Over the course of the past 12 months, the PBA conducted tournaments for PBA Tour, PBA50 Tour, PBA Regional and PBA Women’s Regional players in a total of 130 cities in 39 states.
As part of the PBA tournament program, PBA host proprietors conducted a total of 123 pro-am events, which allowed grassroots amateur league bowlers, from kids to seniors, an opportunity to bowl alongside some of the greatest players in the sport.
“Because dozens of progressive bowling center owners in all parts of the United States understand the importance of professional bowling as an inspiration to young people, the PBA continues to have a significant presence across the nation,” PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said. “Fans across the nation who attend PBA Regional and PBA50 Tour tournaments, as well as our traditional PBA Tour events, have incredible access to our established stars as well as the stars of the future, often at no cost whatsoever.
“The PBA has been the face of bowling for more than 50 years,” Clark added, “and we have every intention of continuing to provide an environment for young bowlers who want to pursue the dream of becoming a PBA champion.”
EXTENSIVE XTRA FRAME COVERAGE ON TAP FOR NEW YEAR
In addition to the return of PBA Tour competition to ESPN on Sundays throughout December, January and into the spring, the PBA will provide online viewers with an extensive schedule of programming on its online television channel, Xtra Frame, in the new year.
For a complete schedule of Xtra Frame events, visit: http://www.pba.com/Live/. In addition to live preliminary round coverage of the PBA Players Championship, Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship, USBC Masters and 50th anniversary Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions, Xtra Frame will make its international debut, providing coverage of the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in January.
For Xtra Frame monthly or year-long XF Season Ticket subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.
PBA REGIONAL SUMMARY: FOY BECOMES ELIGIBLE FOR PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Del., defeated Jonathan Sellers of Stratford, Conn., 213-184, to win the PBA Knob Hill/MJK Pro Shop Eastern Challenge at Knob Hill Country Lanes in Manalapan, N.J., on Saturday. PBA Challenge events are open to any member or non-member who has never won a PBA event.
Foy, who had bowled infrequently as a non-member prior to joining in 2013, had cashed in each event he entered this season and had made the finals in three of the last four events. Now a PBA member, Foy became eligible to enter the 50th anniversary Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions in Indianapolis in February as a PBA title winner. Foy earned $1,500 for the win while Sellers earned $1,000 as the runner-up.
Foy advanced to the finals by defeating Johnathan Bower of Middletown, Pa., 204-187, while Sellers defeated 2013 East Region Rookie of the Year Gary Haines of West Babylon, N.Y., 267-233, in the other semifinal round match. Bower and Haines earned $750 apiece.
● The Dec. 12-14 PBA Regional schedule includes the PBA Decker Appraisal Services Southern Baker Trios presented by Hammer at Wayne Lanes in Waynesboro, Va.; the PBA McKinley Lanes Central/East Challenge in Niles, Ohio, and the PBA and PBA50 Sands Regency Tri-Region Challenge plus Open presented by Radical at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.
Closing out the year over the Dec. 19-21 weekend will be the PBA/PBA50 Southwest Doubles Open presented by Bowling Dynamix at Emerald Bowl in Houston, Texas.
For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area.
QUICK NOTES
● Reminder:Each month MOTIV is giving away a bowling ball to someone who signs up for a new Xtra Frame subscription, either monthly ($7.99) or 12-month XF Season Ticket ($64.99). The ball-a-month promotion is a continuation of the MOTIV promotion which ran during the 2014 GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI when MOTIV gave away one bowling ball a day for the six days of WSOB competition.
● Reminder: the PBA returns to ESPN Sunday with the finals of the Cheetah Championship presented by PBA Challenge Mobile Game at 1 p.m. ET, the first in a series of GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VI telecasts leading up to the two-hour live finals of the PBA World Championship on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m.