Sean Rash Leads Eight-Player Field into FloBowling PBA ATX Invite in Austin, Texas

FloBowling PBA Summer Tour finale to be livestreamed on FloBowling on Sept. 21

AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 13, 2019) – Led by top qualifier Sean Rash of Montgomery, Illinois, the top eight players in FloBowling PBA Summer Tour points will battle head-to-head when the FloBowling PBA ATX Invite takes place on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. ET at DART Bowl in Austin, Texas. The Go Bowling! PBA Tour special event will be livestreamed exclusively on FloBowling.

Joining Rash in the ATX Invite field are fellow PBA Tour stars EJ Tackett, Bluffton, Indiana; Anthony Simonsen, Little Elm, Texas; Jason Sterner, Rochester, New York; AJ Johnson, Oswego, Illinois; Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, Pennsylvania; Kyle Sherman, O’Fallon, Missouri, and Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, South Carolina. All players earned berths in the non-title event based on USBC Cup points earned during nine FloBowling PBA Summer Tour tournaments held between June and the end of August at bowling centers across the U.S.

Here’s a look at each player’s Summer Tour highlights along with USBC Cup points earned:

Sean Rash (9,135 points) – Won the PBA Wolf Open during the FloBowling PBA Summer Swing presented by the brands of Ebonite International for his second win of the season and 14th of his career. He also finished fourth in the FloBowling PBA Illinois Open, and had runner-up finishes in the PBA Wilmington Open and PBA Bowlerstore.com Classic presented by Moxy’s Xtra Pair.

EJ Tackett (8,670) – The 13-time PBA Tour titlist and 2019 Barbasol PBA Tour Finals winner had five top-10 finishes during the Summer Tour highlighted by three in the top five. His best finishes were second in the PBA Bear and Illinois Opens.

Anthony Simonsen (7,660) – Seven-time tour titlist and 2019 PBA Players Championship winner closed the Summer Tour with three top-five finishes including a win in the Bear Open, second in the Wolf Open and fifth in the Illinois Open.

Jason Sterner (7,140) – Won the FloBowling PBA Illinois Open for his third tour title. Also had seventh-place finishes in both the Bowlerstore.com Classic and Wolf Open. 

AJ Johnson (6,930) – A two-time PBA Tour runner-up, he had five top-10 finishes during the Summer Tour including second place in the Storm PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles with partner Erin McCarthy.

Bill O’Neill (6,670) – Won the Harry O’Neale Chesapeake Open during the Summer Tour for his 11th career tour title. Also had a sixth-place finish in the Illinois Open.

Kyle Sherman (6,648) – Won the Storm PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles with Amanda Greene for his first tour title, finished third in the Bear Open and fifth in the Wilmington Open.

Tommy Jones (5,790) – Won the PBA Bowlerstore.com Classic for his 19th career tour title and first in nearly two years.

The ATX Invite will feature a one-game, single-elimination match play bracket with the final match incorporating a best-of-three format. Players receive one point for each game won and if tied, will bowl a ninth and 10th frame roll-off to break the tie. The special event features a $67,000 prize fund with the winner taking home $25,000.

Action begins with the opening round of the bracket at 2 p.m. ET on Sept. 21 and the best-of-three format final starting at approximately 5 p.m. Eastern. Admission to the livestreaming at Dart Bowl – which is limited to 150 spectators – is $10 per person and tickets will be sold at the door beginning at 11 a.m. local time.

To access live and on-demand coverage of the ATX Invite and other PBA Tour events visit FloBowling.com to become a monthly or annual PRO subscriber. Either subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the event across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and the App Store. 

As a side note to the ATX Invite, if Kyle Sherman wins, he will earn enough to qualify for the earnings-based PBA Clash and eliminate PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke from the top eight for that event. The Clash will be contested on Monday, Oct. 21 at the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Florida, for broadcast on FOX on Sunday, Nov. 3.

FLOBOWLING PBA ATX INVITE

Dart Bowl, Austin, Texas

Saturday, Sept. 21 (All times Eastern)

Opening round (one-game matches; losers eliminated)

2 p.m. - Match 1: No. 1 Sean Rash vs. No. 8 Tommy Jones

2:30 p.m. - Match 2: No. 4 Jason Sterner vs. No. 5 AJ Johnson

3 p.m. - Match 3: No. 2 EJ Tackett vs. No. 7 Kyle Sherman

3:30 p.m. - Match 4: No. 3 Anthony Simonsen vs. No. 6 Bill O'Neill

Semifinals (one-game matches; losers eliminated)

4 p.m. - Semifinal 1: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner

4:30 p.m. - Semifinal 2: Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner

Final

Finals (best-of-three format)

5 p.m. - Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner