FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mike Jakubowski | PR/Media Relations

Professional Bowlers Association | 719 Second Avenue, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98104

Tel: 800.903.0930 | Fax: 206.332.9722 | mike.jakubowski@pba.com





USBC Masters Champ John Nolen Granted Exemption for

GEICO Plastic Ball Championship

Nolen’s Exemption for Winning Regional Players Invitational Returned to PBA Tour Trials



SEATTLE, Wash. (February 17, 2009) – By virtue of his recent United States Bowling Congress Masters victory, John Nolen of Waterford, Mich., has been granted a commissioner’s exemption into this week’s PBA GEICO Plastic Ball Championship to be conducted Feb. 18-22 at Brunswick Zone Wheat Ridge in Wheat Ridge, Colo.



Nolen joins PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss of Alpharetta, Ga. – the first time two players have received commissioner’s exemptions to be in the same tournament field. Nolen had planned to bowl in the PBA Tour Qualifying Round on Wednesday at Brunswick Zone Wheat Ridge where 9 spots will be at stake with the top eight pros and the top amateur player advancing into the tournament field. With the commissioner’s exemption, Nolen will now join Voss, automatically included among the field of 64 players.



Perhaps the most anticipated and certainly the most controversial event in this 50th Anniversary season of the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, the Round of 64 field must use identical plastic bowling balls.



Competing on television for the first time, Nolen defeated Danny Wiseman of Baltimore, 202-193, to win the USBC Masters and claim his first career Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title last Sunday. Nolen, the No. 1 seed for the championship round, finished as the top qualifier and blew through match play undefeated to win the title. He finished 7-0 in his matches and became the first top qualifier to win the title since Mike Scroggins accomplished the feat in 2005.



With his Masters victory, Nolen earned a two-year exemption on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour. However, that exemption does not begin until the 2009-10 season. In December, Nolen earned a one-year exemption for 2009-10 through his victory at the PBA Regional Players Invitational in Reno, Nev. The USBC Masters two-year exemption takes precedence and the RPI exemption will now be among nine exemptions available at the upcoming Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials at Thunder Bowl in Allen Park, Mich. May 26-31.



The 64 players in the main draw will bowl 14 games of qualifying on Thursday before the top 32 are set off into brackets for single elimination, best-of-seven game matches on Friday until the final four are remaining for the ESPN finals airing Sunday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Mountain).



The GEICO Plastic Ball Championship is part of the 50th Anniversary season “Extreme Swing,” which also includes the Ultimate Scoring Championship, Etonic Marathon Open, Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator and the GoRVing Match Play Championship. The creative format events are meant to test the greatest bowlers in the world in different areas of the game, provide television audiences with a fresh look while providing education on pertinent aspects of the game.



Brunswick Zone Wheat Ridge will play host to the Brunswick Zone Mini Camp featuring instruction from the world’s best professional bowlers after the ESPN finals at 2 p.m.



Bowling fans will also have two opportunities to participate in Pro-Ams at Brunswick Zone Wheat Ridge. Pro-Am squads are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 18 and 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. on Feb. 21. For more information on the Brunswick Zone Mini Camp or Pro-Am information call (303) 467-7989.





About the PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com. This season marks the 50th Anniversary of the PBA Tour.