ABC Masters

The USBC Masters is a championship ten-pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000. A PBA rule change in 2008 retroactively awarded a PBA title (and a major) to any Masters winners prior to 1998 who were PBA members at the time of the victory.

History

The tournament began in 1951 as the ABC Masters, conducted by the American Bowling Congress (ABC). The ABC merged with the WIBC and YABA to become the USBC in 2005, after which the tournament was renamed USBC Masters. The Masters began as an invitational event showcasing national and local bowling stars and has grown to become one of bowling's most prestigious events.

While the event has evolved over the years, its trademark qualifying and double-elimination match play format has remained largely unchanged. All bowlers compete in 15 games of qualifying, with the top 63 qualifiers joining the previous year's champion in the double elimination match play bracket. (If the previous champion makes the top 63 or is unable to participate, the 64th-place qualifier is added.) All head-to-head matches consist of three games, highest total pinfall wins. First-time losers during the match play rounds are not eliminated, but are instead placed into an elimination bracket, where they must survive all subsequent three-game matches to have a chance at making the championship finals.

Hundreds of competitors turn out for the Masters each year (a full field of 360 entered the 2018 event) with their sights set on a prize fund that has recently been as high as $350,000, including a $50,000 top prize. The field, which now includes women, also features representatives from all 50 states and a handful of foreign countries.

The Masters is open to PBA members and any USBC member that meets average requirements. It is a part of the World Bowling Tour.

After the Masters in January 2004, the tournament was moved to the fall, resulting in two Masters events during calendar year 2004. (The first was part of the 2003–04 PBA season, and the second was part of the 2004–05 season.) Then in 2008, the tournament was moved back to the spring, which is why there was no Masters during 2008.

Mike Aulby is the first player to have won the USBC Masters three times, but was eventually passed by Jason Belmonte. Belmonte is the only player to win three Masters in a row (2013, 2014 and 2015), and he won again in 2017 to become the only player to win four Masters titles. Prior to Belmonte's threepeat, the last player to successfully defend a Masters title was Billy Welu in 1964–65. The 1984 ABC Masters featured the 43rd and final PBA Tour title for Hall of Famer Earl Anthony. Walter Ray Williams Jr. is the oldest person to win the USBC Masters, capturing the 2010 event at age 50. In 2016, Anthony Simonsen, aged 19 years and 39 days, became the tournament's youngest winner, as well as the youngest to win a PBA major of any kind.

Current defending champion

2022 Event

The 2022 USBC Masters was held at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from March 31 to April 3. The tournament had a starting field of 420 bowlers, and used a five-player stepladder finals format.

On April 3, Anthony Simonsen won from the #2 seed position, defeating top seed Norm Duke in the final match, 219–216. This was Simonsen's tenth PBA Tour title, second USBC Masters title, and fourth major championship overall. Duke, 58, was seeking to become the oldest player to win a PBA Tour title as well as the oldest to win a PBA Tour major.

2022 Results

A five-player stepladder final round was used.

*Prize Pool:
:1. Anthony Simonsen (Las Vegas, Nevada) – $100,000
:2. Norm Duke (Clermont, Florida) – $50,000
:3. Brad Miller (Lee's Summit, Missouri) – $25,000
:4. A. J. Johnson (Oswego, Illinois) – $15,000
:5. Shawn Madonado (Sugar Land, Texas) – $10,000

Past champions

*2022 Anthony Simonsen
*2021 Thomas Larsen
*2020 ''not contested due to COVID-19 pandemic''
*2019 Jakob Butturff
*2018 Andrew Anderson
*2017 Jason Belmonte
*2016 Anthony Simonsen
*2015 Jason Belmonte
*2014 Jason Belmonte
*2013 Jason Belmonte
*2012 Mike Fagan
*2011 Tom Hess
*2010 Walter Ray Williams, Jr.
*2009 John Nolen
*2008 ''not contested due to PBA schedule change''
*2007 Sean Rash
*2006 Doug Kent
*2005 Mike Scroggins
*Oct. 2004 Danny Wiseman
*Jan. 2004 Walter Ray Williams, Jr.
*2003 Bryon Smith
*2002 Brett Wolfe
*2001 Parker Bohn III
*2000 Mika Koivuniemi
*1999 Brian Boghosian
*1998 Mike Aulby
*1997 Jason Queen
*1996 Ernie Schlegel
*1995 Mike Aulby
*1994 Steve Fehr
*1993 Norm Duke
*1992 Ken Johnson
*1991 Doug Kent
*1990 Chris Warren
*1989 Mike Aulby
*1988 Del Ballard, Jr.
*1987 Rick Steelsmith
*1986 Mark Fahy
*1985 Steve Wunderlich
*1984 Earl Anthony
*1983 Mike Lastowski
*1982 Joe Berardi
*1981 Randy Lightfoot
*1980 Neil Burton
*1979 Doug Myers
*1978 Frank Ellenburg
*1977 Earl Anthony
*1976 Nelson Burton, Jr.
*1975 Ed Ressler, Jr.
*1974 Paul Colwell
*1973 Dave Soutar
*1972 Bill Beach
*1971 Jim Godman
*1970 Don Glover
*1969 Jim Chestney
*1968 Pete Tountas
*1967 Lou Scalia
*1966 Bob Strampe
*1965 Billy Welu
*1964 Billy Welu
*1963 Harry Smith
*1962 Billy Golembiewski
*1961 Don Carter
*1960 Billy Golembiewski
*1959 Ray Bluth
*1958 Tom Hennessey
*1957 Dick Hoover
*1956 Dick Hoover
*1955 Buzz Fazio
*1954 Eugene Elkins
*1953 Rudy Habetler
*1952 Willard Taylor
*1951 Lee Jouglard

Note: In May 2008, the PBA announced it was revising its all-time records to include PBA-era ABC Masters championships prior to 1998 as PBA titles (and majors), if the champion was a PBA member at the time.All-time Denny's PBA Tour Titlists at www.pba.com

External links

Official USBC Masters "Information" web page

PBA.com site

References

{{PBA tour events

Ten-pin bowling competitions in the United States