SEATTLE -- For the second consecutive year, the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour travels to Burlington, NC, as Country Club Lanes West hosts the PBA Columbia 300 Tar Heel Open, Wednesday, Feb. 6, through Sunday, Feb. 10. ESPN will broadcast the finals live on Sunday, Feb. 10, from 12:30-2 p.m. (ET).
The PBA Tour has gone through noticeable changes since its new ownership group took control in 2000. For the first time in its 43-year history, the PBA Tour has set a defined season schedule, September-March. The PBA Columbia 300 Tar Heel Open marks the 16th of 19 PBA Tour stops during the 2001-2002 Season (note: due to transition from calendar-year to seasonal schedule, the 2001-2002 season includes statistics from 10 tournaments in 2001 prior to September).
The tournament format, which now includes single-elimination match play, was changed to create compelling competition that is exciting and dramatic for fans.
To begin the tournament, all bowlers compete in nine games of qualifying. Only the top 64 bowlers advance to the second nine-game round of qualifying, after which a cut to the top 32 is made. Single-elimination bracket competition commences with the round of 32 and bowlers must win best-of-five games matches to advance. After three rounds of head-to-head matches, the four remaining bowlers plus a wild card qualifier meet in the finals to vie for the title and the newly-inflated $40,000 top prize.
But, the first-place prize is not the only dramatically increased money. The entire prize fund has increased 140% and pays out to 64th place.
Additionally, the overall look of a PBA tournament has been revamped, too. The bowling center is transformed into an arena-type setting beginning with the round of 16. Fans can watch the single-elimination matches from bleachers on both sides of the lanes. The live ESPN finals will have added excitement with a new facelift to the set and more in-depth player profiles, allowing fans across the country to learn more about the everyday lives of their favorite PBA stars.
More than 120 of the world’s best bowlers are scheduled to compete including Parker Bohn III, Jason Couch, Norm Duke, Brian Voss, defending champion Ricky Ward, Pete Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Danny Wiseman. Twenty-one Tar Heels are entered in the tournament: Wayne Bolin (Lumberton), Timothy Brame (Lexington), Bruce Byrd (Lexington), John Carson (Charlotte), Roy Davis (Lumberton), Terry Decker (Gastonia), Toby Dietz (Hickory), Tom Farley (Charlotte), Wes Godwin (Monroe), Thomas Higdon (Broadway), Clarke Hill (Mount Olive), Dennis Killough (Indian Trail), Scott Learn (Dudley), Michael Long (High Point), Todd Masingo (Salisbury), John May (Lincolnton), Mark Mosayebi (Charlotte), George Pappas (Charlotte), Ryan Smith (Asheboro), Dale Starr (Lemon Springs) and Robert Way (Sanford).
Fans can bowl with the pros in the Pro-Am competition, Wednesday, Feb. 6. This is an excellent opportunity for fans to compete alongside the pros, as well as get autographs and photographs with the stars of the PBA Tour. Anyone interested in attending Pro-Ams or the event during tournament week should contact Country Club Lanes - West at (336) 524-9990.
