For the first time in Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) history, a woman will bowl full time on the Tour. Kelly Kulick averaged 224.04 in 45 games over five days to finish sixth in the 2006 Denny's PBA Tour Trials Sunday at Stardust Bowl I to earn one of 10 exemptions for the 2006-07 Denny's PBA Tour season.
The PBA opened its membership to women in April 2004 after the Professional Women's Bowlers Association (PWBA) folded. Kulick was the 2001 PWBA Rookie of the Year and won the 2003 Women's U.S. Open before the league folded.
In 2004-05, the Denny's PBA Tour went to an all-exempt field with 58 bowlers earning full-time exemptions for each season. While two women - Liz Johnson and Cathy Dorin-Lizzi - have qualified for single Tour events through weekly Tour Qualifying Rounds, no woman had ever earned a full-season exemption.
"To be the first woman is huge… words can't even describe the feeling," said Kulick. "I feel confident I can be a good enough competitor to stay out on Tour. My next goal is to make a television show and become the first woman to win a PBA Tour title."
Kulick came into Sunday eighth overall with the final day taking place on the Tour's highest-scoring oil pattern. Each of the five days featured one of the PBA's five different oil patterns. The 29-year-old from Union, N.J. averaged 232.89 over the final nine games - including a 300 in game four - to finish sixth with a 10,082 45-game pinfall.
“Story courtesy of bowlingdigital”
The PBA opened its membership to women in April 2004 after the Professional Women's Bowlers Association (PWBA) folded. Kulick was the 2001 PWBA Rookie of the Year and won the 2003 Women's U.S. Open before the league folded.
In 2004-05, the Denny's PBA Tour went to an all-exempt field with 58 bowlers earning full-time exemptions for each season. While two women - Liz Johnson and Cathy Dorin-Lizzi - have qualified for single Tour events through weekly Tour Qualifying Rounds, no woman had ever earned a full-season exemption.
"To be the first woman is huge… words can't even describe the feeling," said Kulick. "I feel confident I can be a good enough competitor to stay out on Tour. My next goal is to make a television show and become the first woman to win a PBA Tour title."
Kulick came into Sunday eighth overall with the final day taking place on the Tour's highest-scoring oil pattern. Each of the five days featured one of the PBA's five different oil patterns. The 29-year-old from Union, N.J. averaged 232.89 over the final nine games - including a 300 in game four - to finish sixth with a 10,082 45-game pinfall.
“Story courtesy of bowlingdigital”
