Just one week after being part of the lowest-scoring title match in PBA Tour history, Krol completed a remarkable turnaround, climbing from the No. 5 seed to lift his first major title at the 2026 USBC Masters at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan.
That is how quickly things can change. One week, life is giving you lemons. The next, you are holding a major title trophy.
Krol entered the stepladder finals needing to win three matches in a row, but he wanted it more than anybody else.
30-year-old two-handed righty defeated Matt Sanders, Jesper Svensson, and Eric Jones before finishing the job against EJ Tackett to secure his third career PBA Tour title and first major.
In the title match, EJ Tackett struggled early, leaving two splits that he could not convert, which gave Krol an early lead. Krol, still using the polyester ball that he relied on throughout the stepladder finals, had some trouble carrying corner pins and was not able to fully extend his advantage. A split in the sixth frame erased all the advantage Krol had, while Tackett began to find his rhythm, striking with a Motiv Lethal Venom.
However, Krol stayed composed. He delivered a crucial double in the seventh
and eighth frames, then added a strike and a spare in the tenth frame, forcing
Tackett to strike on his first two shots in the tenth.
Tackett
struck on the first ball and came close on the second, but a 10-pin remained
standing, sealing the victory for Krol.
EJ Tackett was also chasing the career Grand Slam, but will now have to wait a bit longer to join Jason Belmonte, Norm Duke, and Mike Aulby in that exclusive group.
Here’s how the remaining stepladder finals unfolded at the 2026 USBC Masters.
#2 Seed Eric Jones vs. #5 Seed Book Krol
Meanwhile, all three bowlers - including Boog Krol - relied on spare balls in the first two matches of the stepladder finals. No. 2 seed, 21-year-old Eric Jones, flipped that strategy completely, stepping up with a reactive Hammer Effect Tour.
Lofting the ball with confidence, Jones came out firing with a flush four-bagger. Krol tried to keep up, but two early spares quickly put him behind. However, the momentum shifted when Jones left a 2-4-6-10 that he couldn’t convert, then followed it with a poor shot in the sixth frame, missing the headpin. Just like that, the match was wide open again heading into the commercial break.
Jones came out of the break by missing the headpin and failing to convert a spare, handing the lead to Krol. The 30-year-old two-handed righty built on that momentum with a key strike in the eighth. He nearly had a double in the ninth, but a stubborn 10-pin refused to fall.
Jones stayed in it with a spare in the ninth, then a strike and nine in the tenth, forcing Krol to mark to shut the door. Krol didn’t hesitate - he stepped up, delivered a strike, and punched his ticket to the title match for the second straight week with 206-196 victory.
#3 Seed Jesper Svensson vs. #5 Seed Book Krol
In the second match of the stepladder finals, No. 3 seed Jesper Svensson opened with a double using a Storm Mix Platinum spare ball, then added three spares to stay clean early. Boog Krol started with a spare of his own before switching to a Hammer Axe, a move that helped him apply pressure and take a slim 4-pin lead into the commercial break.
After the break, both players traded spares and strikes, but neither could create much separation.
Svensson pushed the pace, throwing shots over 18 mph with around 560 rpm, but the plastic ball just wouldn’t carry the corner pins. Krol took advantage, striking when it mattered most. He closed with a four-bagger over the final two frames to shut down The Iceman with a 227-202 win.
#4 Seed Matt Sanders vs. #5 Seed Boog Krol
In the opener, Matt Sanders opened with a missed 7-pin but quickly bounced back with a triple. Boog Krol, meanwhile, was looking for redemption after last week’s 136 in the lowest-scoring PBA title match at the Indiana Classic. He started with a spare and a strike to grab the early lead.
Both players were using very weak polyester asymmetric Radical The Spy balls. The match stayed close early on, but Sanders left a big four that he couldn’t convert. Krol didn’t hesitate, responding with back-to-back strikes before the commercial break.
After the break, Sanders came back with a spare and a strike, but he just couldn’t string strikes together. That allowed Krol to slowly stretch the lead without much pressure.
In the tenth frame, Krol finally gave Sanders a small opening by missing a
10-pin, but it was too late, Sanders could not catch him and Krol moved on
with a 216-197 win.
The USBC Masters was the sixth stop of the PBA Tour season and the third major. It also marked the start of Round 2 of the BowlingLife Fantasy League, where you have a chance to win a brand-new pair of Dexter bowling shoes of your choice.
Next week, the PBA Tour heads to Columbus, Ohio, for the Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic, taking place from March 30 to April 5.
