The 2010 Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling provides a unique opportunity for PBA members to compete at the highest level. With a new format this season, PBA is providing answers to some commonly asked player entry questions. Check back here for additional developments and information about WSOB in the days and weeks to come.
Victory over Dino Castillo denies his best friend his first PBA Tour title
Tommy Jones (l.) of Simpsonville, S.C., won his third DyDo Japan Cup title Sunday at Tokyo Port Bowl, but it was a bittersweet 223-192 victory over his best friend because it denied Dino Castillo of Carrollton, Texas, his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title. Jones received $40,000 for the victory, while Castillo earned $20,000. The 25th Japan Cup, televised nationally in Japan, was the final event of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.
Castillo, Loschetter bid for first PBA Tour titles in Tokyo on Sunday
Six Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour competitors will join two Korean players in the 8-man championship round of the 25th DyDo Japan Cup Sunday at Tokyo Port Bowl. In addition to PBA champions Norm Duke (l.), Brad Angelo (r.), Tommy Jones, and Mike Fagan, non-winners Dino Castillo and Chris Loschetter will compete for a first PBA Tour title. Also in the field, trying to become Korea's first Japan Cup titlist, will be Park Jeon-Soo and Choi Won Young.
Recently-crowned PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. (l.) and defending champion Patrick Allen (r.) head a list of 20 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour players who will compete in the DYDO Japan Cup 2010 April 22-25 in Tokyo. Qualifying will take place at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and match play at Tokyo Port Bowl. n the 25 years that PBA players have been invited to the event it has
been won 22 times by PBA pros and twice by JPBA players.
PBA Hall of Famer hands rival Walter Ray Williams Jr. PBA Player of the Year honors
Pete Weber (l.) of St. Ann, Mo., re-wrote the PBA history book Sunday when he defeated top qualifier Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, 268-224, to win the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open. With his 35th career victory, breaking his tie for third place on the all-time PBA Tour titles list with Mark Roth, Weber denied Scroggins’ bid to become 2009-10 PBA Player of the Year, and handed that crown to his long-time rival, Walter Ray Williams Jr. (r.) of Ocala, Fla.
Texas left-hander earns No. 1 berth for Sunday's finals, needs a win to clinch 2009-10 points
Mike Scroggins (pictured) of Amarillo, Texas, put himself into position Saturday at AMF Country Club to not only win the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, but win the Professional Bowlers Association Players of the Year title at the same time. Scroggins, a 46-year-old left-hander, advanced from sixth place at the end of the sixth round, averaging 244 for seven games on the Dick Weber lane conditioning pattern Saturday to clinch the top rung for Sunday's stepladder finals with a 53-game total of 12,204 pins.
Defending champ Malott clings to lead; Player of Year race still up for grabs
Defending champion Wes Malott (pictured) of Pflugerville, Texas, slipped to third place with one game to go, but rallied in the final game Friday night to regain his lead in the Marathon Open. With seven games remaining Saturday morning, however, the race for five spots on Sunday's ESPN telecast and the battle for the 2009-10 PBA Player of the Year title remained wide open. Fewer than 20 pins behind the five front-runners were Mike Scroggins and Walter Ray Williams Jr., the two remaining contenders in the Player of the Year race.
Williams jumps into third place in bid to lock up PBA Player of the Year title
Defending champion Wes Malott (l.) of Pflugerville, Texas, retained a 91-pin lead over fellow Texan Chris Barnes in the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open at AMF Country Club Lanes Thursday, but the biggest move was by 50-year-old Walter Ray Williams Jr. (r.) in his bid to lock up a record seventh career PBA Player of the Year title. Malott averaged 234.59 through the first four rounds of the Marathon Open to finish with a 32-game total of 7,507 pins.
Reigning Player of the Year making bid for his first 2009-10 title
Defending champion Wes Malott (l.) of Pflugerville, Texas, advanced from seventh place into the lead in the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open at AMF Country Club Lanes Wednesday in a bid for his first title of the season in the tour’s final event . Malott finished Wednesday’s demanding Shark round with an 18-game total of 4,434 pins and a 155-pin lead over Brad Angelo (r.) of Lockport, N.Y., who had 4,279 pins.
Four-time PBA champion misses nine-game scoring record by 29 pins on Cheetah pattern
Mike Wolfe (l.) of New Albany, Ind., averaged 259.78 for nine games to take the first round lead in the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open at AMF Country Club Lanes Tuesday by seven pins over Sean Rash (r.) of Wichita, Kan. Wolfe, a four-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour titlist, missed the nine-game PBA scoring record of 2,367 pins set by Walter Ray Williams Jr. in Tucson, Ariz., in 2004, by 29 pins, posting a 2,338 total on the PBA Cheetah lane condition.
Defeats top seeded Jason Belmonte in roll-off after a 247-247 tie
Brian Ziesig of Levittown, N.Y. (center, with PBA Hall of Famers Johnny Petraglia and Mark Roth), won the PBA GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship Sunday at AMF Babylon Lanes to become the first amateur to win a PBA Tour event since 2002. Ziesig rolled three strikes in the 10th frame in the championship match to tie Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte, 247-247, which forced a one-ball, sudden-death roll-off that was won by Ziesig with a strike to Belmonte's nine-count in which he left the 7 pin.
Two-hander rolls three 300s and two 299 games in the tournament
Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte (pictured left) earned the top seed for Sunday's stepladder finals of the Professional Bowlers Association GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship Friday at AMF Babylon Lanesl. The 2008-09 Rookie of the Year had a 10-8 match play record and 32-game 8,081 overall pinfall total to edge out amateur Brian Ziesig of Levittown, N.Y., for the top spot by 11 pins. Ziesig, a former Tour player, qualified second for the finals with a 12-6 match play record and 8,070 pinfall.
With a 5-4 record and a 245.4 nine-game average in today's first match play round, two-hander Jason Belmonte (pictured) maintained his lead after three rounds of the PBA GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship at AMF Babylon Bowl. The Australian nearly bowled his third 300 game of the tournament in the final game of today's first block, rolling 299 in the final game. Belmont holds a 34-pin lead over amateur and former Tour player Brian Ziesig of nearby Levittown, N.Y., who had a 6-3 record in Friday's first match play round.
Loschetter defeats Harman in roll-off for final cut position
Powered by two 300 games and averaging 240.4, Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte (pictured) led after two qualifying rounds Thursday in the PBA GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship at AMF Babylon Lanes.Belmonte, the 2008-09 PBA Rookie of the Year, had a 3,366 14-game pinfall total to hold a 27-pin lead over the PBA Tour's all-time career titlist Walter Ray Williams Jr., in second with 3,339. The field of 64 was cut to the top 32 players who will advance to match play beginning Friday morning.
Malott to defend Marathon Open title March 30-April 4
The 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is heading to Baltimore March 30-April 4 where the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, arguably the most demanding tournament on the schedule, will close the Tour's regular season in dramatic fashion. At stake, beyond the title and $25,000 first prize, are points which may decide the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year race and points which may determine which players will receive exemptions to bowl during the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.
AMF Babylon Lanes in West Babylon, N.Y. (March 23-28, 2010)
With the help of a 300 game, Brian LeClair (pictured) of Athens, N.Y., led a field of 10 players who advanced out of the PBA Tour Qualifying Round Wednesday completing the field of 64 for the GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship which gets underway with the first round Thursday at AMF Babylon Lanes. LeClair averaged 240.7 to finish the seven-game qualifying round with a 1,685 pinfall total. All 71 players in the qualifier were required to use PBA-approved plastic balls.
Ohio veteran tops Patrick Allen to end 167-event winless streak
Brian Kretzer (pictured left) of Dayton, Ohio, ended his 167-event winless streak Sunday, defeating 13-time Professional Bowlers Association title winner Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., 629-566, in the three-game title match of the Go RVing Match Play Championship at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center Sunday. Kretzer, at age 43, became the sixth Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour competitor to win his first singles title during the 2009-10 season.
Former "action players" to meet in three-game, total pinfall match for $25,000 prize
Patrick Allen (l.), a 13-time PBA title winner from Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Brian Kretzer (r.) of Dayton, Ohio, a non-title winner, advanced to Sunday's Go RVing Match Play Championship title match at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center Saturday. Allen defeated No. 57 Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., 601-530, in their three-game, total pinfall semifinal round match Saturday night, while Kretzer eliminated No. 50 Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 625-581.
Top 20 seeded players eliminated; Allen, Kent, Ciminelli, Kretzer advance to Saturday's semifinal round
Upsets are no surprise when "March Madness" sweeps the nation, but the NCAA basketball realm has never seen anything like the parade of upsets that hit the PBA Go RVing Match Play Championship Thursday and Friday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center. Not a single player seeded among the top 20 made the show as No. 21 seed Patrick Allen, No. 27 Brian Kretzer, No. 50 Doug Kent (l.), and No. 57 Ryan Ciminelli (r.) advanced to the finals on Sunday.
No. 1 Williams, defending champ Barnes, reigning Player of the Year Malott eliminated in opening round
Top-seeded Walter Ray Williams Jr. (l.), defending champion Chris Barnes and reigning Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Player of the Year Wes Malott were upset victims as the Go RVing Match Play Championship got underway Thursday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center. Among the top four seeds in the PBA Tour's version of "March Madness," only No. 2 Bill O'Neill (right) of Southampton, Pa., survived the opening round.
The 2010 Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling provides a unique opportunity for PBA members to compete at the highest level. With a new format this season, PBA is providing answers to some commonly asked player entry questions. Check back here for additional developments and information about WSOB in the days and weeks to come.
Tommy Jones (l.) of Simpsonville, S.C., won his third DyDo Japan Cup title Sunday at Tokyo Port Bowl, but it was a bittersweet 223-192 victory over his best friend because it denied Dino Castillo of Carrollton, Texas, his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title. Jones received $40,000 for the victory, while Castillo earned $20,000. The 25th Japan Cup, televised nationally in Japan, was the final event of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. 
Six Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour competitors will join two Korean players in the 8-man championship round of the 25th DyDo Japan Cup Sunday at Tokyo Port Bowl. In addition to PBA champions Norm Duke (l.), Brad Angelo (r.), Tommy Jones, and Mike Fagan, non-winners Dino Castillo and Chris Loschetter will compete for a first PBA Tour title. Also in the field, trying to become Korea's first Japan Cup titlist, will be Park Jeon-Soo and Choi Won Young.
Recently-crowned PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. (l.) and defending champion Patrick Allen (r.) head a list of 20 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour players who will compete in the DYDO Japan Cup 2010 April 22-25 in Tokyo. Qualifying will take place at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and match play at Tokyo Port Bowl. n the 25 years that PBA players have been invited to the event it has
been won 22 times by PBA pros and twice by JPBA players. 
Pete Weber (l.) of St. Ann, Mo., re-wrote the PBA history book Sunday when he defeated top qualifier Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, 268-224, to win the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open. With his 35th career victory, breaking his tie for third place on the all-time PBA Tour titles list with Mark Roth, Weber denied Scroggins’ bid to become 2009-10 PBA Player of the Year, and handed that crown to his long-time rival, Walter Ray Williams Jr. (r.) of Ocala, Fla. 
Mike Scroggins (pictured) of Amarillo, Texas, put himself into position Saturday at AMF Country Club to not only win the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, but win the Professional Bowlers Association Players of the Year title at the same time. Scroggins, a 46-year-old left-hander, advanced from sixth place at the end of the sixth round, averaging 244 for seven games on the Dick Weber lane conditioning pattern Saturday to clinch the top rung for Sunday's stepladder finals with a 53-game total of 12,204 pins.
Defending champion Wes Malott (pictured) of Pflugerville, Texas, slipped to third place with one game to go, but rallied in the final game Friday night to regain his lead in the Marathon Open. With seven games remaining Saturday morning, however, the race for five spots on Sunday's ESPN telecast and the battle for the 2009-10 PBA Player of the Year title remained wide open. Fewer than 20 pins behind the five front-runners were Mike Scroggins and Walter Ray Williams Jr., the two remaining contenders in the Player of the Year race.
Defending champion Wes Malott (l.) of Pflugerville, Texas, retained a 91-pin lead over fellow Texan Chris Barnes in the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open at AMF Country Club Lanes Thursday, but the biggest move was by 50-year-old Walter Ray Williams Jr. (r.) in his bid to lock up a record seventh career PBA Player of the Year title. Malott averaged 234.59 through the first four rounds of the Marathon Open to finish with a 32-game total of 7,507 pins.
Mike Wolfe (l.) of New Albany, Ind., averaged 259.78 for nine games to take the first round lead in the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open at AMF Country Club Lanes Tuesday by seven pins over Sean Rash (r.) of Wichita, Kan. Wolfe, a four-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour titlist, missed the nine-game PBA scoring record of 2,367 pins set by Walter Ray Williams Jr. in Tucson, Ariz., in 2004, by 29 pins, posting a 2,338 total on the PBA Cheetah lane condition. 
Brian Ziesig of Levittown, N.Y. (center, with PBA Hall of Famers Johnny Petraglia and Mark Roth), won the PBA GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship Sunday at AMF Babylon Lanes to become the first amateur to win a PBA Tour event since 2002. Ziesig rolled three strikes in the 10th frame in the championship match to tie Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte, 247-247, which forced a one-ball, sudden-death roll-off that was won by Ziesig with a strike to Belmonte's nine-count in which he left the 7 pin.
Australian two-hander Jason Belmonte (pictured left) earned the top seed for Sunday's stepladder finals of the Professional Bowlers Association GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship Friday at AMF Babylon Lanesl. The 2008-09 Rookie of the Year had a 10-8 match play record and 32-game 8,081 overall pinfall total to edge out amateur Brian Ziesig of Levittown, N.Y., for the top spot by 11 pins. Ziesig, a former Tour player, qualified second for the finals with a 12-6 match play record and 8,070 pinfall.
With a 5-4 record and a 245.4 nine-game average in today's first match play round, two-hander Jason Belmonte (pictured) maintained his lead after three rounds of the PBA GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship at AMF Babylon Bowl. The Australian nearly bowled his third 300 game of the tournament in the final game of today's first block, rolling 299 in the final game. Belmont holds a 34-pin lead over amateur and former Tour player Brian Ziesig of nearby Levittown, N.Y., who had a 6-3 record in Friday's first match play round.
The 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is heading to Baltimore March 30-April 4 where the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, arguably the most demanding tournament on the schedule, will close the Tour's regular season in dramatic fashion. At stake, beyond the title and $25,000 first prize, are points which may decide the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year race and points which may determine which players will receive exemptions to bowl during the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.
With the help of a 300 game, Brian LeClair (pictured) of Athens, N.Y., led a field of 10 players who advanced out of the PBA Tour Qualifying Round Wednesday completing the field of 64 for the GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship which gets underway with the first round Thursday at AMF Babylon Lanes. LeClair averaged 240.7 to finish the seven-game qualifying round with a 1,685 pinfall total. All 71 players in the qualifier were required to use PBA-approved plastic balls.
Brian Kretzer (pictured left) of Dayton, Ohio, ended his 167-event winless streak Sunday, defeating 13-time Professional Bowlers Association title winner Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., 629-566, in the three-game title match of the Go RVing Match Play Championship at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center Sunday. Kretzer, at age 43, became the sixth Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour competitor to win his first singles title during the 2009-10 season.
Patrick Allen (l.), a 13-time PBA title winner from Wesley Chapel, Fla., and Brian Kretzer (r.) of Dayton, Ohio, a non-title winner, advanced to Sunday's Go RVing Match Play Championship title match at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center Saturday. Allen defeated No. 57 Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., 601-530, in their three-game, total pinfall semifinal round match Saturday night, while Kretzer eliminated No. 50 Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 625-581. 
Upsets are no surprise when "March Madness" sweeps the nation, but the NCAA basketball realm has never seen anything like the parade of upsets that hit the PBA Go RVing Match Play Championship Thursday and Friday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center. Not a single player seeded among the top 20 made the show as No. 21 seed Patrick Allen, No. 27 Brian Kretzer, No. 50 Doug Kent (l.), and No. 57 Ryan Ciminelli (r.) advanced to the finals on Sunday.
Top-seeded Walter Ray Williams Jr. (l.), defending champion Chris Barnes and reigning Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Player of the Year Wes Malott were upset victims as the Go RVing Match Play Championship got underway Thursday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center. Among the top four seeds in the PBA Tour's version of "March Madness," only No. 2 Bill O'Neill (right) of Southampton, Pa., survived the opening round.