain Bowl. McCune, who was the top qualifier for the stepladder finals on the high-scoring PBA Cheetah lane conditioning pattern, defeated PBA Hall of Famer and 35-time Tour titlist Pete Weber (r.) of St. Ann, Mo., 245-229, in the championship match for his third career win.
Dino Castillo (pictured left) of Carrollton, Texas, bowled two 300 games and averaged 257.33 Saturday to lead qualifying in the Professional Bowlers Association Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite at Fountain Bowl. Castillo had games of 300, 258, 256, 279, 238, 235, 192, 300 and 258 for a 2,316 nine-game pinfall total on the high-scoring PBA Cheetah lane conditioning pattern to top 24 players who advanced to Sunday morning's match play round. In all, thirteen 300 games were bowled in Saturday's qualifying.
After an emotional victory at the 2011 USBC Masters, Tom Hess (pictured) of Urbandale, Iowa, thinks the key to his chances of successfully defending his title is keeping those emotions in check. The Masters, which is one of four majors on the PBA Tour, also is a part of the 2012 World Bowling Tour organized by the WTBA. When the 2012 Masters begins Tuesday at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center in suburban Las Vegas, Hess will have around 300 bowlers looking to dethrone him.