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Professional Bowlers Association

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) –- currently known as the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour for sponsorship reasons -– was founded in Syracuse, New York and is currently based in Seattle, Washington. It is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the U.S.A.. Its season runs from September to April each year, and is televised exclusively by ESPN.

PBA History

Prior to the PBA's inception, bowling was broadcast on television sporadically beginning in the early 1950s. NBC began with an early 1950s special telecast entitled Championship Bowling Regular bowling shows, including Make That Spare and Jackpot Bowling with Milton Berle began airing nationally.

At the same time, there was a desire to start a professional bowling division in the United States; an effort led by Eddie Elias, a sports agent based in Akron, Ohio. During the 1958 ABC (American Bowling Congress) tournament in Syracuse New York, sixty men, including Don Carter, Frank Esposito, Buzz Fazio, Dick Weber, Carmen Salvino, Billy Welu, Steve Nagy, Harry Smith, Ray Bluth, Dick Hoover and Junie McMahon attended a presentation by Elias. After listening to his proposal, thirty-three of the men donated $1,650 each to start the organization, which was incorporated in 1958 , and headquartered in Akron.

Competition began in 1959 with three tournaments. Lou Campi won the first event (the Empire State Open), and Dick Weber won the other two (Paramus Eastern Open and the Dayton Open). Weber would become the first "face" of the PBA in the early years, as he won 10 of the first 22 events held.

Elias would also lead the effort to give the PBA a permanent home on television, which it would find on ABC Sports by 1965. Coupled with the continued support of its charter members, as well as sponsorships by the Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola (which sponsored eleven tournaments in 1963 alone) , True Value Hardware and Firestone Tire, the PBA experienced growth in its tournament schedules and prize funds.

Schedules reached a plateau of 35 tournaments per year in the 1980s. The 1965 Tournament of Champions was the first to offer $100,000 in prize money; the 1982 event featured a $200,000 purse, and the 1987 U.S. Open, sponsored by Seagram distillery, offered a $500,000 prize fund as well as the first $100,000 first-place prize in PBA history.

By the 1980s, True Value pledged $100,000 to any roller of a perfect game on national television (increased to a $200,000 sum during its own True Value Open). Prior to this, the PBA would award a televised 300 game with $10,000 and a new Ford automobile. In addition, in the early 1990s the Miller Brewing Company offered $1 million to any bowler who could win all three of its tournaments in a given season.

Today, total PBA tournament prize money exceeds $9 million (2007), versus approximately $1 million annually in the 1970s.

As television exposure increased for the PBA, it spun off a Seniors Tour in 1981, with Bill Beach winning the first seniors' championship that year.

Elias continued to be involved in the PBA until his death in 1998. Eventually, the PBA was purchased in March 2000 by former Microsoft executives Chris Peters (Chairman), Rob Glaser, and Mike Slade. The organization's corporate headquarters were moved to Seattle, Washington. Together with CEO Steve Miller, a former Nike executive, this group is widely recognized for rescuing the PBA from the brink of extinction. Fred Schreyer currently serves as the PBA's CEO/President, and Commissioner; after assuming the post from Miller in 2005.

The PBA oversees the PBA Tour, the PBA Senior Tour, and the PBA Regional Tour (a sort of minor-league circuit). The PBA Regional Tour consists of 7 regions: Central, East, Midwest, Northwest, South, Southwest, and West. The PBA currently has almost 4,300 members worldwide.

On October 1, 2008, the PBA began a three-year sponsorship deal with Lumber Liquidators, making the American hardwood flooring retailer the tour's title sponsor through the 2010-11 season. Denny's, the title sponsor from 2005-08, remains a PBA sponsor, and will continue to be the title sponsor of the Denny's Dick Weber Open tour stop.

The 2008-09 Season

The PBA will kick off its 50th season with a major tournament: the PBA World Championship is being moved to the front of the PBA schedule for the first time in history. The tournament will be contested October 19-25, 2008 at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, KS, with the live televised finals airing Sunday, October 26 on ESPN. The 20-event 2008-09 season concludes with the 66th U.S. Open, March 29-April 5 in North Brunswick, NJ. Other majors in 2008-09 include the Tournament of Champions (January 19-26 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, NV) and USBC Masters (February 8-16 at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas).

ESPN's lead-in to the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour will begin with an October 19 telecast of the Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational tournament. Paul, whose regular job is point guard for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, is an avid bowler and has been a spokesperson for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) since 2007. The fundraising event was contested September 20 in Winston-Salem, NC, with proceeds benefitting charities in Winston-Salem and New Orleans via Paul's CP3 Foundation. The contest paired five PBA pros (Chris Barnes, Doug Kent, Tommy Jones, Jason Couch and Mitch Beasley) with Paul and four other NBA stars (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay).

A special "Golden Anniversary Championship" will feature 16 Senior PBA bowlers (age 50 or older) who will earn entry through a dedicated qualifying round at the Hammond, IN tour stop. The eventual top two Senior bowlers will square off in a live televised final, airing just prior to the final match for the regular touring pros on November 9.

The PBA Women's Series, which began on a limited basis in the 2007-08 season, continues this season with seven events (see "PBA Women's Series/Women's U.S. Open" later in this article). The series features head-to-head women's matches to air jointly with six PBA telecasts, plus a mixed doubles event with PBA professionals that airs February 1, 2009.

Dates	Event	City	Oil Pattern	Swing	Notes / Concurrent Event	ESPN Airdate
Sept. 20	Chris Paul Celebrity Invitational presented by the brands of Ebonite International	Winston Salem, NC	Scorpion	n/a	Exhibition event - 5 NBA and 5 PBA players in Baker doubles	Oct. 19
Oct. 19-26	PBA World Championship	Wichita, KS	World Championship	Grand Slam	First time held at start of season (open event)	Oct. 26
Oct. 29-Nov. 2	Pepsi Viper Championship	Omaha, NE	Viper	Versatility	Women's Series	Nov. 2
Nov. 4-9	Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship	Hammond, IN	Dick Weber	n/a	Senior Division Golden Anniversary Championship	Nov. 9
Nov. 9-11	Ultimate Scoring Championship	Taylor, MI	Standard League (TBA)	Extreme	Bowling on standard house conditions to demonstrate its scoring potential	Nov. 23
Nov. 12-16	Chameleon Championship	Taylor, MI	Chameleon	Versatility	Women's Series	Nov. 16
Nov. 26-30	Carmen Salvino Scorpion Championship	Vernon Hills, IL	Scorpion	Versatility	Women's Series	Nov. 30
Dec. 3-7	Cheetah Championship	Cheektowaga, NY	Cheetah	Versatility	Women's Series	Dec. 7
Dec. 10-14	Lumber Liquidators Shark Championship	Baltimore, MD	Shark	Versatility	Women's Series	Dec. 14
Holiday break
Jan. 4-6	Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship	Reno, NV	Shark	n/a	Companion event with Women's Series	Feb. 1
Jan. 7-11	National Bowling Stadium Championship	Reno, NV	Cheetah/Shark	n/a	n/a	Jan. 11
Jan. 14-18	Earl Anthony Medford Classic	Medford, OR	Earl	Versatility	Debut of "Earl" pattern Women's Series	Jan. 18
Jan. 21-25	PBA Tournament of Champions	Las Vegas, NV	Tournament of Champions	Grand Slam	Invitational event	Jan. 25
Feb. 3-8	Denny's Dick Weber Open	Fountain Valley, CA	Dick Weber	n/a	Open event	Feb. 8
Feb. 10-15	USBC Masters	Las Vegas, NV	Masters	Grand Slam	Open event	Feb. 15
Feb. 18-22	GEICO Plastic Ball Championship	Wheat Ridge, CO	Cheetah	Extreme	PBA assigns two plastic balls to each player to equalize competition	Feb. 22
Feb. 25-Mar. 1	Etonic Marathon Championship	Indianapolis, IN	All Tour patterns	Extreme	Open event; 54 games in 5 days including two 18-game days; different oil pattern each day; top qualifier chooses pattern for finals	Mar. 1
Mar. 2-8	Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator Championship	Columbus, OH	Viper/Scorpion	Extreme	Semifinals and TV use Eliminator format	Mar. 8
Mar. 18-22	Match Play Championship	Norwich, CT	Chameleon/Cheetah	Extreme	64-bowler match play event seeded by Tour Points	Mar. 22
Mar. 25-29	Long Island Classic	West Babylon, NY	Viper/Shark	n/a	Winner can earn a bonus for also winning the US Open	Mar. 29
Mar. 29-Apr. 5	66th Lumber Liquidators US Open	North Brunswick, NJ	US Open	Grand Slam	Open field	Apr. 5

The 2007-08 Season

Majors are noted in boldface.

Date	Event	City	Oil Pattern	Winner (Title #)	Runner-up	Score
Sep. 23	Dydo Japan Cup	Tokyo	Standard	Mika Koivuniemi (8)	Mike Wolfe	200-178
Oct. 28	USBC Masters	Milwaukee	Standard	Sean Rash (4)	Steve Jaros	269-245
Nov. 4	Motor City Classic	Taylor, MI	Viper	Walter Ray Williams Jr. (43)	Eugene McCune	214-194
Nov. 11	Etonic Championship	Cheektowaga, NY	Scorpion	Mike Wolfe (3)	Walter Ray Williams Jr.	256-225
Nov. 18	Lake County Indiana Classic	Merrillville, IN	Chameleon	Michael Haugen Jr. (1)	Wes Malott	247-239
Nov. 25	CLR Windy City Classic	Vernon Hills, IL	Shark	Robert Smith (7)	Brad Angelo	223-205
Dec. 2	Great Lakes Classic	Wyoming, MI	Cheetah	Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (44)	Chris Loschetter	276-204
Dec. 9	Lumber Liquidators Championship	Baltimore, MD	Scorpion	Patrick Allen (10)	Wes Malott	247-217
Dec. 16	Spartanburg Classic	Spartanburg, SC	Viper	Parker Bohn III (31)	Rhino Page	267-257
Jan. 6	ConstructionJobs.com Classic	Reno, NV	Shark	Tommy Jones (11)	Patrick Allen	254-214
Jan. 13	Earl Anthony Medford Classic	Medford, OR	Cheetah	Wes Malott (3)	Rhino Page	255-193
Jan. 20	Motel 6 Dick Weber Open	Fountain Valley, CA	Standard	Mike Scroggins (4)	Chris Barnes	226-171
Jan. 27	Tournament Of Champions	Las Vegas	T of C	Michael Haugen Jr. (2)	Chris Barnes	215-214
Feb. 10	Bayer Classic	El Paso, TX	Shark	Chris Barnes (9)	Tommy Jones	241-158
Feb. 17	Pepsi Championship	Elkhorn, NE	Scorpion	Mike Scroggins (5)	Walter Ray Williams Jr.	214-194
Feb. 24	Denny's World Championship	Indianapolis	World Championship	Norm Duke (28)	Ryan Shafer	202-165
Mar. 2	Don Johnson Buckeye St. Classic	Columbus, OH	Viper	Chris Barnes (10)	Ken Simard	209-197
Mar. 9	Go RVing Classic	Norwich, CT	Chameleon	Rhino Page (1)	Jack Jurek	244-220
Mar. 23	GEICO Classic	West Babylon, NY	Cheetah	Tommy Jones (12)	Pete Weber	257-191
Mar. 30	65th U.S. Open	North Brunswick, NJ	U.S. Open	Norm Duke (29)	Mika Koivuniemi	224-216

Additionally, Danny Wiseman and Michael Fagan won the PBA's Exempt Doubles Classic on a February 3 telecast, defeating Joe Ciccone and Ronnie Russell, 210-208. It was Fagan's first career PBA title, and Wiseman's 12th.

Marking the end of the 2007-08 PBA season on ESPN, the fourth annual Motel 6 Roll To Riches was contested on April 13, 2008 in Orlando. In a unique format, six bowlers (Doug Kent, Sean Rash, Michael Haugen Jr., Norm Duke, Parker Bohn III and Chris Barnes) battled for a $150,000 winner-take-all prize. Parker Bohn III won the final "race to six strikes" against Norm Duke to take home the prize. (Earnings in this event do not count toward PBA career totals.)

Qualifying for the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour

From the PBA Tour's inception through the 2003-2004 season, most national PBA events were open to the entire PBA membership. Starting in October 2004, the PBA adopted an all-exempt national tour format. In this format, only 64 bowlers compete each week. Bowlers can earn exemptions by winning a tournament during the previous season, winning one of the four major tournaments (thus gaining a multi-year exemption), placing among the top finishers in points, leading a region** on the PBA Regional Tour, or finishing in a high position at the PBA Tour Trials.

**Effective with the Regional 2008-2009 season, an exemption will no longer automatically go to the point leader in each of the seven PBA Regions; eight bowlers will now receive exemptions for the 2009-10 season via the 2008 Regional Players Invitational (RPI).

The top 25 bowlers on the RPI points list in each of the seven PBA regions (through September 2008) will earn an invitation to the 2008 RPI. The top five from each region – plus the winner of the 2008 Regional Players Championship (won by Sean Swanson in late May) – will receive airfare and accommodations for the event in December. The normal $150 entry fee will still be required for those players, but they will not have to pay an additional fee to be eligible for an exemption.

The next 20 players in each region will pay their own way to the RPI and will also be required to pay an additional $750 to be eligible for the exemptions on top of their $500 entry fee. All bowlers competing in the event are guaranteed a minimum $400 cash payout.

The 2008 RPI will feature a similar format to the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials in that competitors will bowl for five days on each of the PBA’s five oil patterns. The top eight bowlers who have paid the additional entry fee will earn exemptions for the 2009-10 season, provided they finish in the top 16 overall.

The number of exemptions awarded at the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials can vary - 10 spots were available in 2006-07, but only seven spots at the start of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 campaigns. That number can increase due to injury deferments for currently exempt bowlers. Jason Couch, Tony Reyes, Patrick Healey Jr. and Jeff Carter were awarded injury deferments in 2007-08, allowing them to retain their exempt status for the 2008-09 season.

In total, 58 bowlers received exempt status for the entire 2008-09 season. The six remaining spots are awarded each week through the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Qualifying Round (TQR). (Prior to 2007-08, PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer would regularly award one spot to any former touring pro under the Commissioner's Exemption; this option was rarely used during the 2007-08 season).

During the TQR, amateur and PBA bowlers bowl 7 games of qualifying. The top amateur bowler advances (no matter where he or she finishes), along with the top five PBA members. In the 2007-08 PBA season, rookie Rhino Page made a remarkable five TV finals appearances (winning one title) despite having to bowl in the TQR every week. Along the way, he set records for most times qualifying for a tournament out of the TQR (12) and most match-play rounds for a non-exempt bowler (9).

In the 2006 Denny's PBA Tour Trials, Kelly Kulick made history becoming the first woman in PBA history to gain a PBA exemption (she was exempt for the 2006-2007 season). Before it dissolved, Kulick was the 2001 Rookie of the Year on the PWBA, won the 2003 Women's U.S. Open, and was a three time member of Team USA.

Exemption Breakdown

The following is a breakdown of the 58 bowlers who received a PBA exemption for most tournaments in the 2008-09 season:

40 - Current Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour (previous champions and 2007-08 point leaders among non-champions)
6 - Point leaders from PBA regions
7 - 2008 Lake County Indiana Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials
1 - Non-exempt Points Leader from the 2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour (+)
4 - Deferred Exemptions from the 2007-08 Denny's PBA Tour

(+) Rhino Page topped all non-exempt bowlers during the 2007-08 season. But because Page also won a title, this exemption went to the next-highest non-exempt bowler, Edward VanDaniker Jr..

This leaves 6 spots that can be earned each week through the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Qualifying Round (TQR), for a total starting field of 64 bowlers. If a bowler from any of the aforementioned categories does not take his or her spot in a given week, the next-place bowler beyond 6th place in the TQR will take the spot.

Under this new format, active membership in the PBA is not a guarantee; it must be earned. The 2003 Tournament Of Champions was pivotal, as Randy Pedersen was facing elimination of his tour card in the semi-final match against Norm Duke. On his final shot, Pedersen left a ringing 10-pin and immediately singled out the sidelines, accusing a spectator of distracting him as he made his shot. From that point, Pedersen would have to bowl in the TQR in order to try making the match-play cut. (Duke would eventually finish runner-up to Steve Jaros in the final match.)

Ironically, Duke faced a similar fate in the 2007-08 season, but prevailed. Standing 51st on the PBA points list entering the 2008 Denny's World Championship, he defeated all-time titles leader Walter Ray Williams in the semifinals, then topped Ryan Shafer in the finals to maintain his Tour exemption for another two years.

Criticism of the format was brought forth by long-time PBA fans when 24-time winner Brian Voss lost his tour exemption following the 2006-07 season. Nineteen-time titlist Amleto Monacelli also lost his exemption at the same time.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to this breakdown. The PBA World Championship, Dick Weber Open and PBA Marathon Championship events are open to the entire PBA membership in 2008-09. The U.S. Open and USBC Masters events are open to the entire PBA membership plus qualifying USBC amateurs.

2008-09 PBA Tour Trials and Regional Exemptions

In late May 2008, the PBA held the 2008 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials to determine the final seven bowlers who would attain exempt status for the 2008-09 season. At the Tour Trials, non-exempt PBA and international bowlers bowled nine games each day for five straight days on the five different PBA oil patterns. Six-time PBA titleist Dave D'Entremont led the field with a pinfall of 10,051 (223.4 average) to regain the tour exemption he lost following the 2007-08 season. Below are the seven bowlers with the largest pin totals after 45 games, who received exempt status for the 2008-09 season:

In addition, the following six bowlers received 2008-09 tour exemptions by finishing with the most points in their respective PBA Regions (the East Region points leader declined his exemption). As stated earlier, this is the last year that points alone will qualify a Regional bowler for an exemption:

Ken Abner (Central Region)
Nathan Bohr (Southwest Region)
Andrew Cain (West Region)
Chester Rogers Jr. (Northwest Region)
Jason Sterner (South Region)
David Traber (Midwest Region)

The PBA Women's Series / Women's U.S. Open

The PBA, in conjunction with the USBC, inaugrated the PBA Women's Series in 2007. Following ESPN telecasts of the Women's U.S. Open, it brought back women's bowling to the airwaves for the first time since the defunct PWBA (Professional Women's Bowling Association) folded in 2003. The top two seeds out of a field of sixteen faced each other in one match, aired prior to the men's championship match.

In conjunction with the Women's U.S. Open, the PBA Women's Series will continue next season with seven events. The upcoming season's format will be similar to the 2007-08 format, with two televised finalists advancing from a field of sixteen qualifiers in five of the events. One event will feature a qualifying round of 32, with the top two advancing. The final event will be a mixed doubles tournament, with 16 Women's Series bowlers being paired with 16 male PBA bowlers following separate qualifying rounds for each. The top five doubles teams will compete in a "baker style" stepladder final (male and female bowlers alternate frames during each game).

The four 2007 Women's Series winners are automatically entered into the qualifying field each week for the 2008-09 season. Complimenting them are twelve entrants from the PBA Womens' Series Trials that were held in conjunction with the Women's U.S. Open.

The 2008 Women's U.S. Open took place July 31 - August 6 at Brunswick Zone XL Lanes in Romeoville, IL. ESPN began airing four weeks of taped "Round of 16" quarterfinal matches on September 7. The semi-finals and finals were aired October 5, and Kim Terrell-Kearney was crowned U.S. Open champion.

2008-09 Women's Series Participants

While the Women's U.S. Open itself required a $250 entry fee, those who wanted a chance to qualify for the PBA Women's Series had to pay an additional $750. Those who qualified must also become PBA members (if they are not already). Based on results from the July 31 - August 4 Women's Tour Trials, the 16 participants for the 2008-09 PBA Women's Series are:

Trisha Reid
Brenda Mack
Shalin Zulkifli
Stefanie Nation
Clara Guerrero
Michelle Feldman
Tennelle Milligan
Jodi Woessner
Jen Petrick
Adrienne Miller
Shannon O'Keefe
Missy Bellinder
Carolyn Dorin-Ballard - 2007 Motor City Classic winner
Shannon Pluhowsky - 2007 Etonic Championship winner
Joy Esterson - 2007 Lake County Indiana Classic winner
Diandra Asbaty - 2007 Great Lakes Classic winner

The seven scheduled dates for the 2008-09 PBA Women's Series televised finals, as announced at PBA.com, are:

November 2, 2008 (Omaha, NE)
November 16, 2008 (Taylor, MI)
November 30, 2008 (Vernon Hills, IL)
December 7, 2008 (Cheektowaga, NY)
December 14, 2008 (Baltimore, MD)
January 19, 2009 (Medford, OR)
February 1, 2009 (Reno, NV - taped mixed doubles event pairing PBA Women's Series bowlers with male PBA professionals)

Finals Formats

Prior to the debut of the PBA on ABC television in 1962, most tourneys bowled a set number of match-play games, with the champion crowned by final overall total pinfall.

Beginning in the 1960s thru 1997 (with the exception of one year), televised events were done in a "stepladder" format. Four matches would be held, with the #5 and #4 seeds meeting first. The winner of the first match would bowl the #3 seed, and likewise up to the top spot.

ABC experimented in 1993 with a King Of The Hill format. Under this arrangement, three matches determined the tournament winner, who would then face the current "King" for an additional cash prize. The winner of that match would then bowl the winner of the following week's tournament. The "King" could defend his title even when not competing in the event hosting it. The tour resumed its normal "stepladder" format the following year.

The bowler who won himself the most notoriety for winning "King" matches was Ron Williams, who won only four tourneys in his career, yet held the "King" spot for five consecutive weeks that year.

Special formats were also used on occasion in conjunction with Old Spice deodorant, which sponsored a Winning Never Gets Old challenge annually in the mid 1990s. The winner of the championship would bowl a Seniors Tour bowler for the rights to an extra $10,000.

In the pre-Mike Slade PBA of the late 1990s, the televised format would change. Three bowlers would square off in one match, with the winner to face the tournament leader for the championship. Upon purchase of the PBA by Slade's group, the current three-match "bracketed" setup (two semi-final matches, followed by final match) involving the top four bowlers was instituted almost exclusively.

2008-09 Finals Formats

The 2008-09 season uses a combination of bracketed and stepladder finals, plus some newly-introduced finals formats. The four-player bracketed format will be used four times during the season, a four-player stepladder format will be used nine times, and a five-player stepladder format will be used five times. In addition:

The Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic (March 8) will feature an "Eliminator" format. In the opening match, the top four bowlers from match play will compete with the low bowler being eliminated. In the next match, the low bowler will again be eliminated from the remaining three. The final match will be standard: two bowlers face each other, with the winner crowned champion.
Inspired by NCAA Basketball's "March Madness," the PBA Match Play Championship (March 22) will start by ranking the Top 64 bowlers in points through this point of the season. The first round will pair the 1st-ranked bowler against the 64th-ranked, 2nd-ranked versus 63rd-ranked, and so on in single-game match play to cut the field to 32. Using the same seedings, the field will be cut from 32 to 16, from 16 to 8, from 8 to 4, and from 4 to 2. Only two bowlers will remain for the televised final. These two will bowl three games each, with total pinfall deciding the champion.

From TQR to ESPN

Only six bowlers have advanced from the TQR round to make the telecast on ESPN.

Liz Johnson - Also the first female bowler to appear on a PBA telecast (2004-05 Banquet Open); lost to Tommy Jones in the championship match, 219-192.

Del Ballard Jr. - The 12-time PBA champion lost to Ritchie Allen in the championship match of the 2006 Motel 6 Phoenix Classic, 232-207. (This is Ritchie Allen's second title to date.)

Sean Rash - The first bowler ever to win a PBA title while advancing from the TQR, defeating Mike DeVaney, 194-169 to win the 2006 West Virginia Championship.

Steve Rogers - The #22 seed in the 2006 Lake County Indiana Classic lost his semi-final match to eventual tournament runner-up Mika Koivuniemi, 276-194.

Mike Mineman - Became the second bowler to win a title from the TQR, defeating Mike Machuga in the finals of the 2007 Bayer Classic, 223-202.

Rhino Page - Became the third bowler to win a title from the TQR, defeating Jack Jurek in the finals of the 2008 Go RVing Classic, 244-220. It was Page's fifth trip to the televised finals in the 2007-08 season, a remarkable accomplishment considering he had to bowl in the TQR every week just to qualify for the top 64.

Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Major Championships

The PBA Tour currently has four major championship events:

The USBC Masters;

The Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open;

The PBA World Championship;

The H&R Block Tournament of Champions.

The Masters Championship

Current Defending Champion: Sean Rash

The USBC Masters became an officially sanctioned PBA event in 1998. (Prior to 2005, this event was known as the ABC Masters.)

NOTE: In May, 2008, the PBA announced that it was revising its all-time records to include ABC Masters titles prior to 1998 if the person who earned the title was a PBA member at the time.

Winners of the USBC Masters now earn a two-year PBA Tour exemption, meaning that for the following two seasons they do not have to qualify for the Top 64 each week through the TQR.

The United States Open

Current Defending Champion: Norm Duke

The origins of the U.S. Open pre-date the PBA's founding by nearly a decade. Originally associated with the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA) it was known as the BPAA All Star from 1951 to 1970. It was renamed the BPAA United States Open in 1971, and shortened to the U.S. Open thereafter. It has been held every year since, except for 1997.
The U.S. Open is considered the most difficult of the tournaments to win today due to its demanding oil pattern, which differs from the five oil patterns the PBA generally employs. According to PBA.com, the U.S. Open uses a "flat" oil pattern, with equal amounts of oil being applied to every board. (Normal lane conditions feature a "crown" or larger amount of oil over the middle lane boards, to handle the heavier ball traffic.)
Don Carter dominated the early BPAA All-Star events, winning four times between 1952 and 1960.
Mike Limongello won the first modern-day U.S. Open in 1971, defeating Teata Semiz.
Marshall Holman became the first multiple modern-day winner with victories in 1981 and 1985.
The purse for the 1987 event, sponsored by Seagram Wine Coolers, was a then-record $500,000, with $100,000 going to the eventual winner, Del Ballard Jr.
The 1995 event, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, set a bowling attendance record with 7,212 watching Dave Husted notch the second of his three U.S. Open Crowns.
Pete Weber holds the record with four U.S. Open titles (1988, 1991, 2003-04, 2006-07).
Earl Anthony never captured the U.S. Open, despite runner-up finishes in 1973, 1979 and 1980.
Norm Duke became just the seventh bowler in PBA history to win two majors in one season when he captured the 2008 U.S. Open. The victory was his 29th, putting him in a seventh-place tie with Mike Aulby on the PBA's all-time titles list, and made him the fifth Triple Crown winner (and third "grand slam" winner) in PBA history.

The PBA National / PBA World Championship

Current Defending Champion: Norm Duke

Don Carter won the inaugural National Championship in 1960 in Memphis, TN, defeating Ronnie Gaudern.
Hall of Famer Wayne Zahn became the first bowler to win this event twice, defeating Nelson Burton Jr. both times.
Earl Anthony staked his mastery in this event; twice capturing it three straight years (1973-75; 1981-83). His 1983 victory was his 41st title (under PBA rules at the time), a record that would stand until Walter Ray Williams Jr. broke it in 2006-07.
Fellow Hall of Famer Mike Aulby won this event in 1979, the first of his 29 PBA titles. Ironically, he had to defeat Anthony to win.
The following year, Johnny Petraglia won the final of his 14 titles at the Sterling Heights, MI, event. Petraglia became the second bowler to win bowling's original "Triple Crown" with this victory (after Billy Hardwick).
A memorable 1994 PBA National featured brothers David Traber and Dale Traber squaring off in the final match, with David emerging victorious.
With his runner-up finish in the February 2008 event, Ryan Shafer set a record with his fourth runner-up finish in a PBA major event without a victory. Overall, Shafer has made the TV finals in a PBA major event 10 times and has yet to win.
The event moved from late season to become the season-opening tournament in 2008-09, meaning there will be two World Championships during calendar year 2008.

The PBA National Championship was renamed the World Championship in 2002-03.

The Tournament Of Champions

Current Defending Champion: Michael Haugen Jr.

The Tournament of Champions has had many sponsors over the years; namely the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
Hall of Famer Joe Joseph captured the first Tournament of Champions crown in 1962.
Billy Hardwick won the Tournament of Champions in 1965, besting finalists Dick Weber and Joe Joseph in a two-game set, 484-468-404. This was the first tourney in PBA history to offer a six-figure prize fund.
George Pappas became one of the first bowlers to lead a tournament wire-to-wire (from opening game of qualifying to championship match) when he won the 1979 event.
The 1981 edition saw the only double two-frame roll-off in championship round history, with Pete Couture finally emerging victorious over Earl Anthony in the second roll-off. Steve Cook won the championship with a memorable 287 game over Couture, gaining the first ten strikes before leaving the 6-7 split.
Only two men have ever won the TOC three times: Mike Durbin and Jason Couch. However, Couch's wins were in consecutive tournaments.

PBA Triple Crown

The three "original" major championships (PBA World Championship, Tournament of Champions and U.S. Open) make up the PBA's "Triple Crown."

Only five bowlers in the history of the PBA have won all three jewels of the Triple Crown in their careers:

Despite 44 and 43 titles respectively, Walter Ray Williams and Earl Anthony are not Triple Crown winners. As mentioned, Anthony never won the U.S. Open, though he finished runner-up in the event three times. Williams has yet to win the Tournament of Champions.

PBA Grand Slam

Mike Aulby, Norm Duke and Billy Hardwick are the only three of the five PBA "Triple Crown" winners who have also won the ABC/USBC Masters, thus giving them the unofficial "grand slam" of pro bowling.

Don Carter is also noted for having won all four possible "majors" during his career (PBA National Championship, BPAA All-Star, World Invitational and ABC Masters), however some of these were not PBA events.

Top 10 in PBA titles

Through the close of the 2007-08 season, the following are the top titles winners in PBA Tour history (with regular tour titles in parenthesis):

1. *Walter Ray Williams Jr. (44)

2. Earl Anthony (43)

T3. *Pete Weber (34)

T3. Mark Roth (34)

5. *Parker Bohn III (31)

6. Dick Weber (30)

T7. *Norm Duke (29)

T7. Mike Aulby (29)

9. Don Johnson (26)

10. Brian Voss (24)

*Denotes active bowler currently on the PBA's exempt player list.

NOTE: In May, 2008, the PBA announced that it was revising its all-time records to include ABC Masters and BPAA All-Star titles if they were bowled by a PBA member. ABC Masters titles prior to 1998 and BPAA All-Star (U.S. Open prior to 1971) titles were previously not counted as PBA titles. They are now counted as both a PBA title and a major title. The most significant impact of this change is that Dick Weber, who won four BPAA All-Star events, moves from an 8th place tie on the all-time titles list to 6th place (30 titles). Also, Earl Anthony is credited with two more major titles, both being USBC (ABC) Masters, giving him a record 10 majors among his 43 total titles. (Anthony previously shared the record of eight major titles with Pete Weber.)

PBA Hall of Fame

The PBA Hall of Fame was founded in 1975 with eight initial inductees: Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Carmen Salvino, Harry Smith, Dick Weber, Billy Welu, Frank Esposito and Chuck Pezzano. It is headquartered at the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame in St. Louis, MO.

Through 2008, there are 81 PBA Hall of Fame Members in three categories:

Performance (41)
Meritorious Service (26)
Veterans/Special Categories (14)

Membership in the Hall of Fame was originally determined by annual elections. From 2000-2008, those in the Performance category had to have ten PBA titles (or two major championships) on their resume, as well as be retired from the tour for five years.

Another revision took effect in 2008. Bowlers can now qualify for the Hall Of Fame based on five PBA titles on their resume, as long as two of those titles were major championships. Other active bowlers can now qualify for the Hall as well if they have 20 years of membership and are elected.

PBA Player of the Year

The PBA Player of the Year began being officially recognized in 1963. It was awarded by The Sporting News from 1963-70, and by the PBA membership from 1971-2007. Some factors used in the voting process for a given season included major titles, total titles, Tour average ranking, points ranking and TV finals appearances. In the 2007-08 season, a new Player of the Year system was instituted, where a points system only determines the winner. Chris Barnes became the first Player of the Year winner under this new system in 2008, edging out Walter Ray Williams Jr. by two points.

PBA Player of the Year History

Season	Winner	Season	Winner	Season	Winner
1963	Billy Hardwick	1978	Mark Roth	1993	Walter Ray Williams Jr.
1964	Bob Strampe Sr.	1979	Mark Roth	1994	Norm Duke
1965	Dick Weber	1980	Wayne Webb	1995	Mike Aulby
1966	Wayne Zahn	1981	Earl Anthony	1996	Walter Ray Williams Jr.
1967	Dave Davis	1982	Earl Anthony	1997	Walter Ray Williams Jr.
1968	Jim Stefanich	1983	Earl Anthony	1998	Walter Ray Williams Jr.
1969	Billy Hardwick	1984	Mark Roth	1999	Parker Bohn III
1970	Nelson Burton Jr.	1985	Mike Aulby	2000	Norm Duke
1971	Don Johnson	1986	Walter Ray Williams Jr.	2001-02	Parker Bohn III
1972	Don Johnson	1987	Marshall Holman	2002-03	Walter Ray Williams Jr.
1973	Don McCune	1988	Brian Voss	2003-04	Mika Koivuniemi
1974	Earl Anthony	1989	Amleto Monacelli	2004-05	Patrick Allen
1975	Earl Anthony	1990	Amleto Monacelli	2005-06	Tommy Jones
1976	Earl Anthony	1991	David Ozio	2006-07	Doug Kent
1977	Mark Roth	1992	Dave Ferraro	2007-08	Chris Barnes

PBA oil patterns

Unlike the typical "league condition" or "house shot", which facilitates a fairly consistent pattern and wider target area, the PBA rotates five challenging lane oil patterns throughout the season. The patterns -- known as Cheetah, Viper, Scorpion, Shark and Chameleon -- feature varying oil volumes and lengths that require pros to adjust ball angle, rotation and speed accordingly. On some patterns, certain "strike lines" (areas of the lane) are unplayable, and spare shooting becomes much more important. This means a 220 average on the PBA Tour would easily translate to 20-30 pins higher on a typical league shot.

To put this theory to the test, the PBA will hold a special "Ultimate Scoring Championship" in the 2008-09 season, with pro bowlers competing on a typical league lane condition. The event will take place November 9-11, 2008 in Taylor, MI, prior to the PBA Chameleon Championship that takes place in the same bowling center. The taped finals will be aired November 23 on ESPN.

NOTE: Custom oil patterns are used for the four major tournaments. In addition, the PBA is introducing the Dick Weber pattern for two 2008-09 tournaments (including the Dick Weber Open), plus a newly-designed "Earl" pattern for the Earl Anthony Medford Classic.

Though most PBA pros tend to bowl their best on one or two of the PBA oil patterns, two players have managed to win at least one title on all five patterns: Mika Koivuniemi and Tommy Jones.

PBA in the media

The PBA provided its first televised event in 1962, and became a Saturday afternoon staple on the ABC schedule from 1965.

Years	Network	Play-By-Play	Color Commentary	Notes
1962-1974	ABC	Chris Schenkel	Billy Welu	Various announcers filled in whenever Schenkel was on assignment. Keith Jackson did play by play for the first televised 300 game in 1967, while Bud Palmer did the same for a 300 in 1974.
1975	ABC	Chris Schenkel	Dave Davis, Dick Weber	Davis and Weber alternated on telecasts after Welu's death in 1975.
1976-1997	ABC	Chris Schenkel	Nelson Burton Jr.	Dave Diles was Schenkel's fill-in while on assignment. Dick Weber filled in for Burton in the 1970s-1980s when Burton was competing. Johnny Petraglia filled in from that time.
Late 1970s	HBO	Various	Various	Among the first sports broadcasts on HBO.
1981-1982	USA Network	Al Trautwig	Various	Spring and Summer tour events.
1984-1991	NBC	Jay Randolph	Earl Anthony	Summer Tour Stops.
Early 1990s	ESPN	Denny Schreiner	Mike Durbin	ESPN's first venture into bowling. Marshall Holman filled in for Durbin on occasion.
1998-2001	CBS	Gary Seidel	Marshall Holman	The "golden pin" era of the PBA. Chris Schenkel expressed interest in moving to CBS, but was passed over.
2002-2007	ESPN	Dave Ryan	Randy Pedersen	Chris Barnes and Norm Duke would fill in as extra commentators during select telecasts.
2007-present	ESPN	Rob Stone	Randy Pedersen	Current announcing team.

In its heyday, ABC's Pro Bowlers Tour outranked all sporting events on Saturdays with the exception of college football telecasts.

The 1991 Tournament of Champions was delayed for over thirty minutes at the start due to a bomb threat being phoned in at Rivera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio. The ABC telecast joined in during the evacuation's final stages and featured interviews with local officials, as well as classic clips from previous T of C telecasts.

The 1997 St. Clair Classic was Schenkel and Burton's final telecast together, which included an emotional retrospective of Schenkel's 50-plus years in sportscasting. In an interesting note, a Weber competed in the first (Dick Weber) and last (Pete Weber) ABC telecasts, spanning 36 years.

The PBA reached new audiences in 2005, when it was featured in the 2005 sports documentary, A League of Ordinary Gentlemen. The documentary, filmed during the 2002-2003 season, enjoyed a limited release in theaters before being released in a DVD format in March 2006.

There have been 18 perfect games bowled on the nationally-televised final day of regular PBA tournaments. Jack Biondolillo rolled the first one at the 1967 Tournament of Champions, and Ryan Shafer bowled the most recent one on March 18, 2007, at the semifinals of the 2007 Pepsi Championship in Indianapolis. There have also been two on Senior PBA Tour telecasts, by Gene Stus (1992) and Ron Winger (1993). Steve Jaros has the distinction of not only bowling one of the 18 televised 300 games, but also bowling the lowest televised score in history (129) in 1992.

A most memorable televised 299 game occurred on April 4, 1970 when Don Johnson defeated Dick Ritger to win the 1970 Firestone Tournament of Champions. With 11 strikes already down, he threw his 12th ball, stepped back and dropped to the floor. The ball hit the pocket, but the 10-pin remained standing. Johnson, still on the floor, briefly lowered his face into his hands, then stood up to a thunderous ovation. Along with the trophy and $25,000 check from Firestone, Johnson also received the 10-pin that denied him both an extra $10,000 and a new Mercury Cougar automobile for a perfect game.

Mark Roth, whose first career title was captured at the 1975 King Louie Open in Kansas by likewise rolling a 299 TV game, gained immortality by becoming the first bowler to convert the almost-impossible "7-10 split" on national television in the first match of the ARC Alameda Open on January 5, 1980. In 1991, John Mazza and Jess Stayrook also accomplished this feat on television. During the 2005-06 season, Walter Ray Williams Jr. became the only bowler to convert the 4-6-7-10 combination on television.

In 2005, ESPN Classic began televising old bowling broadcasts daily, including some of the more memorable ones in which bowlers shot perfect games or records were set. All of the telecasts originally aired on either ABC or ESPN since those are the tapes to which the network owns the rights.

PBA on ESPN commercials

In 2005, ESPN and the PBA unveiled a series of comedic commercials with the catch phrase "Sundays are for Bowling" to promote the weekly televised bowling matches almost every Sunday during the season on ESPN. The commercials featured an unsuspecting black bowling ball unnoticeably sabotaging a person's routine Sunday activities. For instance, in one commercial, a man walks outside to his SUV only find a gaping hole in his canoe strapped to the vehicle's roof; the man then silently turns his head toward the lawn to find a black bowling ball staring back at him. The phrase "Sundays are for Bowling" then fades in on the screen followed by the promotional details.

In 2006, a new series of comedic television commercials appeared on ESPN. These commercials documented a group of average bowlers attending the fictional "Randy's Bowling Clinic", which is operated by an egotistical instructor named Randy. In each commercial, Randy insults his students and teaches them silly theatrics instead of actual bowling skills.

In 2007-08, title sponsor Denny's aired promotions featuring Walter Ray Williams Jr.