WSOB CONCLUDES ON SUNDAY

Sunday On ESPN: GEICO WSOB IX Concludes

with World Bowling Tour Finals at 1 p.m. ET

RENO, Nev. (Jan. 3, 2018) – ESPN’s coverage of the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IX presented by Eldorado Resorts Reno Properties concludes with the seventh World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals presented by PBA Sunday at 1 p.m. EST from the National Bowling Stadium.

After competing in selected PBA-WBT international events in 2017, the top three points earners in men’s and women’s divisions earned berths in separate stepladder finals which are part of the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA ESPN schedule.

Competing in the women’s semifinal match will be No. 3 qualifier Shalin Zulkifli, an international star from Malaysia, against two-time defending WBT Finals champion Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., the No. 2 qualifier. The winner will take on top qualifier Diana Zavjalova of Latvia for the championship and a $12,000 first prize.

In the men’s semifinal, No. 3 qualifier Marshall Kent of Yakima, Wash., will try to improve upon his third-place finish in 2017, meeting PBA World Championship runner-up Jesper Svensson of Sweden, in the semifinal match with the winner taking on top qualifier and PBA World Championship winner Jason Belmonte of Australia. The men’s winner will also receive $12,000.

Belmonte will be trying for his first WBT Finals victory after winning the PBA World Championship – his record third major title of the 2017 season – earlier in WSOB IX.

The WBT Finals will once again feature World Bowling’s  “Current Frame” scoring system, where players earn 30 pins a frame for each strike, 10 pins plus the total from their first shot of that frame for a spare, or actual total pinfall for the frame for an open frame. The alternative scoring format consists of 10 frames, the same as in a traditional game, but there are no additional shots in the 10th frame if a player strikes or spares. The maximum score is still 300 if a player strikes in all 10 frames.

The WBT Finals was established in 2011 when the PBA and World Bowling joined forces to conduct several PBA/WBT international events during the season. The Finals, which does not count for an official PBA title, was created to showcase the top men and women performers who competed in professional events around the globe.