PBA Bowling Tour: 2009–10 season

This is a recap of the 2009-10 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tour.

Tournament Schedule and Recaps

In a cost-cutting move, the PBA held the first half of the 2009-10 season in Allen Park, MI (just outside of Detroit) under the name PBA World Series of Bowling. Preliminary rounds of the televised tournaments were held in August, with television tapings on Labor Day weekend (September 5–7). Qualifying for the first of the PBA's four majors, the PBA World Championship, was part of the World Series. The television finals for this event took place live in Wichita, KS, three months after the preliminary rounds.^[1]

With one exception, the singles events of the 2009 PBA Women's Series were all contested at the World Series.

The second half of the season followed a traditional touring format, and included a total of 14 telecasts (11 title events and 3 special non-title events). The three remaining major tournaments (Tournament of Champions, USBC Masters and 67th U.S. Open) were all contested in the second half. The 2010 Japan Cup, contested April 22–25, is also a PBA title event. The final eight for this tournament competed live on Japanese television, but no U.S. TV broadcast has aired.

World Series of Bowling (First Half) Highlights

• Walter Ray Williams Jr. added to his incredible streak of consecutive seasons winning at least one tournament, as he captured the Motor City Open for his PBA-best 46th title overall. Williams, who turned 50 in October, has now won a PBA tournament in 17 straight seasons.
• Norm Duke took sole possession of 5th place on the PBA's all-time titles list, picking up his 33rd win in the Cheetah Championship.
• Bill O'Neill, a non-winner on tour despite seven TV Finals appearances in 2008-09, earned his first-ever PBA title in the Chameleon Championship.
• 46-year old tour veteran Jack Jurek set a record for the longest drought between PBA titles when he captured his second tour win in the Shark Championship. Jurek's lone previous title had come 14 years, 175 days prior, when he won the 1995 Tums Classic.^[2] It took a sudden-death rolloff for Jurek to earn title #2, after he and Michael Fagan had tied 218-218 to end the regulation game.
• In the feel-good story of the half, rookie Tom Smallwood made the TV finals in two World Series of Bowling events, winning his first title and first major at the PBA World Championship on December 13. He defeated reigning PBA Player of the Year Wes Malott, 244-228, in the final match.^[3] Smallwood attended the PBA Tour Trials in May, 2009, only because he had been laid off from his auto plant job in December, 2008.^[4] The Saginaw, MI resident finished in the Top 8 at the Tour Trials to earn a PBA Tour exemption.
• Kelly Kulick, who did not qualify for the PBA Women's Series in 2008-09, picked up two Women's Series titles—including the inaugural PBA Women's World Championship. The major championship rewarded her with a spot in the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions, where she was the first-ever female competitor in the event.
• Shannon Pluhowsky also won two Women's Series tournaments, giving her three total victories in the series.

Second Half Highlights

• The half featured four first-time PBA Tour winners: Kelly Kulick, Anthony Lacaze, Brian Kretzer and Brian Ziesig. Kulick's momentous victory in the January 24 Tournament of Champions finals over Chris Barnes, 265-195, made her the first female bowler ever to win a regular PBA Tour event. In addition, Michael Fagan won his first career singles title.
• 50-year old Walter Ray Williams Jr. won his eighth career major, and 47th title overall, at the USBC Masters. He also picked up his seventh career PBA Player of the Year award.
• The final major of the year, the 67th U.S. Open, was won by Bill O'Neill over defending champ Mike Scroggins.
• Pete Weber ended a three-year title drought with his 35th career win at the season-ending Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open, denying top seed Mike Scroggins a Player of the Year award in the process.

Awards

^[5]

• Chris Schenkel Player of the Year: Walter Ray Williams, Jr.
• Harry Smith PBA Points Leader Award: Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (229,124)
• George Young High Average Award: Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (222.89)
• Tour Earnings Leader: Walter Ray Williams, Jr. ($152,670)
• Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award: George Lambert IV

Below is a summary of the 2009-10 season. Career titles for tournament winners are shown in parenthesis. (Titles shown for women are for PBA Women's Series events only.)

Event	ESPN airdate	City	Preliminary Rounds	Final Round	Oil Pattern	Notes
PBA Women's World Championship	October 25, 2009 - 1 PM EDT (with PBA Senior World Championship)	Allen Park, MI	August 31 - September 4	September 6, noon EDT	TBA	First women's World Championship under PBA sanction. Winner: Kelly Kulick (1)
PBA Senior World Championship	October 25, 2009 - 1 PM EDT (with PBA Women's World Championship)	Allen Park, MI	August 31 - September 4	September 6, noon EDT	TBA	Winner: Harry Sullins
Motor City Open	November 1, 2009 - 1 PM EST	Allen Park, MI	August 2–6 (Taylor, MI)	September 5, 3:30 PM EDT	TBA	Non-exempt (open) event. Winner: Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (46)
Cheetah Championship	November 8, 2009 - 1 PM EST	Allen Park, MI	August 11–12	August 13 (3 rounds, best 4-of-7)	Cheetah	Exempt event. Match-play format (best 4-of-7 through final head-to-head match). Winner: Norm Duke (33)
Viper Championship	November 15, 2009 - 1 PM EST	Allen Park, MI	August 14–16	September 5, 7 PM EDT	Viper	Exempt event. Women's Series event. Men's Winner: Rhino Page (3) Women's Winner: Liz Johnson (2)
Chameleon Championship	November 22, 2009 - 1 PM EST	Allen Park, MI	August 18–20	September 6, noon EDT	Chameleon	Exempt event. Women's Series event. Men's Winner: Bill O'Neill (1) Women's Winner: Shannon Pluhowsky (2)
Scorpion Championship	November 29, 2009 - 1 PM EST	Allen Park, MI	August 23–25	September 6, 3:30 PM EDT	Scorpion	Exempt event. Women's Series event. Men's Winner: Mike Devaney (2) Women's Winner: Shannon Pluhowsky (3)
Shark Championship	December 6, 2009 - 1 PM EST	Allen Park, MI	August 27–29	September 6, 7 PM EDT	Shark	Exempt event. Women's Series event. Men's Winner: Jack Jurek (2) Women's Winner: Kelly Kulick (2)
PBA World Championship	December 13, 2009 - 1 PM EST	Wichita, KS	August 30 - September 4 (Allen Park, MI)	Live	TBA	Non-exempt (open) event. First major of the season. Winner: Tom Smallwood (1)
Holiday Break
Pepsi Red, White and Blue Open, presented by USBC	January 10, 2010 - 1 PM EST	Wichita, KS	December 7–12	December 13	Red, White, Blue	Non-exempt (open) event. Taped following the live PBA World Championship finals on December 13. Winner: Mike Scroggins (7)
Earl Anthony Memorial	January 17, 2010 - 1 PM EST	Dublin, CA	January 12–16	Live	Earl Anthony	Exempt event. Women's Series event. Men's Winner: Anthony Lacaze (1) Women's Winner: Stefanie Nation (2)
PBA Tournament of Champions	January 24, 2010 - 1 PM EST	Las Vegas, NV	January 19–23	Live	T of C	Invitational event. Second major of the season. Winner: Kelly Kulick (1)
One-A-Day Dick Weber Open	January 31, 2010 - 1 PM EST (ESPN2)	Fountain Valley, CA	January 26–30	Live	Dick Weber	Non-exempt (open) event. Winner: Michael Fagan (2)
Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational	February 7, 2010 - 2 PM EST	Kenner, LA	September 25	September 25	TBA	Invitational event. Taped to fill the ESPN TV slot on Super Bowl Sunday. Winners: Chris Paul and Jason Belmonte (non-title event)
USBC Masters	February 14, 2010 - 3 PM EST	Reno, NV	February 9–13	Live	Masters	Open event administered by the PBA for the USBC. Third major of the season. Winner: Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (47)
Bayer Don & Paula Carter Mixed Doubles	February 21, 2010 - 1 PM EST	Wheat Ridge, CO	February 16–20	Live	TBA	Mixed PBA and PBA Women's Series event. Winner: Brian Voss (25) and Diandra Asbaty (2)
Lumber Liquidators 67th US Open	February 28, 2010 - 12:30 PM EST	Indianapolis, IN	February 22–27	Live	TBA	Non-exempt (open) event. Fourth major of the season. Winner: Bill O'Neill (2)
Etonic Don Johnson Eliminator	March 7, 2010 - 2 PM EST	Columbus, OH	March 2–6	Live	TBA	Exempt event. Winner: Mike Scroggins (8)
Go RVing Match Play Championship	March 21, 2010 - 1 PM EDT	Norwich, CT	March 17–20	Live	TBA	Exempt event. Winner: Brian Kretzer (1)
Geico Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship	March 28, 2010 - 2 PM EDT	West Babylon, NY	March 24–27	Live	Modified house	Exempt event. Bowlers must bowl with PBA-supplied plastic bowling balls. Winner: Brian Ziesig (amateur) (1)
Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open	April 4, 2010 - 1 PM EDT	Baltimore, MD	March 29 - April 3	Live	Multiple patterns	Non-exempt (open) event. Players bowl on 7 patterns during qualifying. Top seed chooses pattern for TV finals. Winner: Pete Weber (35)
PBA Experience Showdown	April 11, 2010 - 1 PM EDT	Arlington, TX	April 6–8	April 8	TBA	Post-season special (non-title) event for five winners of the PBA oil-pattern championships, plus one amateur qualifier from a PBA Experience league. Winner: Rhino Page
PBA Women's Series Showdown	April 18, 2010	Arlington, TX	April 6–8	April 8	TBA	Post-season special event for winners of the Women's Series championships. Winner: Michelle Feldman
Japan Cup 2010	TBA	Tokyo, Japan	April 22–25	TBA	TBA	Annual combination event with Japan PBA. Winner: Tommy Jones (13)

PBA Xtra Frame League

During the touring schedule (January–April 2010), 32 exempt bowlers will compete in a traveling singles league. All matches will be taped for airing on the PBA's Xtra Frame pay-per-view web video service.

2009-10 PBA Tour Trials

The PBA Tour Trials, which determined the eight additional exempt bowlers for the upcoming season, concluded May 31, 2009 in Allen Park, MI.^[6] The trials consisted of 45 games bowled over nine days on various PBA oil patterns. The eight qualifiers include:

• Joe Ciccone
• George Lambert IV
• Tom Smallwood
• Cassidy Schaub
• Mitch Beasley
• Stuart Williams
• Stevie Weber
• Tim Mack

Both Ciccone and Beasley regained exemptions they had lost by not earning enough points during the 2008-09 season. Schaub is now the second two-handed bowler (joining Jason Belmonte) to earn a PBA Tour exemption. Williams becomes the first British ten-pin bowler ever to bowl full-time on the PBA Tour.

References

1. ^ "FAQs for PBA World Series of Bowling." Article at pba.com/worldseries
2. ^ "Jurek Ends Record 14-Year Title Quest in PBA Shark Championship". Article at www.pba.com, December 6, 2009.
3. ^ "Underdog Smallwood Wins One for America's Unemployed in PBA World Championship." Article at www.pba.com, December 13, 2009.
4. ^ "PBA World Championship Finalists are Eager for Dec. 13 Showdown". Article at www.pba.com, December 7, 2009.
5. ^ Vint, Bill. "Walter Ray Williams Jr. Concludes Remarkable 2009-10 with Statistical Sweep." Article at www.pba.com on May 7, 2010.
6. ^ "Ciccone Heads Group of Eight PBA Tour Trials Qualifiers." Article at www.pba.com, May 31, 2009.