PBA Tournament of Champions and Players Championship Already a Critical

Stretch for Players in Young Go Bowling! PBA Tour Season

PBA Playoffs, $1 million 300 game bonus come into focus in season’s first major championships

CHICAGO (Jan. 30, 2019) – With the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season barely a month old, players already find themselves at a critical juncture in the PBA Playoffs race with two majors back-to-back in February.

Both are Tier 1 points events under the PBA’s new competition points system. The 54th PBA Tournament of Champions – PBA’s signature event that requires a player to have a PBA title to compete – gets underway Feb. 4-10 at AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio. It will be followed a week later by the PBA Players Championship, Feb. 12-17, at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.

The Tournament of Champions stepladder finals will be televised live on FOX at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 10 and the Players Championship finals will air live on FS1 on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. ET.

In addition to the PBA Playoffs race, the Tournament of Champions and Players Championship will be the first tournaments to feature a $1 million bonus if a player bowls a 300 game in the title match of either stepladder final. While there have been 26 televised 300 games in the history of the PBA Tour, only two have been accomplished in the title match and neither of those took place in a major championship.

The two other opportunities to win the $1 million 300 game bonus will come in the title matches of the live Go Bowling! Indianapolis Open finals Sunday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1 and PBA World Championship that will air as part of the PBA World Series of Bowling X in suburban Detroit on March 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

In the upcoming majors stretch, four-time PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte will again try to tie, and or break, the record for most PBA major wins. The nine-time majors champion made a run at the record in 2018 by finishing fourth in the Tournament of Champions and second in the Players Championship when he lost to Tom Smallwood, 259-239, in the title match. PBA Hall of Famers Earl Anthony and Pete Weber share the record for most major titles with 10. Weber also will bowl in both events, trying to take sole possession of the record.

Tournament of Champions defending champion Matt O’Grady of Rahway, N.J., made an incredible run to win the 2018 title, coming all the way from a pre-tournament qualifier to the stepladder finals where, as the No. 5 qualifier, he won all four stepladder matches culminating with a 207-193 title match win over Sweden’s Jesper Svensson to win his first PBA Tour title.

Competition points earned in both majors will be valuable for players who are competing for 24 berths in the inaugural PBA Playoffs. Players will continue to compile points through the USBC Masters which concludes April 1. The preliminary rounds of the PBA Playoffs will be held April 7-10 at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, which will air on FS1 throughout April and May with the top four players returning to Portland to compete for a $100,000 first prize – the richest in bowling – during the live finals that will air over two days (June 1-2) on FOX. To view the current PBA points list click on https://www.pba.com/SeasonStats/PointsList/132?list=1

Preliminary rounds of both the Tournament of Champions and Players Championship will be streamed live on FloBowling.com. Fans can purchase tickets for the finals by clicking onwww.pba.com/tickets.

For preliminary round tickets and pro-am entry information contact Riviera Lanes at (330) 836-7985 and Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl at (614) 491-7155.

PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS SCHEDULE

AMF Riviera Lanes, Fairlawn, Ohio (all times Eastern)

Monday, Feb. 4

3 p.m. – Pre-tournament qualifier

Tuesday, Feb. 5

2-4 p.m. - Practice Session

Wednesday, Feb. 6

11 a.m. - Qualifying Round 1 (6 games)

6 p.m. - Qualifying Round 2 (6 games)

Thursday, Feb. 7

11 a.m. - Qualifying Round 3 (6 games)

Top 24 players advance to Round Robin Match Play

6 p.m. - Match Play Round 1 (8 games)

Friday, Feb. 8

11 a.m. - Match Play Round 2 (8 games)

6 p.m. - Match Play Round 3 (8 games)

Top 5 players advance to Stepladder Finals

Saturday, Feb. 9

Pro-ams - 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 10

4:30 p.m. - Live stepladder finals on FOX

PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, Columbus, Ohio

Tuesday, Feb. 12

Practice session - 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

7:30 p.m. - Celebrity Pro-Am

Wednesday, Feb. 13

10 a.m. - Qualifying Round 1 (6 games)

4:30 p.m. - Qualifying Round 2 (6 games)

Thursday, Feb. 14

10 a.m. - Qualifying Round 3 (6 games)

Top 24 players advance to Round Robin Match Play

5 p.m. - Match Play Round 1 (8 games)

Friday, Feb. 15

11 a.m. - Match Play Round 2 (8 games)

5 p.m. - Match Play Round 3 (8 games)

Top 5 players advance to Stepladder Finals

Saturday, Feb. 16

Pro-ams - 3 p.m., 6 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 17

1 p.m. – Live stepladder finals on FS1

WILSON SPORTING GOODS SOLD

Finnish sporting goods conglomerate Amer Sports – owner of Wilson Sporting Goods, among others – is in the process of being sold to a Chinese group led by athletic apparel giant ANTA Sports Products, LTD, for an estimated $5.2 billion.

ANTA announced its interest in acquiring Amer in September, and in early December, the Amer Sports Board of Directors unanimously agreed to recommend its shareholders accept ANTA’s offer, which represented a 39% premium over Amer’s early September stock price. Amer share prices jumped immediately after ANTA made its intentions known in September, nearly 20% in one day – the largest jump in its history.

In addition to ANTA, which is China’s largest athletic apparel manufacturer, the buying group also includes Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings and billionaire Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon Athletica.

FACTS OF THE DEAL

In a mailing to shareholders last month, Amer said the ANTA group plans to invest time and money to expand Amer’s businesses globally, especially in Asia. Amer will have access to ANTA’s distribution network, R&D resources, and manufacturing and sourcing capabilities.

Under the agreement, Amer will continue to operate as an independent entity with an independent Board of Directors. Current Amer leadership has been invited to stay on under the new ownership.

Along with Wilson Sporting Goods, Amer owns outdoor sports brands Louisville Slugger and DeMarini baseball bats, Atomic and Armada ski equipment, Salomon and Arc’teryx hiking and mountaineering gear, Mavic and ENVE cycling gear and Precor fitness equipment. Bloomberg reported in December that Amer made for an attractive target as the next two Olympic games will be coming to Asia (2020 Summer games in Tokyo, 2022 Winter games in Beijing).

ANTA was established in 1991, specializing in footwear, apparel, and accessories, and went public in 2007, with former Houston Rockets owner Leslie Lee Alexander as a key investor. Current and former NBA stars Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett are ANTA athletes, as is boxer Manny Pacquiao.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WILSON GOLF?

In the short term, probably nothing. Wilson was able to sign Gary Woodland to a sponsorship deal after the agreement was announced, so clearly there’s no spending moratorium until the deal is finalized, and from all outward signs, it has been business as usual in Chicago.

Wilson won’t be making any statements until the sale is finalized – which should be sometime in March – and the thinking here is Wilson Sporting Goods is a key component to the acquisition. Wilson is a strong player in baseball, basketball, and tennis – all global sports with tremendous market potential in China and the rest of Asia. The Asian golf market is huge, and market research shows China is a ripe and growing market for golf equipment. A report by the R&A last year indicates 32% of the world’s golf course projects are in Asia. Wilson Golf has not been active in the Asian market recently, but this sale could open up significant growth opportunities.

There aren’t any similarities between this deal and the recent TaylorMade sale by adidas to the capital group KPS. First off, adidas actively sought a buyer for TaylorMade, and KPS purchased only TaylorMade – there were no other major elements to the deal (the Adams and Ashworth brands were included in the sale, but by purchase time had been diminished to the point where the assets were little more than logos). Amer Sports wasn’t for sale, but the ANTA group made them the proverbial offer they couldn’t refuse and purchased the entirety of Amer Sports – clearly to become a global sporting goods power.

So in the long term, the deal would appear to potentially be good news for Wilson Golf but, as is the case with global business, one never knows.

Chris Paul Welcomes Cast of Stars to 10th Anniversary CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational

Terrell Owens, Mookie Betts, JJ Watt join PBA stars for Super Bowl Sunday special event’s debut on FOX

CONROE, Texas – National Basketball Association star Chris Paul will welcome an all-star lineup of athletes, entertainers and Professional Bowlers Association stars to his 10th anniversary CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational, presented by Go Bowling!, when it makes its broadcast television debut on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. EST, at Bowlero at The Woodlands.

The Super Bowl Sunday special, benefitting the Chris Paul Family Foundation, will feature well-known athletes including returning competitors Terrell Owens, recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and reigning American League MVP and World Series champion Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, along with a guest appearance by Houston Texans superstar defensive end J.J. Watt. Also participating will be Paul’s Houston Rockets teammate PJ Tucker, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver William Jackson III, and NASCAR champion Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Go Bowling! Ford. Entertainers in the field will include Big Brother Season 20 star Tyler Crispen, model and Big Brother contestant Angela Rummans, and Grammy-nominated rapper/artist Bun B.

"This is totally different than any bowling I do during the summer or with my friends and teammates,” Paul said of his annual event. “The pressure is different, there are a lot of people here, the lights are bright, but I'll make sure I do enough to win." 

Regarding the 10th anniversary of the event, and its network debut on FOX, Paul added, “"It's crazy. I'm excited. It's amazing that it's been 10 years. I'm so grateful to the PBA and the bowlers, I can't say thank you enough."

The field of PBA stars will include Hall of Famers Norm Duke, Pete Weber and Chris Barnes; past PBA Players of the Year Jason Belmonte, Tommy Jones, EJ Tackett, Sean Rash and Andrew Anderson, and PBA Tour champion Kyle Troup. In the five-frame Baker format single-elimination match game battle for the prestigious Chris Paul trophies, Duke will be paired with Paul as defending champions, trying to help Paul claim the title for a record fifth time. Weber will again bowl with Owens, Barnes will be paired with Jackson, Jones with Betts, Tackett with Tucker, Belmonte with Almirola and Troup with Crispen. Rash and Anderson will engage in a two-minute “PBA Speed Strike Challenge” to determine who gets to bowl with Rummans.

The featured doubles competition will involve modified five-frame matches in which the PBA partner will bowl the sixth, eighth and 10th frames while the celebrity bowls the seventh and ninth frames. It’s a fast, fun format, but one that competitors take seriously, especially one as intense as Major League Baseball’s premier player in 2019, Mookie Betts.

"It means a lot,” Betts said. “It's tough to create friendships with athletes in different sports, but Chris Paul has been a great friend and great guy."

Despite his growing friendship with Paul, Betts has his eyes on the prize after losing to Paul and his PBA partners in the championship match the last two years.

"I can't lose again,” Betts said. “I lost the last two years. I can't lose again."

Also as part of the telecast, 2018 Teen Masters age-group winners Brandon and Justin Bohn (sons of PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III), Tom Hankey Jr. and Jenna Williams; former University of Nebraska All-American Gazmine Mason, and PBA Tour champion DJ Archer, who will compete in a one-shot, low-count out “mini clash.” The winner will advance to a similar “super clash” with the celebrity stars.

The CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational will air on FOX for the first time, and for the first time, PBA’s online streaming partner, FloBowling, will make the show available to its international subscribers. For more information, visit FloBowling.com. PBA fans also can watch a series of “red carpet” interviews with celebrity and PBA participants on PBA’s YouTube channel.

During the 2019 season, viewers can live stream the PBA shows on the FOX Sports app, through the FOX and FS1 streams. The shows will be available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store or on connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs will be available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app. For more information, visit FOX Sports Press Pass.           

HISTORY OF CP3 PBA CELEBRITY INVITATIONAL WINNERS (host city in parenthesis)

2018 – Norm Duke/Chris Paul (Houston)

2017 – Chris Barnes/Chris Paul (Los Angeles)

2016 – Pete Weber/Terrell Owens (Los Angeles)

2015 – Ronnie Russell/French Montana ((Los Angeles)

2013 – Chris Barnes/Chris Hardwick (Los Angeles)

2012 – Pete Weber/Jerry Ferrara/Blake Griffin (Los Angeles)

2011 – Jason Belmonte/Chris Paul (New Orleans)

2010 – Jason Belmonte/Chris Paul (New Orleans)

2009 – Jason Couch/LeBron James (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

HISTORY OF CP3 “CELEBRITY CLASH” WINNERS

2018 – Terrell Owens

2017 – Mookie Betts

2016 – John Burkett

2015 – Chris Paul

2013 – Quinton Aaron

2012 – Jesse Williams

2011 – Nelly

Billy McMillon tabbed for International League Hall of Fame

Outfielder played for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre from 1997 to 1999

MOOSIC, PA (January 29, 2019) – Earlier today, the International League announced their Hall of Fame class for 2019.  Former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons outfielder Billy McMillon is part of the four-man class, along with longtime Atlanta Braves skipper and National Baseball Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, two-time All-Star Sam Jethroe and the 1992 Sporting News Minor League Executive of the Year Lou Schwechheimer.

McMillon appeared in 235 games for the Red Barons between 1997 and 1999, including 132 games in the ‘99 season when he hit .304 with 16 home runs and 85 runs batted in.  On December 6, 2018, McMillon was named as the new manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox.  During his playing career, he also played for Charlotte, Toledo and Columbus.  McMillon entered the International League with a bang in 1996, hitting .352 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI to earn IL Rookie of the Year honors.  That year the outfielder also picked up his first of three All-Star nods and first of two League batting titles.  McMillon’s Major League career saw him appear in 269 games for the Marlins, Phillies, Tigers, and A’s. He retired following the 2004 season.

The IL Hall of Fame, established in 1947, was dormant from 1964 until the League’s 125th Anniversary season in 2008.  Following a three-year transition period (2008-10) in which a total of 50 individuals were inducted after having been selected by a committee, the Class of 2019 was the ninth chosen by the current annual election process. Each year the top three vote-getters who also receive a vote on the majority of ballots cast are elected. Due to two individuals having received an equal number of votes in this year’s balloting, for the first time a class is being expanded to four inductees.

Complete statistical data and biographical information on all 126 members of the IL Hall of Fame, along with a copy of the International League Hall of Fame policies, procedures, and guidelines are available at ILBaseball.com.

Rash Goes 8-0 in Final Match Play Round to Take

PBA Lubbock Sports Open Stepladder Finals Top Seed

Rash will be joined by Dick Allen, Michael Tang, Kyle Troup and Rhino Page

in Sunday’s live FS1 stepladder finals telecast

LUBBOCK, Texas (Jan. 26, 2019) – Boosted by an 8-0 record in the final match play round, Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., earned the top seed for the stepladder finals of the PBA Lubbock Sports Open Saturday at South Plains Lanes.

After three qualifying and two match play rounds, Rash earned the top berth with a 37-game 8,586 pinfall total (including match play bonus pins) and 13-3 overall match play record, to lead the five players who advanced to Sunday’s finals that will air live on FS1 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT).

“Last week was a big confidence boost,” said the 13-time tour winner, who teamed with Matt Ogle to win the PBA Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Doubles Championship that aired on FS1 last Sunday. “Obviously winning is a big confidence boost but you’re always going to have the ups and downs. There’s still work to be done but it feels good to be riding the ups right now.”

Rash’s 8-0 performance moved him into the lead after finishing Friday’s match play round in fifth with a 5-3 record.

In match play, players bowled on a dual lane condition – the PBA 42-foot Scorpion lane condition on the left lane and 32-foot Wolf condition on the right lane. The same conditions will be used for the stepladder finals.

“It was about filling frames and taking advantage of opportunities,” said Rash, whose last singles tour title came in the 2017 Xtra Frame Gene Carter Pro Shop Classic. “If you were bowling an opponent who was struggling, you had to take advantage of that by bearing down and making your spares if you weren’t able to strike.”

Qualifying second for the finals with a 9-7 match play record and 8,428 pinfall was five-time tour winner Dick Allen of Lexington, S.C. Making his first telecast appearance of 2019, Allen’s last tour win came in the 2018 PBA Xtra Frame Maine Shootout.

San Francisco native Michael Tang rode an 11-4-1 match play record and 8,412 pinfall to qualify third for the finals to make his first career singles telecast appearance as a PBA member. Now living in Johnstown, Ohio, the 23-year-old right-hander finished second in the 2018 Roth-Holman Doubles Championship with his brother Darren and was runner-up in the 2017 USBC Masters as an amateur. Tang finished with a 7-0-1 record after Friday’s first match play round.

Three-time tour winner Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, N.C., had an 8-8 record in match play and 8,393 pinfall to qualify fourth. Making his first telecast appearance in 2019, the 23-year-old two-hander’s last tour win came in the 2018 Lucky Larsen Masters in Sweden.

Six-time tour winner Rhino Page of Orlando earned the No. 5 position with a 10-5-1 match play record and 8,373 pinfall. The left-hander jumped from seventh in the position round match with a 246-245 win over 12-time tour winner EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Ind., for his second telecast appearance of 2019. Page, the 2017 U.S. Open winner, finished fifth in the season-opening PBA Hall of Fame Classic.

PBA LUBBOCK SPORTS OPEN

South Plains Lanes, Lubbock Texas, Saturday

FIFTH ROUND RESULTS

(after 37 games. Includes match play record and total pinfall including bonus pins. Top five advance to Sunday’s live finals on FS1)

1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 13-3, 8,586.
2, Dick Allen, Lexington, S.C., 9-7, 8,428.
3, Michael Tang, Johnstown, Ohio, 11-4-1, 8,412.
4, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 8-8, 8,393.
5, Rhino Page, Orlando, 10-5-1, 8,373. 
6, Kris Prather, Plainfield, Ill., 8-8, 8,347, $4,600.
7, Anthony Simonsen, Little Elm, Texas, 10-6, 8,310, $4,000.
8, Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 7-8-1, 8,271, $3,500.
9, EJ Tackett, Bluffton, Ind., 6-9-1, 8,258, $3,300.
10, Kyle Sherman, O'Fallon, Mo., 5-11, 8,157, $3,100.
11, Stuart Williams, England, 7-9, 8,150, $3,000.
12, Nicholas Pate, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., 8-7-1, 8,132, $3,000.
13, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 6-9-1, 8,033, $2,800.
14, Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz., 5-11, 7,964, $2,700.
15, Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich., 5-11, 7,867, $2,600.
16, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 7-9, 7,865, $2,500.