April 6, 2023 Nolan Hughes

The World Series of Bowling began in 2009, ushering in a new era of the PBA. 

The event brings bowlers from around the globe together, testing versatility and perseverance to crown a world champion. Along the way, dozens of additional champions have been born.

This year, the WSOB returns to Bowlero Wauwatosa outside of Milwaukee for the second consecutive year. The return of the USA vs. The World event and the PBA World Championship, the fourth major of the season, headline the 14th edition of the WSOB.

With 12 hours of television coverage and countless hours of qualifying covered by BowlTV, the WSOB is jam-packed with action. Here’s what you need to know:

Storylines

Tommy Jones and Jason Belmonte will travel back in time to commence this year’s WSOB. 

The captains of the USA and World teams, respectively, will compete in a one-game match at Milwaukee’s Holler House on Saturday, April 8. The match will be livestreamed on the PBA’s YouTube channel, starting at 5 p.m. ET.

The Holler House is renowned for its tradition, having two wood lanes oiled by spray gun and a pin boy to set the pins.

On paper, Jones has the stronger team with the frontrunners for PBA Player of the Year Anthony Simonsen and EJ Tackett, plus Kyle Troup, in his corner. Belmonte isn’t lacking for star power, nor actual power, with Jesper Svensson, Dom Barrett and fellow Aussie Sam Cooley by his side.

Furthermore, the PBA World Championship is the event Jones circles to start every season. Should he claim the major title this month, the former Tournament of Champions and U.S. Open champion would complete the Triple Crown. Jones finished third at the World Championship last season.

François Lavoie, a three-time major champion, faces the same opportunity. The two seek to become the 10th player to achieve the Triple Crown.

“It would be more than I ever thought I would achieve in this sport,” Lavoie said last December.

Players to Watch

Eyes have to be on Tackett and Simonsen, who have won five of the season’s eight events. The two are liable to fire 300 at any waking moment and have out-averaged their competition by nearly five pins per game on the season.

Kyle Sherman and Keven Williams have to be feeling confident returning to Wauwatosa. The two champions at last year’s WSOB found traction at the USBC Masters and are primed to chase another title.

Sherman, who claimed his second career title at the PBA Cheetah Championship in 2022, made his first-ever major championship round last week. He missed the first three tournaments of the season recovering from an offseason torn labrum surgery, but rounded into form physically and mentally in Detroit.

Williams took home a T-13th place finish last week, falling to Simonsen and Sherman in match play. However, his 226.6 average between qualifying and match play was the third-highest of any competitor, according to Lanetalk.

Williams’ three-strike 10th frame in the 2022 PBA Shark Championship, which secured his first career PBA title, was one of last season’s finest moments.

Of all the international countries represented at the WSOB, Sweden brings the most players. James Blomgren, Pontus Andersson and William Svensson, who led qualifying at last year’s Cheetah Championship, headline the international influx.

Non-full-time PBA players from Venezuela, Denmark, Japan, the Czech Republic, Germany, Canada and Malaysia will also be in action.

Format

The beauty of the World Series of Bowling XIV lies in its simplicity. 

Players will bowl 20 games on the Cheetah pattern, 20 games on Scorpion and 20 games on Shark. The top five players on each pattern will advance to its respective championship round, airing April 17-19 live on FS1.

The top 12 players with all 60 games combined advance to match play for the PBA World Championship. After 12 games of round-robin match play, the five finalists will be set for the championship round on Sunday, April 23.

The Captains’ Match of the USA vs. The World event will determine seeding and lane choice for the televised final rounds. The loser of the match will then set their lineups for the singles competition on April 15, while the winner can strategically build their lineup afterwards.

The four singles matches will be contested live April 15 on FOX. The following day, doubles and baker matches cap off what PBA commissioner Tom Clark calls “the ultimate international team event."

WSOB XIV Schedule

All times listed in Eastern.

Friday, April 7
10 a.m. — Pre-Tournament Qualifier Round 1 (five games on Viper)
4 p.m. — Pre-Tournament Qualifier Round 2 (five games on Dragon)

Saturday, April 8
9:30 a.m. — Practice session
1 p.m. — Pro-Am
5 p.m. — USA vs. The World: Captain’s Match at Holler House

Sunday, April 9
Noon — Cheetah Championship Qualifying Round 1 (five games)
7 p.m. — Cheetah Championship Qualifying Round 2 (five games)

Monday, April 10
Noon — Cheetah Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
7 p.m. — Cheetah Championship Qualifying Round 4 (five games)

Tuesday, April 11
Noon — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 1 (five games)
7 p.m. — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 2 (five games)

Wednesday, April 12
Noon — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
7 p.m. — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 4 (five games)

Thursday, April 13
Noon — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 1 (five games)
7 p.m. — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 2 (five games)

Friday, April 14
Noon — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
7 p.m. — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 4 (five games)

Saturday, April 15
2:30 p.m. on FOX — USA vs. The World Day 1
Tickets are available here.

Sunday, April 16
Noon on FS1 — USA vs. The World Finals
Tickets are available here.

Monday, April 17
7 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Cheetah Championship Finals
Tickets are available here.

Tuesday, April 18
7 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Scorpion Championship Finals
​​​​​​​Tickets are available here.

Wednesday, April 19
7 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Shark Championship Finals
​​​​​​​Tickets are available here.

Thursday, April 20
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship Match Play Round 1 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA World Championship Match Play Round 2 (six games)

Sunday, April 23
Noon on FOX — PBA World Championship Finals
Tickets are available here.