August 10, 2024 Nolan Hughes

The monumental weight of bowling lore descends upon anyone who crosses the threshold of AMF Riviera Lanes.

The Fairlawn, Ohio venue served as host of the PBA Tour’s signature event, the Tournament of Champions, for 30 years. In 2018, the PBA brought the TOC back to the Buckeye State’s golden jewel.

“The very first thing you notice is the sign above the door, and there’s this flashback through the history of the game,” said Jason Belmonte, a four-time PBA TOC champion. “When you see that sign and you walk in, it’s an immediate slap of respect across your face that your feet are not the only ones in here. You’ve had the greats of our game walk into the same place, lace their shoes and bowl on the same approaches.

“There is a moment in which you feel connected to that generation, that you and them, and the ones that will come after you — this is something that you have in common.”

This week, the PBA50 Tour will follow suit.

The PBA50 Tournament of Champions, which begins qualifying on Monday, will be the final title event of the season.

 

Award Races

In addition to the major title and $15,000 top prize, two PBA50 season awards are at stake.

John Janawicz, the defending champion, has already clinched PBA50 Player of the Year honors. He won his fifth title of the season last week in Indiana, creating an insurmountable difference in the points standings.

Janawicz’ victory in last season’s event, the first PBA50 TOC of the century, etched the final chapter of his Rookie of the Year season.

With three top-10 finishes in his first seven events, Randy Weiss put himself in outstanding position to win PBA50 Rookie of the Year — and then came Mario Quintero.

The native of Mexico stormed onto the scene in July’s Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship. In just seven events, including his PBA50 World Championship title, Quintero leapfrogged Weiss.

Quintero leads Weiss by 490 points entering the season finale.

The stage is also set for an Olympics-worthy photo finish in the PBA60 Player of the Year race.

Parker Bohn III leads all aged-60-and-over players with 15,447 points, but will not be competing this week.

Walter Ray Williams Jr., trailing Bohn by just 734 points, would surpass the legendary southpaw with at least a 28th-place performance.

Additionally, Tom Adcock can eclipse Bohn with a top-four finish, while Chris Warren, John Marsala and Jack Jurek can sprint past Bohn with a victory — not to mention each of those players jockeying amongst each other.

The lights at the hallowed ground will turn on at 10 a.m. Eastern Monday. All rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

Players will compete on the 40-foot Don Johnson oil pattern this week. Lanes 27-28 are the very lanes where Don Johnson shot his illustrious 299 game, which was voted the most memorable moment in PBA history in 2018.

More information on the PBA50 Tournament of Champions is available here.

PBA50 TOC Schedule

AMF Riviera Lanes | Fairlawn, OH

All times listed in Eastern

Sunday, Aug. 11
2pm — Practice session
6pm — Pro-Am

Monday, Aug. 12
10am — Qualifying Round 1 (eight games)

Tuesday, Aug. 13
10am — Qualifying Round 2 (eight games)
Top 32 players advance

Wednesday, Aug. 14
10am — Advancers Round (eight games)
Top 16 players advance to match play

5pm — Match Play Round 1

Thursday, Aug. 15
12pm — Match Play Round 2
Top five players advance to championship round

6pm — Stepladder finals