Firelake PBA TOC draws nearly one million ESPN viewers

12 February, 2016

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The FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions averaged 981,000 viewers on Sunday on ESPN, the highest rated PBA telecast of the 2015-16 ESPN season to date. It also posted a 17 percent increase over last year’s Tournament of Champions audience.The 2016 event kicked off a “Big February” series of three straight weeks of live PBA major championships coverage on ESPN. The February series continues with the USBC Masters finals this Sunday at 1 pm EST from Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, followed by the Barbasol PBA Players Championship final on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. EST from Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.

Barbasol PBA Players Championship next up on Xtra Frame’s schedule

Xtra Frame’s exclusive live coverage of the 2016 USBC Masters continues thru Saturday with qualifying (Tuesday-Thursday) and three-game double-elimination match play rounds (Friday-Saturday) from Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis before heading to Columbus, Ohio, for coverage of the Barbasol PBA Players Championship.

Players Championship coverage begins Tuesday, Feb. 16, with first-round qualifying squads at 9 a.m. ET (A Squad) and 4 p.m. (B Squad). The two squads will reserve starting times Wednesday, leading into the Thursday 10 a.m. cashers round. Eight-game match play rounds for the top 24 will be covered Thursday at 5 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

ESPN’s live coverage of “Big February” will continues with the USBC Masters at 1 p.m. ET this Sunday followed by the Barbasol PBA Players Championship finals at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21.

PBA Regional Update: Anthony DeStasio wins PBA South Challenge

Anthony DeStasio of Coral Springs, Fla., defeated Steve Johnson of Coral Springs, Fla., 226-216, to win the fourth annual PBA Tavares South Challenge title at Breakpoint Alley in Tavares, Fla., Sunday.

DeStasio, a non-member, had decided he would join the PBA if he cashed in this event – which he did in grand fashion, taking home the $1,900 first prize – but he lost his chance to claim his first PBA title because titles aren’t awarded to non-members. PBA Challenge tournaments are open only to players who have never won a PBA title.

The Feb. 19-21 weekend includes two PBA Regionals, in the South and West Regions. Paradise Lanes in Spartanburg, S.C., will host the PBA50 Dave Edwards Toyota South Open presented by 900 Global, and Gold Country Lanes in Sutter Creek, Calif., will host the Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort Championship.

Kicking off a busy March schedule over the March 4-6 weekend will be the PBA50 Victory Lanes Central Open presented by 900 Global in Galion, Ohio; the Lakewood Holiday Lanes Southwest Open presented by Storm in Lakewood, Colo.; the PBA50 Monte Skeels Allstate Midwest Open presented by Brunswick at Liberty Lanes in Carpentersville, and the Caveman Bowl Northwest/West Open presented by DV8 in Grants Pass. Ore.

The only regional activity over the March 13 weekend is the one-day PBA50 Thunderbowl Midwest Open presented by Columbia 300 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

A busy regional schedule over the March 18-20 weekend includes the PBA50 Fayetteville South Open at Lafayette Lanes in Fayetteville, N.C.; the Odessa Southwest Open presented by Columbia 300 at Astro Bowl in Odessa, Texas; the PBA50 Showtime Lanes Midwest/Central Open presented by DV8 in Virden, Ill.; the PBA50 Rossi Lanes Eastern Open in Elmira, N.Y., and the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau Central/East Open presented by Radical at Bell-Wick Bowl in Hubbard, Ohio.

The March regional calendar concludes over the March 25-27 weekend with the Cooperfield Bowl Houston Challenge presented by 900 Global in Houston, Texas; the South Point West Challenge and Member/Non-Member Doubles, both presented by Track, at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas.

For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, click here and open the “schedules” tab and click on Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area.

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