Tackett and Benard Lead Two PBA Norm Duke Open Squads Into Top 64
After 12 games of qualifying at the PBA Norm Duke Open in Pennsylvania, thefield was cut to 64 players. The event, named after PBA legend NormDuke, is using a unique two-squad format. A-Squad and B-Squad will stayseparate all the way until the championship match, meaning two different racesare developing side by side. For now, those races are led by Deo Benard and EJ Tackett. Benard led A-Squad with 2,679, while 2026 PBA World Championship winnerTackett stayed well ahead of B-Squad with 2,765. Both players moved safelyinto the top 64, but they did it in very different ways. PBA World Championship winner Tackett created the biggest gap of the tournament so far. His 2,765 total lefthim 165 pins clear of Brett Lloyd, who finished second in B-Squad with 2,600.That kind of separation stood out even more on a pattern where scores havestayed lower than usual throughout the field. Chase Nadeau finished third in B-Squad with 2,585, followed by JoshuaMcCandless with 2,583 and Eric Jones with 2,582. While Tackett had room at the top, Benard had much less space in A-Squad. ZachWilkins finished second with 2,659, only 20 pins behind him. Brandon Bonta,one of the strongest Rookie of the Year candidates this season, was third with2,617. Jason Sterner followed with 2,616, while Alex Horton completed the topfive with 2,607. The bigger drama came near the cut line. Cameron Crowe claimed the final advancing spot in A-Squad with 2,402. Hefinished just ahead of Tim Gruendler and Jason Belmonte, who nearly producedone of the biggest comebacks of the qualifying round. Belmonte had opened the tournament far outside the cut after averaging justover 170 in his first six-game block. On Wednesday, he fought his way backwith games of 233, 225, 255, 245 and 257, moving himself into position late inthe round. But the comeback stopped one game short. Belmonte finished the block with 157, leaving the 15-time major champion fivepins short of advancing. In B-Squad, Andrew Hall claimed the final advancing spot with 2,415. Your Weekly Bowling Digest The latest bowling news, tips, and gear reviews—all wrapped up in a quick 3-minute read delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Now The PBA Norm Duke Open now moves into elimination rounds, where both squadswill continue on separate paths. The remaining 32 players in each squad willbowl six games Thursday at 11 a.m. ET, with the top 16 from each squadadvancing. Another six-game round follows at 6 p.m. ET, cutting each squad to eightplayers. On Friday, the final elimination round will reduce each squad to four players.Those players will advance to the group stepladder finals. The televised rounds are scheduled for Sunday, June 21, on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network The A-Squad stepladder will begin at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the B-Squadstepladder at 2 p.m. ET. The two squad winners will then meet in thechampionship match at 4 p.m. ET. {"@context": "https://schema.org","@graph": [{"@type": "NewsArticle","@id": "https://bowlinglife.eu/2026-pba-norm-duke-open-qualifying-results/#article","headline": "Deo Benard and EJ Tackett Lead Qualifying Fields at 2026 PBA Norm Duke Open","description": "Deo Benard paths A-Squad while EJ Tackett dominates B-Squad through 12 games of qualifying at the 2026 PBA Norm Duke Open. 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EJ Tackett completely paced B-Squad with an impressive 2,765 pinfall, opening up a 165-pin gap over second-place Brett Lloyd (2,600)."}},{"@type": "Question","name": "Did Jason Belmonte advance past the qualifying round?","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "No. Despite putting up a massive second-block rally with games of 233, 225, 255, 245, and 257, a final game of 157 left the 15-time major champion just five pins short of the A-Squad cut line behind Cameron Crowe."}},{"@type": "Question","name": "What is the tournament format and TV schedule for the finals?","acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer","text": "Following multi-stage elimination match-play cuts down to four players per group, the separate tracks culminate on Sunday, June 21, 2026, live on CBS Sports Network. The A-Squad stepladder begins at 12 p.m. ET, the B-Squad stepladder follows at 2 p.m. ET, and the final survival match takes place at 4 p.m. ET."}}]}]}