WPBA Announces 2-Year Deal for Masters
The Women’s Professional Billiard Association has negotiated a 2-year deal with Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, MI, to host the 2016-17 WPBA Masters 9-Ball Championship. This marks the WPBA’s seventh year, and first, multi-year deal with the Michigan casino and resort. The 2016 Masters is set for February 3rd-7th, 2016, with an ESPN3 live broadcast of the semi-finals, and final, beginning on Sunday, February 7th, at 1:00pm EST.
Nestled against the beautiful backdrop of Mt. Pleasant, MI, Soaring Eagle boasts a plethora of unparalleled amenities for casino goers, and includes for the month of February, one of the most prestigious events in all of women’s professional billiards; the WPBA Masters.
The WPBA Masters is one of three WPBA majors that include live stream broadcasting by ESPN3, the 4th most watched sports network in the U.S. For the 7th consecutive year, the WPBA will stage the illustrious Masters Event featuring the top, female competitors in the world of professional billiards. A field of 48, elite players will compete for the prestigious title of “2016 WPBA Masters Champion”, with matches beginning on Thursday, February 3rd, running through Sunday, February 7th. Players vying for the 2016 title include defending champion, Jasmin Ouschan, two-time champion, “Little Devil Girl” Ga-Young Kim, “KwikFire” Kelly Fisher, “Duchess of Doom” Allison Fisher, and the “Black Widow” Jeanette Lee.
There are nearly 300 player members participating at the professional and regional tour, grass roots level that make up the Women’s Professional Billiard Association. Established in 1976 under “Women’s Billiard Alliance”, this member owned organization provides opportunities for aspiring female players to reach the pinnacle of the sport. In order to participate on the women’s professional billiard tour, a player must qualify through a WPBA Regional Tour which cultivates annually, the WPBA Regional Tour Championships and pro event qualifiers, both of which qualify players for the pro-level. The winners of these regional-tour-level events earn the opportunity to compete among the best in the world.
Sponsors for this year’s Masters Event include Auto-Owners Insurance www.auto-owners.com, Simonis Cloth (official cloth) www.simoniscloth.com, Aramith Balls (official balls)www.aramith.com, Diamond Tables (official table) www.diamondbilliards.com, Delta-13 Rack (official rack), www.delta-13.com, and Predator www.predatorcues.com (official cue). On Wednesday, February 3rd, the Masters kicks off with an afternoon Kid’s Clinic followed by an evening, Charity Pro-Am supporting the Notah Begay III Foundation. The WPBA encourages all of their fans and followers to attend or tune in to support the organization, Soaring Eagle, and WPBA sponsors. Matches begin on Thursday morning and run through Sunday. Tickets may be purchased online at www.SoaringEagleCasino.com or by calling 1-800-514-ETIX. For more information, please visit www.WPBA.com.
About the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA)
The WPBA was established in 1976 under the name of the Women’s Professional Billiard Alliance and is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016 as the oldest pro player organization in the sport. The WPBA sanctions and produces the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, which features the greatest women players from around the world. For more information about the WPBA, its top players, and sponsors, visit www.wpba.com. 
