PBA returns to CBS Sports Network with Main Event Tour finals

06 May, 2017

PBA National Tour

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The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) returns to CBS Sports Network for the new Main Event PBA Tour finals in Orlando, Fla. The Network will televise five consecutive, two-hour shows on Tuesday nights involving eight PBA Tour stars beginning on Tuesday, May 30 at 9:30 P.M, ET.

Players who will compete in the invitational special event for a $30,000 first prize and a PBA Tour title include Australia’s Jason Belmonte; EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind.; Dom Barrett of England; Sweden’s Jesper Svensson; Anthony Simonsen of Austin, Texas; Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y.; Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., and Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill.

They are the PBA’s top eight in composite earnings over the past three seasons.

Individual career highlights include:

Belmonte, a 14-time PBA Tour titlist, is a three-time PBA Player of the Year (and former Rookie of the Year) and winner of the 2017 Barbasol PBA Players Championship and USBC Masters.
Tackett, a seven-time PBA Tour champion, is the reigning PBA Player of the Year and winner of the 2016 PBA World Championship and 2017 FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions.
Barrett, a five-time PBA Tour winner, was 2013 PBA World Champion.
Svensson, the first player to win five PBA Tour titles by age 21, is the 2016 FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions winner.
Simonsen, a two-time Tour titlist, won the 2016 USBC Masters to become the youngest player ever to win a major title at age 19.
Ciminelli, a seven-time PA Tour winner, won the 2015 U.S. Open.
Jones, an 18-time title winner, has won two majors and is one of four players to earn both PBA Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors.
Rash, an 11-time titlist, has won two majors and was 2012 PBA Player of the Year.

The Main Event PBA Tour finals will utilize a similar format to the tennis ATP Tour, dividing the field into two four-player groups for round-robin match play and award 50 bonus pins for each match win. Group A will include Belmonte, Svensson, Simonsen and Rash. Group B will include Tackett, Barrett, Ciminelli and Jones.

The first round will involve head-to-head matches within each group leading to Group A and Group B stepladder finals. The final two-hour telecast will include a match between the runners-up in each group for third place, and a three-game, total pinfall championship match between the Group A and B stepladder winners.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule, and how to get CBS Sports Network, click here.

This will be the second PBA event hosted by Main Event in 2017. Earlier this year, Main Event Entertainment hosted the Main Event Terrell Owens PBA Super Clash in Katy, Texas.

PBA Main Event Tour Finals Schedule

Main Event Orlando, Orlando, Fla., United States (May 19-20, 2017)

(all times are Eastern)

Friday, May 19, 2017
5 p.m. – Round One, Round Robin 1 Match Play (Jason Belmonte vs. Sean Rash; EJ Tackett vs. Tommy Jones; Jesper Svensson vs. Anthony Simonsen; Dom Barrett vs. Ryan Ciminelli; Tackett vs. Ciminelli; Belmonte vs. Simonsen; Jones vs. Barrett; Rash vs. Svensson); airs Tuesday, May 30, at 9:30 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports Network.

7:30 p.m. – Round One, Round Robin 2 Match Play (Belmonte vs. Svensson; Tackett vs. Barrett; Simonsen vs. Rash; Ciminelli vs. Jones; Group 1 Position Round #1 vs. #2, #3 vs. #4; Group 2 Position Round #1 vs. #2, #3 vs. #4); airs Tuesday, June 6, at 9:30 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports Network.

Saturday, May 202017
Noon – Group 1 Stepladder Finals; airs Tuesday, June 13, at 9:30 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports Network.

2:30 p.m. – Group 2 Stepladder Finals; airs Tuesday, June 20, at 9:30 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports Network.

5:30 p.m. – Group 1 vs. Group 2 Stepladder Finals runners-up match for third place; Group 1 vs. Group 2 stepladder finals winners, three-game championship match; airs Tuesday, June 27, at 9:30 p.m. EDT on CBS Sports Network.

Herbert Bickel