2019 Teen Masters

Teen Masters A Breeding Ground For Top Talent

Teen Masters A Breeding Ground For Top Talent

More than 250 rising high school stars in the sport of bowling will put their skills to the test next week when the Teen Masters takes place in Florida.

Jun 28, 2019 by Lucas Wiseman
Teen Masters A Breeding Ground For Top Talent

More than 250 rising high school stars in the sport of bowling will put their skills to the test next week when the Teen Masters takes place at Sawgrass Lanes in Tamarac, Florida.

The event, which puts an emphasis on skill by only allowing the use of one bowling ball, will be broadcast live on FloBowling starting Monday and continuing through Friday.

Here are a few key points to get you ready for the Teen Masters:

Past, present and future stars

The Teen Masters has been a proving ground for many top professional bowlers in the past.

Among the past Teen Masters participants are Kris Prather, Bill O’Neill, Ryan Ciminelli, Jason Sterner, Mike Fagan, Matt O’Grady, Danielle McEwan and more.

This year's 259 participants will also offer up a good idea of what today’s rising stars look like and give bowling fans an idea of who they should be looking out for in the future.

“Kids who feel they have the skills and have the desire to compete against the best tend to be the ones who step up to the unique challenge that the Teen Masters offer,” Teen Masters organizer Gary Beck said. “It’s likely you’ll see bowlers in the future who are going to win PBA and PWBA titles.”

The format and lane conditions

The Teen Masters format is simple and rewards players who perform well over the course of the tournament.

All players will bowl three six-game rounds of qualifying on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before the first cut is made. The first round will be contested on long oil, the second round on short oil and the third round on mixed patterns.

The top 25 percent of the field will advance to a fourth six-game round of qualifying on mixed patterns on Thursday morning, which will determine the 18 boys and 18 girls who advance to match play.

Round robin match play on mixed patterns starts Thursday afternoon and continues for three rounds until the champions are determined. Winners will be based on total 42-game pinfall for the event as there is no stepladder.

As for the lane conditions, they are drastically different than bowling fans are used to seeing. Because the players are limited to using a special urethane ball, not nearly as much oil is required on the lane.

The long pattern is 42 feet with a total volume of oil of just 6.96 mL, while the short pattern is 32 feet with an oil volume of 6.6 mL. By comparison, most PBA patterns have between 25 and 35 mL of oil.

Kegel Kup offers team competition

One special part of the Teen Masters is the Kegel Kup, which is a state-based co-ed team event that adds another level of competition to the event.

Each state that has at least two boys and two girls competing in the Teen Masters is eligible for the Kegel Kup, which awards $5,000 in scholarships.

Using individual qualifying totals, teams are formed with the highest two boys and two girls joining forces in the four-player Baker competition.

On Thursday at 4 p.m. Eastern the teams will bowl 12 games with the top two states advancing to the championship match on Friday, July 5. This special event will be broadcast as part of FloBowling’s coverage.

How to watch

All rounds of the Teen Masters, including the Kegel Kup, will be broadcast live exclusively on FloBowling.

What the schedule looks like

Here’s the schedule for this event, all times listed are Eastern:

Monday, July 1
8 a.m. - Qualifying Round 1, Squad A (six games)
1 p.m. - Qualifying Round 1, Squad B (six games)
6 p.m. - Qualifying Round 1, Squad C (six games)

Tuesday, July 2
8 a.m. - Qualifying Round 2, Squad B (six games)
1 p.m. - Qualifying Round 2, Squad C (six games)
6 p.m. - Qualifying Round 2, Squad A (six games)

Wednesday, July 3
8 a.m. - Qualifying Round 3, Squad C (six games)
1 p.m. - Qualifying Round 3, Squad A (six games)
6 p.m. - Qualifying Round 3, Squad B (six games)

Thursday, July 4
8 a.m. - Qualifying Round 4 (six games)
1 p.m. - Match Play Round 1 (six games)
5 p.m. - Kegel Kup Qualifying

Friday, July 5
8 a.m. - Match Play Round 2 (six games)
1 p.m. - Match Play Round 3 (six games)
4 p.m. - Kegel Kup Championship