SLLM 2026: PBA’s Best Arrive in Sweden for One Last Shot at a Title
Europe’s biggest bowling tournament begins Friday, August 21, when theStorm Lucky Larsen Masters 2026opens at Olympia Bowling in Helsingborg, Sweden. Storm Lucky Larsen Masters 2026 The tournament will run through August 31 and bring many of the world’s bestbowlers to Sweden for the only international PBA Tour event of the 2026season. A record prize fund of approximately $148,500 will be awarded, with about$20,150 reserved for the champion. Qualifying begins at 3 p.m. local time on Friday and continues throughSaturday, August 29. The final steps will reduce the field to four players onSunday before the semifinals and title match take place on Monday evening. Oil Pattern One of the final unanswered questions will be settled before the first ball isthrown. Organizers are scheduled to publish the complete oil pattern at 6 p.m.local time on Thursday, August 20. Organizers have already revealed that it will measure 38 feet, with a possibledifference of one foot in either direction. PBA’s Top Three Head to the Swedish Riviera The top three players in the current PBA Tour points standings will step onthe lanes at Olympia Bowling. EJ Tackett leads the tour with 32,335 points,followed by Zach Wilkins with 18,143 and Brandon Bonta with 18,023. The three-time defendingPBA Player of the Yearstrengthened his case for a fourth consecutive award by winning thePBA World Championshipin June, becoming the first bowler in PBA history to win this major four yearsin a row. PBA Player of the Year PBA World Championship Tackett is now the clear favorite for the award, but the race remains open,with several players having already won twice this season. Another victory inSweden would make his claim almost impossible to challenge. Wilkins is one of those players who has lifted a trophy twice this season. Hewon his first PBA Tour title afterwild roll-off drama at the PBA Scorpion Championship,and then partnered with AJ Chapman to win theRoth/Holman Doubles Championship. wild roll-off drama at the PBA Scorpion Championship Roth/Holman Doubles Championship The Canadian also came within one match of a major, finishing second toTackett at the PBA World Championship. Brandon Bonta also made his PBA Tour debut impossible to ignore. The rookiewon the season-opening PBA Players Championship by rolling 300in the title match, giving him a major title in his first event of the year.He remained very consistent throughout the season to put his name in the topthree of the points standings. won the season-opening PBA Players Championship by rolling 300 Young Guns Have Already Proven They Can Win While Bonta's rookie season was incredible, Alex Horton and Spencer Robargetook even bigger steps forward, with both winning twice on the PBA Tour in2026. Horton became the first rookie in PBA history to win two titles in one seasonafter capturing a major at thePBA Tournament of Championsand winning thePBA Shark Championship. PBA Tournament of Champions PBA Shark Championship Robarge, meanwhile, broke through at thePBA Ohio Classicbefore earning his second title alongside Annalise O’Bryant at theStorm PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles. PBA Ohio Classic Storm PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles Do Not Underestimate Past Winners Sean Rash returns to defend thetitle he won last year,while Jesper Svensson will again be one of the biggest threats on home soil.The Swedish left-handerwon the tournament in 2024after finishing second in 2023. title he won last year won the tournament in 2024 Andrew Anderson has reached the semifinals in two of the past three editions,in 2023 and 2025. Former champions Kyle Troup andAJ Johnsonare also in the field, ready to try to win this event for the second time - afeat no one has achieved before - and prove that finishing outside the top 20in tour points this season was only a temporary setback. AJ Johnson It Is Still Not Too Late to Enter Although many of the most popular squads are full or have waiting lists, somespots remain available. It is a rare chance for any bowler to compete in the same tournament and onthe same lanes as the best players in the world, so do not miss it. Entriesare available on theofficial Storm Lucky Larsen Masters website. official Storm Lucky Larsen Masters website Team Tackett and Team Iceman Meet for Charity The main tournament will be joined by a special Swedish League-format charitymatch on Wednesday, August 26. Team Tackett and Team Iceman, led by JesperSvensson, will face each other at 7:30 p.m. at Olympia Bowling. Team Tackett will feature EJ Tackett, Brandon Bonta, Ryan Barnes, Eric Jones,Andrew Anderson, Kyle Troup, AJ Johnson and Sean Rash. Svensson’s team willinclude Zach Wilkins, Santtu Tahvanainen, Tomas Käyhkö, Thomas Larsen, NoraJohansson, François Lavoie and Richard Teece. The evening will raise money for the Swedish Childhood Diabetes Foundation tosupport the fight against childhood type 1 diabetes. The program will alsoinclude a charity auction of the players’ special match jerseys at 9:30 p.m. Tournament action and the charity match will be available on theStorm Lucky Larsen Masters YouTube channel. Storm Lucky Larsen Masters YouTube channel Storm Lucky Larsen Masters Joins the Thunder Ranking The Storm Lucky Larsen Masters is also the second stop in the new 2026Thunder Ranking by Storm.The ranking connects theStorm 4th No Urethane Openin Finland, the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters in Sweden and theNorwegian Open by Storm. Thunder Ranking by Storm Storm 4th No Urethane Open Norwegian Open by Storm Players will earn points in Helsingborg toward €1,000, €750 and €500 bonusesfor the top three at the end of the season. Nine bowlers will also receive afree first squad in all three ranking events in 2027, adding another prize tochase during Europe’s biggest bowling week. 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. 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