George, my prior post noted that Masters only counts for a PBA title (for purposes like TOC, exemptions) IF you are a member.
My point in this debate is that there is no way some organization from outside the U.S. has any business telling the USBC what rules it can and cannot have with a tournament (the Open Championships) that has nothing directly to do with qualifying for Team USA. (Yes I know you can -- or once could -- pay $10 or whatever to win a spot in the Team Trials but that has been or can be eliminated.)
USBC OC essentially is the national tournament for league bowlers. Period.
USBC is practically bankrupt and put the drinking rule in to raise $$$. In a perfect world, I would not support that rule. But it's not a perfect world and if some average league bowler wants to have a couple beers, it has zero impact on my team competing for an eagle ... the money raised is a trade-off I support because it's better than higher entry fees and/or lower entries.
If that rule means a very few foreign players can't compete well that's 2BAD. The $$ raised is more important than that.
WTBA can f-off and quit meddling in the internal affairs of our country.
The international organizations kept bowling from being an open competition sport until just a couple of years ago when every other sport in the Olympics or with Olympics aspirations had opened up in last century.
I have no use for such people who now are trying to tell our USBC what to do.
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