The USBC Queens is an annual ten-pin bowling event for amateur and professional female bowlers, sanctioned by the United States Bowling Congress. The event is one of four women's professional majors since the PWBA tour returned in 2015 and the female equivalent of the USBC Masters, now one of the four majors on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour.
The format for the USBC Queens tournament is similar to the USBC Masters. All entrants bowl 15 games of qualifying over three days. The top 63 qualifiers plus the previous year's champion are then seeded for match play. Match play consists of three-game, total-pinfall matches in a double-elimination format. First-time losers during the match play rounds are not eliminated, but are instead placed into an elimination bracket, where they must survive all subsequent three-game matches to have a chance at making the championship finals. The last five remaining players with either one or zero match play losses are seeded for the televised finals, which is a single-game stepladder format.[1]
USBC Queens history
The USBC Queens made its debut in 1961, as a companion to the Women's International Bowling Congress (WIBC) National Tournament.[2] It was known as the WIBC Queens from 1961–2004, until the WIBC became a part of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) on January 1, 2005. The tournament is part of the World Bowling Tour, annually attracting a field of hundreds of the top bowlers from around the world.[1]
Ten bowlers have won at least two USBC Queens titles, with only two winning three times: Millie Ignizio (Martorella) (1967, 1970, 1971) and Wendy Macpherson (1988, 2000, 2003). Both bowlers are now in the USBC Hall of Fame.
USBC Queens champions
2024 Event
The 2024 USBC Queens tournament was held May 15–21 at Ashwaubenon Bowling Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The tournament had 184 total entries and a $318,000 prize fund, with a $60,000 top prize.[3] A five-player stepladder format was used for the live televised finals on May 21. Jillian Martin won her second PWBA event and first major from the #3 seed position. She defeated two former USBC Queens champions, Lindsay Boomershine and Kelly Kulick, before defeating top seed Hope Gramly in the final match, 267-220. At age 19, Martin is the youngest-ever champion in this event. Participating as an amateur, she was not credited with a PWBA title.[4]
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| Match #1 | | | Match #2 | | | Match #3 | | | Championship Match |
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| | 1 | Hope Gramly | 220 |
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| | 2 | Kelly Kulick | 183 | | | 3 | Jillian Martin | 267 |
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| | 3 | Jillian Martin | 206 | | | 3 | Jillian Martin | 219 | | | |
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| 4 | Felicia Wong | 154 | | | 5 | Lindsay Boomershine | 186 | | | |
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| 5 | Lindsay Boomershine | 193 | | | |
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Final Standings:
1. Jillian Martin (Stow, Ohio) – $60,000
2. Hope Gramly (Aubrey, Texas) – $30,000
3. Kelly Kulick (Union Township, New Jersey) – $22,500
4. Lindsay Boomershine (Brigham City, Utah) – $17,500
5. Felicia Wong (Didsbury, Alberta, Canada) – $12,500
List of champions
References
