SEATTLE, Wash. – The Professional Bowlers Association is gearing up for the richest tournament in professional bowling history, the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions, and for the first time is creating an opportunity for any player who has ever won a PBA title to take a shot at the record $250,000 first prize.
The PBA Tournament of Champions will be conducted Jan. 16-22 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, Nev., and it will feature an all-new format featuring a “Champions field” to determine the players who will advance to the “Elite field.”
The “Elite field” will be composed of: 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt players; any player who was listed among the “50 Greatest Players in PBA History” during the PBA Tour’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2009; any PBA Hall of Famer; any player who has won five or more PBA Tour titles; any player who has won a PBA major championship; the 2010 PBA Senior U.S. Open and USBC Senior Masters champions, and the 2010 PBA Regional Players Championship and Regional Players Invitational winners.
All other PBA title winners, up to a maximum of 180, will make up the “Champions” field. The Champions field will include players who have won four or fewer PBA Tour titles or a PBA regional, PBA Women’s Series, PBA Senior Tour or PBA Senior Regional title as of Jan. 9, 2011. Titles won by players who were not members at that time are not eligible.
The Champions field will bowl 14 games – two seven-game qualifying rounds each on Sunday and Monday, Jan. 16 and 17. After 14 games, the top half of the Champions field (up to 90 players) will join the Elite field. Qualifying scores from the Champions round will be dropped.
The Elite field – including Champions field qualifiers and Elite players – will begin qualifying on Monday evening, Jan. 17. All bowlers then will bowl 20 games in four five-game blocks to determine the top 54 (based on 216 entries) who will advance into the Cashers Round.
After two eight-game blocks in the Cashers Round, the top 24 based on 36 total games will advance to a traditional 24 games of round-robin match play. At the conclusion of match play, the top four will advance to the TV final.
The first key step, however, is that all players eligible and wishing to enter must be full-fledged PBA members as of Oct. 1.
The entry fee for all Tournament of Champions competitors will be $750 if paid by Dec. 15 ($1,000 after Dec. 15). To enter, look for the Tournament of Champions entry link when you log on to pba.com as a PBA member.
The rewards for bowling well will be unprecedented in PBA history. The payoffs for making the four-player stepladder final on Saturday, Jan. 22, will be $250,000 to win, $100,000 for second, $60,000 for third and $40,000 for fourth place. Based upon a starting field of 216, last-to-cash will be $2,500 for 54th place.
Concluding the week will be the PBA Hall of Fame dinner on Saturday, Jan. 22. Details on that event will be announced soon.
The entire Tournament of Champions will be covered live on pba.com’s Xtra Frame video streaming service. To subscribe, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame logo.
Details regarding television coverage of the Tournament of Champions will be announced soon.
The PBA Tournament of Champions is the PBA Tour’s signature event, an event filled with historical significance including the 2010 TOC which was won by Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J. – the first woman ever to bowl in the event, and the first woman ever to win a PBA Tour title.
2011 PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
SCHEDULE, PRIZE FUND AND ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
Red Rock Resort, Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 15-22
Saturday, Jan. 15
9 and 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. – Pro-Am squads
4:30 p.m. – Autograph sessions
6:30 p.m. – Champions field practice
Sunday, Jan. 16
9 a.m. – Elite field practice
1 p.m. – Champions field, 7 qualifying games
Monday, Jan. 17
8 a.m. – Champions field, 7 qualifying games
Top 50% after 14 games advance to Elite field
4 p.m. – Squad A, 5 qualifying games
7 p.m. – Squad B, 5 qualifying games
Tuesday, Jan. 18
8 a.m. – Squad B, 5 qualifying games
11 a.m. – Squad A, 5 qualifying games
4 p.m. – Squad B, 5 qualifying games
7 p.m. – Squad A, 5 qualifying games
Wednesday, Jan. 19
8 a.m. – Squad A, 5 qualifying games
11 a.m. – Squad B, 5 qualifying games
Top 54 (based on 216 entries) after 20 games advances to Cashers Round
5 p.m. – Cashers Round 1, 8 qualifying games
Thursday, Jan. 20
10 a.m. – Cashers Round 2, 8 qualifying games
Top 24 after 36 games advance to round robin match play
5 p.m. – Top 24, 8 match play games
Friday, Jan. 21
11 a.m. – Top 24, 8 match play games
5 p.m. – Top 24, 8 match play games
Top 4 advance after 60 games advance to stepladder finals
Saturday, Jan. 22
tba – Top 4 stepladder finals
7 p.m. – PBA Hall of Fame dinner
2011 PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS PRIZE FUND
(Based on 216 entries)
1 - $250,000 15 - $17,000 29 - $5,600 43 - $3,600
2 - $100,000 16 - $16,000 30 - $5,400 44 - $3,500
3 - $60,000 17 - $15,000 31 - $5,200 45 - $3,400
4 - $40,000 18 - $14,000 32 - $5,000 46 - $3,300
5 - $35,000 19 - $13,000 33 - $4,800 47 - $3,200
6 - $32,000 20 - $12,000 34 - $4,600 48 - $3,100
7 - $30,000 21 – $11,000 35 - $4,400 49 - $3,000
8 - $28,000 22 - $10,000 36 - $4,300 50 - $2,900
9 - $26,000 23 - $9,000 37 - $4,200 51 - $2,800
10 - $24,000 24 - $8,000 38 - $4,100 52 - $2,700
11 - $22,000 25 - $6,500 39 - $4,000 53 - $2,600
12 - $20,000 26 - $6,200 40 - $3,900 54 - $2,500
13 - $19,000 27 - $6,000 41 - $3,800 Alternate - $600
14 - $18,000 28 - $5,800 42 - $3,700
PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS “ELITE FIELD” ELIGIBILITY
● 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt players
● Any PBA member listed among the “50 Greatest Players in PBA History”
● Any PBA Hall of Famer
● Any PBA member who has won five or more PBA Tour titles
● Any PBA member who has won a PBA major championship
● 2010 PBA Senior U.S. Open and USBC Senior Masters champions
● 2010 PBA Regional Players Championship and Regional Players Invitational winners
● Entry fee is $750 if paid by Dec. 15 ($1,000 thereafter)
● All players must be PBA members in good standing as of Oct. 1, 2010
PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS “CHAMPIONS FIELD” ELIGIBILITY
● Any PBA member who has won four or fewer PBA Tour titles
● Any PBA member who has won PBA regional title
● Any PBA member who has won a PBA Women’s Series title
● Any PBA member who has won a PBA Senior Tour or PBA Senior Regional title
● Entry fee is $750 if paid by Dec. 15 ($1,000 thereafter)
● All players must be PBA members in good standing as of Oct. 1, 2010