Entering Match Play of the USBC Masters

Match play of the USBC Masters at the cavernous National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada is about to begin. And even though anyone with a sanctioned 190 or higher league average could bowl in it provided he or she put down $500, and a lot of people I've never heard of in the field of 267 took the plunge, it should come as no surprise that the 64 to make it to match play are dominated by the names we bowling fans all know and mostly love. That's right, even though the great Norm Duke surprisingly didn't make the cut, just about everybody else who is somebody on tour did.

Brian Voss led after the first five game block of qualifying, averaging an awesome 248. Chris Loschetter led after the second block with a 234 overall average and ended up leading all qualifiers after a total of fifteen games with a 233 average, followed by Jason Belmonte, Patrick Allen, Chris Barnes, and Ryan Shafer, with Tommy Jones, Wes Malott, Pete Weber, Mike Scroggins, Mike Koivuniemi, and Eugne McCune all in the top 15.

However, it doesn't really matter a whole lot how these guys (and, yes, they're all guys this time, even though some women did participate) scored in qualifying, because those scores are now tossed aside and the bowlers, including last year's champion John Nolen, who was seeded directly into match play, will now engage in double elimination match play until only four players are left standing to bowl in the live televised finals this Sunday at 3 PM EST on ESPN. Match play is a 3 game total pin format.

Match play today begins at 7 PM EST and can be watched with scintillating commentary for free on PBA Xtra Frame. It will conclude God knows when tomorrow night. I'm going to have my ringside seat here at my computer, and I hope you'll join me at yours. There should be some very exciting action as a great field of the finest bowlers in the world scratch and claw each other to make it to Sunday's finals.