The PBA Tour is the premier ten-pin bowling tour in the United States and is governed by the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). The PBA was founded in 1958 and the PBA Tour kicked off the following year with three official tournaments. In addition to the PBA Tour, the PBA also governs the PBA Senior Tour and the PBA Regional Tour (which serves as minor league for the Tour). Over the years, the PBA Tour has seen increased popularity, a growth in TV viewers, and an explosion of members.
The PBA Tour season lasts from September to April and features 21 official tournaments. Included in these tournaments are four “majors”: the USBC Masters, U.S. Open, PBA World Championship, and PBA Tournament of Champions. The PBA Tour has a process similar to the PGA Tour in which competitors must earn a spot in order to compete in the weekly tournaments. In the PBA Tour, 64 bowlers can qualify through multiple ways: winning a tournament, winning a “major”, finishing high in the season points race, placing high at the PBA Tour Trials, or winning a region in the PBA Regional Tour. If a bowler is unable to qualify any of these ways, they can still qualify by placing in high in the weekly Tour Qualifying Rounds; five spots are awarded each week.
The finals of the tournaments have gone through many changes and revisions over the years. The first way that champions were crowned was through final total pinfall for the tournament; the Tour then went to a “stepladder” system and then to a “King of the Hill” structure. The current format involves three bowlers facing off in a single match with the winner advancing to play the tournament leader; the winner of the final match is declared the champion.
