October 2016 -
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TOURNAMENTS
2017 USBC MASTERS
By Terry Bigham
ARLINGTON, Texas –
Registration
now is open for the 2017 United States
Bowling Congress Masters, set for Feb.
19-26 at The Orleans Bowling Center in
Las Vegas.
The USBC Masters, first contested in
1951, is a major event on the Profes-
sional Bowlers Association Tour, and
the finals will be televised live on
ESPN.
In 2017, the USBC Open Champion-
ships also will take place in Las Vegas,
at the South Point Bowling Plaza start-
ing Feb. 18. With recent changes to the
divisional structure at the Open Cham-
pionships, all professionals now are
allowed to compete in the tournament.
The entry fee for the USBC Masters
will be $500 until Feb. 5 and then $550
until Feb. 18. Entries also will be ac-
cepted on-site Feb. 18-19.
The Masters attracts hundreds of the
best male and female
USBC members from
around the world. Nine-
teen-year-old Anthony
Simonsen of Austin,
Texas, won the 2016
USBC Masters, held at
Woodland Bowl in Indian-
apolis, to become the youngest player
to win a major title on the PBA Tour.
Simonsen earned the title with a 245-
207 championship-match victory over
Dan MacLelland of Kitchener, Ontario,
Canada. MacLelland was seeking to
become the first amateur since 2002 to
win the USBC Masters.
The Masters and Open Champion-
ships share a history, as the events
have been held in the same location,
with a few exceptions, since 1951.
The tournaments first split in 2002 and
2003, with the Masters held at the Na-
tional Bowling Stadium in Reno, Ne-
vada, while the Open Championships
visited Billings, Montana, and Knoxville,
Tennessee. The Masters moved to a
fall schedule in 2004 – but was held
twice in 2004 (January and October) –
to start a four-year run in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. The 2004 (October) and
2007 Masters finals were held at Miller
Park, home of Major League Baseball’s
Milwaukee Brewers.
After skipping 2008, the Masters re-
turned to its February time frame and
rejoined the Open Championships in
2009 at Cashman Center in Las Vegas.
While the events have been held in
different cities since 2012, they will be
back in the same city in 2017.
Competitors at the Masters will bowl
15 qualifying games over three days
before the field is cut to the top 63 play-
ers, plus Simonsen, for double-
elimination match play. Match play con-
tinues until five players are determined
for the stepladder finals.
Go to BOWL.com/Masters for more
information and to register.
2017 PWBA SCHEDULE
By Emil Williams Jr
ARLINGTON, Texas
- The Profes-
sional Women's Bowling Association
Tour will visit four new venues during
its 14-event schedule in 2017.
The 2017 PWBA Tour kicks off April
27-29 at Double Decker Lanes in
Rohnert Park, California, and will con-
clude with the 16-player, invitation-only
PWBA Tour Championship from Aug.
31-Sept. 3. The PWBA Tour Champion-
ship site to be determined.
The 2017 season once again will fea-
ture four major events, including the
United States Bowling Congress
Queens, PWBA Players Championship,
U.S. Women's Open and the PWBA
Tour Championship. Similar to 2016, 13
of the 14 events will be televised on
CBS Sports Network, including live
telecasts of all four majors.
"I guess it's time to start making travel
plans for 2017," said PWBA spokesper-
son Kelly Kulick. "But really, it is great
to see the PWBA returning to several
centers that have given us tremendous
support over the last two years. The
new venues allow us an opportunity to
showcase the tour to more bowlers and
fans, and, hopefully, attract elite bowl-
ers from surrounding areas."
One of the new venues on the 2017
schedule is Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando,
Florida. Two-time PWBA Tour cham-
pion Kendra Gaines is general man-
ager of Aloma Bowl, part of the chain of
centers that includes Boardwalk Bowl,
and she was instrumental in bringing
the Tour back to Orlando.
"I wanted to bring the PWBA back to
Orlando to showcase the talented
women in professional bowling to our
community," Gaines said. "As a former
tour player, I enjoyed having a Florida
swing because it was a great destina-
tion for bowling fans of all ages. We
hope to give the bowlers in the Orlando
area a treat, witnessing and bowling
alongside some of the greatest athletes
our sport has to offer."
In addition to Boardwalk Bowl, the
PWBA's new stops include: Fountain
Bowl in Fountain Valley, California;
Baton Rouge River Center in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana; and Plano Super
Bowl in Plano, Texas.
Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Sacra-
mento, CA, Northrock Lanes in Wichita,
Kansas, Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln,
Nebraska, Super Bowl in Canton,
Michigan, and The Ashwaubenon Bowl-
ing Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin, are
making their third consecutive appear-
ance on the PWBA Tour schedule. Also
making its third consecutive appear-
ance is the doubles event featuring
PBA and PWBA Tour players, the PBA/
PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer
Mixed Doubles event hosted by Donna
Conners in Houston.
Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert
Park, California, Seminole Lanes in St.
Petersburg, Florida and AMF Gates
Lanes in Rochester, New York, will host
a PWBA event for the second consecu-
tive season.
The 2017 PWBA Tour schedule:
April 27-29: Rohnert Park, CA.,
Double Decker Lanes
May 4-6: Sacramento, CA.,
Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes
May 11-13: Fountain Valley, CA.,
Fountain Bowl
May 17-23: Baton Rouge, La.,
Baton Rouge River Center (*USBC Queens)
June 1-3: Wichita, Kansas
Northrock Lanes
June 8-10: Lincoln, Nebraska.,
Sun Valley Lanes
June 15-17: Canton, Mich.,
Super Bowl
June 22-25: Green Bay, Wis.,
The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley
(*PWBA Players Championship)
June 29-July 1: Orlando, Florida.,
Boardwalk Bowl
July 6-8: St. Petersburg, Florida.,
Seminole Lanes
July 13-15: Rochester, N.Y.,
AMF Gates Lanes
July 27-30: Houston, Bowl On Bellaire
(Striking Against Breast Cancer
Mixed Doubles)
July 31-Aug. 6: Plano, Texas,
Plano Super Bowl
(*U.S. Women's Open)
Aug. 31-Sept. 3: TBD
(*PWBA Tour Championship)
*PWBA major
Schedule is posted at:
bowlingworld.com
select the calendar
