Following a mid-March break in the schedule, PBA’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame, will resume action with a busy spring schedule, starting with live coverage of all qualifying and match play rounds of the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions from Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, March 27-29.
TOC qualifying round coverage will begin at 9:40 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, and 9:40 a.m. Thursday. Round-robin match play coverage will begin at 4:45 p.m. Thursday, and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Friday.
Following the TOC, Xtra Frame will provide extensive start-to-finish coverage of the PBA50 Tour, kicking off the 2013 schedule with the PBA50 Pasco County Suncoast Open benefitting Wounded Warriors, hosted by Lane Glo Bowl in New Port Richey, Fla., April 14-17.
Xtra Frame also will be on hand to provide live coverage of:
● PBA50 Sun Bowl in The Villages presented by Hammer at Spanish Springs Lanes, April 20-23;
● PBA50 Miller High Life Classic presented by Columbia from George Pappas Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C., May 5-8;
● Preliminary rounds of the PBA Milwaukee Summer Swing, May 20-30;
● Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Storm, Suncoast Bowling Center, Las Vegas, June 2-7;
● United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters, South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas, June 9-14.
Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel, is available by subscription on a monthly ($7.99) or annual ($64.99) basis. To sign up, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link. Mobile device users also are reminded the Xtra Frame Mobile App is free to download through Google Play or at the Apple App Store.
KENT’S OUT, BACK IN TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS FIELD
Jason Sterner’s victory in the PBA Don Carter Classic earned him his first berth in the Barbasol PBA Tournament of Champions, and knocked recently-elected PBA Hall of Famer Doug Kent out of the field. But almost immediately, fellow PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss– who took Kent’s place on the “bubble” – declined his invitation, so Kent is back in the field of 48 PBA Tour champions.
Kent, who will be inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame along with Danny Wiseman as part of TOC Week in Indianapolis, can still be bumped out of the field if a new PBA International Tour champion is crowned in either the Kuwait Open (March 13-17 in Kuwait City) or the Brunswick Euro Challenge (March 19-24 in Munich, Germany).
REMINDER: TICKETS ON SALE FOR TOC, PBA HALL OF FAME DINNER IN INDIANAPOLIS
Tickets are now on sale to the public for the PBA Hall of Fame Dinner at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, at Indianapolis Marriott North (Marion Ballroom). This year’s inductees are Baltimore’s Danny Wiseman and Doug Kent of Newark, N.Y. Tickets are offered at $125 per person (attendees must be 21 or older) and include cocktail hour with hand-passed hors d'oeuvres, an open bar throughout the evening and dinner. Business attire is expected. To order tickets, visit: http://pbahalloffamedinner.eventbrite.com/
Other tickets for PBA Tournament of Champions week also are available. Tickets for the live ESPN finals on March 31, as well as the finals of the PBA League Elias Cup, range from $10 to $60. Daily tickets range from $10 to $40. Pro-am entry fees are $55 for the Junior Base Package and $75 for Adult Base Package (add $100 to either package to upgrade to obtain a new bowling ball). To purchase tickets, visit: http://tofctickets.eventbrite.com/
REMINDER: EBAY AUCTION TO BENEFIT TONY REYES FAMILY CONTINUES
Vise Inserts and The Chrisman Foundation are conducting an ongoing eBay auction through mid-April to raise funds for the family of the late PBA Tour champion Tony Reyes. To access the Reyes auction, click here:
Direct donations to the Reyes family fund also will be accepted through links which can be found on the Vise Inserts website (viseinserts.com). In addition, Vise Inserts will be donating $20 to the Reyes Family Fundraiser for every Pop Grip Starter Set sold to pro shops before March 31.
PBA REGIONAL ROUNDUP: WEISS, WODKA CAPTURE TITLES
● Former PBA touring player and nine-time regional champion Randy Weiss of Columbia, S.C., defeated PBA Hall of Famer Tom Baker of King, N.C., 231-191, to win the PBA Pensacola South Open at New Liberty Lanes in Pensacola, Fla., on Sunday, March 3.
Weiss posted a 9-3 match play record to qualify second for the stepladder finals and defeated Rick Langton of Tallahassee, Fla., 214-202, to advance to the title match. He earned $5,000.
● Dave Wodka of Henderson, Nev., defeated Michael Haugen Jr. of Carefree, Ariz., 242-192, to win the PBA Ebonite West Open at Palm Spring Lanes in Cathedral, Calif., on Sunday. Wodka, who earned $2,500, has now won 15 regional titles.
● Kenny Parks of Hammond, Ind., defeated Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., 179-170, to win the joint PBA50 Showtime Midwest/Central Open at Showtime Lanes in Virden, Ill., on Sunday, March 3. The title was Parks’ first of the year and the 14th of his career. He also earned $1,500.
Next on the PBA Regional calendar is the PBA Thunderbowl Over/Under Doubles Midwest Open in Council Bluffs, Iowa, March 8-10.
The March 15-17 schedule includes the joint PBA50 John Wegner Allstate Midwest/Central Open (two one-day reduced entry fee events) at Liberty Lanes in Carpentersville, Ill.; the joint PBA Hubbard Central/East Open at Bell Wick Bowl in Hubbard, Ohio; and the PBA50 Franklin South Open presented by Motiv at Franklin (Va.) Bowling Center.
Over the March 22-24 weekend, the East Region will host the PBA50 Rossi Lanes Eastern Open in Elmira, N.Y.; the South Region will host the PBA50 Fayetteville (N.C.) South Open at Fayetteville Lanes, and the West/Northwest Regions will combine for the Caveman Bowl Northwest/West Open presented by DV8 in Grants Pass, Ore.
Closing out the month, the March 29-31 regional calendar includes the joint PBA Best Deal Auto Central/Midwest Open along with the PBA50 Bowling Gift.com Central/Midwest Open at Georgetown Bowl in Ft. Wayne, Ind.; and the West Region will conduct a non-champions event along with a member/non-member doubles tournament, both presented by Etonic, at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
For complete PBA regional schedule and entry information, visit pba.com and click on “Regional Tours” under the Schedules tab.
QUICK NOTES:
● Entries are now being accepted on pba.com for the first events of the PBA50 Tour season, which kicks off April 14-17 with the PBA50 Pasco County Suncoast Open, benefitting Wounded Warriors, at Lane Glo Bowl in New Port Richey, Fla. To enter, visit pba.com, click on the “Schedules” drop-down menu and click on the appropriate tournament under the “PBA50 Tour” link.