The 2018 PBA Tour season comes to a close with a bang as the season’s final major – the U.S. Open – will be contested at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kansas.

A tough test awaits the field of 144 bowlers (116 invitees and 28 who will advance through Wednesday’s qualifier) as they begin their quest for the coveted green jacket on four different lane patterns.

All rounds of qualifying and match play leading up to the stepladder finals will be broadcast LIVE on FloBowling.

Here’s what to look for at the U.S. Open:

Rhino Page looks to get back on track

Just a year removed from his first career major title, left-hander Rhino Page will be back to try to successfully defend his title this week and bust a bit of a slump he’s been in this year.

Page topped the field last year in Liverpool, New York, to win one of the PBA Tour’s biggest events. In the stepladder finals, he defeated fellow left-hander Jakob Butturff, 256-222, to win the title.

 “It was everything you could dream of and more,” Page said. “I get goosebumps every time I think about it. Confidence wise, it’s been very good for me. And, so far, it has been the defining moment of my career.”

It’s been a tough 2018 campaign for Page as he’s only cashed in five out of 12 events so far this season. He has, however, made two stepladder finals appearances.

At the United States Bowling Congress Masters, Page fought his way onto the show where he lost in the opening match to Steve Kloempken, 243-211, to finish fifth.

Page also lost in the opening match of the stepladder finals of the PBA Xtra Frame Kenn-Feld Group Classic, falling to Brad Angelo, 228-225, and finishing fourth.

Lane conditions will be a big story 

This year’s U.S. Open will undergo a dramatic shift in the way the players attack the lanes. As detailed in this story, all rounds of competition will be contested on fresh and four different lane patterns will be used.

This is in stark contrast to last year when just one pattern was used but the players bowled on fresh, burn and double burn qualifying squads.

We don’t yet know the lane patterns the players will face because they have not yet been announced. That information will be revealed prior to Thursday’s official practice session, however.

One other rule to note for the U.S. Open is that the players are limited to the number of bowling balls they are allowed to use. They can check in up to 10 balls and must decide which ones they want to declare prior to the start of qualifying.

After the third round of qualifying ends, advancing players will be allowed to make changes to their ball declarations as long as they remain at 10 or fewer.

Last push for POY, ROY

Since this is the last event of the 2018 season, it will also be the final opportunity for players to add to their resumes for PBA Player of the Year and PBA Rookie of the Year honors.

A lot changed in the Player of the Year race during the 2018 FloBowling PBA Fall Swing last week with EJ Tackett becoming the first player to win three titles this season and Anthony Simonsen winning his second title of the year.

However, Andrew Anderson, the current leader on the PBA points list, made all three shows at the Fall Swing with a pair of runner-up finishes and a fourth-place finish. Anderson is also the only player with multiple titles who has won a major this season thanks to his victory at the USBC Masters.

The race for the tour’s top honor should still be considered wide open and even just making the show may be enough to push a player over the edge.

As for Rookie of the Year, that race is also still up in the air as neither Kamron Doyle nor Nick Pate had especially eventful performances at the Fall Swing.

What the schedule looks like

The U.S. Open begins on Friday and concludes on Wednesday (all times Central):

Friday, Oct. 26
8 a.m. – Qualifying Round 1, Squad A (eight games)
1 p.m. – Qualifying Round 1, Squad B (eight games)
6 p.m. – Qualifying Round 1, Squad C (eight games)

Saturday, Oct. 27
8 a.m. – Qualifying Round 2, Squad B (eight games)
1 p.m. – Qualifying Round 2, Squad C (eight games)
6 p.m. – Qualifying Round 2, Squad A (eight games)

Sunday, Oct. 28
8 a.m. – Qualifying Round 3, Squad C (eight games)
1 p.m. – Qualifying Round 3, Squad A (eight games)
6 p.m. – Qualifying Round 3, Squad B (eight games)

Monday, Oct. 29
10 a.m. – Qualifying Round 4 (eight games)
5 p.m. – Match Play Round 1 (eight games)

Tuesday, Oct. 30
10 a.m. – Match Play Round 2 (eight games)
5 p.m. – Match Play Round 3 (eight games)

Wednesday, Oct. 31
7 p.m. – Stepladder Finals (top five) – Broadcast live on CBS Sports Network