Tackett Leads PBA World Championship Cut as Russell Tops Shark at WSOB XVII
The Shark pattern brought the final animal pattern test at thePBA World Series of Bowling XVII, and it also closed the qualification of the PBA World Championship, fourthand final major tournament of the season. PBA World Series of Bowling XVII The top seed at the fourth and final animal pattern went to 46-year-old Ronnie Russell. The four-time PBA Tour champion, whose most recent title came at the 2016 PBATeam Challenge in Las Vegas, led the PBA Shark Championship qualifying after10 games and topped the 12-player field advancing to the single-eliminationfinals. Russell finished with 2,366 pins, ahead of Chris Via, who took second with2,337.2026 U.S. Open champion Patrick Dombrowskiwas third with 2,318, while Brandon Bonta,who won the first major of the season, completed the top four with 2,310. 2026 U.S. Open champion Patrick Dombrowski who won the first major of the season Those four players earned a one-round bye for the finals, which will airTuesday, May 12 onCBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network The result came as a bit of a surprise for Russell himself, especially afterhad decided that this would be his final season as a full-time touringprofessional. While he may still bowl selected majors, Russell is expected tostep away from the weekly grind and make more room for the next generation ontour. That decision seemed to take some pressure off his shoulders, especially inthe second five-game block. Russell posted 1,213 pins with games of 246, 256,230, 246, and 235, finishing 29 pins ahead of Chris Via. EJ Tackett finished fifth with 2,299, followed by Hayden Stippich in sixthwith 2,290. Tobias Börding placed seventh with 2,282, while Packy Hanrahantook eighth with 2,281. Tommy Jones qualified ninth with 2,265, followed byPBA Tournament of Champions winner Alex Hortonin tenth with 2,259. Kyle Sherman finished 11th with 2,254, while Mitch Hupésecured the final advancing spot in 12th with 2,253. PBA Tournament of Champions winner Alex Horton Zac Tackett was the first player outside the cut. He finished 13th with 2,237,missing the top 12 by 16 pins. Full Shark Championship qualifying results can be foundhere. here Your Weekly Bowling Digest The latest bowling news, tips, and gear reviews—all wrapped up in a quick3-minute read delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Now The first bracket stage will decide the four players who move into the SharkChampionship round on Tuesday, May 12. The PBA Shark Championship finals are scheduled for 8:00 p.m. local. The titlematch will use a Race-to-Two format to decide the champion. Finals Bracket Game 1No. 8 Packy Hanrahan vs. No. 9 Tommy JonesNo. 5 EJ Tackett vs. No. 12 Mitch HupéGame 2No. 7 Tobias Börding vs. No. 10 Alex HortonNo. 6 Hayden Stippich vs. No. 11 Kyle ShermanGame 3No. 1 Ronnie Russell vs. Hanrahan/Jones winnerNo. 4 Brandon Bonta vs. Tackett/Hupé winnerGame 4No. 2 Chris Via vs. Börding/Horton winnerNo. 3 Patrick Dombrowski vs. Stippich/Sherman winner Game 1No. 8 Packy Hanrahan vs. No. 9 Tommy JonesNo. 5 EJ Tackett vs. No. 12 Mitch Hupé Game 1 No. 8 Packy Hanrahan vs. No. 9 Tommy JonesNo. 5 EJ Tackett vs. No. 12 Mitch Hupé No. 8 Packy Hanrahan vs. No. 9 Tommy Jones No. 5 EJ Tackett vs. No. 12 Mitch Hupé Game 2No. 7 Tobias Börding vs. No. 10 Alex HortonNo. 6 Hayden Stippich vs. No. 11 Kyle Sherman Game 2 No. 7 Tobias Börding vs. No. 10 Alex HortonNo. 6 Hayden Stippich vs. No. 11 Kyle Sherman No. 7 Tobias Börding vs. No. 10 Alex Horton No. 6 Hayden Stippich vs. No. 11 Kyle Sherman Game 3No. 1 Ronnie Russell vs. Hanrahan/Jones winnerNo. 4 Brandon Bonta vs. Tackett/Hupé winner Game 3 No. 1 Ronnie Russell vs. Hanrahan/Jones winnerNo. 4 Brandon Bonta vs. Tackett/Hupé winner No. 1 Ronnie Russell vs. Hanrahan/Jones winner No. 4 Brandon Bonta vs. Tackett/Hupé winner Game 4No. 2 Chris Via vs. Börding/Horton winnerNo. 3 Patrick Dombrowski vs. Stippich/Sherman winner Game 4 No. 2 Chris Via vs. Börding/Horton winnerNo. 3 Patrick Dombrowski vs. Stippich/Sherman winner No. 2 Chris Via vs. Börding/Horton winner No. 3 Patrick Dombrowski vs. Stippich/Sherman winner With the Shark qualifying block finished, PBA World Championship qualifying isalso over after 40 games across the four animal patterns. EJ Tackett maintained his lead at the PBA World Championship standings with9,042 pins. Chris Via finished second with 8,991, followed by PBA PlayersChampionship winner Brandon Bonta in third with 8,898. Jason Sterner is fourthwith 8,884, while Bill O’Neill rounds out the top five with 8,864. Fullstandings can be foundhere. here The top third of the field advanced to the PBA World Championship AdvancersRound. The final advancing spot went to2026 USBC Master champion Boog Krol, who finished 40th with 8,584 pins across 40 games. 2026 USBC Master champion Boog Krol From here, 10 more games will decide the 16-player match play field for thePBA World Championship. After 66 total games, the top nine players will advance to the televisedchampionship rounds on June 13. The semifinal and championship round willfollow a nine-player stepladder format. 2026 PBA World Series of Bowling XVII Schedule All times listed are local Central Time. Tuesday, May 5 - PBA World Championship Advancers Round 9:00 a.m. - Practice12:00 p.m. - Round 1 (5 games)5:00 p.m. - Round 2 (5 games) 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 6 - World Championship Match Play 11:00 a.m. - Round 15:00 p.m. - Round 2 11:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 13 - PBA World Championship TV Finals 11:00 a.m. ET - Semifinals (CBS Sports Network)1:00 p.m. ET - Finals (CBS) 11:00 a.m. ET 1:00 p.m. ET {"@context": "https://schema.org","@graph": [{"@type": "NewsArticle","@id": "https://bowlinglife.eu/tackett-leads-pba-world-championship-cut-russell-tops-shark/#article","headline": "EJ Tackett Leads PBA World Championship Cut, Ronnie Russell Tops Shark Qualifiers","description": "Ronnie Russell takes the top seed in the PBA Shark Championship qualifiers, while EJ Tackett leads the field advancing to the 2026 PBA World Championship Advancers Round.","image": ["https://fsn1.your-objectstorage.com/bowlinglife/media/Posts_Uploads/Discord_ad_banner_bowlinglife.png"],"datePublished": "2026-05-05T14:00:00+03:00","dateModified": "2026-05-05T14:00:00+03:00","author": {"@type": "Organization","name": "BowlingLife","url": "https://bowlinglife.eu"},"publisher": {"@type": "Organization","name": "BowlingLife","logo": {"@type": "ImageObject","url": "https://bowlinglife.eu/logo.png"}},"mainEntityOfPage": {"@type": "WebPage","@id": "https://bowlinglife.eu/tackett-leads-pba-world-championship-cut-russell-tops-shark"}},{"@type": "SportsEvent","@id": "https://bowlinglife.eu/tackett-leads-pba-world-championship-cut-russell-tops-shark/#event","name": "2026 PBA Shark Championship & World Championship Advancers Round","sport": "Bowling","startDate": "2026-05-04","endDate": "2026-06-13","competitor": [{ "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronnie Russell" },{ "@type": "Person", "name": "EJ Tackett" },{ "@type": "Person", "name": "Chris Via" },{ "@type": "Person", "name": "Brandon Bonta" },{ "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick Dombrowski" }],"description": "The PBA Shark Championship qualifiers and the PBA World Championship Advancers Round, part of the 2026 World Series of Bowling XVII."},{"@type": "FAQPage","@id": "https://bowlinglife.eu/tackett-leads-pba-world-championship-cut-russell-tops-shark/#faq","mainEntity": [{"@type": "Question","name": "Who led the 2026 PBA Shark Championship qualifiers?","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "Ronnie Russell led the 2026 PBA Shark Championship qualifying after 10 games with a total of 2,366 pins, securing the top seed for the single-elimination finals."}},{"@type": "Question","name": "Who is leading the 2026 PBA World Championship?","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "After 40 qualifying games across the four animal patterns, EJ Tackett leads the PBA World Championship standings with 9,042 pins."}},{"@type": "Question","name": "Who made the cut for the PBA World Championship Advancers Round?","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "The top third of the field advanced to the PBA World Championship Advancers Round. The final advancing spot went to Boog Krol, who finished 40th with 8,584 pins."}}]}]}