The 2014 Professional Bowlers Association Barbasol Tournament of Champions will move to Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, MI, beginning Jan. 18 and concluding with a live ESPN telecast at noon ET on Sunday, Jan. 26, the PBA announced.
The change in venue and dates for the 49th TOC from previously announced April in Indianapolis is accompanied by a revised PBA League competition and ESPN air-date schedule.
The 2014 PBA Tournament of Champions will be open to any PBA member who has ever won a PBA Tour, International Tour, PBA50, PBA Women’s Series or PBA Regional title. The PBA champions will compete in a 49-game qualifying and match play format with the top five players advancing to the stepladder finals.
The Tournament of Champions was first held in 1962 in Indianapolis as a showcase tournament for the elite players who had won PBA national titles. In April 2013, in its return to Indianapolis, PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, MO, at age 50, became the oldest TOC winner when he defeated Australia’s Jason Belmonte, 224-179, to win the title for the second time. With his win, Weber also tied bowling legend Earl Anthony for most PBA major titles (10) and he became the first player ever to complete the PBA Triple Crown (TOC, U.S. Open and PBA World Championship) twice.
All 2014 TOC qualifying and match play rounds Jan. 18-21 will be covered live on PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. For Xtra Frame subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.
The PBA League season on ESPN kicks off with the Chris Paul PBA League All-Stars on Sunday, Feb. 2, with the first week of quarterfinal action in the eight-team bracket airing Feb. 9. Each match in the eight-team bracket seen on ESPN will feature singles, doubles, trios and five-player Baker-format games. The final two teams will advance to the PBA League Elias Cup Finals which will be held in North Brunswick, NJ. The final will air on ESPN on April 13.
The PBA League, in its second year, features eight teams of five PBA stars each, representing different cities and prominent team owners from the sports and entertainment worlds. The New York City WTT KingPins, owned by tennis legend Billie Jean King, are defending champions. Other teams include the Motown Muscle (owner Jerome Bettis), Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits (owner LaMarr Woodley), Silver Lake Atom Splitters (owner Chris Hardwick), Philadelphia Hitmen (owner Kevin Hart), L.A. X (owner Chris Paul), BROOKLYN STyLES (owner Jesse Williams) and Dallas Strikers (owner Terrell Owens).
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