MIDDLETOWN, Del. – As the world’s top bowlers prepare to arrive in Delaware for the 10th anniversary PBA Tour Xtra Frame Gene Carter’s Pro Shop Classic August 17-19, focus on winning the event may have far-reaching consequences as the race for 2018 PBA Player of the Year honors heats up.

In addition to a $15,000 first prize, the PBA Tour title that will be awarded to the winner at Mid-County Lanes could be a significant factor in determining the PBA’s best player in 2018. Two of the Go Bowling! PBA Tour season’s three two-time title winners – Andrew Anderson of Holly, Mich. (USBC Masters and PBA Xtra Frame Greater Jonesboro Open) and EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind. (PBA Xtra Frame Parkside Lanes Open and PBA-PWBA Storm Striking Against Breast Cancer Open) – will be in the Delaware field (the other two-time titlist, reigning PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia, is not entered).

Other title winners who will be looking for a second 2018 title include Matt O’Grady of Rahway, N.J. (PBA Tournament of Champions); Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa. (Mark Roth-Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship), and Dick Allen of Lexington, S.C. (PBA Xtra Frame Port Property Management Maine Shootout).

Defending Gene Carter’s Pro Shop Classic winner Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill.; 2016 winner Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix; 2015 winner Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., and 2014 Delaware champ Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., are among the 22 PBA Tour champions in the field. Among those established stars are a trio of PBA Hall of Famers: Couch, Parker Bohn III and Walter Ray Williams Jr.

The capacity field of 150 will also include many of the PBA East Region’s top players along with several emerging stars looking for their first PBA Tour title.

The entire tournament will be covered live, exclusively by PBA’s Xtra Frame on FloBowling online bowling channel. Xtra Frame on FloBowling is a subscription-based video-streaming service, available on monthly or annual subscription plans. For more details and enrollment information, visit FloBowling.com.

The Gene Carter Pro Shop East Classic gets underway on Friday, Aug. 17, with a practice session for tournament players from 11 a.m., followed by pro-am squads at 3, 5:15 and 8 p.m. when grassroots league bowlers – men, women, kids, seniors – can bowl with PBA stars for their own prizes. For pro-am information, send an email to: len.h@outlook.com.

Competition begins with two seven-game qualifying squads on Saturday at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The top 50 players after seven games will advance to a four-game cashers round Sunday at 9 a.m., after which the top 16 will bowl a modified 12-game round-robin match play round. Based upon combined 23-game pinfall totals (including 30 bonus pins for matches won), the top four will compete in a stepladder finals at 6:30 p.m.

PBA XTRA FRAME GENE CARTER’S PRO SHOP CLASSIC 

(A 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour event) 

Mid-County Bowling and Entertainment, Middletown, Del., Aug. 17-19 (all times Eastern)

Friday, Aug. 17 

11 a.m. - Practice session 

3 p.m. – AB Sports Junior Scholarship pro-am 

5:15 and 8 p.m. – Anchor Buick-GMC/Williams Chevrolet adult pro-am squads

Saturday, Aug. 18 

9 a.m. - A Squad, 7 qualifying games 

4 p.m. – B Squad, 7 qualifying games 

            Top one-third of field after 7 games advances to cashers round

Sunday, Aug. 19 

9 a.m. – Cashers round, 4 games (top 16 after 11 games advance to match play) 

1 p.m. – Top 16, 12 games modified round robin match play (top four after 23 games advance to stepladder finals) 

6:30 p.m. - Top four stepladder finals

Release provided courtesy of PBA Media Relations