August 12, 2024 Nolan Hughes

The BowlTV PBA Regional Players Invitational will return to its old stomping grounds later this year.

The National Bowling Stadium (NBS) in Reno, Nev. will host the end-of-season tournament for the PBA and PBA50 Regional Tours.

The tournaments will be held Dec. 12-15, 2024 and feature a $125,000 total prize fund with a top prize of $15,000 and $10,000 for the PBA and PBA50 divisions, respectively.

“Reno Tahoe is absolutely thrilled to welcome the Professional Bowlers Association back to the National Bowling Stadium for the 2024 BowlTV PBA Regional Players Invitational,” Reno Tahoe President and CEO Mike Larragueta said. “The NBS has served the national and international bowling communities for nearly 30 years and, through this partnership with the PBA, the City of Reno, and Caesars Entertainment, we are proud to host the best bowlers in the country at the top bowling venue in the world.”

From 2015-2017, the National Bowling Stadium hosted the World Series of Bowling VII through IX. Legends from Hall of Famers Parker Bohn III and Tommy Jones, to today’s greats Jason Belmonte, EJ Tackett and Anthony Simonsen have won in the venue.

Most recently on the PBA Tour, the NBS hosted the 2021 U.S. Open and USBC Masters.

“Caesars Entertainment and our resorts in Reno (Silver Legacy, Eldorado and Circus Circus) are honored to welcome the PBA back to The Biggest Little City in the World!” said Ken Ostempowski, the Senior VP and General Manager of the Silver Legacy, Eldorado, and Circus Circus-Reno. “Bowling is woven into the fabric of the Reno Community, offering the only National Bowling Stadium in the country. More importantly, the bowling community is part of our family, and we are excited to welcome them back home!”

The NBS and the Regional Tour have a storied history as well. Fifteen years ago, the 2009 RPI served as a qualifier for 2010-11 PBA Tour exemptions and spawned the careers of future PBA Tour champions Scott Norton and Ryan Ciminelli.

“We’re coming home,” PBA Tour Commissioner Tom Clark said. “The PBA and the National Bowling Stadium make beautiful music together. Thanks to the City of Reno, Reno Tahoe, and Caesars Entertainment, the PBA Regional program and this destination event will continue to grow.”

The top regional players in the nation will be competing for the Chris Warren RPI trophy, named in honor of the second-winningest regional player of all time. In addition to Warren’s 11 PBA50 Regional Tour titles, his 47 PBA Regional Tour titles are tied with Pete Weber for the most ever.

Additionally, the champion of each division will receive an automatic entry into their respective 2024 Tournament of Champions field. If the RPI champion has previously qualified for the TOC, the automatic TOC entry will not carry over to the runner-up.

Patrick Dombrowkski is the two-time defending PBA RPI champion, while Bo Goergen is the defending PBA50 RPI champion.

2024 RPI OFFICIAL RULES

Players can qualify for the RPI via the season-long Regional Tour points list, which includes PBA Regional Tour events from Nov. 13, 2023 through Nov. 11, 2024, or through each region’s RPI Qualifier. Official eligibility rules are available here.

Eligibility

  1. The RPI is open to full PBA members who have all dues paid up in full.
  2. The top 43 players in points from the 2024 PBA Tour, including two-time defending RPI champion Patrick Dombrowski, will be ineligible for the RPI.
  3. The top 10 players from the 2024 PBA50 Tour points list will also be ineligible for the PBA50 division at the RPI.
    1. A top-10 2024 PBA50 Tour player, who finished outside the top 43 on the 2024 PBA Tour, would be eligible in the PBA division.
  4. A player must bowl a minimum of three (3) regional tournaments (PBA or PBA50) in the region in which they qualify. If a player qualifies in a region’s RPI Qualifier but has only bowled in two (or fewer) events in that region, they will not be awarded the RPI berth unless they bowl a third event in that region.

Qualification

  1. Fourteen (14) PBA players and seven (7) PBA50 players from each PBA Regional Tour will be invited.
  2. In the PBA division, the top 10 players in each region’s points list will be invited, along with the top four finishers in each region’s RPI Qualifier.
  3. In the PBA50 division, the top four players in each region’s points list will be invited, along with the top three finishers in each region’s RPI Qualifier.

Region Delegation

  1. If an eligible player (PBA or PBA50) qualifies via an RPI Qualifier, that berth supersedes a points list berth in any region.
  2. If an eligible player qualifies via the points list in two or more regions, the player must accept the invite from the region they are highest in points.

Miscellaneous

  1. The top four PBA players and the top PBA50 player in each region’s points list will qualify for three free nights at the Silver Legacy at the Row during the RPI.
  2. If a player who qualifies via the points list does not accept their invitation, the berth will be given to the next player on the points list.
    1. Any players who ranked 16th or below in the PBA division and fifth or below in the PBA50 division who are invited to the RPI must pay a $200 entry fee.

More information regarding tournament details will be available at a later date.

PBA RPI Qualifier Schedule

PBA East
PBA Kingpins Family Fun Center RPI Open
Sept. 20-22
South Glen Falls, New York

PBA50 East
PBA50 Ripic's Carousel Lanes RPI Open
Oct. 11-13
Binghamton, New York

PBA South
PBA Strike It Big Oviedo RPI South Open
Oct. 4-6
Oviedo, Florida

PBA50 South
PBA50 Jeff Schrum Memorial RPI South Open
Nov. 1-3
Gastonia, North Carolina

PBA Central
PBA Boss Snow Plows/O'Brien Auto/Radical Central Open (RPI)
Sept. 27-29
Fishers, Indiana

PBA50 Central
PBA50 RPI Central Open presented by Fayette Drywall
Sept. 27-29
Kettering, Ohio

PBA Midwest
PBA Strike N Spare 2 Midwest RPI
Oct. 25-27
Lockport, Illinois

PBA50 Midwest
PBA50 Strike N Spare 2 Midwest RPI
Nov. 1-3
Lockport, Illinois

PBA Southwest
PBA Oklahoma City SW Open (RPI Qualifier)
Sept. 27-29
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

PBA50 Southwest
PBA50 Waxahachie Southwest RPI Qualifier
Sept. 20-22
Waxahachie, Texas

PBA West
PBA West RPI Qualifier presented by South Point Casino
Nov. 8-10
Las Vegas, Nevada

PBA50 West
PBA50 West RPI Qualifier presented by South Point Casino
Nov. 8-10
Las Vegas, Nevada

PBA Northwest
PBA Jim Kent Memorial (RPI Qualifier)
Oct. 25-27
Tacoma, Washington

PBA50 Northwest
PBA50 NW Gary Mage Classic (RPI Qualifier)
Oct. 25-27
Tacoma, Washington

View the complete PBA Regional Tour schedule here.