RICHARD LOOKS TO CAP OFF DOMINANT SEASON WITH STRONG EFFORT AT PWBA CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK – WATERLOO
By Gene J. Kanak
WATERLOO, Iowa – Jordan Richard of Tipton, Michigan, dominated the early portion of the 2023 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour schedule, winning three of the first eight events to more than double her career win total and firmly establish herself at the front of the pack in the 2023 PWBA Player of the Year race.
The only downside to Richard’s run was that it was interrupted by a scheduled break in the PWBA Tour schedule that began when the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open concluded on June 20 and ended when action kicked off at the Professional Bowlers Association/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles tournament on July 27.
Richard was hardly idle during the downtime, however, as she could frequently be found on the practice lanes or competing in local events to stay sharp.
Now, the 27-year-old right-hander is hoping to finish what she started by authoring another strong performance during the final three events on the 2023 PWBA Tour schedule, which will be contested at Cadillac Xtreme Bowling Center from Aug. 9-15 and livestreamed at BowlTV.com
“My hopes and goals for Waterloo are just to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Richard said. “Of course, I’d like to win again to end the season, but I’ve accomplished quite a bit this season; there’s nothing that I can hang my head about.”
On the contrary, Richard has every reason to hold her head up with pride after reaching the winner’s circle at the PWBA GoBowling! Spokane Open on May 13, the PWBA Great Lakes Classic on June 6 and the PWBA Bowlers Journal Cleveland Open just four days later on June 10.
That dominant run gave Richard three titles in a span of 29 days, which was noteworthy since, up to that point, she’d won two times since joining the PWBA Tour in 2018.
Nevertheless, Richard’s focus for the 2023 season had little to do with outcomes; it was all about the process.
“My main goal for this season was enjoying my time out here on tour,” Richard said. “Of course, I always want to win, but I tried focusing more on smaller goals to get me to accomplish the bigger things like winning. It feels pretty amazing to have been so successful so far this season, and I’m hoping to continue that this week.”
Competitors will begin arriving at Cadillac Xtreme Bowling Center this afternoon for the tournament’s official practice session, which will take place from 4-6 p.m. Eastern.
Following the official practice session, a select group of PWBA Tour stars will take to the lanes for the Bowl with the Pros event starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. This event gives local bowlers the opportunity to bowl alongside their favorite PWBA players in a fun and exciting environment.
Competition begins Wednesday with the first of two rounds of qualifying for the PWBA Waterloo Open. Participants will bowl two six-game blocks, starting at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern, with the top 12 competitors making the cut for match play.
The top 12 will return to Cadillac Xtreme Bowling Center on Thursday and bowl two six-game rounds of round-robin match play starting at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern. After the second round of match play is completed, the top five players will advance to the stepladder finals.
The stepladder finals will start at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday and determine which player wins the 2023 PWBA Waterloo Open. The finals will be broadcast live at BowlTV.com
The same format will be followed for the PWBA Pepsi Open with qualifying starting on Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern and concluding with the stepladder finals on BowlTV Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
The final tournament of the week will be the PWBA Tour Championship, the final major of the 2023 PWBA Tour season.
In order to qualify for the Tour Championship, a player must be a current PWBA member in good standing and have won a National Tour title during the 2023 season. The remainder of the field will be filled from the PWBA season points list through the most recent tournament preceding the Tour Championship.
All players will be seeded into the round-robin match play schedule according to their position on the season points list after the last tournament preceding the Tour Championship.
Those 24 players will bowl three eight-game rounds of round-robin match play starting Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern. Additional eight-game blocks of matches will be contested on Monday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern to determine the top five for the stepladder finals.
The stepladder finals will start at 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Aug. 15, and determine which player wins the 2023 PWBA Tour Championship. The finals will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
All rounds leading up to the CBS Sports Network broadcast will be livestreamed at BowlTV.com
To learn more about the PWBA Tour, visit PWBA.com
About the PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) originally was formed in 1960. The PWBA Tour has events throughout the country, offering high-level competition and top prize money for women bowlers. The PWBA is supported by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).
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