LAS VEGAS – The 2024 United States Bowling Congress Masters will get underway Monday at Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, with a sold-out field of 465 athletes set to hit the lanes beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern.

Qualifying will feature 15 games over three days with all competitors bowling three five-game blocks, two blocks on the fresh 2024 USBC Masters pattern and one on the burn. The top 63 players based on total pinfall will move on to the double-elimination bracket, joining defending champion Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas, beginning Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern.

As the defending champion, Simonsen will be no worse than the No. 64 seed in the double-elimination bracket but can improve his seeding through qualifying, similar to what he did last year when he qualified in the No. 29 position and went undefeated in match play to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals.

Simonsen completed a successful title defense and picked up his third Masters title last year by defeating Michael Martell of West Babylon, New York, 243-222, in the championship match held in the historic arena at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan.

Now, Simonsen looks to become the first player since Australia’s Jason Belmonte to win three straight editions of the prestigious event – Belmonte ran off three-straight Masters victories from 2013-2015.

By virtue of his victory last year, Simonsen continues to rewrite the record books, as he became the youngest player to win five major championships at 26 years and 86 days old. Also, he became just the third player to win the Masters at least three times, joining Belmonte (four wins) and Mike Aulby (three wins). While doing so, he also set the Masters match-play scoring record by averaging 250.4 per game, which included an 845 series to claim the top seed.

Simonsen looks to add to his resume this season, as he won the 2024 Professional Bowlers Association Pete Weber Missouri Classic and was runner-up at the 2024 U.S. Open in Indianapolis. He currently sits third on both the 2024 PBA points list (13,125) and in earnings ($90,200).

Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, is another person to watch this week as he has been consistent all season with four top-five finishes and a victory at the season’s first major, the 2024 PBA Players Championship. Due to those outstanding performances, O’Neill currently leads the PBA Tour in points (17,070) and earnings ($142,600).

Nevertheless, 2024 U.S. Open winner Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, North Carolina, is the only player to win multiple titles on the PBA Tour so far this season, and he will be hoping to add a third this week in Las Vegas. Troup currently sits second on the PBA points list with 14,635.

Despite not having reached the winner’s circle yet this season, reigning PBA Player of the Year EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, is having another stellar campaign and enters the week in search of his first Masters title. Should he secure it, he would complete the career grand slam (U.S. Open, PBA World Championship, Masters and PBA Tournament of Champions). Tackett currently leads the PBA in average (229.76) and will look to make his sixth consecutive championship-round appearance.

Belmonte has already achieved the grand slam. He comes to the 2024 Masters seeking his first title of the season and to extend his own records by claiming his fifth Masters title and 16th major. The seven-time PBA Player of the Year has three top-10 finishes in five events this season and will look to get back in the winner’s circle this week.

Up-and-comer David “Boog” Krol of Nixa, Missouri, won his first PBA title at the PBA Delaware Classic at the beginning of this month and is seeking his first major this week. Krol’s best finish at the Masters came in 2022, when he finished in a tie for 13th place.

The stepladder finals of the 2024 event will be March 31 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern on FOX, with the champion taking home a spot in the tournament’s storied history, a major title on the PBA Tour and the $100,000 top prize. All competition leading up to the televised finals will be streamed live only on BowlTV.

The 2024 USBC Masters will see a return to the traditional five-player stepladder for the live television finals on FOX, with the final two competitors remaining in the winners bracket bowling one another for the top seed. The final four players in the elimination bracket will bowl for the remaining three spots on the TV show. The No. 1 seed will only have to be beaten once in the title match.

For more information on the USBC Masters, visit BOWL.com/Masters.