The 2009 Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Senior Tour schedule was announced today by the PBA and is slated to include 11 events.
The summer 2009 schedule will include two Majors – the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Senior Masters and the PBA Senior U.S. Open, along with eight standard events. The PBA Senior Tour schedule will also feature the return of the unique “Ladies & Legends” tournament, an event in which PBA Senior pros are paired-up with women professional bowlers.
The Senior Tour will return to seven stops from the 2008 PBA Senior Tour season, including both Major venues. The USBC Senior Masters will return to Golden Pin Lanes in Tucson, Ariz., June 7-12, while the PBA Senior U.S Open will return to the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nev., June 14-19.
New stops for the 2009 season include: the PBA Senior Mooresville Miller High Life Classic at George Pappas Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C.; the PBA Senior Sun Bowl in The Villages at Spanish Springs Lanes in The Villages, Fla., and the PBA Senior Dick Weber Open at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl in Lansing, Mich.
“We are very fortunate to have hosts that are dedicated to promoting the sport of bowling with the PBA year after year,” said John Weber, Director of PBA Senior and Regional Tours. “We also have a few well known bowling names that have joined in that effort for this season. We welcome the great George Pappas, along with the Ducat and Kwiecien families to the PBA Senior Tour schedule”.
The season kicks-off in April in Jackson, Mich., and then heads to Dayton, Ohio, for a third consecutive year. The PBA Senior Tour players will then head south for the next two events in Mooresville, N.C., and The Villages, FL.
Following a four week break, the Tour will open its western swing with two Majors, returning to Golden Pin Lanes in Tucson, Ariz. for the USBC Senior Masters, followed by the PBA Senior U.S. Open at the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
The west coast finale will venture to Harvest Park Bowl in Brentwood, Calif., a time honored event that has hosted the PBA Senior Tour for many years.
The tour wraps up with stops in Hammond, Ind., Decatur, Ill., Joliet, Ill., and then Lansing, Mich., for the Dick Weber Open, named in honor of the late PBA Hall of Famer.
PBA members wishing to bowl in PBA Senior Tour events may enter online beginning February 9, 2009, or may enter by mail or fax through entry forms available on PBA.com in February. Entry fees for the PBA Senior Tour will remain $425 for PBA members.
Non-members who wish to bowl in PBA Senior Tour events can cash in one event per year, excluding the USBC Senior Masters and the PBA Senior U.S. Open. The non-member entry fee is $475 for standard events.
PBA members will have priority over non-members up to 30 days prior to a tournament. After 30 days, all entries will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis until the field is full. Non-member entry forms can be found on PBA.com beginning in February.
Below is the complete 2009 PBA Senior Tour schedule to date:
April 18-21, PBA Senior Jackson Open, 3501 Wildwood, Jackson, MI 49202 (517) 783-2711
April 25-28, 2009,PBA Senior Dayton Classic, 2727 S. Dixie Ave., Dayton, OH 45409 (937) 298-7411
May 3-6, 2009, PBA Senior Mooresville Miller High Life Classic, George Pappas Victory Lanes, 125 Moor Lake Drive, Mooresville, NC 28117, (704) 663-5300
May 9-13, 2009, PBA Senior Sun Bowl In The Villages, Spanish Springs Lanes, 997 Alvarez, The Villages, FL 32159 (352) 750-9440
June 7-12, 2009, USBC Senior Masters, Golden Pin Lanes, 1010 West Miracle Mile, Tucson, AZ 85705, (520) 888-4272
June 14-19, 2009, PBA Senior U.S. Open, Suncoast Bowling Center, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89145 (702) 636-7400
June 21-24, 2009, PBA Senior Northern California Classic, Harvest Park Bowl, 5000 Balfour Road, Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 516-1221
August 1-4, 2009, PBA Senior Lake County Indiana Open, Olympia Lanes,4150 S. Calumet Ave., Hammond, IN 46320 (219) 933-6677
August 8-11, 2009, PBA Senior Decatur Open, Spare Time Lanes, 2870 N. Jasper, Decatur, IL 62526 (217) 875-3141
August 15-18, 2009, PBA Senior Ladies & Legends, presented by the Illinois Bowling Proprietors Association, Town & Country Lanes,2231 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60435 (815) 725-1231
August 22-26, 2009, PBA Senior Dick Weber Open, Royal Scot Golf & Bowl, 4722 W. Grand River Ave., Lansing, MI 48906 (517) 321-3071