Striking Spotlight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Cannizzaro
IBC Communications
352-262-1372
matt.cannizzaro@bowl.com
On the Web: BOWL.com


ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress and the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America have selected Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis as the host center for the 2022 U.S. Open and Gold Coast Hotel & Casino as the location for the USBC Masters.

The U.S. Open is scheduled for Jan. 30-Feb. 6, with invitations going out this week. Registration for the pre-tournament qualifier, an on-site event that will give those who did not earn direct entry into the tournament a chance to make the elite field, is open.

The Masters will take place March 28-April 3, and online registration will open Nov. 2.

The dates and locations are subject to change based on recommended best practices, social-distancing protocols and other COVID-19 restrictions.

Both events are considered majors on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, will feature a top prize of $100,000 and will conclude live on Fox Sports’ FS1/FOX as part of the 2022 PBA Tour television schedule.

All rounds of competition leading up to the TV finals will be broadcast live on BowlTV.

“We’ve been fortunate to visit some amazing bowling centers in recent years, and they’ve become a special part of the continuing history of our sport’s most prestigious events,” BPAA Executive Director Frank DeSocio. “Woodland Bowl, the Indianapolis bowling community and all of great facilities we visit in the Las Vegas area are top-notch, and we know the experience at both events will be memorable for the bowlers and fans.”

The U.S. Open again will include 108 of the world’s best bowlers, most of whom earned their spots in the event based on recent on-lane performances.

The tournament will begin with a pre-tournament qualifier Jan. 30 and conclude with a live stepladder on FS1 on Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. Eastern.

Woodland Bowl has been home to many top-tier events and PBA Tour competition, including past editions of the U.S. Open. It last was held there in 2010, won by Bill O’Neill, and was where Dave Husted became the last player to successfully defend a U.S. Open title in 1996.

The 70-lane venue was one of six Indianapolis-area centers that hosted the Junior Gold Championships in 2021, and the facility earned a place in bowling history in 2016 when Anthony Simonsen won the USBC Masters to become the sport’s youngest major champion at age 19.

The list of competitors expected to compete for the coveted green jacket and iconic trophy at the 2022 U.S. Open includes the leaders on the PBA Tour points list, Team USA and Junior Team members and top performers at USBC events and PBA majors.

The U.S. Open format features qualifying across multiple oil patterns and round-robin match play, before the top five competitors advance to the TV stepladder, based on their 56-game pinfall totals.

The 2021 U.S. Open was held in Reno, Nevada, in April and won by Ohio’s Chris Via for his first PBA Tour title. He defeated Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, 214-213 at the famed National Bowling Stadium.

Via’s 2021 also included a pair of televised 300s in PBA Tour competition and the Regular All-Events title at the storied USBC Open Championships.

The operation of the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open is a collaborative effort by USBC and BPAA and jointly funded by the two organizations.

The Masters last was held at Gold Coast Bowling Center in 2019, with Butturff winning the tournament for his first major title. The left-hander defeated fellow southpaw Mikel Holliman of Collierville, Tennessee, in the title match, 228-196.

The 2019 edition featured 450 competitors, who participated in 15 games of qualifying over three days, before the field was cut to the top 63, plus the defending champion, for the unique double-elimination match-play competition.

The Masters bracket features three-game matches, with total pinfall determining the winner of each match. The event first was held in 1951.

After not being held in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Masters returned to action in 2021 and visited the National Bowling Stadium in conjunction with the 2021 U.S. Open.

Right-hander Thomas Larsen became the first player from Denmark to win the event. He defeated top seed Jesper Svensson of Sweden, 197-176, for the first major title of his career, which also earned him a guaranteed spot in the 64-player bracket in 2022.

Qualifying at the 2022 Masters will get underway March 29, and the new champion will hoist the trophy live on FOX on April 3 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

The total prize fund at the Masters will be based on entries, and the cash ratio will be 1:4. The U.S. Open will pay out $260,000.

USBC and BPAA announced in August that the four major championships they present each year – the U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Open, USBC Queens and USBC Masters – will be awarding $100,000 to each champion through 2023.

Team USA’s Josie Barnes of Hermitage, Tennessee, won the record $100,000 first-place prize at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open in August for her first major title and fourth Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour title overall.

“There are few events in the world that offer the challenge, excitement and prestige of bowling’s U.S. Open or the head-to-head drama of the Masters, and we can’t wait to see them unfold in these two venues that have been home to so many great moments,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “We also look forward to the added excitement of awarding $100,000 to each winner.”

More information about the U.S. Open can be found at BOWL.com/USOpen.

To learn more about the USBC Masters, visit BOWL.com/Masters.

United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women’s Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.

Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 1,524 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.

About Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA)
Founded in 1932, the mission of Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) is to enhance the profitability of its members. Headquartered in Arlington, Texas at the International Bowling Campus, the BPAA provides it’s over 3,500 member centers with group purchasing programs, business and educational seminars, legislative representation and proactively promotes the association and bowling industry. For additional information please visit www.bpaa.com or call 1-800-343-1329 .

# # #

United States Bowling Congress,
621 Six Flags Dr,
Arlington,
Texas