Bowlmor AMF becomes Bowling’s U.S. Opens title sponsor

Partnership includes television production, hosting for women and men

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bowlmor AMF, the largest operator of bowling centers in the world, has made a commitment to host and provide television sponsorship for Bowling’s U.S. Open and Women’s U.S Open in 2015.

The tournaments will be conducted in AMF and Brunswick centers with more than $250,000 in funding for broadcast television production.

“Bowlmor AMF is thrilled to reinforce our commitment to the sport of bowling by sponsoring the U.S. Opens,” said Tom Shannon, Chairman, CEO and President of Bowlmor AMF. “We look forward to further developing a strong relationship with the USBC and BPAA to support bowlers at every level, in every state and especially in every one of our over 340 Bowlmor AMF centers.”

Jay Lietman, Vice President of Leagues for Bowlmor AMF, added: “This is an exciting step in our renewed commitment to competitive play at Bowlmor AMF. I am elated about the ripple effects this will have on our very dedicated population of league bowlers. This can only build from here.”

The 2015 Women’s U.S. Open will take place in late August/early September and will be included as part of the new Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour schedule as an added event, providing 10 total events for women competitors during the tour’s schedule.

The 2015 U.S. Open will take place in November following the Professional Bowlers Association World Series of Bowling. The timing will allow competitors, including those who travel from foreign countries, another opportunity to take part in a major event.

Specific dates for both the U.S. Open and Women’s U.S. Open will be announced once sites are finalized and a broadcast television outlet is secured.

“I want to thank Bowlmor AMF and Tom Shannon for demonstrating a clear and unquestionable commitment to competitive bowling,” said United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Executive Director Chad Murphy. “This partnership shows Bowlmor AMF supports the future of the sport and shares a deep respect for the value of the U.S. Open.”

Plans call for the U.S. Open to include a traditional 56-game format with three eight-game qualifying rounds followed by a cut to the top one-third of the field before the top 24 players qualify for round-robin match play. Television finals will feature a stepladder format.

“This partnership is a tremendous success story for the bowling industry,” said Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) Executive Director Frank DeSocio. “We have the largest operator in the world stepping up in collaboration with International Bowling Campus on a project to bring great benefit for bowling at the local level and exposure in the national media.”

Both events will feature a top prize of $50,000 and will be operated by USBC. Each will have a $400 entry fee with a 1:3 prize ratio.

Registration for both tournaments will open April 6. Entries will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis and only entries paid in full will be accepted. Those who want to run a qualifying event should contact Damon Sarrocco at damon.sarrocco@bowl.com for information.