Johnson ready to defend title at U.S. Women's Open
ARLINGTON, Texas - Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, New York, has been busy and successful since winning the U.S. Women's Open in 2013, and she's now ready to put that title on the line at the upcoming 2015 Bowlmor AMF U.S. Women's Open.
The event returns after a one-year hiatus and will take place Aug. 31-Sept. 6 at Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, New Jersey. It will be the final open event of the 2015 Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour schedule.
The televised finals are scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. Eastern on the CBS Sports Network, and the winner will take home a top prize of $50,000. All qualifying and match-play rounds will be broadcast live on Xtra Frame.
Johnson cruised to the 2013 title with a 257-195 win over defending champion and top seed Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey. It was the third U.S. Women's Open victory of her career and helped solidify her place in the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.
"The U.S. Open is one of the biggest tournaments we will have, along with the (USBC) Queens, and you can usually expect for it to be pretty tough," said Johnson, who won the U.S. Women's Open in 1996 and 2007 and owns six major titles overall. "Since it's at the end of the swing, I know everyone will be sharp, so I hope I will be, too. There's a lot of great talent out there now, and that has been great to see. It also makes me want to stay on top of my own game."
Since her U.S. Women's Open win in 2013, the 11-time Team USA member has stayed sharp by competing in a variety of international and professional events.
Most recently, Johnson was part of the 2015 USBC Hall of Fame class in April and went on to win the 2015 Queens, the first event on the new PWBA Tour, which was revived after being dormant since 2003.
Johnson's win at the Queens earned her a spot in next month's season-ending Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship promoted by GoBowling.com. The event will feature all champions from the 2015 PWBA season, and the 16-player field will be filled out with the tour's top point earners.
The top two on the points list automatically will be seeded into the semifinal round, while the third- and fourth-seeded players will earn one bye. The rest of the field will battle through a single-elimination bracket. The Tour Championship winner will take home a $20,000 top prize.
Johnson missed two PWBA events this season because of other bowling commitments, including the Pan American Games. She enters the remaining two events - this week's PWBA Detroit Open and the U.S. Women's Open - fourth on the points list.
"I am fortunate that I've been able to compete at this level and still be fourth in points, even with missing two events," Johnson said. "It would be nice to be in the top two, or even just get a bye, but to even qualify for that final event in the Dallas area is very special."
Ultimately, Johnson's feelings are consistent with most of the competitors who have been part of the sold-out fields on the PWBA Tour this season.
"We're just extremely lucky that we have this opportunity again, and we're definitely not taking it for granted," said Johnson, the 1996 PWBA Rookie of the Year. "The early turnout was amazing, and the excitement has been the same throughout the season. We only have three weeks left, and I just want to make the most of it."
All competitors at the 2015 U.S. Women's Open will bowl 24 qualifying games over three days, before the field is cut to the top third for eight additional games. The 32-game pinfall totals will determine the 24 players for the round-robin match-play portion of the tournament, after which, the top five will advance to the stepladder finals based on their 56-game totals.
Bowlmor AMF, the largest operator of bowling centers in the world, is hosting and providing television sponsorship of more than $250,000 for the U.S. Women's Open and the 2015 Bowlmor AMF U.S. Open, which will be held at AMF Garland Lanes in suburban Dallas/Fort Worth from Nov. 2-8.
For more information on the Bowlmor AMF U.S. Women's Open, visit BOWL.com/USOpen.
