Upon further review, Tom Smallwood‘s final shot in winning the Barbasol PBA Players Championship at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl Sunday was officially recorded as a “zero” due to a foreign substance (shaving cream) on his ball.

After throwing two strikes in the 10th frame to lock up his victory over Jason Belmonte, Smallwood was given a “Barbasol facial” by fellow Brunswick staffer Jon Van Hees before he had a chance to throw his final shot.

Smallwood (pictured above) then delivered his fill ball (leaving the 2-8) which initially gave him a winning total of 267. But when tournament director Kirk von Krueger noticed some of the shaving cream had landed on the ball, Smallwood’s final shot was disqualified and the final score of the match became 259-239.

Tom Smallwood closes in on elite eight field for 2018 PBA Tour Finals

Speaking of Tom Smallwood (above), his win in Columbus, Ohio, helped him move into contention for a berth in the 2018 PBA Tour Finals which will take place May 4-6 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.

The PBA Tour Finals, which will be televised by CBS Sports Network as part of the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule, will include the top eight players in combined PBA Tour/World Bowling Tour earnings from 2016 through the Port Property Management PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout, which will take place April 17-18 at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine.

With only the USBC Masters (April 9-15) in Syracuse, N.Y., and the Maine tournament remaining on the combined earnings list, the top eight players are: EJ Tackett (left; $380,828), Jason Belmonte (right; $380,357), Jesper Svensson ($296,456), Dom Barrett ($254,490), Anthony Simonsen ($236,834), Marshall Kent ($223,745), Tommy Jones ($175,652) and, in the No. 8 position, Sean Rash ($154,472).

With a $30,000 first prize at stake in the USBC Masters, the 2018 season’s third major championship, and $10,000 to the winner in Maine, a handful of other players – led by Smallwood – have a chance to break into the elite eight field.

Smallwood’s combined earnings are $153,057, just over $1,000 behind Rash. Mathematically in contention behind Smallwood are Ryan Ciminelli ($137,080), Francois Lavoie ($128,055) and Kyle Troup ($123,440).

Port Property Management PBA XF Maine Shootout nearly full

And speaking of the Port Property Management PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout, the capacity field of 64 players is on the brink of being filled. The singles tournament that leads into the PBA League competition at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, April 20-22, had fewer than 10 spots available as of today.

Players ranked among the top 75 on the PBA Tour’s 2017 aggregate earnings list have first priority to enter by the Monday, March 5, deadline (if the field isn’t filled prior to Monday).

The PBA Xtra Frame Tour event involves a unique best-of-three-game, single-elimination match play format. A “draw party” will be held on Monday, April 16, to randomly selected bracket positions for all 64 players.

Match play elimination round one on Tuesday will involve four sessions with 16 players with 32 winners advancing to round two later in the day. The 16 survivors from round two will continue the best-of-three-game competition on Wednesday until the field is reduced to two players who will bowl for the championship at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Josh Blanchard (2015) and Ryan Ciminelli (2016) are the champions of the two previous Xtra Frame Maine Shootout events.

The entire Maine Shootout will be live streamed on Xtra Frame, PBA’s subscription-based online bowling channel. To sign up for a subscription, click here.

PBA adds Lubbock Sports Open to Xtra Frame PBA Tour Schedule

The PBA Xtra Frame Lubbock Sports Open, presented by Ebonite, will return to the PBA Tour’s schedule of Xtra Frame tournaments in 2018.

The Lubbock event, scheduled for the June 8-10 weekend at South Plains Lanes in Lubbock, Texas, brings the series of tournaments covered exclusively by Xtra Frame to eight. Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., is the defending champion in Lubbock.

PBA begins unveiling remaining “Memorable Moments”

The countdown continues. While the PBA has revealed its top 10 moments on a list of the 60 most memorable moments in history as part of the PBA 60th Anniversary Celebration Season, there are still 49 additional moments to unveil…and the unveiling has begun.

One additional memorable moment will be disclosed Monday through Friday on PBA’s social media outlets. To make sure you don’t miss out, follow the PBA on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProfessionalBowlersAssociation) or Instagram (pbatour), subscribe to the PBA channel on YouTube (PBABowling) and tweet along on Twitter (@pbatour).

If you missed one, each week’s five new “moments” will be recapped in PBA Spare Shots in the ensuing week until the entire list of 60 memorable moments is complete.

PBA Regional Update: Regionals kick into full swing in March

PBA’s 2018 regional tournament season kicks into full gear in March, beginning with this weekend when Strike Zone Lanes in Canton, Ohio, hosts the PBA50 Strike Zone Lanes Central Classic presented by Brunswick; Holiday Lanes in Lakewood, Colo., hosts the PBA Dreams Never Die Southwest Super Regional presented by Denver Broncos’ star CJ Anderson and Storm, and Gold Country Lanes in Sutter Creek, Calif., hosts the Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort Championship.

The March 9-11 PBA Regional weekend calendar includes the PBA50 Fayetteville South Open at Lafayette Lanes in Fayetteville, N.C.; the Colorado Springs Southwest Super Regional at Harmony Bowl in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the Sands Regency tripleheader including the West/Northwest Winter Challenge presented by Hammer, West/Northwest Winter Classic presented by Ebonite and the PBA50 Winter Classic presented by Track – all at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno.

A busy weekend is on tap for PBA Regional competitors over the March 16-18 weekend when the schedule includes the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau Central/East Open presented by Radical at Bell-Wick Bowl in Hubbard, Ohio; the PBA50 Showtime Lanes Midwest/Central Open in Virden, Ill.; the Jac’s Lanes Valdosta South Open in Valdosta, Ga., and the Odessa Southwest Open at Astro Bowl in Odessa, Texas.

PBA’s March 23-25 regional tournament schedule includes the PBA50 Rossi Lanes Open in Elmira, N.Y.; the PBA50 Monte Skeels Allstate Midwest/Central Open at Liberty Lanes in Carpentersville, Ill.. and the Caveman Bowl Northwest/West Open presented by DV8 in Grants Pass, Ore.

Closing out the March PBA Regional schedule will be the Copperfield Bowl Southwest Challenge for non-title winners over the March 30-April 1 weekend in Houston, Texas.

For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, click here to find the event(s) in your area.

Quick Notes

Reminder: In case you missed the live telecast, ESPN2 will re-air the Barbasol PBA Players Championship finals Saturday (March 3) at 9 a.m. EST.

Related Articles

2018 PBA Spare Shots #8 – February 24, 2018
2018 PBA Spare Shots #7 – February 16, 2018
2018 PBA Spare Shots #6 – February 9, 2018
2018 PBA Spare Shots #5 – February 1, 2018
2018 PBA Spare Shots #4 – January 24, 2018
2018 PBA Spare Shots #3 – January 20, 2018
2018 PBA Spare Shots #2 – January 12, 2018
2018 PBA Spare Shots #1 – January 6, 2018
2017 PBA Spare Shots