OCTOBER 2013 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
PBA World Series of
Bowling V Expected to
be Most Exciting Yet
New events, sold-out field, battles for 2012-13
top player honors on tap for Oct. 25-Nov. 3 I
n Las Vegas
SEATTLE (Oct. 4, 2013)
– The Professional Bowlers
Association’s World Series of Bowling was created in
2009 to provide the sport with its greatest international
showcase and countless memorable moments have
been recorded for the history books. But the fifth edition
of the multi-event championships, scheduled for Oct.
25-Nov. 3 at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas,
is likely to provide the most drama and excitement of all
of them.
WSOB V will include new events, a sold-out field of
240 of the world’s most talented players representing a
record 22 countries, and an end-of-season battle for
the PBA’s most prestigious honors including Player of
the Year, eligibility for the 2014 PBA League Draft, and
much more as the extended, 14-month 2012-13 season
draws to a close.
Bowling fans around the world will be able to follow
the action by watching more than 60 hours of live
online coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s exclusive
webcasts; live scoring on pba.com, and 14 hours of
nationally-televised coverage on ESPN over seven
consecutive Sundays, starting Dec. 1.
The fifth edition of the World Series will retain its tradi-
tional roots. It will feature four animal pattern champion-
ships (the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion
Championships, conducted on the unique lane condi-
tioning patterns that bear those animal names), and the
qualifying rounds for the four animal events will deter-
mine the 24 finalists who will compete for the 2013 PBA
World Championship. All five of the championship tour-
naments will be televised by ESPN. First prize in each
animal pattern event is $20,000; first prize in the PBA
World Championship is $50,000.
Also returning to the World Series schedule will be the
World Tenpin Bowling Association’s World Bowling
Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals, presented by the
PBA. The top three men and the top three women,
based upon a rolling two-year points competition in
WBT events held around the world, will bowl in a three-
player stepladder finals. Each champion will win
$20,000.
New to the World Series program will be a PBA50 Fi-
nals and a PBA Regional Players Invitational Finals,
which will be contested on Nov. 3. The PBA50 Finals
will feature the PBA50 Tour’s three top point-earners
(PBA Hall of Famers Walter Ray Williams Jr., Amleto
Monacelli and Pete Weber) in a stepladder final with a
$10,000 top prize at stake. The players will be seeded
based on their rankings in the 2013 PBA50 competition
points list. No. 2 Monacelli will bowl No. 3 Weber in the
first match, with the winner advancing to meet No. 1
Williams.
The PBA RPI Finals will feature six RPI champions
representing the PBA’s East, South, Central, Midwest,
Southwest and combined West/Northwest Regions.
RPI finalists will be seeded for television based upon
their 28-game qualifying totals in the four animal pat-
tern events. Players who rank second, fourth and sixth
will bowl the opening match; players who rank first,
third and fifth will bowl the second match. The two win-
ners will then bowl for a $6,000 first prize and a berth in
the 2014 PBA Tournament of Champions.
Also new to the WSOB V program will be a special
High 5 Gear PBA League Challenge Match: USA vs.
The World that will kick off the World Series on Friday,
Oct. 25, and provide Xtra Frame subscribers with a
preview of the PBA League’s new singles, doubles, trio
and team format that will debut in late January. The
Challenge Match also will be available to Xtra Frame
non-subscribers for a special one-time pay-per-view
cost of $5. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com
and click on the Xtra Frame link.
WSOB V will conclude with three days of ESPN televi-
sion finals, Nov. 1-3, on special lanes installed in South
Point’s Exhibition Hall B. Tickets for all television
events are available through PBA’s official website,
pba.com, and at the control counter at South Point
Bowling Center.
The five PBA Tour events will have a major bearing on
the 2012-13 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year
and Harry Golden Rookie of the Year races, along with
the George Young Memorial High Average Award and
Harry Smith Point Leader Award races. Heading into
the World Series, Jason Belmonte is the leading con-
tender for Player of the Year honors, but he’s being
chased by Mika Koivuniemi, Sean Rash, Wes Malott,
Tommy Jones, Scott Norton and Pete Weber.
The final 2012-13 competition points standings will
determine eligibility for the 2014 PBA League Draft,
which will be held in South Point Bowling Center (and
webcast live on Xtra Frame) on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 7
p.m. PT. All eight PBA League managers will draft one
additional player for their 2014 rosters. The PBA
League begins its second season of competition in late
January at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.
Throughout the World Series, PBA fans around the
world will be able to follow all qualifying and match play
rounds live on Xtra Frame, and by tracking “live scor-
ing” on pba.com. For a complete roster of players, click
here:
One
competitor fans will be watching with special interest is
NFL all-star wide receiver and PBA League owner Ter-
rell Owens, who will make his PBA debut in the World
Series.
If all of these activities aren’t enough, there also will be
optional PBA All-Regions Singles and PBA West Re-
gion Member/Non-Member Doubles tournaments over
the Nov. 1-3 weekend. And the Teen Masters Grand
Championship will be decided on the television lanes in
South Point’s Exhibition Hall B on Friday, Nov. 1.
PBA WORLD SERIES OF BOWLING V SCHEDULE
South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas
(ESPN finals in South Point Exhibition Hall B)
(All times Pacific)
Friday, Oct. 25
8:30 a.m. – Squad A practice session
12:30 p.m. – Squad B practice session
3 p.m. – High 5 Gear PBA League Challenge Match:
USA vs. The World (covered live on Xtra Frame)
Saturday, Oct. 26
PBA Cheetah Championship
8 a.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2
Sunday, Oct. 27
PBA Viper Championship presented by PBA Bowl-
ing Challenge
8 a.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2
Monday, Oct. 28
PBA Chameleon Championship
8 a.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2
Tuesday, Oct. 29
PBA Scorpion Championship
8 a.m. – B squad qualifying (7 games)
2 p.m. – A squad qualifying (7 games)
Top 24 advance to semifinal round
7:30 p.m. – Semifinal round (7 games)
Top four after 14 games advance to ESPN finals Nov. 2.
Wednesday, Oct. 30
Top 24 based on 28 combined qualifying games from
Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Scorpion champion-
ships advance to PBA World Championship round
robin match play
11 a.m. - PBA World Championship round-robin match
play (8 games)
6 p.m. – PBA World Championship round-robin match
play (8 games)
Thursday, Oct. 31
12:30 p.m. – PBA All-Region and PBA West Member/
Non-Member Doubles practice session
2-6 p.m. - PBA World Championship round-robin match
play (8 games)
Top five advance to ESPN finals taping Nov. 3
Friday, Nov. 1
South Point Exhibition Hall B:
6 p.m. – Teen Masters Grand Championship finals
South Point Bowling Center:
8 a.m. - PBA All-Region Singles Squad A qualifying (8
games)
2 p.m. – PBA All-Region Singles Squad B qualifying (8
games)
Top 16 advance to best-of-five-game single-elimination
match play
(Continued on Page 8)
