400 bowlers will compete for 300 million won (approx. 220,000 USD) when the 2026 DSD Samho Korea Cup opens in South Korea this week.
The 28th edition of the international tournament will run from September 3-7 at BOWLtopia in Yongin, near Seoul. The 44-lane center will welcome professional and amateur players from South Korea, Japan, the United States, Europe and other parts of Asia.
Prize money will be awarded down to 64th place. The champion will receive 60 million won, (approx. 44,000 USD).
An additional four million won is listed for the special team event during Monday’s television finals.
Official practice and ball inspection will take place Thursday, September 3, before the main competition begins Friday.
The field will be divided into four squads of 100 players. Each squad will bowl five games Friday and another five Saturday, with the ten-game total deciding who moves on.
The top 16 players from each squad will advance, reducing the field from 400 to 64.
The entry list brings together seeded and priority players from the Korea Professional Bowling Association, invited professionals from Japan and overseas, players who advanced through Korea’s mid-year trials and 20 amateurs who earned their places through qualification.
Women will receive six pins of handicap per game during the ten-game opening stage and Sunday’s elimination rounds. The handicap will not apply during the television finals.
Format Changes on Sunday
The tournament will take a very different shape once the remaining 64 players return Sunday. Instead of chasing a total score, bowlers will face each other in best-of-three matches, with the first player to win two games advancing.
Three rounds of head-to-head matches will reduce the field to eight. Those eight players will then be divided into two groups of four and bowl two games for total pinfall on a new pair of lanes.
The lowest-scoring player in each group will be eliminated, leaving six bowlers for Monday’s television final.
Six-Player TV Final Set for Monday
Monday’s program will begin at 12:58 p.m. local time with a three-player Baker team event featuring KPBA, PBA and JPBA representatives. The event guide states that the overseas lineup will come from the highest-ranked eligible players who did not reach the singles television final.
The six-player singles final is scheduled to begin on Monday, at 1:35 p.m. local.
Tournament action is scheduled to be shown through the official KPBA YouTube channel.
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