PBA Announces Multi-Year Agreement to Add USBC Masters, U.S. Open to PBA on FOX Schedule
ARLINGTON, Texas (Jan. 15, 2019) – The Professional Bowlers Association, United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America today announced a multi-year agreement to include the USBC Masters and U.S. Open as major events on the Go Bowling! PBA Tour television package on FOX Sports.
FOX Sports will televise the U.S. Open live on FOX from 2020 through 2022 and the USBC Masters live on FS1 from 2019 through 2022. The announcement was made today at the BPAA Mid-Winter Summit in New Orleans.
“The PBA is thrilled to have these two major professional events as part of the PBA Tour television package on FOX Sports for years to come,” PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark said. “It is terrific for the bowling industry to rally behind the PBA Tour on FOX Sports and collaborate on a long-term commitment for these major events.”
As a result of the agreement, the 2020 U.S. Open will move up in the calendar with the televised finals set for Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. The current U.S. Open format will continue, with a host venue for the 2020 event to be announced later.
The USBC Masters will continue to be conducted in its traditional time window in conjunction with the USBC Open Championships.
“The PBA Tour move to FOX Sports is fantastic for bowling and everyone associated with the U.S. Open and USBC Masters is excited to be part of it,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “The media attention and investment in competitive bowling keeps growing and this partnership is another great win-win for the sport.”
Known as the BPAA All-Star from 1941-1970, the U.S. Open now is a collaborative effort of the BPAA and USBC.
“Elevating the U.S. Open to FOX provides a new level of exposure for a tournament with a rich BPAA history,” BPAA Executive Director Frank DeSocio said. “The launch of the PBA Tour on FOX has been extremely impressive and we are proud to be involved.”