Jillian Martin made waves last year by becoming the youngest champion in PWBA history at 17 years old.
Months before she became a PWBA champion, I wrote about her breakout at the PWBA Kickoff Classic Series in January. She finished eighth, second and third at the three events as a 16-year-old high school junior, posting the highest average finish among any player in the field.
Because of youth and collegiate eligibility restrictions, Martin competed as a non-member of the PWBA Tour. As a non-member, she could only cash in two tournaments per season, and had to collect her winnings via scholarship.
So she had to wait until the Summer Classic series, another three-for-one tournament, in August to compete again. That’s where took home the title at the 2021 PWBA BowlTV Classic.
But you knew that already. You probably also knew the PBA announced last October they would be lifting the two-tournament cash limit for collegiate bowlers. Hunter Kempton and I discussed it on my hibernating podcast.
Here’s what you might not know: Beginning with the 2022 season, the PWBA has lifted the two-cash rule for non-members, provided they accept their winnings in scholarship to their SMART account.
“PWBA adjusted this rule to be consistent with PBA rules as well as to give high-level youth bowlers an opportunity to compete more frequently,” Robyn Graves, the PWBA brand manager, told me over email.
This rule change will allow Martin and other high-level youth and collegiate bowlers to essentially compete full-time on the PWBA Tour.
As non-members, youth and collegiate players will not be eligible for season awards, but they will not sacrifice their rookie eligibility by competing, Graves said.
Martin said she is grateful for the rule change. At the end of the 2021 season, she did not know how many opportunities there would be in 2022.
“Last year, I was trying to become the youngest to win a professional tour event,” Martin told me over a Zoom call. “I felt a little bit constrained last year because it’s like, you have seven opportunities to go out here and try to win.”
Ironically, Martin may only be able to bowl in seven events this year as well. She’ll miss the season-opening Rockford Open because of prom, and the Twin Cities Open May 26-29 due to commencement and graduation. (She is still in high school, after all.)
Additionally, she cannot bowl in the USBC Queens, where athletes must be 18. Her availability for the U.S. Women’s Open hinges on if she is chosen to represent Junior Team USA at the Under-21 World Championships in Sweden.
This rule change benefits both sides: Younger players are able to gain experience, and the PWBA will potentially get a slight bump in entrants.
Even if these rules only affect a small handful of players each year, the cooperation of the PBA and PWBA is encouraging for the development of the next generation of pro bowlers. Allowing youth and collegiate athletes to compete on the pro level without sacrificing their eligibility incentivizes young players to stay in school.
“I’m really happy to see it,” Martin said. “Hopefully we can see some more youth going out there competing as well.”