PBA Bowling Tour: 2016 season
| PBA Bowling Tour: 2016 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 12 – December 16 |
| PBA Tour | |
2016 is the 57th season of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. There are currently 28 singles title events, three doubles title events, and two team events on the 2016 schedule.
Tournament schedule and recaps
For the eighth year in a row, the PBA will hold multiple fall North American events in one location, at the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VIII (WSOB VIII). Taking place in Reno, Nevada for the second straight season, the event will include four "animal" oil pattern events (Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion). The four pattern tournaments in WSOB VIII serve as initial qualifying for the PBA World Championship. The top 25% of players in total pinfall (from a field of up to 312 participants) over the 36 games of qualifying (nine games per pattern tournament) move on to the PBA World Championship cashers round, and will bowl an additional six games of qualifying on the PBA World Championship oil pattern to determine the top 24. Three additional match play rounds of eight games each will determine the field for the televised finals.
Several international tour stops, which are part of the World Bowling Tour (WBT), are again part of the PBA schedule. As in 2015, a PBA title is awarded if any of these stops are won by a PBA member.[1] For the second straight season, some tournaments formerly consigned as PBA Regional tour stops will now qualify the winner to earn a PBA title in addition to a $10,000 top prize for each event. These ten stops are designated as "Xtra Frame" tournaments, because they are broadcast exclusively (start-to-finish) on the PBA's Xtra Frame webcast service. For 2016, the Xtra Frame series will have a rolling points list, with a $10,000 bonus given to the player with the most points after all ten events are complete.
Season highlights
Young players dominated the first three majors of the season:
- 2015 PBA Rookie of the Year Jesper Svensson of Sweden won the PBA Fire Lake Tournament of Champions for his third title and first major. Svensson, who was just shy of his 21st birthday at the time, became the youngest player ever to win this tournament. The previous record-holder was Marshall Holman, who won the 1976 TOC at age 21.[2]
- One week after Svensson's historic feat, Anthony Simonsen (age 19 years, 36 days) won the USBC Masters to become the youngest player to win a PBA major of any kind. Mike Aulby had held that distinction for over 36 years, having won the 1979 PBA National Championship at age 19 years, 83 days. The victory was Simonsen's first singles title, and second title overall.[3]
- The PBA Players Championship, re-elevated to major status in 2016, was won by 24-year old Ontario native Graham Fach, who became the first bowler from Canada to win a PBA title.[4]
Tournament summary
Below is a schedule of events for the 2016 PBA Tour season. (Some events and dates are subject to change or are TBD.) Major tournaments are in bold. Career PBA title numbers for winners are shown in parenthesis (#).
| Event | Airdate | City | Preliminary rounds | Final round | Oil pattern | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship* | Jan 17 E | Las Vegas, NV & Reno, NV | Oct 20–21, 2015 (Las Vegas) | Dec 18, 2015 (Reno) | Anthony Simonsen, USA (1) and Connor Pickford, USA (1) | Open event. | |
| DHC PBA Japan Invitational 2016 | Jan 31 E2 | Tokyo | Jan 12–16 | Jan 17 | Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela (20) | Invitational event. $40,000 (U.S.) first prize. | |
| 51st PBA Fire Lake Tournament of Champions | Feb 7 E | Shawnee, OK | Feb 1–6 | Live | TOC Custom | Jesper Svensson, Sweden (3) | Invitational event. PBA major. $50,000 first prize. |
| USBC Masters | Feb 14 E | Indianapolis, IN | Feb 8–13 | Live | USBC Custom | Anthony Simonsen, USA (2) | Open event. PBA major. $50,000 first prize. |
| Barbasol PBA Players Championship | Feb 21 E | Columbus, OH | Feb 15–20 | Live | Graham Fach, Canada (1) | Open event. PBA major. $40,000 first prize. | |
| H.H. Emir Cup | N/A | Doha, Qatar | Feb 24 – Mar 1 | Mar 2 | Danielle McEwan, USA (f) | WBT and PBA title event. $20,000 first prize. | |
| Kingdom of Bahrain International Bowling Championship | N/A | Sitra, Bahrain | Mar 3–8 | Mar 9 | Ahmed Al Awadhi, Bahrain (a) | WBT and PBA title event. $25,000 first prize. | |
| Brunswick Euro Challenge | N/A | Munich, Germany | Mar 13–19 | Mar 20 | Jesper Svensson, Sweden (4) | WBT and PBA title event. €11,300 first prize ($12,770 U.S.). | |
| PBA League Elias Cup | Quarters: Apr 17, 24 E Semis: May 1 E Finals: May 8 E |
Portland, ME | Mar 31 – Apr 2 | Apr 3 | Multiple | Non-title team event. | |
| bowlingball.com PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout | April 6 X | Portland, ME | Apr 4–5 | Live | Ryan Ciminelli, USA (6) | Open event. $10,000 first prize. | |
| PBA Xtra Frame Storm Open | April 24 X | Carpentersville, IL | Apr 22–23 | Live | E. J. Tackett (2) | Open event. $10,000 first prize. | |
| PBA Xtra Frame Jonesboro Open | Jun 5 X | Jonesboro, AR | Jun 3–4 | Live | Open event. | ||
| PBA Xtra Frame Lubbock Sports Southwest Open | Jun 26 X | Lubbock, TX | Jun 24–25 | Live | Open event. | ||
| PBA Xtra Frame Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles | Jul 31 X | Houston, TX | Jul 29–30 | Live | Open event. | ||
| World Bowling Tour Thailand | N/A | Bangkok, Thailand | Aug 6–11 | Aug 12 | WBT and PBA title event. | ||
| PBA Xtra Frame Gene Carter's Pro Shop Classic | Aug 21 X | Middletown, DE | Aug 19–20 | Live | Open event. | ||
| PBA Fall Classic | Sep 4 X | TBD | Aug 28 – Sep 3 | Live | Singles, Doubles and Team events TBD. | ||
| PBA Xtra Frame Detroit Open | Sep 25 X | Allen Park, MI | Sep 23–24 | Live | Open event. | ||
| PBA Xtra Frame Parkside Lanes Open | Oct 2 X | Aurora, IL | Sep 30 – Oct 1 | Live | Open event. | ||
| PBA Xtra Frame Reality Check Tamarac Classic | Oct 9 X | Tamarac, FL | Oct 7–8 | Live | Open event. | ||
| U.S. Open | TBD C | Las Vegas, NV | Oct 31 – Nov ? | Live | U.S. Open Custom | Open event. PBA major. | |
| UAE Open | N/A | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Nov 4–10 | Nov 11 | WBT and PBA title event. | ||
| PBA Xtra Frame Billy Hardwick Memorial | Nov 13 X | Memphis, TN | Nov 11–12 | Live | Open event. | ||
| 13th Kuwait International Open | N/A | Kuwait City, Kuwait | Nov 12–16 | Nov 17 | WBT and PBA title event. | ||
| 10th Kingdom International Open | N/A | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Nov 20–23 | Nov 24 | WBT and PBA title event. | ||
| Qatar Bowling Open | N/A | Doha, Qatar | Nov 25–30 | Dec 1 | WBT and PBA title event. | ||
| PBA Cheetah Championship | TBD E | Reno, NV | TBD | TBD | Cheetah | Open event. | |
| PBA Viper Championship | TBD E | Reno, NV | TBD | TBD | Viper | Open event. | |
| PBA Chameleon Championship | TBD E | Reno, NV | TBD | TBD | Chameleon | Open event. | |
| PBA Scorpion Championship | TBD E | Reno, NV | TBD | TBD | Scorpion | Open event. | |
| PBA World Championship | TBD E | Reno, NV | TBD | Live | Custom | Open event for WSOB entrants. PBA major. |
- C: broadcast on CBS Sports Network
- E: broadcast on ESPN
- E2: broadcast on ESPN2
- X: broadcast on the PBA's Xtra Frame webcast service
- *Tournament finals were held in December 2015, but this counts as a 2016 season title. There was an earlier Mark Roth-Marshall Holman doubles tournament in February 2015 that counted as a 2015 title.
- (f) denotes female competitor. By tournament rules, female competitors received 8 pins handicap per game, and thus are not eligible to earn a PBA title.
- (a) denotes amateur bowler; did not qualify for a PBA title.
References
- ↑ "World Bowling Tour announces Preliminary Schedule for 2016". bowlingdigital.com. January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Jesper Svensson Becomes Youngest Tournament of Champions Winner". bowling.about.com. February 28, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ↑ Cannizzaro, Matt (February 14, 2016). "19-Year-Old Simonsen Wins USBC Masters to Become Youngest to Win a Major Title". pba.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ↑ Vint, Bill (February 21, 2016). "Graham Fach Wins Barbasol PBA Players Championship to Become First Canadian PBA Tour Title Winner". pba.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
External links
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