SEATTLE -- The Professional Bowlers Association will be in Erie, PA when Eastway Lanes hosts the PBA Flagship Open Monday, February 18 through February 24. ESPN will broadcast the finals live on Sunday, Feb. 24, from 12:30-2 p.m.(ET).

The Tour returns to Erie for the 11th consecutive season and for the first time since October 2000. Since the last time the PBA was in Erie, the Tour has gone through several changes including a new tournament format and increased prize fund. The new 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 $40,000 top prize.

The first-place prize is not the only dramatically increased money. The entire prize fund ($200,000) has increased 140% and pays out to 64th place.

Additionally, the overall look of a PBA tournament has been revamped. 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.

Hometown favorite Bob Learn Jr. will be in Erie to compete at the Flagship Open, where in 1996 he bowled only the tenth perfect game to be televised in the history of the PBA. Another Erie native and a leading candidate for PBA Rookie of the Year, Mike Machuga, will join more than 140 of the world’s best bowlers. Defending champion, Robert Smith will also be vying for the title along with Parker Bohn III, Chris Barnes, Jason Couch, Norm Duke, Brian Voss, Ricky Ward, Pete Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Danny Wiseman.

Fans can bowl with the pros in the Pro-Am competition, Monday, February 18 through Wednesday, February 20. 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 Eastway Lanes at (814) 899-9855.