The 2012-2013 PBA Tour season marks a transition from a "seasonal" schedule to a calendar year schedule that will begin at the start of 2014. The 2012-2013 schedule includes 14 months' worth of action, which began at the World Series of Bowling November 2-9, 2012 and includes the PBA Tour's traditional, U.S.-based events, plus a number of international events that are a part of the World Bowling Tour. Also included as part of the '12-13 season is the debut of the PBA League. For more information on that event, click here.
Through the first 13 events of the season, here are my top PBA Player of the Year candidates thus far, listed in random order:
Scott Norton - Won the WSOB Chameleon Championship, plus two upcoming title match appearances in the PBA Winter Swing telecasts.
Sean Rash - Lots of high finishes but no wins - second in the Japan Cup and the WBT IBC in Tokyo, third in the WSOB Viper, PBA World Championship and the Mark Roth Classic, fifth in the Carmen Salvino Classic, plus has an upcoming TV appearance in the title match of the Earl Anthony Players Championship.
Mika Koivuniemi - Won the Japan Cup and the WBT Qatar Open, but missed the match play cuts in both the PBA World Championship and the Earl Anthony Players Championship.
Jason Belmonte - Two second-place finishes (including the PBA World Championship), plus a third at the WSOB. Also finished fifth in the Earl Anthony Players Championship at the PBA Winter Swing.
Tommy Jones - Won the WBT IBC in Tokyo, plus a sixth-place finish at the PBA World Championship.
Parker Bohn III - Won the PBA World Championship and also made another TV appearance in the Japan Cup.
SCHEDULE LISTING OF ALL COMPLETED AND UPCOMING EVENTS (Event name - Champion)
NOVEMBER 2-9, 2012
WSOB Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Cheetah Championship - Bill O'Neill
World Series of Bowling Viper Championship - Brad Angelo
World Series of Bowling Chameleon Championship - Scott Norton
WSOB Bowlers Journal Int'l Scorpion Championship - Tom Daugherty
PBA World Championship - Parker Bohn III
NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 1, 2012
Round One's International Japan Cup - Mika Koivuniemi
DECEMBER 9-15, 2012
WBT Qatar Open (Not televised) - Mika Koivuniemi
JANUARY 4-13, 2013
WBT Brunswick Ballmaster Open (Not televised) - Jesper Svensson
JANUARY 15-19, 2013
WBT International Bowling Championships (Not televised)- Tommy Jones
JANUARY 19-27, 2013
PBA Carmen Salvino Classic - Show airs 2/10/13 - CLICK FOR RESULTS
PBA Mark Roth Classic - Show airs 2/17/13 - CLICK FOR RESULTS
PBA Don Carter Classic - Show airs 3/3/13 - CLICK FOR RESULTS
Earl Anthony PBA Players Championship - Show airs 3/24/13 - CLICK FOR RESULTS
FEBRUARY 18-24, 2013
USBC Masters (North Brunswick, NJ) - TBD
MARCH 13-17, 2013
WBT Kuwait Open (Kuwait City, Kuwait) - TBD
MARCH 15-24, 2013
WBT Brunswick Euro Challenge (St. Maximim, France) - TBD
MARCH 26-31, 2013
PBA Tournament of Champions (Indianapolis, Indiana) - TBD
MAY 19-JUNE 2, 2013
PBA Summer Classic I (Waukesha, Wisconsin) - TBD
PBA Summer Classic II (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - TBD
PBA Summer Classic III (Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) - TBD
PBA Summer Classic IV (Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) - TBD
JULY 7-13, 2013
It's Daejeon Int'l Open Bowling Tournament (Daejeon, Korea) - TBD
JULY 21-28, 2013
70th U.S. Open (Columbus, Ohio) - TBD
AUGUST 17-31, 2013
WTBA World Championships (Henderson, Nevada) - TBD
SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2013
11th Indonesia Int'l Open (Ancol, Indonesia) - TBD
OCTOBER 1-6, 2013
WBT Vienna Open (Vienna, Austria) - TBD
OCTOBER 13-20, 2013
WBT Thailand Open (Bangkok, Thailand) - TBD
OCTOBER 25 - NOVEMBER 3, 2013
PBA World Series of Bowling V (Las Vegas, Nevada) - TBD
NOVEMBER 27-30, 2013
Round One's International Japan Cup (Tokyo, Japan) - TBD