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65-595: The majority of the PBA's 3,000+ members are Regional professionals. In a typical season, fewer than 100 players regularly compete on the national PBA Tour . Through the 2008–09 season, Regional PBA professionals could qualify for the national tour by topping one of the seven regions in points. For the 2009–10 season, Regional qualification was revised, as bowlers had to qualify via the Regional Players Invitational (RPI) tournament. The top 25 bowlers on

130-570: A $ 2,500 scholarship as part of his prize. The youngest player to win a Regional Tour title as a PBA member was Deo Benard , who won the 2020 South Point West Challenge at age 16 years, 234 days. PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling , operated by the Professional Bowlers Association . Headquartered in Mechanicsville, Virginia , over 3,000 members worldwide make up

195-432: A 237–236 score. Needing a strike and then six pins in the tenth frame to win, Pedersen left a solid 8 pin standing on what appeared to be a perfect 1-3 pocket shot. That match is also remembered for Schlegel's reaction to the shot. In a thrill-of-victory/agony-of-defeat moment, Schlegel ran around in front of the crowd with his fists raised, as Pedersen fell down onto the approach, covering his face in disappointment. Pedersen

260-666: A Commissioner's Exemption at the Bayer Earl Anthony Medford Classic held in that city in January 2009. During the TQR, amateur and non-exempt PBA bowlers bowled 7 games of qualifying. The top amateur bowler advanced (no matter where he or she finished), along with the top-scoring PBA members needed to round out the field. In the 2007–08 PBA season , rookie Rhino Page made a remarkable five TV finals appearances (winning one title) despite having to bowl in

325-769: A PBA member to enter any subsequent events during that season. Brady McDonough, at the age of 15 years and 137 days, is the youngest athlete to win a PBA Regional event. He won the PBA Copperfield Southwest Challenge in Houston on April 9, 2023 by defeating Justin Veitch 253-236 in the title match. However, as McDonough was not a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) at that time, his victory did not count as an official PBA Regional title. McDonough received

390-432: A PBA title and a major title. The most significant impact of this change is that Dick Weber moves from a 10th place tie on the all-time titles list to 8th place (30 titles) while picking up four more majors (all BPAA All-Star events). Also, Earl Anthony is credited with two more major titles, both being USBC Masters, giving him ten majors among his 43 total titles. Pete Weber tied Anthony with ten major titles after his win in

455-426: A best 4-of-7 format. The four quarterfinal winners made the field for the televised finals. Depending on the finals format, a fifth bowler could be added based on highest pinfall among the quarterfinal non-winners. The championship round remained single head-to-head matches for semifinals and finals on the final day. Beginning in the 2009–10 season, a majority of the finals had returned to the stepladder format. For

520-545: A brief time in 2000. Pedersen remained as the bowling analyst on ESPN through the termination of their PBA contract in 2018. He began working for Fox Sports in 2019 when the PBA Tour moved its TV broadcasts to Fox Sports networks. He has also served as analyst on selected PBA Tour broadcasts hosted by CBS Sports Network . Pedersen has been lauded for his extensive knowledge of the game, associated bowling lingo and catch phrases (see below) as well as his sense of humor. He had

585-442: A final match of the semi-final winners. A few tournaments still used the stepladder format for the finals. In January 2005, the PBA tournament format was modified because of the all exempt tour. Non-exempt bowlers bowled on the first day to determine the additional six (or more) bowlers who qualify for the tournament (on top of the exempt field). The second day consisted of 64 bowlers rolling 14 games (two 7-game blocks) to determine

650-432: A five-man stepladder final. The format has changed multiple times since then. After the PBA's sale and move of broadcasts to ESPN, most tournaments used a "bracketed" format. Each bowler bowled nine qualifying games, with the top 64 by pinfall competing in best 4-of-7 head-to-head matches. The four remaining bowlers from match play competed in two semi-final matches (#4 seed vs. #1 seed, and #3 seed vs. #2 seed), followed by

715-600: A newly designed "Earl" pattern for the Earl Anthony Medford Classic. Beginning in the 2018 season, the PBA began incorporating several more "legends" oil patterns (e.g., Mark Roth 42, Carmen Salvino 44, etc.) in addition to the Weber, Anthony and "animal" oil patterns. Though most PBA pros tend to bowl their best on one or two of the PBA oil patterns, two players, Mika Koivuniemi and Tommy Jones , have managed to win at least one title on all five of

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780-439: A small part in the 1996 comedy movie Kingpin (he was placed right next to Woody Harrelson ) along with several other professional bowlers, and has a cameo appearance in the 2006 bowling documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen . Pedersen is notable for using various phrases used to describe different occurrences during PBA events. They include: (above two describing a perfectly-rolled strike, with all 10 pins going into

845-526: A son, Chad and a daughter, Savannah. As a bowler, Pedersen won 13 PBA Tour titles, with 11 of them coming in a ten-season stretch between 1986 and 1995, when he was one of the top players on tour. Pedersen captured the prestigious PBA National Championship crown in 1987 for his first and only major title. He won three titles in the 1989 season, but was beaten out for PBA Player of the Year honors by Amleto Monacelli , who won four titles that year. His last title

910-431: A touring professional was not a guarantee; it had to be earned. The 2005 H&R Block Tournament of Champions was pivotal, as Randy Pedersen was facing the loss of his exempt status in the semi-final match against Norm Duke . On his final shot, Pedersen left a weak 7-pin and immediately singled out the sidelines, accusing a spectator of distracting him as he made his shot. From that point, Pedersen would have to bowl in

975-654: A tournament during the previous season, winning one of the four major tournaments (thus gaining a multi-year exemption), placing among the top finishers in points, leading a region on the PBA Regional Tour (2005–2007), finishing in a high position at the PBA Tour Trials (2005–2008), or placing high enough at the PBA Regional Players Invitational Tournament (2008–2011). Under this new format, bona fide status as

1040-414: Is also the oldest bowler to be named Player of the Year, earning the 2009–10 award at age 50. In the 2007–08 season, a new Player of the Year system was instituted, where a points system only determined the winner. Chris Barnes became the first Player of the Year winner under this new system in 2008, edging out Walter Ray Williams Jr. by two points. The points-only system lasted just three seasons, and by

1105-525: Is awarded for players entering at least 60 percent of a season's tournaments, including the World Series, at least one major, and at least one Xtra Frame event. To earn either status, players must also average 190 or higher in PBA Tour events. While the PBA points list no longer affects exempt status, there are incentives for finishing high on the list — such as eligibility for certain tournaments like

1170-489: The PBA Players Championship (begun in 2011–12), PBA Tour Finals (begun in 2017) and PBA Playoffs (begun in 2019). Prior to the debut of the PBA on ABC television in 1962, most tournaments were organized where, once the cut was established after qualifying rounds, a set number of match-play games were bowled, and bonus pins were given to the winner of each match. The champion was then decided based on

1235-527: The PBA Tour in previous seasons. During the most recent season, he worked alongside play-by-play announcers Rob Stone and Dave Ryan , having previously worked with Dave LaMont , Lon McEachern and Mike Jakubowski. Pedersen grew up in Southern California, but relocated to Clermont, Florida in the early 1990s. He has resided in Florida ever since. He and his ex-wife Becky have two children:

1300-655: The Weber Cup . From the PBA Tour's inception through the 2003–04 season, most national PBA Tour events were open to the entire PBA membership. The initial tournament squads typically included well over 100 bowlers, who would bowl a set number of qualifying games to determine the "cut line" for additional qualifying and/or match play (typically 64 bowlers). Starting in October 2004, the PBA adopted an all-exempt national tour format. In this format, only 64 bowlers competed in most weekly events. Bowlers earned exemptions by winning

1365-405: The "exempt player" designation was removed, the PBA announced that players would be able to earn "Touring 1" and "Touring 2" statuses, which will offer certain benefits and bonuses. "Touring 1" status is awarded to all bowlers who enter at least 80 percent of a season's tournaments, including the World Series of Bowling, at least two majors, and at least three PBA Xtra Frame events. "Touring 2" status

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1430-508: The 2001 Rookie of the Year on the PWBA , won the 2003 U.S. Women's Open , and was a three-time member of Team USA.) Kulick later earned a two-year exemption to the main PBA Tour with her victory in the 2010 Tournament of Champions; she had earned her spot in that event by winning the PBA Women's World Championship, the tour's first major championship in its Women's Series. From 2009 to 2011,

1495-644: The 2009 World Series of Bowling , consisted of seven PBA Tour events—including one major tournament ( PBA World Championship ) – held in August and September 2009 in Allen Park, MI , near Detroit . All of the events ran in a split format: the early rounds of each tournament were held on consecutive days in August and September, and ESPN television taped the final rounds for the tournaments on Labor Day weekend (September 5–7). These were aired on seven Sundays, October 25 through December 6, 2009. The final rounds for

1560-531: The 2010–11 season, a player vote was again part of the process. Unlike the typical "league condition" or "house shot", which facilitates a fairly consistent pattern and wider target area, the PBA rotates several challenging lane oil patterns throughout the season. The initial named patterns — known as Cheetah, Viper, Scorpion, Shark and Chameleon — feature varying oil volumes and lengths that require pros to adjust ball angle, rotation and speed accordingly. On some patterns, certain "strike lines" (areas of

1625-473: The 2013 PBA Tournament of Champions. Both players were surpassed by Jason Belmonte, who won his record 11th major title in 2019 and now owns 15 majors. Dick Weber and Pete Weber became the first father-and-son combination to both win titles on the national PBA Tour, after Pete won the Greater Hartford Open on April 17, 1982 . They are also the only father-and-son duo to both be ranked in

1690-421: The 32 bowlers who made "match play" on the third day. Seeding of the top 32 was based on a rolling points list of the 20 previous events. The third day featured 32 bowlers competing in potentially 21 matches in a single day. It started with the first round in the morning, followed by the second round ("Round of 16") after lunch. That night, the quarterfinal ("Round of 8") matches were conducted. All matches were

1755-599: The PBA Chameleon Championship that took place in the same bowling center. The lane conditions indeed proved easier for the professionals, as three of the four finalists averaged better than 250 during match play. Custom oil patterns are used for the four major tournaments. In addition, the PBA introduced the Dick Weber pattern for two 2008–09 tournaments (including the Denny's Dick Weber Open), plus

1820-695: The PBA Experience Showdown, and the PBA Women's Series Showdown. The PBA announced in May, 2010 that it would again cover all of the Fall tournaments for the upcoming season at the World Series of Bowling . The second annual event was held October 24 through November 6, 2010 at South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nevada . It consisted of five title events, qualifying for

1885-699: The PBA Tour puts on a series of events for PBA members. Most events are held across the United States , with the PBA co-sponsoring selected international events as part of the World Bowling Tour (WBT). In addition, the PBA Tour has co-hosted the Round1 Japan Cup along with the Japan Professional Bowling Association (JPBA). Also, select American members compete against their European counterparts in

1950-611: The PBA World Championship, and one non-title, made-for-TV event. Based on input from players, as well as corporate partner and ESPN television needs, there were some revisions to the series: Randy Pedersen Randy Pedersen (born May 28, 1962) is an American sportscaster and former professional bowler . He is currently a color analyst for Fox Sports ' coverage of the PBA Tour, formerly filling that same role on ESPN and CBS Sports Network telecasts of

2015-406: The PBA. While most of the PBA members are Regional professionals, a small percentage of the bowling membership competes at the national and international level, forming the PBA Tour. (PBA.com lists 57 bowlers that have Tier 1 national touring pro status as of the start of the 2024 season.) Founded in 1958, the PBA Tour has been in continuous operation since the inaugural 1959 season . Each year,

PBA Regional Tour - Misplaced Pages Continue

2080-596: The PBA50 Tour (formerly PBA Senior Tour) in 2013, and on May 16 of that year he won the very first tournament he entered: the PBA50 Dayton Classic. Major titles in bold type. Off the lanes, Pedersen joined ESPN in 2001 as a TV analyst and has had great success behind the microphone; Pedersen earned the position after getting his start in broadcasting as a lane-level reporter on ABC 's Pro Bowlers Tour , in addition to working on Fox Sports Net for

2145-583: The RPI points list in each of the seven PBA regions (through September, 2008) earned an invitation to the 2008 RPI. The top five from each region – plus the winner of the 2008 Regional Players Championship (won by Sean Swanson in late May that year) – received airfare and accommodations for the event in December, 2008 and did not have to pay an additional fee to be eligible for a PBA Tour exemption. The next 20 players in each region were required to pay their own way to

2210-403: The RPI, and also had to pay an additional $ 750 on top of the entry fee to be eligible for a Tour exemption. The 2008 RPI featured a similar format to the PBA Tour Trials, in that competitors bowled for five days on each of the PBA's five "animal" oil patterns. The top eight bowlers who (if necessary) paid the additional entry fee earned exemptions for the 2009–10 season, provided they finished in

2275-681: The Round of 16 match play then bowled a final match play round to determine the four bowlers who advanced to the TV finals. All match play rounds were on the second day of the tournament, and all were best 4-of-7 matches. The following are the top 20 titles winners in PBA Tour history. The table lists the name and the number of titles. Players who are: All players listed are members of the PBA Hall of Fame, except Jason Belmonte and E. J. Tackett . Belmonte and Tackett are title-eligible, but have not yet met

2340-548: The TQR every week. From 2005 to 2008, the PBA held the PBA Tour Trials in late May/early June to determine the bowlers who would will fill the remaining open spots on the following season's exempt player list. The number of exemptions awarded at the PBA Tour Trials varied—10 spots were available in 2006–07, but only seven spots at the start of the 2007–08 and 2008–09 campaigns. That number could increase or decrease due to injury deferments for currently exempt bowlers. At

2405-543: The Tour Qualifying Round (TQR) in order to try making the initial field of 64. Criticism of the format was brought forth by long-time PBA fans when popular 24-time winner Brian Voss lost his tour exemption following the 2006–07 season. 19-time titlist Amleto Monacelli also lost his exemption at the same time. Depending on the season, a set number of bowlers (for example, 58 bowlers in the 2008–09 season) earned exemptions which automatically placed them in

2470-576: The Tour Trials were replaced by the PBA Regional Players Invitational (RPI). For the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons, the top eight finishers at the RPI were offered PBA Tour exemptions, though not all of them accepted. At the 2011 RPI, 58-year-old Kerry Painter finished eighth and made history by becoming the oldest player to ever earn a PBA Tour exemption. In November 2011, the PBA announced that they would discontinue

2535-401: The Tour Trials, non-exempt PBA and international bowlers bowled nine games each day for five straight days on the five primary PBA oil patterns. (See "PBA Tour lane preparation" later in this article.) At the 2006 Denny's PBA Tour Trials, Kelly Kulick made history by becoming the first woman to ever gain a PBA exemption (she was exempt for the 2006–07 season). (Before it dissolved, Kulick was

2600-456: The Women's and Senior PBA World Championship were taped September 5 and were broadcast on October 25. The final round for the "open" PBA World Championship was broadcast live on December 13. The Motor City Open and PBA World Championship were open to the entire PBA membership. The fields for the five exempt events were increased from 64 to 72, with the additional spots going to TQR qualifiers and

2665-441: The event hosting it. The tour resumed its normal "stepladder" format the following year. The bowler who won himself the most notoriety for winning "King" matches was Ron Williams, who won only four tourneys in his career, yet held the "King" spot for five consecutive weeks that year. Special formats were also used on occasion in conjunction with Old Spice deodorant, which sponsored a Winning Never Gets Old challenge annually in

PBA Regional Tour - Misplaced Pages Continue

2730-495: The exempt events to fill two of the four additional spots. The second half of the season, running January–April 2010, consisted of 11 traditional touring weekly tournaments, including the remaining three majors. Each event ended with the live ESPN television finals on Sundays. The second half also included three special (non-title) televised events: the Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational,

2795-456: The exempt tour format for the 2012–13 PBA Tour season . Due to the changing climate of the Tour itself, the number of all-exempt events had been steadily declining in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons, until there were only three exempt events for the 2011–12 season. This change meant that all but two events during the 2012–13 PBA national tour were open to all players. The two notable exceptions to

2860-415: The final overall total pinfall. From 1962 to 1965, ABC started televising the PBA Tour, starting with a limited number of tournaments on ABC's Wide World of Sports , and later having its own timeslot . Therefore, a round-robin tournament format was implemented to determine the champion. The televised finals would be cut to the top four bowlers after match-play, and then three round-robin matches between

2925-427: The first five exempt events of the 2009–10 season, the starting field consisted of 72 bowlers all rolling 14 games of qualifying in one day (two blocks of 7 games each) to determine the top 28. The top four bowlers by pinfall automatically earned a spot in the Round of 16 match play. The other 12 spots for the Round of 16 were determined in a separate match play round for the #5 through #28 seeds. The eight winners from

2990-415: The fourth, third and second-seeded bowlers would determine the final two bowlers. If any bowler were to win both of his matches in the round-robin, he would go on to face the tournament leader. If the three bowlers each split their matches to go 1 and 1 in the round-robin, total pinfall would decide which man would advance to the final match to face the tournament leader. The winner of the final match would win

3055-485: The lane) are unplayable, and spare shooting becomes much more important. This means a 220 average on the PBA Tour would easily translate to 20-30 pins higher on a typical league shot. To put this theory to the test, the PBA held a special "Ultimate Scoring Championship" in the 2008–09 season, with pro bowlers competing on a typical league lane condition. The event took place November 9–11, 2008 in Taylor, Michigan , prior to

3120-471: The mid-1990s. The winner of the championship would bowl a Seniors Tour bowler for the rights to an extra $ 10,000. When the PBA Tour moved to CBS in 1998, a two-match format was adopted. Again going to four bowlers, the #2, #3, and #4 players bowled in one "shootout" match, with the winner facing the tournament's #1 qualifier for the championship. From 1998 to 2000, also, the PBA used gold-colored pins with black stripes or crowns (depending on if Brunswick or AMF

3185-626: The new "Golden Parachute" entry reserved for a formerly-exempt player. Under the Golden Parachute rule, any formerly exempt PBA member who lost his/her exemption during past four years was able to apply for this new exempt position. (It was awarded to 24-time PBA titlist Brian Voss .) Following the 2009–10 season, the Golden Parachute exemption will come only from the previous year's crop of players who lose their exemption due to points. The exempt PBA Women's Series fields were increased from 16 to 20. The Women's Series added qualifiers for

3250-530: The open policy are the PBA Tournament of Champions (TOC) and the Round1 Japan Cup . The TOC accepts only the most recent 48 PBA Tour titlists (with a "Touring 1" or "Touring 2" status), plus past winners of the TOC itself. The Japan Cup invites the top sixteen PBA Tour bowlers (based on final points standing of the previous season), and four at-large PBA Tour players selected by the tournament committee. While

3315-442: The pattern layout but also see how the play area changes from game to game. Said ESPN Coordinating Producer Kathy Cook, "Until now, one of the most crucial and least understood aspects of the game was invisible." The shortest pattern used in the 2019 PBA Tour season was the 32-foot Wolf pattern, and the longest was the 48-foot Shark pattern. In a cost-cutting effort, the PBA split the 2009–10 season into two segments. The first,

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3380-401: The pit) (above four have been used to describe a powerful strike) Pedersen once commented on his role as PBA Analyst on ESPN telecasts. He said, "I want to convey to the viewing public that they are watching the best bowlers in the world. It's my job to explain what makes them that good, as well as provide other information that 'Johnny 150 average' doesn't already know. One thing I learned

3445-528: The standard "animal" patterns. The USBC is also grasping the PBA lane conditions. Called the USBC PBA Experience , amateurs are able to experience and test their bowling skills against PBA-like conditions, by participating in a USBC sanctioned league style called Sport Bowling . For the 2013 World Series of Bowling and into the 2014 season , the PBA began using lane oil that is dyed blue for televised matches, thus helping viewers not only see

3510-615: The starting field of 64 bowlers each week. The remaining spots needed to bring the field to 64 were awarded each week through the PBA Tour Qualifying Round (TQR), also called the "rabbit squad". PBA Commissioner Fred Schreyer would often award one spot in the field to a former touring pro under the Commissioner's Exemption , meaning even fewer spots were available via the TQR. For example, PBA Hall of Famer and Medford, Oregon resident Marshall Holman competed on

3575-404: The top 16 overall. The exempt PBA Tour format was discontinued prior to the 2012–13 season, which meant the end of the RPI. The PBA continues to run a Regional Tour to the present day. Regional Tour events are open to both PBA members and non-members, with most events requiring a higher entry fee for non-members. Any player who wins two Regional Tour events in a season as a non-member must become

3640-568: The top four seeds made it to the television finals, instead of five, with the traditional stepladder format. The #4 and #3 seeds met first, with the winner facing the #2 seed, and that winner then facing the #1 seed. The winner of the tournament faced the current "King" for an additional cash prize. The winner of the King of the Hill match would then bowl the winner of the following week's tournament. The "King" could defend his title even when not competing in

3705-456: The top ten all-time for PBA Tour titles (Dick earned 30 titles-eighth place and Pete has 37 titles-fourth place). They have since been joined by four other father-son titlists: Kevin McCune's victory at the 2023 PBA Players Championship made the McCune family the only one with three generations of PBA Tour title holders. The PBA Player of the Year began being officially recognized in 1963. It

3770-461: The top three scorers would move on to the next match, with the lowest score finishing in fourth place. The next match would then take the two top scorers (low score finishing in third place), and these two bowlers competed head-to-head in the final match. For the 2012-13 "Super Season", the WSOB switched back to the four-man stepladder format, with the exception of the PBA World Championship which featured

3835-405: The tournament. From the late 1960s to 1997 (with the exception of one year), televised events were done in a "stepladder" format. Four matches would be held, with the #5 and #4 seeds from the qualifying rounds meeting first. The winner of the first match would bowl the #3 seed, and likewise up to the top spot. ABC experimented in 1993 with a King Of The Hill format. Under this arrangement, only

3900-446: The years-on-tour requirement. In May 2008, the PBA announced that it was revising its all-time records to include USBC Masters and BPAA All-Star titles if they were bowled by a PBA member. American Bowling Congress (the merger took place in 2005) Masters titles prior to 1998 and BPAA All-Star (U.S. Open prior to 1971) titles were previously not counted as PBA titles. The events bowled in the PBA era (since 1959) are now counted as both

3965-411: Was also knocked out of the 2005 Dexter Tournament of Champions after he left the 7 pin on his tenth frame fill shot to close out the semifinal against Norm Duke , losing 256–255. Pedersen was ranked #35 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the last 50 years." He was elected to the PBA Hall of Fame in October 2010, and was inducted with the 2011 class on January 22, 2011. Pedersen joined

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4030-547: Was awarded by The Sporting News from 1963–70, and by the PBA membership from 1971–2007. Some factors used in the voting process for a given season included major titles, total titles, Tour average ranking, points ranking, season earnings and TV finals appearances. In 1999, the award was officially renamed the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year, in honor of the legendary broadcaster who covered bowling on national television for 35 years. Billy Hardwick

4095-430: Was earned at age 40 in the 2002 Pepsi Open. That title pushed him over the $ 1 million career earnings mark, making him the 24th career millionaire in PBA history at the time. Pedersen is also known for having suffered from two of the worst breaks in PBA Tour history. Both came in major tournaments, and both times he lost by one pin. He lost the 1995 Bayer-Brunswick Touring Players Championship to veteran Ernie Schlegel by

4160-442: Was involved in the alley) for their televised finals. The pins returned to regular white in 2001. When the PBA Tour introduced the World Series of Bowling during the 2009–10 season, the televised finals for all tournaments in the series used the four-man bracket format. It was changed to a five-man stepladder for the 2010-11 season. During the 2011 WSOB, an "eliminator" format was used. The top four qualifiers all bowled together, and

4225-433: Was the first bowler to be awarded an official PBA Player of the Year honor, and is also the youngest (22) to ever win the award. The mid-1970s to early-1980s were dominated by Earl Anthony and Mark Roth . The two won 10 of the 11 P.O.Y. awards between 1974 and 1984, and faced off in many memorable finals. Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Jason Belmonte have won the most P.O.Y. awards (7 each), one more than Anthony. Williams

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