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





Detroit to Host PBA Regional Players Championship, Tour Trials

Future stars of professional bowling will share spotlight in back-to-back events



SEATTLE, Wash. (April 1, 2009) – A glimpse into the future of professional bowling will take center stage in late May when two of the Professional Bowling Association’s most important events for up-and-coming stars will take place at Thunderbowl in Allen Park, Mich.



Leading off the nine-day program will be the PBA Regional Players Championship, one of two major championships for PBA regional and non-exempt players. The May 22-25 tournament offers a $10,000 first prize plus a berth in the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions and an expenses-paid berth in the 2010 Regional Players Invitational where eight exemptions to bowl on the 2010-11 PBA Tour will be awarded.



For many of the regional players, the “RPC” is a tune-up for the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials, a tournament with an innocent-sounding name that has had a huge impact on the careers of several talented players – young and not-so-young.



The Tour Trails could be called the “Last Chance Tournament” for some veteran players who are trying to extend their careers, and the “Tournament of My Dreams” for young players who have dreamed of bowling as full-time touring professionals. Whichever case applies, eight competitors will get their chances as exempt members of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour based on the outcome of the sixth edition of the Tour Trials.



The pressure will be intense. Over a span of five days (May 27-31), the entire field will bowl nine games per day on each of five different, demanding PBA lane conditioning patterns. The mental and physical challenges will separate the contenders from the pretenders. A field of more than 150 players – men and women – will include former exempt players, rising young stars from the collegiate and PBA regional ranks, a handful of the PBA Senior Tour’s top stars, 10 outstanding international players and, if history holds true, a handful of talented non-pro newcomers who want to find out whether or not they have what it takes to bowl on Tour.



The Tour Trials always produce interesting story lines. In the inaugural Trials in 2004, journeyman Mike Edwards of Tulsa, Okla., regained his exemption and has retained it ever since. Mike Wolfe of New Albany, Ind., also won another chance to bowl on tour, and since then as won four titles. In 2005, Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, earned a chance to bowl on tour for the first time – the same year Bill O’Neill of Levittown, Pa., snuck in by capturing the final Tour Trials spot and converting that chance into PBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2005-06. In 2006, Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., became the first woman to earn the right to bowl full-time on the male-dominated tour, and Chicago’s Billy Oatman, who barely snuck into the exempt group, went on to win 2006-07 Rookie of the Year honors.



For additional historical information about the PBA Tour Trials, visit pba.com.



Both tournaments will be open to the public. For ticket information, visit pba.com.



Bowlers who are interested in entering either event should also visit pba.com for eligibility rules and entry forms.

A downloadable entry form is now available on pba.com for the 2009 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials, scheduled for May 26-31 at Thunderbowl in Allen Park, Mich.



You must be a full member of the PBA in order to participate in the Tour Trials. The entry fee is $1,300 if you enter on or before April 27 or $1,500 after that date.



Entries also can be submitted online. Click on the “Enter Tournament” tab on the pba.com home page, and then click on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour link.



All entries from bowlers who do not meet the criteria listed in the PBA Membership Guide #7.4.1 will be placed on standby until April 27. After that date, entries will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.



There also are 10 international entries available for the Tour Trials field. In order to receive an international spot, bowlers must submit an entry form along with a bowling resume by April 27. International players may be non-members but will be expected to join the PBA if they are awarded a spot in the tournament. An international player is defined as a bowler who maintains a permanent address outside the United States.





PBA REGIONAL PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.



Friday, May 22

8-9:30 a.m. - A squad practice

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. - B squad practice

3 p.m. - Sweeper

7 p.m. - Pro-Am squad



Saturday, May 23

8 a.m. - A squad, eight games qualifying

3:30 p.m. - B squad, eight games qualifying



Sunday, May 24

8 a.m. - B squad, eight games qualifying

3:30 p.m. - A squad, eight games qualifying

Field cut to top 64 bowlers



Monday, May 25

8 a.m. - Round of 64 (best of five games, single-elimination match play)

Noon - Round of 32 (best of five games, single-elimination match play)

2 p.m. - Round of 16 (best of three games, single-elimination match play)

Immediately following:

Round of 8 - (best of three games, single-elimination)

Round of 4 - (one game)

Championship match - (one game)



LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR TRIALS

Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.



Tuesday, May 26

1 p.m. – Open practice (3 hours)



Wednesday, May 27

9 a.m. – Nine games (Cheetah pattern)

3:30 p.m. – Practice session, Viper pattern (one hour)



Thursday, May 28

9 a.m. – Nine games (Viper pattern)

3:30 p.m. – Practice session, Chameleon pattern (one hour)



Friday, May 29

9 a.m. – Nine games (Chameleon pattern)

3:30 p.m. – Practice session, Scorpion pattern (one hour)



Saturday, May 30

9 a.m. – Nine games (Scorpion pattern)

3:30 p.m. – Practice session, Shark pattern (one hour)



Sunday, May 31

9 a.m. – Nine games (Shark pattern)

Top eight players based upon 45 games actual pinfall earn exemptions to bowl on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour for the 2009-10 season



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