The Professional Bowlers Association today announced its 15-tournament schedule for the 2020 PBA50 Tour season, providing bowlers 50 and older with four major championships and a new year-end bracket elimination event for 24 PBA50 and PBA60 players. 

PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. will defend his PBA50 Player of the Year honor (the third of his career) as a 60-year-old when the season kicks off in Florida with the PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open presented by Lucas Magazine & Brunswick at Maple Countryside Lanes in Clearwater, Florida, April 19-22. Williams, the all-time Go Bowling PBA Tour titles leader with 47 wins, also will be trying for his 15th career PBA50 Tour title which will give him sole possession of the all-time titles lead on both PBA national tours. He is currently tied with John Handegard for the PBA50 Tour career titles lead with 14 wins.

Among the newcomers joining the all-star cast of PBA Hall of Famers expected to compete on the PBA50 Tour in 2020 will be PBA Hall of Famer and 13-time PBA Tour winner Jason Couch.

After the season-opening Petraglia BVL Open, the season’s first major returns to Spanish Springs Lanes in The Villages for the Florida Blue PBA50 National Championship April 26-30. The PBA50 Tour’s newest major will be familiar to Go Bowling PBA Tour fans when South Plains Lanes in Lubbock, Texas hosts the PBA50 Lubbock Sports Cup presented by South Plains Lanes May 16-19. 

The season’s other two majors will return to Las Vegas for the USBC Senior Masters May 31-June 7 at Sam’s Town and the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Storm June 7-12 at the Suncoast Bowling Center.

The PBA50 Tour will also make return trips to Mooresville, North Carolina; Brentwood, California; Monticello, Minnesota, as well as Indiana stops in Hammond and Anderson before concluding the season in Michigan with visits to Wyoming and Jackson.

Two PBA60 events open exclusively to players 60 and older include the USBC Super Senior Classic May 27-31 at Sam’s Town and the season-ending PBA60 Dick Weber Championship in Jackson Aug. 23-25.

New for 2020, 13 events on the schedule conducted by PBA will include a special “bracket” side event competition for both the PBA50 and PBA60 divisions that will pay additional prize money for the first three bracket finishers within each tournament. The bracket program, which requires no additional entry fee, will also have its own year-long points list which will determine the top 24 players from each division for an end-of-season bracket championship. Details on the new PBA50/PBA60 bracket elimination program and season finale will be announced later.

All PBA50/60 events will be covered start to finish by FloBowling.

2020 PBA50 Tour Schedule

April 19-22 - PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open presented by Lucas Magazine & Brunswick, Maple Countryside Lanes      

April 26-30 - Florida Blue Medicare PBA50 National Championship, Spanish Springs Lanes, The Villages, Fla. (Major)

May 3-6 - PBA50 Mooresville Open presented by Mooresville CVB & Storm, Victory Lanes Family Entertainment Center, Mooresville, N.C.          

May 16-19 - PBA50 Lubbock Sports Cup presented by South Plains Lanes, Lubbock, Texas (Major)         

May 23-26 -  PBA50 Northern California Classic, Harvest Park Bowl, Brentwood, Calif.      

May 27-31 -  USBC Super Senior Classic, Sam’s Town, Las Vegas

May 31-June 7 – USBC Senior Masters, Sam’s Town, Las Vegas (Major)  

June 7-12 – Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open, Suncoast Bowling Center, Las Vegas (Major)

June 14-17 – PBA50 Fountain Valley Open, Fountain Bowl, Fountain Valley, Calif.

July 27-30 – PBA50 River City Extreme Open, River City Extreme, Monticello, Minn.        

Aug. 3-6 – PBA50 South Shore Open, Olympia Lanes, Hammond, Ind.                              

Aug. 8-11 – PBA50 David Small’s Championship Lanes Classic, Anderson, Ind.     

Aug. 14-17 – PBA50 Spectrum Lanes Open, Spectrum Lanes, Wyoming, Mich.     

Aug. 19-22 – PBA50 David Small’s Jax 60 Lanes Open, Jackson, Mich.

Aug. 23-25 – PBA60 Dick Weber Classic, Jackson, Mich.