March 23, 2021 jlaufer

 

The Tour’s top 16 bowlers to compete for first place prize of $100K and WWE Championship title belt

 

New York, NY – Bowlero Milford, just outside New Haven, Conn. will be the host location for the highly anticipated 2021 Kia PBA Playoffs starting April 24 on FOX Sports. The Playoffs will feature eight telecasts with 16 hours of action-packed competition over four consecutive weekends on FOX Sports’ FS1 and Fox Broadcast Channel.

The PBA Tour’s high-stakes event is back for a third year in a row with Bill O’Neill and Kris Prather as champions in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Playoffs will once again have a $100K first-place prize and an official title on the line as the Tour’s top 16 players compete head-to-head in a bracket-style, race-to-two-games elimination tournament. Ties will be determined by a 9th/10th frame roll-off.

In its second consecutive year in partnership with WWE, the Kia PBA Playoff contenders will also compete for a custom WWE Championship title belt.

The top 16 players will earn their spots in the Playoffs based on points accumulated at the following 2021 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour Events: PBA Players Championship, Kia PBA Tournament of Champions, PBA World Series of Bowling XII (inclusive of all five events), USBC Masters, and the U.S. Open.

With two more major events and plenty of competition points available, a chance to earn a spot in this year’s Playoffs is up for grabs for many bowlers.

Three players have secured spots in the Playoffs including Kyle Troup, who won his first major title at the PBA Players Championship, Tom Daugherty, fresh off of two wins in the PBA World Series of Bowling XII, and Francois Lavoie, who won the Kia PBA Tournament of Championships for his third career major title.

All three players have also earned a spot in the first-ever PBA Super Slam, a special event, where all five Major Champions (PBA Players Championship, Kia PBA Tournament of Champions, Guaranteed Rate PBA WSOB World Championship, USBC Masters, and the U.S Open) will compete for a $100K first place prize live on FOX Broadcast Channel on April 18 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

The winners of the USBC Masters and the U.S. Open will fill out the last two spots in the PBA Super Slam and earn a berth in the Playoffs. Rounding out the top five in points currently are Kris Prather and Anthony Simonsen.

The current list of Playoffs points is available at pba.com/2021-pba-points-list.

The complete field of 16 will be finalized after the completion of the U.S. Open on April 11 with the Playoffs Round of 16 beginning April 24 in Milford, Conn.

The TV schedule is as follows:

Kia PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 – Saturday, April 24, 11 a.m. ET on FS1
No. 1 vs. No. 16
No. 8 vs No. 9

Kia PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 – Sunday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1
No. 4 vs. No. 13
No. 5 vs. No. 12

Kia PBA Playoffs Round of 16 – Saturday, May 1, 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1
No. 2 vs. No. 15
No. 7 vs. No. 10

Kia PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 – Sunday, May 2, 7 p.m. ET on FS1
No. 3 vs. No. 14
No. 6 vs. No. 11

Kia PBA Playoffs: Quarterfinals – Sunday, May 9, 12 p.m. ET on FS1
Matches TBD after Round of 16

Kia PBA Playoffs: Quarterfinals – Monday, May 10, 8 p.m. ET on FS1
Matches TBD after Round of 16

Kia PBA Playoffs: Semifinals – Saturday, May 15, 11 a.m. ET on FS1
Matches TBD after Quarterfinals

Kia PBA Playoffs: Finals – Sunday, May 16, 2 p.m. ET on FS1
Matches TBD after Semifinals

Fans can catch all the action of the 2021 PBA Tour on FOX and Fox Sports’ FS1, and live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

During this uncertain time, the PBA’s main priority continues to be the health and safety of its players and staff. The PBA is taking all necessary precautions and following local and federal COVID-19 guidelines to reduce risks and modify procedures as needed. For a complete list of the PBA’s COVID-19 related standards and procedures, please visit PBA.com.

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.

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