USBC Masters

The USBC Masters is a championship ten pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000.

Prior to 2005 the tournament was known as the ABC Masters, conducted by the American Bowling Congress (which merged with the WIBC and YABA, becoming the USBC in 2005). The Masters began as an invitational event showcasing national and local bowling stars and has grown to become one of bowling's most prestigious events.

While the event has evolved over the years, its trademark qualifying and double-elimination match play format has remained largely unchanged. All bowlers compete in 15 games of qualifying, with the top 63 qualifiers joining the previous year's champion in the double elimination match play bracket. All head-to-head matches consist of 3 games, highest total pinfall wins.

Hundreds of competitors turn out for the Masters each year with their sights set on a prize fund that has recently been as high as $350,000, including a $50,000 top prize. The field, which now includes women, also features representatives from all 50 states and a handful of foreign countries.

The Masters is open to any USBC member and is a part of the World Bowling Tour.

After the Masters in January 2004, the tournament was moved to the fall, resulting in two Masters events during 2004. (The first was part of the 2003–04 PBA season, and the second was part of the 2004–05 season.) Then in 2008, the tournament was moved back to the spring, which is why there was no Masters during 2008.

Mike Aulby and Jason Belmonte are the only players to have won the USBC Masters three times, with Belmonte the only player to win three in a row (2013, 2014 and 2015).

On February 14, 2016, Anthony Simonsen became the youngest person (19 years, 39 days) to ever win a PBA major, taking the USBC Masters title as the #1 seed in a single-game final over Dan MacLelland. That distinction previously belonged to Mike Aulby, who won the 1979 PBA National Championship at age 19 years, 83 days. The win was Simonsen's first PBA singles title and second PBA title overall. He previously won the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship in December, 2015 with partner Connor Pickford. Jason Belmonte's bid for an unprecedented fourth USBC Masters ended with losses to Wes Malott and Martin Larsen in the Round of 8.

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