by Bill Vint

The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame will be presenting sponsor of the PBA Challenge telecast on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 18, PBA Commissioner Tom Clark has announced. The presenting sponsorship was awarded by the PBA to create awareness for the IBMHOF, which is located in Arlington, Texas.

The PBA Challenge presented by the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame telecast will be contested on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 10:30 p.m. local time in the new South Point Bowling Plaza as part of PBA World Series of Bowling VI. The telecast will feature four two-player matches involving PBA50 Tour, PBA Regional, PBA Women’s Regional and Teen Masters competitors.

The PBA Challenge finalists will be determined in eight-game round-robin match play events covered live on Xtra Frame on Friday, Oct. 24, at South Point. The qualifying events will include PBA Regional points leaders representing the eight PBA Regions, eight PBA Women’s Regional points winners, and eight PBA50 Tour competition points leaders. The fourth match will include the 2014 Teen Masters boys’ and girls’ division champions in a Grand Championship contest. The four match winners will then bowl in a one-ball, low-score-eliminated Knock Out Bonus Round to conclude the telecast.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea and a generous offer on behalf of the PBA,” said Bob Gudorf, President of the IBMHOF Board of Trustees. “Any visibility the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame gets is great. It’s good for bowling.”

The IBMHOF is the home for the history of the sport, which includes the heritage of the PBA, its stars and its events. For more information about the IBMHOF, visit bowlingmuseum.com.