Ebonite

Dec 16, 2011

SEATTLE (Dec. 16, 2011) – The Professional Bowlers Association will break new ground Jan. 20-22 when it conducts its first Xtra Frame Tour event, a PBA Tour championship tournament that will be webcast exclusively live, online to an international audience of bowling fans.

The PBA Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite will be conducted at Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley, Calif., and will offer a $10,000 first prize along with a guaranteed berth in the final field of 36 players for the end-of-season PBA Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

The Cheetah Open is open to all comers with a $350 entry fee for PBA members and a $400 fee for non-members. It will pay a prize fund of $66,000 based on a field of 130, with one in three players cashing.

The tournament is the first of four Xtra Frame Tour events scheduled during the second half of the PBA’s 2011-12 season. Additional Xtra Frame events, which also will be webcast in their entirety on the PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, include the Ricart Ford Open presented by Columbia 300 at Sequoia Lanes in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 18-19; the Detroit Open presented by Track at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., March 9-11; and the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs presented by Hammer at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, March 31-April 1. PBA Tour titles, along with top 36 berths in the Tournament of Champions, will be awarded in all four events.

The Cheetah Open begins with a practice and pro-am program on Friday, along with a special $5,000 “All In” winner-take-all showdown event. On Saturday, all tournament players will bowl nine qualifying games with the top 24 advancing to the match play finals on Sunday.

Xtra Frame will webcast all tournament action live to its international subscribers. For information on how to subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and look for the Xtra Frame logo. Full-season subscriptions, which include pre-television coverage of all other PBA Tour events, interviews, coaching tips, a vast archive of previous telecasts, and much more, are $64.99.

Eugene McCune of Munster, Ind., is the defending Cheetah Open champion. McCune won his title during the 2010 PBA World Series of Bowling, nipping 2009 Cheetah Open champion Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., 238-237.

Entries for the Cheetah Open and all other remaining PBA Tour events can be made by visiting pba.com and clicking on “PBA Tour” under the Schedules tab. Players can click on the appropriate event and follow instructions on how to enter.

XTRA FRAME TOUR CHEETAH OPEN PRESENTED BY EBONITE
Fountain Bowl, Fountain Valley, Calif., Jan. 20-22

FRIDAY, JAN. 20, 2012
10 a.m. - A Squad practice
1 p.m. - B Squad practice
2:30 p.m. - $5,000 PBA All-In Shoot Out
5 p.m. - FAB 5 Pro-Am squad
8 p.m. - Pro-am squad

SATURDAY, JAN. 21
9 a.m. - A Squad, 9 qualifying games
4 p.m. - B Squad, 9 qualifying games
  Top 24 advance to Sunday’s match play finals

SUNDAY, JAN. 22
9 a.m. – Top 24, 6 match play games
1:30 p.m. – Top 24, 7 match play games
  Top 4 advance to Xtra Frame stepladder finals
6 p.m. - Xtra Frame stepladder finals

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is an organization of more than 3,800 of the best bowlers from 13 countries who compete in PBA Tour, Regional and Senior Tour events. Nearly one million ESPN viewers watch PBA Tour on Sundays during the tour season and thousands watch PBA activities online by using PBA’s video streaming service, Xtra Frame. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, Budweiser, GEICO, One A Day Men’s 50+ Multivitamin, Pepsi-Cola and the United States Bowling Congress, among others. For more information, log on to www.pba.com.

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