PBA Tour Returns to Shawnee to Kick Off Second Half of 2017 Season
with Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Oklahoma Open
Tournament to feature representatives from 16 countries and two live ESPN telecasts
SHAWNEE, Okla. – The Professional Bowlers Association returns to Shawnee, Okla., to kick off the second half of its 2017 season with a field of stars representing 16 countries competing in the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort PBA Oklahoma Open.
The Oklahoma Open will culminate with a unique nine-player, two-day live ESPN stepladder finals airing on July 1 and 2 conducted on specially-built lanes in the Grand Event Center inside the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort.
After qualifying rounds that will be contested June 27-30 at nearby FireLake Bowling Center with players qualifying fifth through ninth will beginning the stepladder eliminations on Saturday, July 1 at noon CDT (1 p.m. EDT). The player who survives Saturday’s competition will advance to the five-player stepladder finals on Sunday, July 2 at noon CDT that will decide the championship.
Qualifying and match play rounds will be webcast live on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame. For subscription and schedule information visit xtraframe.tv.
A capacity field of 96 PBA Tour players is expected to compete in the inaugural tournament which marks the 13th stop of the 2017 PBA Tour season. The Tour made its first appearance of the season in Shawnee in February for the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions which was won by reigning PBA Player of the Year EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind.
Countries represented, in addition to the U.S. are Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand and Venezuela.
The week will kick off on June 26 at 7 p.m. CDT (8 p.m. EDT) with the Xtra Frame PBA King of Bowling special Pay-Per-View event which will pit reigning “King” and 10-time PBA Tour winner Wes Malott against 18-time Tour winner Tommy Jones. Both players, who are former Players of the Year, will compete in a best-of-three match to decide who will continue on as “King” in the series. Xtra Frame coverage will begin with a pre-game show at 6:40 p.m. CDT (7:40 p.m. EDT). As a special Pay-Per-View event, the King of Bowling is $2.99 (including for those who already have an Xtra Frame subscription) with all subscription money going to the prize fund of the event.
Oklahoma Open competition will include eight-game qualifying rounds June 27, 28 and 29 on the PBA’s Wolf, Bear and Badger lane conditioning patterns at the FireLake Bowling Center. The top 33 players based on 24-game pinfall totals will advance to another eight-game qualifying round on the Oklahoma Open lane condition June 30 which will determine nine players who will compete in the July 1 and 2 finals. The leading qualifier will have the right to select which of the four lane conditions will be used for the stepladder finals.
In addition to the live ESPN telecasts, the finals will be available to bowling fans on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app as they happen.
Daily passes for qualifying and match play rounds at the FireLake Bowling Center June 27-30 are $10. Daily passes for both days of stepladder finals at the Grand Casino Event Center are $20. VIP weekend passes are $35 and will allow admittance 30 minutes earlier than day pass holders for priority seating. Additional admission and ticket information is available by visitingwww.grandboxoffice.com.
GRAND CASINO HOTEL & RESORT PBA OKLAHOMA OPEN SCHEDULE
FireLake Bowling Center/Grand Event Center, Shawnee, Okla. (all times are Central)
Monday, June 26
FireLake Bowling Center
2 p.m. – Practice session A
5 p.m. – Practice session B
7 p.m. – King of Bowling competition on Xtra Frame
Tuesday, June 27
FireLake Bowling Center
10 a.m. – A squad qualifying (8 games)
4 p.m. – B squad qualifying (8 games)
Wednesday, June 28
FireLake Bowling Center
10 a.m. – A squad qualifying (8 games)
4 p.m. – B squad qualifying (8 games)
Thursday, June 29
FireLake Bowling Center
10 a.m. – A squad qualifying (8 games)
4 p.m. – B squad qualifying (8 games)
Top 33 after 24 games advance to cashers round
Friday, June 30
FireLake Bowling Center
8:30 a.m. – Cashers qualifying round (8 games)
Top 9 players after 32 games advance to live ESPN stepladder finals
Saturday, July 1
Grand Event Center
Noon – Live ESPN stepladder finals (to determine places 6-9)
Sunday, July 2
Grand Event Center
Noon – Live ESPN stepladder finals (to determine places 1-5)
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