The South African PBA (PBASA) was proudly relaunched in 2023 after several years of inactivity due to financial and management challenges. With a renewed vision and strong leadership, the relaunch marked the beginning of an exciting new era for bowls in South Africa.

Central to this revival was the creation of a flagship four-day World Bowls Tour Qualifier event—designed to be both competitive and commercially attractive to top players and sponsors. This vision quickly became a reality when Fairtree, an international asset manager with offices in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, partnered with PBASA. Together, they delivered one of the premier bowls events in the country in 2023.

Unlike traditional PBA qualifying events, the PBASA tournament features a dynamic format that includes round-robin sectional play followed by knockout rounds from the last 16. This structure has been retained and refined each year, contributing to a steadily improving field and elevating the event to one of the top three tournaments on the South African bowls calendar.

The tournament has also embraced innovation and accessibility. All four days of play are live streamed annually, attracting close to 50,000 views on YouTube. Matches are simultaneously live scored via the purpose-built PBA Bowls Master application, which is available on both Google Play and the App Store. With over a thousand downloads, the app is rapidly evolving into a comprehensive bowls management system and is currently being rolled out across multiple districts in South Africa.

A major milestone was achieved in late 2024 when PBASA was accepted as an Associate Member of Bowls South Africa. This development opened participation to all registered bowlers nationwide and, in collaboration with BSA, led to the introduction of a national PBA ranking system. Player performances are now formally tracked and recorded through the PBA Bowls Master platform.

The event has earned high praise from leading figures in the sport, including Gerry Baker, Jason Evans, and Neil Burkett, who have all recognised it as a world-class competition. Fairtree continues its valued sponsorship, now joined by Aero Bowls South Africa as co-sponsor.

Further enhancing its international standing, the PBASA World Bowls Tour Qualifier has recently been accepted onto the World Bowls Series calendar as a Silver event—placing it alongside South Africa’s most prestigious tournaments, including the BSA Masters and the BSA Open.

Looking ahead, PBASA is committed to growing the game at all levels. The establishment of a PBA Foundation and Academy represents an exciting step forward, with a focus on player development—particularly within underprivileged communities. This initiative aligns closely with the broader vision of Bowls South Africa to expand the sport, uplift communities, and enhance the overall standard of bowls in the country.