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Career Earnings Progression
Growth in annual earnings from early career to peak record year.
Primary Sources
I Chased Pro Bowling While Working Fast Food. It Paid Off. - Business ...
At 18, I was managing a Wendy's. Years later, I earned a record $496,900 in a single bowling season. As told to Kelly Burch You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email. Kyle Troup stars on the new HBO documentary "Born to Bowl." /TIM FULLER 2026-04-12T18:56:53.860Z Kyle Troup, 34, has been a professional bowler since he was 16. In 2021, he set a bowling earnings record, making $496,900. Troupe stars on the new HBO documentary "Born to Bowl" and is glad the sport is getting attention. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kyle Troup. It has been edited for length and clarity. Growing up, my parents used to pay me if I could beat them at bowling. I got $5 if I beat my mom, and $20 if I beat my dad, Guppy. He was a professional bowler with the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), and my brother and I often went to PBA events with him.Around the time I was 13 or so, I started beating my dad so often that he dropped my pay down to $10 per victory, then $0. I figured I must be getting pretty good.I wanted to be just like my father — and not because he was a professional bowler. People loved him, whether he was bowling or not. He was a cool, popular guy who often hung out at the bowling alley bar after his games. He loved his life and career, and it was clear he was having a lot of fun.I started working at Wendy's early in my bowling careerAt 16, I started bowling with the PBA. In the first few years, I didn't win much money at all. Still, the experience of bowling for money and spending my own income to bowl taught me a lot. Around the same time, I started working at Wendy's. By 18, I was a manager there, and still making next to nothing bowling. I've always been good with money, so I was getting by, but one time when money was tight I remember thinking "What could I be doing if I wasn't chasing the dream of being a professional bowler?"After a minute, I realized I didn't need that answer. I was going to be a professional bowler, and that was that.A record-setting year helped establish my financial futureBy my early 20s, I started winning more tournaments and, therefore, earning more. By 2016, I made about $44,000 — enough to leave my job at Wendy's.Then, in 2021, I had a great year. I won the PBA Player's Championship and earned a record-setting $496,900 that season. That's not much compared to many other professional sports, but for me, it was a blessing.I worked with a financial...
Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) - Facebook
🔴 ball + 🔵 pants = perfection Kyle Troup achieves perfection in the Surfside PBA New York Classic.
Born to Bowl Season 1 - watch full episodes streaming online
Watch "Born to Bowl" Season 1 legally online now on Crave Amazon Channel & Crave. Streaming options last updated on April 8, 2026.
'Born to Bowl' docu-series from CCM alum Brian Lazarte airs on HBO
The HBO Original five-part documentary series "Born to Bowl," directed by CCM Media Production alumnus Brian Lazarte and James Lee Hernandez, from A24 and executive produced by Ben Stiller, and narrated by Liev Schreiber, airs its final episode on Monday, April 13. It will be available to watch on HBO as well as stream on HBO Max.
