PBA50 World Series of Bowling Preview
This year, for the first time, the PBA50 Tour will have its own World Series of Bowling. The landmark event will be held at JAX 60 in Jackson, Mich., about an hour west of Detroit, where the PBA’s WSOB was born in 2009.
Since its inception, the WSOB has been an annual staple on the PBA Tour. With multiple titles on the line each year, culminating with a major title in the World Championship, the WSOB has become one of the PBA’s signature events.
The PBA50 WSOB will comprise four title events: the PBA50 Ballard Championship, PBA50 Monacelli Championship, PBA50 Petraglia Championship, and PBA50 World Championship.
The first three events will award standard titles and $5,000 first-place prizes. The World Championship will be a major championship and feature a historic $25,000 top prize.
“We are excited to bring the WSOB concept to the PBA50 Tour,” PBA Tour commissioner Tom Clark said. “With a spectacular host center, the highest senior first-place prize in two decades in the main event World Championship, and over 190 players in the field given multiple opportunities with four titles on the line, the PBA50 WSOB has the potential to quickly grow into the premier senior pro bowling event destination in the world.”
The standard events will be contested on 36-foot, 40-foot and 46-foot oil patterns, each named after their respective Hall of Famers. Eight-game qualifying blocks will determine the 16 advancers to bracket match play for each event.
The Ballard, Monacelli and Petraglia Championships will feature best-of-five-game matches in the Round of 16, then best-of-three-game matches in all subsequent rounds.
After the cumulative 24 games of qualifying, the top third of the field will compete in a six-game advancers round in the PBA50 World Championship, which will determine the 18 round-robin match play finalists. Players will compete on the 45-foot Weber pattern during World Championship advancer and match play rounds.
The action gets underway Sunday morning with PBA50 Ballard Championship qualifying. A-squad takes the lanes at 9 a.m. ET, while B-squad begins at 4 p.m ET.
All rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.
PBA50 WSOB Schedule
JAX 60 | Jackson, Mich.
All times listed in Eastern.
Sunday, July 16 | PBA50 Ballard Championship Qualifying
9 a.m. — A-squad Qualifying Round (eight games)
4 p.m. — B-squad Qualifying Round (eight games)
- Top 16 players advance to PBA50 Ballard Championship match play
Monday, July 17 | PBA50 Monacelli Championship Qualifying
9 a.m. — B-squad Qualifying Round (eight games)
4 p.m. — A-squad Qualifying Round (eight games)
- Top 16 players advance to PBA50 Monacelli Championship match play
Tuesday, July 18 | PBA50 Petraglia Championship Qualifying
9 a.m. — A-squad Qualifying Round (eight games)
4 p.m. — B-squad Qualifying Round (eight games)
- Top 16 players advance to PBA50 Petraglia Championship match play
- Top one-third of players after all 24 games advance to PBA50 World Championship advancers round
Wednesday, July 19 | PBA50 Ballard Championship Bracket Match Play
Noon — Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
3 p.m. — Round of Eight (best-of-three games)
5 p.m. — Semifinals (best-of-three games)
6 p.m. — Finals (best-of-three games)
Thursday, July 20 | PBA50 Monacelli Championship Bracket Match Play
Noon — Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
3 p.m. — Round of Eight (best-of-three games)
5 p.m. — Semifinals (best-of-three games)
6 p.m. — Finals (best-of-three games)
Friday, July 21 | PBA50 Petraglia Championship Bracket Match Play
Noon — Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
3 p.m. — Round of Eight (best-of-three games)
5 p.m. — Semifinals (best-of-three games)
6 p.m. — Finals (best-of-three games)
Saturday, July 22 | PBA50 World Championship
9 a.m. — Advancers Round (six games)
- Top 18 players advance
2 p.m. — Match Play Round 1 (six games)
Sunday, July 23 | PBA50 World Championship
9 a.m. — Match Play Round 2 (six games)
2 p.m. — Match Play Round 3 (six games)
- Top five players advance
6 p.m. — Stepladder finals
More information on the PBA50 World Series of Bowling is available here.