PWBA Bowling Tour: 2021 season

Last updated
PWBA Bowling Tour: 2021 season
League Professional Women's Bowlers Association
Sport Ten-pin bowling
DurationJanuary 19 – November 1, 2021
PWBA Tour seasons
2022  

The 2021 Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour season had a total of 20 title events scheduled, the most since the 2001 PWBA season. [1] Overall, the season had 16 standard singles title events, three major tournaments (USBC Queens, U.S. Women's Open and PWBA Tour Championship), and the Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles tournament (a crossover event with the PBA Tour). All singles events were broadcast on BowlTV, the USBC’s YouTube channel, except for the season-ending PWBA Tour Championship, which was broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Contents

The season kicked off January 19, 2021 in Arlington, Texas with the first of three Classic Series events. Each Classic Series event includes three title tournaments contested in the same location over an eight-day span. The first two tournaments in a Classic Series stop have fully open fields, while the third tournament starts with only the top 24 players in pinfall from the qualifying rounds of the first two tournaments. [2]

On April 29, the PBA announced it was adding an all-women's competition to its King of the Lanes event, which was broadcast live on FS1 on June 15 and 16. (In the 2020 PBA King of the Lanes, two females – Clara Guerrero and Gazmine Mason – participated against an otherwise all-male field.) The King of the Lanes: Empress Edition is a "last person standing" format, where two challengers face each other for a chance to dethrone the reigning Empress over the course of five rounds. Kelly Kulick was chosen as the initial Empress. Challengers included: Clara Guerrero, Daria Pajak, Danielle McEwan, Maria José Rodriguez, Missy Parkin, Diana Zavjalova, Liz Johnson, Ashly Galante, Stefanie Johnson and Verity Crawley. [3]

Season highlights and awards

Player awards [7]

2021 points leaders

1. Bryanna Coté (129,445)
2. Shannon O'Keefe (129,270)
3. Verity Crawley (128,900)

2021 average leaders

1. Shannon O'Keefe (214.73)
2. Shannon Pluhowsky (214.51)
3. Bryanna Coté (213.75)

2021 championship round appearances

T1. Bryanna Coté (6)
T1. Verity Crawley (6)
T1. Dasha Kovalova (6)
T1. Stephanie Zavala (6)

2021 cashes

1. Liz Johnson (18)
T2. Missy Parkin (17)
T2. Maria José Rodriguez (17)

Tournament summary

Below is a list of events that are scheduled for the 2021 PWBA Tour season. [1] Major tournaments are in bold.

EventAirdateCityPreliminary roundsFinal roundWinnerNotes
PWBA Kickoff Classic Series: Bowlers Journal ClassicJan 21 BowlTV Arlington, TX Jan 19–20Live Shannon O'Keefe, USA (14) [8] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Kickoff Classic Series: ITRC ClassicJan 23 BowlTVArlington, TXJan 22LiveBryanna Coté, USA (2) [9] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Kickoff Classic Series: PWBA Hall of Fame ClassicJan 26 BowlTVArlington, TXJan 25LiveJulia Bond, USA (1) [10] Top 24 from Bowlers Journal Classic and ITRC Classic qualifying. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Twin Cities OpenApr 24 BowlTV Eagan, MN Apr 22–23Live Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine (3) [11] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Lincoln OpenMay 1 BowlTV Lincoln, NE Apr 29–30Live Liz Johnson, USA (25) [12] Open event. $10,000 top prize.+
PWBA Greater Cleveland OpenMay 8 BowlTV Parma Heights, OH May 6–7Live Stephanie Zavala, USA (1) [13] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
USBC QueensMay 18 BowlTV Reno, NV May 12–17LiveJulia Bond, USA (2) [14] Open event. PWBA major. $20,000 top prize.
PWBA BVL OpenMay 29 BowlTV Farmingdale, NY May 27–28LiveStephanie Zavala, USA (2) [15] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Albany OpenJun 5 BowlTV Albany, NY Jun 3–4Live Kelly Kulick, USA (7) [16] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Greater Nashville OpenJun 12 BowlTV Smyrna, TN Jun 10–11Live Verity Crawley, England (1) [17] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PBA King of the Lanes: Empress EditionJun 15–16 FS1 Portland, ME LiveLiveFinal Empress: Stefanie Johnson, USA
Top Casher: Daria Pajak, Poland ($25,000) [18]
Non-title invitational event. Each round pays $10,000 to the Empress match winner, $5,000 for second, $3,000 for third.
PWBA Louisville OpenJun 19 BowlTV Louisville, KY Jun 17–18LiveDasha Kovalova, Ukraine (4) [19] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PBA-PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed DoublesAug 1 FloBowling Houston, TX Jul 29–31Live Danielle McEwan, USA (6) & E. J. Tackett, USA [20] Open PBA and PWBA title event. $20,000 top prize.
PWBA Summer Classic Series: GoBowling! ClassicAug 5 BowlTVArlington, TXAug 3–4LiveBirgit Noreiks, Germany (2) [21] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Summer Classic Series: International Bowling Campus ClassicAug 7 BowlTVArlington, TXAug 6–7LiveJen Higgins, USA (1) [22] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Summer Classic Series: BowlTV ClassicAug 10 BowlTVArlington, TXAug 9–10LiveJillian Martin, USA (a) [4] Top 24 from GoBowling! Classic and Int’l Bowling Campus Classic qualifying. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Spokane OpenAug 21 BowlTV Spokane, WA Aug 19–20LiveDanielle McEwan, USA (7) [23] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
U.S. Women's OpenAug 31 CBS Sports Rohnert Park, CA Aug 24–30Live Josie Barnes, USA (4) [5] Open event, PWBA major. $100,000 top prize.
PWBA Fall Classic Series: PWBA Reno ClassicOct 26 BowlTV Reno, NV Oct 25–26LiveStephanie Zavala, USA (3) [6] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Fall Classic Series: PWBA Pepsi ClassicOct 28 BowlTVReno, NVOct 27–28LiveJulia Bond, USA (3) [24] Open event. $10,000 top prize.
PWBA Fall Classic Series: PWBA Tour ChampionshipOct 31 CBS SportsReno, NVOct 29–30Live Shannon Pluhowsky, USA (2) [25] Top 24 from Reno Classic and Pepsi Classic qualifying. $50,000 top prize.

+ Liz Johnson also earned a $10,000 bonus for rolling a 300 game in the semifinal match.
(a) Competed as an amateur/non-member; no PWBA title awarded.

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