April 20, 2021 Jef Goodger

 

The Round of 16 starts this weekend with players vying for the $100,000 top prize and WWE championship title belt

 

Milford, Conn.—The 2021 Kia PBA Playoffs begin this weekend with the first four Round of 16 matches to air on Fox Sports’ FS1 Saturday and Sunday. The action begins Saturday at 11 a.m. ET with Kyle Troup taking on Andrew Anderson and Anthony Simonsen facing Thomas Larsen. The Round of 16 continues Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET with François Lavoie battling Dick Allen and Jakob Butturff against defending champion Bill O’Neill.

No. 1 Kyle Troup vs. No. 16 Andrew Anderson

Troup opened the season with a win in the PBA Players Championship that came with a $250,000 prize check, then followed it up with a fifth-place finish in the Kia PBA Tournament of Champions, seventh in the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship and 13th in the USBC Masters. Anderson, who won his third career PBA Tour title in the Roth/Holman Doubles Championship with partner Kris Prather, moved into the 16th spot when Jason Belmonte, who was 14th in Playoffs points, withdrew.

No. 8 Anthony Simonsen vs. No. 9 Thomas Larsen

Two top-five performances in majors, including a second-place finish in the Tournament of Champions, landed Simonsen, who finished second in the 2020 PBA Playoffs, the No. 8 seed for the 2021 Playoffs. Larsen qualified second for the USBC Masters semifinals, then defeated Spencer Robage and Jesper Svensson to win the title and help secure a spot in the Playoffs for the first time in his career. It was Larsen’s third career title and first major.

No. 4 François Lavoie vs. No. 13 Dick Allen

Lavoie won the Kia PBA Tournament of Champions for his third career major title shortly after finishing third in the PBA Players Championship. Although it didn’t factor into his Playoffs position, Lavoie also won the Guaranteed Rate PBA Super Slam on Sunday over all four other 2021 major champions. Allen banked $130,000 for finishing second in the Players Championship (after defeating Lavoie in the semifinal match) and also qualified for match play in the Tournament of Champions.

No. 5 Jakob Butturff vs. No. 12 Bill O’Neill

Butturff finished second in the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship and U.S. Open, securing the fifth seed in the Playoffs. He’ll face the defending champion, Bill O’Neill, who earned a chance to defend his title on the strength of finishing in the top 11 in three of five majors this season.

The winner of the PBA Playoffs, which conclude May 16 on FOX Broadcast Channel, will earn $100,000 and WWE championship title belt.

Kia PBA Playoffs Television Schedule

Saturday, Apr. 24 at 11 a.m. ET on FS1– Round of 16
Sunday, Apr. 25 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 – Round of 16
Saturday, May 1 at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1 – Round of 16
Sunday, May 2 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 – Round of 16
Sunday, May 9 at 8 noon ET on FS1 – Quarterfinals
Monday, May 10 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 – Quarterfinals
Saturday, May 15 at 11 a.m. ET on FS1 – Semifinals
Sunday, May 16 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX - Championship

Kia PBA Playoffs Champions Since 2019

2019 – Kris Prather
2020 – Bill O’Neill

About the PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2020, the PBA launched PBA Jr., a club for elite youth bowlers under the age of 17 and the PBA Pinsiders, a membership for fans of the sport. For more information, please visit PBA.com.

For Press Inquiries

[email protected]