About
If you think you’ve got enough game, the USBC has just the tournament challenge for you. Lace up your shoes and test your skills against the world’s best pro and amateur bowlers in the USBC Masters, widely regarded as the sport’s most prestigious event.
If you meet certain eligibility requirements, you have the opportunity of a lifetime to compete in the USBC Masters, one of four “major” tournaments on the Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour schedule.
The USBC Masters began as an invitational event showcasing national and local bowling stars and has grown in popularity over the years. While the event has evolved over the years, its trademark qualifying and double-elimination match play format has remained largely unchanged. You’ll start by rolling 10 games of qualifying, with the top 25 percent of the field returning for five more games to determine the top 63 players. If you get that far, you and those qualifiers join the previous year’s champion in the double-elimination bracket.
Join the 500-plus competitors who turn out for the Masters each year and set your sights set on a prize fund of nearly $400,000. The tournament field, which now includes women, also features bowlers from all 50 states and a handful of foreign countries.
The Masters is open to any USBC league member who has averaged 190 or higher for 21 games during the past two seasons, any non-USBC league member who is classified by the PBA as a Full Member, any bowler who has averaged 190 or higher in his/her past five USBC Tournaments and any state/provincial representatives who have placed first or second in the all-events category of their association tournament.
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The USBC Masters tournament easily ranks among the most storied and prestigious competitions that the sport of bowling has to offer.
From Don Carter to Danny Wiseman and Billy Welu to Mike Aulby, this is an event where names are made and legends are born.
Register Online | Download Entry Form
The 2009 USBC Masters also proved that it is an event where anything is possible, as virtual unknown John Nolen, a bowler who did not have an exemption on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, dominated the event and stunned the bowling world with a victory over 2004 USBC Masters Champion Danny Wiseman in the title match. Now is your chance to make history by registering to compete in this historic event.
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Results
2009 Results Winners Bracket Losers Bracket Rolloff Bracket2009 USBC MASTERS At Cashman Center, Las Vegas Sunday's resultsFinal standings
1, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 202 (one game), $60,000.
2, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 673 (three games), $30,000.
3, Steve Harman, Camby, Ind., 188 (one game), $20,000.
4, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 216 (one game), $15,000.
Stepladder results
Match One - Wiseman def. Jones, 257-216
Match Two - Wiseman def. Harman, 223-188
Championship Match - Nolen def. Wiseman, 202-193
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Top Stories
Top seed Nolen wins USBC Masters title
2/15/2009
By Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS - Until recently, John Nolen of Waterford, Mich., was a virtual unknown on the national bowling scene. He used Sunday's nationally televised championship round of the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Masters to change that in a hurry.
Competing on television for the first time, Nolen defeated Danny Wiseman of Baltimore, 202-193, to win the USBC Masters and claim his first career Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour title.
Nolen, the No. 1 seed for the championship round, finished as the top qualifier and blew through match play undefeated to win the title. He finished 7-0 in his matches and became the first top qualifier to win the title since Mike Scroggins accomplished the feat in 2005.
"This means everything to me," said Nolen, who earned $60,000 and a two-year PBA Tour exemption. "I came into this week wanting to get a win, and if this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, I have to think that way."
Nolen, 29, sat helpless on the bench as he watched Wiseman finish the match. Needing a strike, nine, spare to even the score or two strikes to win outright, Wiseman stepped up and left a 10 pin on his first shot to hand Nolen the victory.
"I don't like rooting for people to miss, really I don't," said Nolen, who won the PBA Regional Players Invitational in December. "If someone strikes, they earn it and they deserve it, but I wasn't too upset to see that 10 pin standing. Danny is a great champion, and I didn't expect anything other than for him to put 10 back in the pit to win the title."
Wiseman started the title match with three consecutive strikes before struggling with ball reaction down the stretch. In the end, he said he just didn't make the right subtle adjustments to win the match.
"You can't second guess yourself," said Wiseman, who was seeking his second Masters title after winning in 2004. "It's all about decision making. You have to make the change and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You have to live with the decision."
Wiseman, the No. 3 seed, defeated second seed Steve Harman of Camby, Ind., and fourth seed Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., to reach the championship match.
In the opening match of the championship round, Wiseman pulled away early from Jones with five consecutive strikes to start and cruised to a 257-216 victory. Against Harman, Wiseman struck on his final four shots in a 223-188 victory.
The 2009 USBC Masters featured a field of 452 of the best professional and amateur bowlers from around the world. A major on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, the players competed for an overall prize fund of $350,000.
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Information
When you’re ready to enter the 2010 USBC Masters, we’re your one-stop shop. Here on the Masters page of bowl.com, we have everything you need to prepare for the event. You can book your travel, read the tournament description, bone up on the event rules and dress code, and, of course, register for the event itself. Make your Masters experience convenient and memorable by using bowl.com!
BowlTV
See Nolen awarded at the 2009 Masters!
Until recently, John Nolen of Waterford, Mich., was a virtual unknown on the national bowling scene. He used Sunday's nationally televised championship round of the 2009 United States Bowling Congress Masters to change that in a hurry.
More Tournaments
Whether you’re a highly competitive bowler carrying a 200 average in a sport league or a bowler who wonders if there is a tournament in which you can compete and have a chance to win, the USBC offers such a wide variety of tournaments that you are bound to find one perfect for you.
Are you a women’s bowler who thinks she can cut it against PBA Women’s Series bowlers? Try the USBC Queens event. Are you a youth bowler looking to put your skills to use by earning some scholarship money? Learn more about how to qualify for the Jr. Gold Championships. Are you a bowler looking for a chance to compete on a level playing field against bowlers in your average range? Look into the USBC’s longest-standing event, the 108-year-old USBC Open Championships. USBC tournaments offer opportunities for all bowlers regardless of age or skill level. You never know, you could be one of the next bowlers to compete on live TV at the next USBC Bowling’s Clash of Champions.
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John Nolen
Stats:
2008 Regional Players Invitational Champion
2009 USBC Masters Champion
Until recently, John Nolen of Waterford, Mich., was a virtual unknown on the national bowling scene. He used the nationally televised championship round of the 2009 USBC Masters to change that in a hurry.
Competing on television for the first time, Nolen defeated Danny Wiseman of Baltimore, 202-193, to win the USBC Masters and claim his first career Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour title.
Nolen, the No. 1 seed for the championship round, finished as the top qualifier and blew through match play undefeated to win the title. He finished 7-0 in his matches and became the first top qualifier to win the title since Mike Scroggins accomplished the feat in 2005. "This means everything to me," said Nolen, who earned $60,000 and a two-year PBA Tour exemption. "I came into this week wanting to get a win, and if this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, I have to think that way."
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Danny Wiseman
Stats:
Voted #42 on the list of the PBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time
Winner of 12 Career PBA titles
2004 USBC Masters Champion
When 2009 USBC Champion John Nolen sat helpless on the bench as he watched opponent Danny Wiseman finish the championship match, he thought his run at the 2009 USBC Masters was about to come to an end. Needing a strike, nine, spare to even the score or two strikes to win outright, PBA great Danny Wiseman stepped up and left a 10 pin on his first shot to hand Nolen the victory.
"I don't like rooting for people to miss, really I don't," said Nolen, who won the PBA Regional Players Invitational in December.
"If someone strikes, they earn it and they deserve it, but I wasn't too upset to see that 10 pin standing. Danny is a great champion, and I didn't expect anything other than for him to put 10 back in the pit to win the title."
Wiseman started the title match with three consecutive strikes before struggling with ball reaction down the stretch. In the end, he said he just didn't make the right subtle adjustments to win the match.
"You can't second guess yourself," said Wiseman, who was seeking his second Masters title after winning in 2004.
"It's all about decision making. You have to make the change and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You have to live with the decision."
Wiseman, the No. 3 seed, defeated second seed Steve Harman of Camby, Ind., and fourth seed Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., to reach the championship match. In the opening match of the championship round, Wiseman pulled away early from Jones with five consecutive strikes to start and cruised to a 257-216 victory. Against Steve Harman, Wiseman struck on his final four shots in a 223-188 victory.
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Steve Harman
Stats:
Finsihed 3rd at 2009 USBC Msters
Finished 5th at 2008 Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic
Finished 2nd with Jen Petrick at the 2009 PBA Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship
Winner of 1 PBA Regional Tour title
Making the first singles television appearance of his career at the 2009 USBC Masters was PBA Tour sophomore Harman, who finished second with Jen Petrick at the PBA Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship earlier this year.
Harman’s first task in his television debut, though, was a difficult one—defeat PBA legend and 2004 USBC Masters champion, Danny Wiseman. Harman hung with Wiseman for much of the game before Wiseman’s four-bagger put him away down the stretch.
But Harman has already proven that he belongs with the big boys. In just 23 PBA events thus far, Harman has already made a major telecast while also finishing 5th at the 2008 Don Johnson Buckeye State Classic and, prior to becoming an exempt player on the Lumber Liquidator’s PBA Tour, 19th at another major—the 2006 Denny’s World Championship.
Harman also owns a PBA Regional Tour title and has amassed nearly $80,000 in career PBA earnings so far.
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MastersSubmit@bowl.comThank you for your nomination! While we are unable to respond to each individual submission due to the volume of submissions we receive, we will be contacting you if your nominee is chosen to be featured on bowl.com.Read More
About
If you think you’ve got enough game, the USBC has just the tournament challenge for you. Lace up your shoes and test your skills against the world’s best pro and amateur bowlers in the USBC Masters, widely regarded as the sport’s most prestigious event.
If you meet certain eligibility requirements, you have the opportunity of a lifetime to compete in the USBC Masters, one of four “major” tournaments on the Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour schedule.
The USBC Masters began as an invitational event showcasing national and local bowling stars and has grown in popularity over the years. While the event has evolved over the years, its trademark qualifying and double-elimination match play format has remained largely unchanged. You’ll start by rolling 10 games of qualifying, with the top 25 percent of the field returning for five more games to determine the top 63 players. If you get that far, you and those qualifiers join the previous year’s champion in the double-elimination bracket.
Join the 500-plus competitors who turn out for the Masters each year and set your sights set on a prize fund of nearly $400,000. The tournament field, which now includes women, also features bowlers from all 50 states and a handful of foreign countries.
The Masters is open to any USBC league member who has averaged 190 or higher for 21 games during the past two seasons, any non-USBC league member who is classified by the PBA as a Full Member, any bowler who has averaged 190 or higher in his/her past five USBC Tournaments and any state/provincial representatives who have placed first or second in the all-events category of their association tournament.
Read More
Results
2009 Results
Top Stories
Top seed Nolen wins USBC Masters title
John Nolen
Stats:
Danny Wiseman
Stats:
Steve Harman
Stats:
