AJ Johnson won the 2026 PBA Dave & Diane Kill Central Open on Thursday, defeating top seed Brett Lloyd 217-200 in the championship match at Delphos Recreation in Delphos, Ohio.
2023 Storm Lucky Larsen Masters winner finished seventh after Wednesday’s eight-game qualifying round. He then moved up to second place during Thursday’s Advancers Round to secure a spot in the stepladder.
Lloyd advanced as the top seed, Isaiah Shannon earned the No. 3 seed and Hayden Hale secured the No. 4 seed.
Ethan Fiore missed the stepladder by one place, while EJ Tackett finished 11th.
Hayden Hale opened the stepladder with a 203-180 victory over Isaiah Shannon. Johnson then edged Hale 194-192 in the semifinal to advance to the title match against Lloyd.
Johnson raised his score in the final and defeated Lloyd 217-200 to complete his run to the title.
Lloyd earned $1,500 as the runner-up, Hale collected $1,300 for third place and Shannon received $1,100 for fourth.
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