Jason Couch to Bid for Record Fourth
PBA Tournament of Champions Title


With its expanded field for 2011, the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions could be the greatest assemblage of bowling talent ever in one tournament.

Will the 46th running of PBA’s signature event produce another storybook finish like Kelly Kulick’s win in 2010 or Tom Smallwood’s PBA World Championship victory in 2009? Will one of bowling’s greatest players like Walter Ray Williams Jr. win his first Tournament of Champions? Or, will Jason Couch win an unprecedented fourth Tournament of Champions title?

The bowling story of the year will be told when the live stepladder finals are televised on ABC at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Jan. 22, from Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas. The winner will earn a record first prize of $250,000.

The story begins with a Tournament of Champions field that will feature an “Elite Field” and a “Champions Field.”

Players who are automatically seeded into the “Elite Field” are: 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt players; any player who was listed among the “50 Greatest Players in PBA History” during the PBA Tour’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2009; any PBA Hall of Famer; any player who has won five or more PBA Tour titles; any player who has won a PBA major title, and winners of the 2010 PBA Senior U.S. Open, USBC Senior Masters, PBA Regional Players Championship and Regional Players Invitational.

Couch, a 15-time PBA Tour titlist who won three consecutive Tournament of Champions in 1999, 2000 and 2002 (event was not held in 2001), is one of 14 past champions entered in the tournament.

“It’s the most prestigious tournament in the sport and everyone who competes in it is a champion so that should tell you what winning it means to a bowler,” said the 41-year-old Couch. “Everyone who competes in the tournament is a champion who knows what it takes to win. Mentally, you have to keep reminding yourself that you belong there and that you’re the player to beat if you want to be successful.”

The only other player to win the Tournament of Champions three times is retired PBA Hall of Famer Mike Durbin, who won in 1972, '82 and '84, but at this point in his career Couch knows he’ll have his work cut out for him if he hopes to win a record fourth.

“It’s a great honor just to be mentioned in the same breath as Mike Durbin and any of the other past champions for that matter,” Couch said. “When I won three in a row I definitely felt like I was the guy to beat. But, at this point in my caree,r you’ve got to look at guys like Bill O’Neill and Tommy Jones among so many others who are really bowling well right now.

“Personally, I feel as strong mentally as I ever have but as the tournament approaches I’m now putting the focus on my physical game. Like most majors the key to success is to take it one block at a time—I usually set making match play as a goal, then making the TV finals and finally winning. That’s how I approach it, anyway, and I’ll do the same this year.”

The other past Tournament of Champions winners entered are defending champion Kelly Kulick (2010), Patrick Allen (2009), Chris Barnes (2006), Dave D’Entremont (1996), Norm Duke (1994), Bryan Goebel (1998), Michael Haugen Jr. (2008), Steve Jaros (2005), Tommy Jones (2007), Johnny Petraglia (1971), Wayne Webb (1980), Pete Weber (1987) and Mark Williams (1985 and 1988).

All other PBA champions will start the event in the Champions Field. The Champions Field will include players who have won four or fewer PBA Tour titles or a PBA Regional, PBA Women’s Series, PBA Senior Tour or PBA Senior Regional title as of Jan. 9. Titles won by players who were not members at that time are not eligible.

The Champions Field will bowl two seven-game qualifying rounds on Sunday and Monday, Jan. 16 and 17 – to determine which players will join the Elite Field. After 14 games, the top half of the Champions field (up to 90 players) will join the Elite Field (Champions qualifying scores will be dropped)..

The combined Elite Field will begin qualifying on Monday evening, Jan. 17. All bowlers will bowl 20 games in four five-game blocks to determine the top 54 (based on 216 entries) who will advance into the Cashers Round.

After two eight-game blocks in the Cashers Round, the top 24 based on 36 total games will advance to a traditional 24 games of round-robin match play. At the conclusion of match play, the top four will advance to the ABC final on Saturday, Jan. 22.

While the overall format has changed significantly for this year to accommodate the expanded field and huge prize fund, Couch says he will be up to the challenge.

“That might be another thing in my favor,” Couch said about the format. “When I won those three tournaments each format was a bit different and they were conducted in three different venues.”

While Couch will be concentrating on an unprecedented fourth Tournament of Champions title, like any other bowling fan he’s looking forward to seeing the end result regardless of how he finishes.

“This is what I dreamed of as a kid watching the PBA Tour with my dad on Saturday afternoons,” Couch said. “We’ve come full circle now and I won my first title on ABC so just being in this atmosphere again is going to be special.”