Santa Maria to host professional bowling tournament this weekend

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Professional bowling returns to Central Coast this weekend with Rancho Bowl all set to host the 2026 PBA50 Santa Maria Classic.

The three-day tournament marks the third straight year Rancho Bowl will host the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA).

The tournament is a PBA West Regional Tour event and will feature more 130 competitors from around the United States, mostly from California, but also some from neighboring states.

Players will range in age for both men and women and will include some of the top bowlers in the nation who will compete in three different divisions, Open Division, Women’s Division and Seniors over 50 Division.

The tournament begins Friday night with a Pro-Am competition and then the action heats up on Saturday morning with qualifying rounds and will run for several hours throughout the rest of the day.

On Sunday, qualifying rounds will continue and will culminate with the finals where bowlers will be competing for cash prizes.

Spectators are encouraged to come and attend the tournament, especially on Friday for a chance to meet and interact with the bowlers.

"They're going to see great bowling," said tournament coordinator Debbie Meneley "Lots of strikes hopefully some 300 games. I think we had a couple last year, so it's just a high level of bowlers that you're going to see."

While this marks the third straight year Rancho Bowl has hosted the tournament, Meneley added it will also be the final time as well.

Next year, Buena Lanes in Ventura will be the host the tournament in February 2027.

For more information about the 2026 PBA50 Santa Maria Classic, click here to visit the official tournament webpage on the PBA website.

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