PBA Summer Tour Moves to Coldwater for Bowlerstore.com Classic Presented by Moxy’s Xtra Pair
Coldwater, Ohio—The fourth of five PBA Summer Tour events as part of the 2021 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour season begins Saturday from Pla-Mor Lanes with a full day of qualifying. Three squads will bowl eight games each beginning at 8 a.m. ET and the event will culminate with the four-player stepladder finals Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. Every round of competition will be streamed live on FloBowling.
Here are some of the top storylines heading into the 2021 PBA Bowlerstore.com Classic presented by Moxy’s Xtra Pair:
Tommy Jones Defends 2019 Title
Because the event was not held last season, 2019 champion Tommy Jones enjoyed an extra year as reigning champion in Coldwater. Jones has performed well on the 2021 Summer Tour, including a sixth-place finish in Jonesboro, Ark. this past weekend following a finish of fifth, with Shannon Pluhowsky, in the Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles.
Coldwater and Major Champions
Each of the three players to win at Pla-Mor Lanes since the event became a national PBA Tour stop are major champions. Rhino Page, who won in Coldwater in 2017, went on to win the U.S. Open for his first major two months later. Jakob Butturff, the 2018 winner in Coldwater, won his first major the following season in the 2019 USBC Masters. Jones was already a two-time major champion when he won the Bowlerstore.com Classic in 2019, but still found a way to make post-Coldwater history a few months later, bowling 300 in the title match to win the 2020 PBA Hall of Fame Classic during his own Hall of Fame-induction weekend.
Total Pins and Frequent Cuts
The second day of competition features a different format, which we’ll also see in the PBA Chesapeake Open, from the previous Summer Tour events. After eight games of qualifying, the top third of the field will advance to a four-game cashers round on Sunday. Following cashers round, the top 16 will advance to bowl three more games, after which the top eight move on to bowl two more games. After the round of eight, the top four players based on 17 games of total pinfall will advance to the stepladder finals.
Tackett Holds Narrow Advantage in Summer Tour Points Race
Although he missed the cut, finishing 52nd in the PBA Jonesboro Open was just enough to keep EJ Tackett in front of the PBA Summer Tour points race with two events to play. Tackett is now a mere 30 points ahead of Anthony Simonsen, who finished third in each of the first two events and 13th in Jonesboro. PBA Lubbock Sports Open champion Shawn Maldonado is third and PBA Jonesboro Open winner Matt Russo is fourth. Butturff, who finished third in Jonesboro and won in 2018 in Coldwater, is in fifth. The best 10 players at the conclusion of all five events will receive a share of the $40,000 bonus prize fund, with the top player earning $20,000.
PBA Summer Tour Points Leaders Through Three Events
- EJ Tackett, 2,895
- Anthony Simonsen, 2,865
- Shawn Maldonado, 2,717.5
- Matt Russo, 2,545
- Jakob Butturff, 1,975
- Tommy Jones, 1,930
- François Lavoie, 1,870
- Sam Cooley, 1,840
- Jake Peters, 1,665
- Dom Barrett, 1,630
PBA Bowlerstore.com Classic Presented by Moxy’s Xtra Pair Live Streaming Schedule
Pla-Mor Lanes – Coldwater, Ohio
Saturday, August 14
8 a.m. ET – Qualifying (A Squad)
1:30 p.m. ET – Qualifying (B Squad)
7 p.m. ET – Qualifying (C Squad)
Sunday, August 15
11 a.m. ET – Cashers Qualifying (four games)
1:30 p.m. ET – Top 16 (three games)
3 p.m. ET – Top 8 (two games)
5 p.m. ET – Stepladder Finals
All rounds will be streamed live on FloBowling. To subscribe, visit FloBowling.com.
PBA Bowlerstore.com Classic Presented by Moxy’s Xtra Pair Winners Since 2017
2017 – Rhino Page
2018 – Jakob Butturff
2019 – Tommy Jones
2020 – not held
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.