PBA Tour to Open Season in Tulsa With Arena Finals; City Will Host PBA Tour Event for First Time

PBA Tour to Open Season in Tulsa With Arena Finals; City Will Host PBA Tour Event for First Time

Tickets Go on Sale September 6

TULSA, Okla., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The PBA Tour will open its 2005-06 season with a nationally televised arena finals event at the University of Tulsa's Donald W. Reynolds Center on Sunday, Oct. 30, according to Fred Schreyer, PBA Commissioner, who made the announcement today at a Tulsa news conference.

The preliminary rounds for the 2005 PBA Tulsa Championship begin on Oct. 26 at The Lanes at Coffee Creek in Owasso. The live ESPN finals will be held at the Reynolds Center on Sunday, Oct. 30 at noon.

"This season-opening event wouldn't be a reality without the support of Winnercomm, the Tulsa Sports Commission and the University of Tulsa," said PBA Tour Commissioner Fred Schreyer. "We are pleased to finally bring a PBA Tour event to the city of Tulsa, which has an enthusiastic bowling fan base."

Earlier this year, Tulsa hosted the 2005 WIBC Championships, the world's largest participatory sporting event for women. According to the Tulsa Sports Commission, more than 100,000 WIBC visitors contributed over $40 million to the local economy. This is the first time Tulsa has been selected to host a national PBA Tour event.

"It's an honor to host such a prestigious event here on the University of Tulsa campus and at the Donald W. Reynolds Center," said Terry Hossack, Director of Facilities. "We're excited to have the PBA in Tulsa for the first time and we look forward to a first class event. This community has a rich history of supporting professional sporting events and we believe that this is a great opportunity to showcase Tulsa to a national audience."

The world's best bowlers are scheduled to compete in the PBA Tulsa Championship, including six-time PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr., who needs just one more title to tie PBA legend Earl Anthony for the most career titles (41).

Fans can purchase tickets for the 2005 PBA Tulsa Championship beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6. Prices range from $10 to $15 for the preliminary rounds and from $10 to $35 for the TV finals; tickets can be purchased:

- Online at http://www.pba.com/ - By calling: * The Lanes at Coffee Creek at 918-274-0400 * Reynolds Center box office at 918-631-4688 (TV finals only) - In person at The Lanes at Coffee Creek or the Reynolds Center box office

Area amateurs will be able to bowl with the pros during the PBA Tulsa Championship Pro-Am on Saturday, Oct. 29 at The Lanes at Coffee Creek. Bowlers can access sign-up information at http://www.pba.com/ or by calling the bowling center at 274-0400. Spectator tickets for official PBA Pro-Ams can be purchased at http://www.pba.com/ , in person at The Lanes at Coffee Creek or by calling Ticketweb.com at 1-800-965-4847.

Tulsa-based Winnercomm, Inc., the largest independent producer of programming for ESPN, produces the weekly PBA Tour telecasts. Last season, average viewing households for the PBA Tour on ESPN rose by 12% from the prior year.

NOTE: Digital images from today's news conference will be available for downloading at http://www.winnercomm.com/PBApress by 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, August 30, 2005.

Web site: http://www.pba.com http://www.winnercomm.com/PBApress

Source: Professional Bowlers Association

CONTACT: Jason Carr of Professional Bowlers Association, +1-206-332-9688, or Jason.Carr@pba.com ; or Lynda Haschke of Winnercomm, Inc., +1-972-740-3529, or Lynda@LyndaHaschke.com

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