Race to 2020 PBA Playoffs Begins in January in Arlington, Texas

Four-city tour for PBA Playoffs among major changes for second season of FOX Sports telecasts

CHICAGO (Aug. 2, 2019) – The Professional Bowlers Association today announced its 2020 schedule of PBA Tour on FOX Sports events leading toward an expanded PBA Playoffs featuring more venues.

Five major championships, including the U.S. Open for the first time on FOX, highlight the series of 13 tournaments taking place in nine different cities from January-March in which players will earn points toward qualifying for the PBA Playoffs.

The 2020 PBA Playoffs will again feature the top 24 from the points list in an elimination bracket with all matches televised, expanding to multiple locations as the tournament progresses. As part of a PBA partnership with Bowlero bowling centers, the first round will begin April 6 in Norco, California; the Round of 16 in Westminster, Colorado, April 20-21, and the Round of 8 May 10-11, in Euless, Texas. The Playoffs will conclude with the Final Four and Championship matches on May 16-17 in North Brunswick, New Jersey, live on FOX.

Breakout star Kris Prather of Plainfield, Illinois, won this year’s inaugural PBA Playoffs in Portland, Maine, defeating Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and earning $100,000 in the process.

“Launching our partnership with FOX made 2019 a special year for the PBA, and it could not have delivered more drama and history to our fans,” said PBA Tour Commissioner Tom Clark. “Sellout crowds in special venues across the country watched the greatest bowlers in the world put on tremendous shows week-after-week, and in 2020 we are excited to bring the action to even more locations.”

The inaugural 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season netted more than 22 million viewers including re-airs across FOX, FS1 and FS2, a 100% viewership increase over 2018.   

The 2020 schedule and PBA Playoffs points race begins Jan. 14-19 in Arlington, Texas, at the International Bowling Campus for the PBA Hall of Fame Classic, followed by stops in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, before a string of majors in February (PBA Tournament of Champions at historic AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio, Feb. 4-9; the PBA Players Championship at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 11-15; and the U.S. Open at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, Nebraska, Feb. 18-23). Big February concludes with two events in Indianapolis at iconic Woodland Bowl, including the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship.

The Tour will then shift to the west for two of the most anticipated events of the year, beginning with the PBA World Series of Bowling XI at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas, March 6-19. WSOB XI will feature four title events including the PBA World Championship, where Australia’s Jason Belmonte will defend after winning his record 11th major championship in that event in 2019. The WSOB will again feature five consecutive days of TV on FS1, including live telecasts of all four title events.

Following WSOB XI will be the fifth major of the year, the USBC Masters in Reno, Nevada, March 23-29. The Masters, airing live on FOX, will be the final event for players to earn points toward the 24 berths in the 2020 PBA Playoffs.

Also part of the to-be-announced 2020 PBA schedule on FOX Sports’ family of networks will be three special events with no PBA Playoffs implications in three different locations, including Chris Paul’s annual CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational.

The PBA League team event series will return to Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, July 20-23, live on FS1. PBAL details will be released soon.

All early rounds of all events on the national schedule, and international coverage of the finals, will again be livestreamed on FloBowling.com.

Full television schedule and times are also to be announced.

2020 RACE TO THE PBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

(Tier designation refers to level of points awarded for each event: Tier 1 indicates a PBA major championship; Tier 2 is a standard PBA Tour event; Tier 3 is a limited-entry or PBA Tour special event. For details, visit https://www.pba.com/SeasonStats/PointsLists/132)

Jan. 14-19 – PBA Hall of Fame Classic (Tier 3), International Training and Research Center, Arlington, Texas

Jan. 21-26 – PBA Oklahoma Open (Tier 2), FireLake Bowling Center, Shawnee, Okla.

Jan. 27-Feb. 1 – PBA Greater Jonesboro Open (Tier 2), HiJinx, Jonesboro, Ark.

Feb. 4-9 – PBA Tournament of Champions (Tier 1), AMF Riviera Lanes, Fairlawn, Ohio

Feb. 11-15 – PBA Players Championship (Tier 1), Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, Columbus, Ohio

Feb. 18-23 – U.S. Open (Tier 1), Sun Valley Lanes, Lincoln, Neb.

Feb. 25-29 – PBA Indianapolis Open (Tier 2), Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis

Feb. 25-29 – Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship (Tier 3), Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis

March 6-19 – PBA World Series of Bowling XI, South Point Bowling Plaza, Las Vegas including PBA Cheetah (Tier 3), PBA Chameleon (Tier 3), PBA Scorpion (Tier 3) and PBA World Championship (Tier 1)

March 23-29 – USBC Masters (Tier 1), Grand Sierra Bowling Center, Reno, Nev.

April 5-May 17 – PBA Playoffs

      April 6 – PBA Playoffs Round of 24, Bowlero Norco, Norco, Calif.

      April 20-21 – PBA Playoffs Round of 16, Bowlero Westminster, Westminster, Colo.

      May 10-11 – PBA Playoffs Quarterfinals, Bowlero Euless, Euless, Texas

      May 16-17 – PBA Playoffs Semifinals and Finals, Bowlero North Brunswick, North Brunswick, N.J.