There's a few times in golf each year where we almost collectively lament the lack of match play in the professional game. There's just not enough of it. Then the few buzzkills in the conversation step in to say that it's boring to watch on TV, especially if popular players get squeezed out of the draw.
Well, bowling, which is apparently trying to make the scoring system simpler (didn't know that was a problem), had turned to a form of match play to spur interest in the game. At next month's World Bowling Tour Finals in Las Vegas, the singles draw will shun the 10-frame, 300-max-pins approach in favor of a different game. There will be 12 frames, with each treated like a hole in match play. If both players strike, the frame is halved. If one strikes and the other doesn't, the person who strikes wins. If neither do, they each fire a second ball and whoever has the most pins after two balls wins the frame. Whoever wins the most frames wins the match.
The aim? Not only to make scoring simpler, but also speed up play.
“We believe we have found the right balance between modernizing our sport while retaining credibility and tradition our athletes and fans value. All of us involved with this project are looking forward to its introduction in Las Vegas," said World Bowling president and CEO Kevin Dornberger.
So if other sports think match play is a great idea, why don't we?
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