PBA50 Tour standout Pete Couture (right) of Cocoa, Fla., former South Region Manager Harry O'Neale (center) of Ravenel, S.C., and former PBA Tour announcer Denny Schreiner (left) of Akron, Ohio, were inducted into the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame Monday during ceremonies at the Grand Casino Hotel Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Pro bowling's most decorated stars to do battle with insurgence of young talent
The PBA has declared 2016 as "The Year of the Fan," with a number of new initiatives on tap to connect with the world's population of more than 100 million people who enjoy the sport every year. The idea is to give the global bowling audience more ways than ever to feel a part of the sport, through social media and the Internet, television and traditional print media, live web streaming of tournaments to a global audience, corporate partners and, of course, direct access through competition on the lanes.
Final event of GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII showcases diverse aspects of PBA competition
PBA stars Parker Bohn III and Patrick Allen, PWBA-PBA Women's Regional representative Inngellimar Beasley and high school senior Brandon Soedarmasto were the winners in Sunday's ESPN telecast of the PBA Challenge Finals. The final telecast from the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII featured three different levels of PBA competition – seniors, women and regional – in addition to a Teen Masters Grand Championship match showcasing two emerging stars in the sport.
Australian two-hander becomes the fourth player in PBA history to win three consecutive Player of the Year swards
Landmark wins in two 2015 PBA Tour major championships helped Australian two-handed competitor Jason Belmonte (l.) of Australia earn his third consecutive GEICO Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award, PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark announced Wednesday. Two-handed lefty Jesper Svensson of Sweden (r.) was a runaway winner in the Rookie of the Year race. He was the choice on 68.5 percent of the ballots cast.
Live ESPN coverage includes FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions finals on Feb. 7, USBC Masters on Feb. 14, Barbasol PBA Players Championship on Feb. 21
When two-time defending FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions winner Jason Belmonte competes in the 2016 edition of PBA's signature championship Feb. 1-7 in Shawnee, Okla., he will be focused on yet another career milestone that will add to what is already one of the best runs in PBA majors history. Belmontehas demonstrated his dominance in two of PBA's major tournaments, winning a record three straight USBC Masters titles in addition to back-to-back TOCs.
McEwan, Beasley, Bohn, Monacelli, Allen, Blanchard earn berths in PBA Challenge Finals that will air on ESPN Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. ET
With the conclusion of the PWBA-PBA Women's Regional Challenge eight-game match play round qualifier Friday at the National Bowling Stadium, the lineup for the championship matches of the PBA Challenge Finals have been set. Danielle McEwan (pictured left) of Stony Point, N.Y., representing PBA's East region, and Inngellimar Beasley, of Clarksville, Tenn., representing the Midwest region, finished first and second respectively, to earn their positions in the women's regional PBA Challenge Finals.
The United States Bowling Congress has signed on as a major sponsor of the Professional Bowlers Association through 2018. As part of the agreement, USBC will run commercials showcasing its Future for the Sport campaign throughout the PBA Tour telecast season. The agreement includes showcasing the USBC Masters as part of the PBA Tour schedule through 2018. The 2016 USBC Masters will be conducted at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis Feb. 7-14. The 2017 USBC Masters will be held in Las Vegas.
Bohn, Weber, Allen, Blanchard earn berths in PBA Challenge Finals
Parker Bohn III, Pete Weber, Patrick Allen and Josh Blanchard earned berths in the PBA Challenge Finals Monday to kick off 14 days of competition in the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII presented by Silver Legacy at the National Bowling Stadium. Monday's four qualifiers will be joined in the PBA Challenge Finals by the top two players in the PWBA-PBA Women's Regional qualifying and Teen Masters boys and girls champions.
Induction dinner set for Monday, Feb. 1, as part of FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions week
Denny Schreiner of Akron, Ohio, Harry O'Neale Jr. of Ravenel, S.C., and Pete Couture of Cocoa, Fla. (pictured l-r), have been elected to the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame, PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark announced Monday. Induction ceremonies will be held on Monday, Feb. 1, at Oklahoma's Grand Casino Resort & Hotel as part of the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions.
Boston Red Sox star is working hard for his newest challenge as a professional athlete
Mookie Betts (pictured) returned to his home in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Oct. 5 – the day after his highly-successful season with the Boston Red Sox ended – and that evening, a supply of new bowling balls was delivered to his house. Tuesday afternoon, he was at Donelson Strike & Spare, practicing as he began preparing for his debut in the GEICO Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling VII, presented by Silver Legacy and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau, in Reno, Nev., Dec. 7-19.
Portland Lumberjacks will join the field for 2016 competition at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine
The two-time defending PBA League champion Silver Lake Atom Splitters will make their bid for an Elias Cup "three-peat" in 2016 with a roster led by Chris Barnes, Dick Allen and Tom Daugherty. The three players were protected by Atom Splitters manager Mark Baker and announced, along with players protected by the other seven PBA League teams, by PBA Commissioner Tom Clark who also announced the host city for the 2016 PBA League series will field its own team for the first time: the Portland Lumberjacks.
National Bowling Stadium in Reno to host bowling extravaganza Dec. 7-19 to be highlighted by Rolltech PBA World Championship prime time finals on Dec. 17
Tickets are now on sale for the live ESPN telecast of the Rolltech PBA World Championship Thursday, Dec. 17, the pinnacle event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII presented by Silver Legacy and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority at the National Bowling Stadium. The season's final major will mark the first live prime-time telecast of a PBA Tour event in 14 years when the stepladder finals get underway at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local time).
Former standout Tennessee youth bowler to test his bowling skills in Reno in December
Boston Red Sox centerfielder Mookie Betts (pictured), a rising star in major league baseball, has entered the Professional Bowlers Association's GEICO World Series of Bowling VII which will be held Dec. 7-19 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. Betts, who turns 23 on Wednesday, will test his bowling skills against more than 200 of the best players in the world in the multi-event WSOB VII. Betts is a former standout youth bowler who averages in the plus-200 range.
Tom Carter (pictured), a competitor on the PBA50 Tour for nine seasons, has been selected as the PBA50 Tour's 2015 Dick Weber Sportsmanship Award winner by his fellow players. In addition to competing on the PBA50 Tour, Carter serves as a player services representative for Brunswick on the PBA50 Tour. The award has special meaning for Carter not only because it was voted on by his fellow players but also because of his admiration for the late bowling legend the award is named after who passed away in 2005.
Third consecutive major championship of the year to air live on ESPN on February 21
Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl will host the 2016 Barbasol PBA Players Championship, a Professional Bowlers Association major championship that will conclude with live ESPN television coverage on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. ET. The 2016 Barbasol PBA Players Championship will return to PBA major title status, featuring a 48-game qualifying and match play format, and a five-player stepladder final with a $40,000 first prize.
Bayside Bowl to host fourth season of PBA League competition, PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout
After its rousing, raucous, outrageously fun first-ever visit to Maine, the Professional Bowlers Association will return to Bayside Bowl in Portland for Maine Event 2016 including its fourth annual round of PBA League competition and the Xtra Frame PBA Maine Shootout, March 30-April 6. The draft to fill team rosters for 2016 will be done before a live international audience watching on Xtra Frame, on Thursday, Dec. 17, during the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII from Reno, Nev.
Ohioans Bill McCorkle, Bill Henson win same Fort Wayne event under eerily similar circumstances
Friends since childhood, growing up together in Westerville, Ohio, PBA60 players Bill McCorkle (pictured left) and Bill Henson (right) achieved their dream of winning a national PBA title by winning the same tournament in Fort Wayne, Ind., in back-to-back years. Below, McCorkle tells the story of the pair's friendship and oddly similar experiences. The following feature was provided to the PBA by PBA60 Tour member Bill McCorkle.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Grand Casino Resort & Hotel to host PBA Tour's signature event Jan. 30-Feb. 7
After hosting two highly successful PBA Summer Swing events in 2014 and 2015, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Grand Casino Resort & Hotel, and FireLake Bowling Center and Arena will partner with the PBA to host the organization's signature event in 2016, the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions. The premier event for PBA champions will take place Jan. 30-Feb. 7 in Shawnee, Okla., concluding with live ESPN coverage of the stepladder finals staged at FireLake Arena at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 7.
Diana Zavjalova (pictured) of Latvia delivered four clutch strikes in the championship match Saturday to win the 2015 Professional Women's Bowling Association Minnesota Open. Zavjalova, the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion, defeated Rocio Restrepo of Colombia, 216-208, in a pressure-packed title match at Island Xtreme Bowl in Welch, Minn. Zavjalova earned $10,000 for the title and a spot in the season-ending PWBA Tour Championship next month.
36th consecutive season on ESPN includes four major championships, 17 telecasts
On the heels of a break-out viewership season, the PBA returns to ESPN for the 36th consecutive year with a live prime-time telecast on Thursday, Dec. 17, as part of a 17-event schedule that includes four major championship live telecasts. The 2015-16 schedule, released today by the PBA and ESPN, begins with two hours of live coverage of the PBA World Championship at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 17, and concludes with the PBA League Elias Cup finals on May 8.
PBA50 Tour standout Pete Couture (right) of Cocoa, Fla., former South Region Manager Harry O'Neale (center) of Ravenel, S.C., and former PBA Tour announcer Denny Schreiner (left) of Akron, Ohio, were inducted into the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame Monday during ceremonies at the Grand Casino Hotel Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
The PBA has declared 2016 as "The Year of the Fan," with a number of new initiatives on tap to connect with the world's population of more than 100 million people who enjoy the sport every year. The idea is to give the global bowling audience more ways than ever to feel a part of the sport, through social media and the Internet, television and traditional print media, live web streaming of tournaments to a global audience, corporate partners and, of course, direct access through competition on the lanes.
PBA stars Parker Bohn III and Patrick Allen, PWBA-PBA Women's Regional representative Inngellimar Beasley and high school senior Brandon Soedarmasto were the winners in Sunday's ESPN telecast of the PBA Challenge Finals. The final telecast from the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII featured three different levels of PBA competition – seniors, women and regional – in addition to a Teen Masters Grand Championship match showcasing two emerging stars in the sport.
Landmark wins in two 2015 PBA Tour major championships helped Australian two-handed competitor Jason Belmonte (l.) of Australia earn his third consecutive GEICO Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award, PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark announced Wednesday. Two-handed lefty Jesper Svensson of Sweden (r.) was a runaway winner in the Rookie of the Year race. He was the choice on 68.5 percent of the ballots cast.
When two-time defending FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions winner Jason Belmonte competes in the 2016 edition of PBA's signature championship Feb. 1-7 in Shawnee, Okla., he will be focused on yet another career milestone that will add to what is already one of the best runs in PBA majors history. Belmontehas demonstrated his dominance in two of PBA's major tournaments, winning a record three straight USBC Masters titles in addition to back-to-back TOCs.
With the conclusion of the PWBA-PBA Women's Regional Challenge eight-game match play round qualifier Friday at the National Bowling Stadium, the lineup for the championship matches of the PBA Challenge Finals have been set. Danielle McEwan (pictured left) of Stony Point, N.Y., representing PBA's East region, and Inngellimar Beasley, of Clarksville, Tenn., representing the Midwest region, finished first and second respectively, to earn their positions in the women's regional PBA Challenge Finals.
The United States Bowling Congress has signed on as a major sponsor of the Professional Bowlers Association through 2018. As part of the agreement, USBC will run commercials showcasing its Future for the Sport campaign throughout the PBA Tour telecast season. The agreement includes showcasing the USBC Masters as part of the PBA Tour schedule through 2018. The 2016 USBC Masters will be conducted at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis Feb. 7-14. The 2017 USBC Masters will be held in Las Vegas.
Parker Bohn III, Pete Weber, Patrick Allen and Josh Blanchard earned berths in the PBA Challenge Finals Monday to kick off 14 days of competition in the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII presented by Silver Legacy at the National Bowling Stadium. Monday's four qualifiers will be joined in the PBA Challenge Finals by the top two players in the PWBA-PBA Women's Regional qualifying and Teen Masters boys and girls champions.
Denny Schreiner of Akron, Ohio, Harry O'Neale Jr. of Ravenel, S.C., and Pete Couture of Cocoa, Fla. (pictured l-r), have been elected to the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame, PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark announced Monday. Induction ceremonies will be held on Monday, Feb. 1, at Oklahoma's Grand Casino Resort & Hotel as part of the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions.
Mookie Betts (pictured) returned to his home in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Oct. 5 – the day after his highly-successful season with the Boston Red Sox ended – and that evening, a supply of new bowling balls was delivered to his house. Tuesday afternoon, he was at Donelson Strike & Spare, practicing as he began preparing for his debut in the GEICO Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling VII, presented by Silver Legacy and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau, in Reno, Nev., Dec. 7-19.
The two-time defending PBA League champion Silver Lake Atom Splitters will make their bid for an Elias Cup "three-peat" in 2016 with a roster led by Chris Barnes, Dick Allen and Tom Daugherty. The three players were protected by Atom Splitters manager Mark Baker and announced, along with players protected by the other seven PBA League teams, by PBA Commissioner Tom Clark who also announced the host city for the 2016 PBA League series will field its own team for the first time: the Portland Lumberjacks.
Tickets are now on sale for the live ESPN telecast of the Rolltech PBA World Championship Thursday, Dec. 17, the pinnacle event of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VII presented by Silver Legacy and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority at the National Bowling Stadium. The season's final major will mark the first live prime-time telecast of a PBA Tour event in 14 years when the stepladder finals get underway at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local time).
Boston Red Sox centerfielder Mookie Betts (pictured), a rising star in major league baseball, has entered the Professional Bowlers Association's GEICO World Series of Bowling VII which will be held Dec. 7-19 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. Betts, who turns 23 on Wednesday, will test his bowling skills against more than 200 of the best players in the world in the multi-event WSOB VII. Betts is a former standout youth bowler who averages in the plus-200 range.
Tom Carter (pictured), a competitor on the PBA50 Tour for nine seasons, has been selected as the PBA50 Tour's 2015 Dick Weber Sportsmanship Award winner by his fellow players. In addition to competing on the PBA50 Tour, Carter serves as a player services representative for Brunswick on the PBA50 Tour. The award has special meaning for Carter not only because it was voted on by his fellow players but also because of his admiration for the late bowling legend the award is named after who passed away in 2005.
Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl will host the 2016 Barbasol PBA Players Championship, a Professional Bowlers Association major championship that will conclude with live ESPN television coverage on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. ET. The 2016 Barbasol PBA Players Championship will return to PBA major title status, featuring a 48-game qualifying and match play format, and a five-player stepladder final with a $40,000 first prize.
Diana Zavjalova (pictured) of Latvia delivered four clutch strikes in the championship match Saturday to win the 2015 Professional Women's Bowling Association Minnesota Open. Zavjalova, the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion, defeated Rocio Restrepo of Colombia, 216-208, in a pressure-packed title match at Island Xtreme Bowl in Welch, Minn. Zavjalova earned $10,000 for the title and a spot in the season-ending PWBA Tour Championship next month.
On the heels of a break-out viewership season, the PBA returns to ESPN for the 36th consecutive year with a live prime-time telecast on Thursday, Dec. 17, as part of a 17-event schedule that includes four major championship live telecasts. The 2015-16 schedule, released today by the PBA and ESPN, begins with two hours of live coverage of the PBA World Championship at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 17, and concludes with the PBA League Elias Cup finals on May 8.