After leading for most of the week, Anthony Simonsen eventually secured the No. 1 seed for Sunday’s stepladderfinals after winning his Round of 8 match at the 2026 PBA Illinois Classic inDecatur, Illinois. After leading for most of the week Simonsen defeated Bill O’Neill 4-1 to earn the top position for the televisedshow. Again. 29-year-old built an early advantage in the match and maintained controlthroughout, closing it in five games. The win gives Simonsen anotheropportunity to compete for his 17th career tour title just one week afterearning a top seed and thenfinishing runner-up at the U.S. Open. finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open The most dramatic match of the round came between two Finnish bowlers - SanttuTahvanainen and Tomas Käyhkö - who pushed their best-of-seven contest to adeciding seventh game. Santtu trailed 1-3 before firing a 300 to turn the match around. He then won the next two games to advance to the show with a 4-3 win. With the victory, thedefending championsecured the No. 2 seed and is only two wins away from his second PBA Tourtitle. defending champion After missing the last two televised finals, EJ Tackett returned to thestepladder after a 4-1 victory over Boog Krol. Tackett controlled the pace ofthe match and advanced in five games.The three-time reigning PBA Player of the Yearcontinues his strong season and will now wait for Sunday’s broadcast as a No.3 seed. The three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year Shawn Maldonado highlighted the Round of 8 matchplay with a comeback victoryover Matt Ogle. Maldonado trailed 3-1 in the match and faced elimination, butresponded by winning the final three games in a row to secure the 4-3 victory.The win earned him the No. 4 seed for Sunday’s stepladder finals. Despite the loss, Ogle moved on as the highest-seeded loser in the Round of 8and will get another shot at Maldonado when the two meet again in the openingstepladder match. The stepladder finals of the PBA Illinois Classic will air live Sunday, March15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on The CW.

The Round of 16 is complete at the 2026 Groupon PBA Illinois Classic, and onlyeight players remain in the hunt for the fourth title of the season. You know how history loves to repeat itself. The same man who led the field to Round of 8 at the U.S. Open, now leads the field at the PBA Illinois Classic. Anthony Simonsen delivered the most dominant performance of the round, sweeping Brandon Runk 4-0, highlighted by almost two perfect games (299 and 300)to secure his place in the final eight. With his win against Runk, Simonsen also secured a place in the stepladder finals. In theRound of 8, he will face Bill O'Neill, was just as efficient, shutting outZach Wilkins 4-0 to move on. Even if Simonsen loses, he will advance to thestepladder finals as the highest-seeded eliminated qualifier. Meanwhile, Matt Ogle advanced with a 4-2 victory over Kevin McCune, whileShawn Maldonado eliminated Ethan Fiore 4-1. Defending champion Santtu Tahvanainenkept his title defense on track with a convincing 4-0 win over Deo Benard, notallowing his opponent much room to build momentum. Defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen In the Round of 8, Tahvanainen will face Tomas Kayhkö in all Finnish duel,after Kayhkö survived a tight battle against AJ Chapman, winning 4-3. EJ Tackett controlled his match against Ryan Barnes, taking a 4-1 victory, andBoog Krol overwhelmed Alec Keplinger 4-0 to close out the round. The remaining eight players will return to the lanes for the final round ofmatch play at 6 p.m. CST. The winners of each bracket, along with the highest-seeded loser in the Roundof 8, will advance to the stepladder finals. Round of 8 Matchups Anthony Simonsen vs. Bill O’NeillBoog Krol vs. EJ TackettSanttu Tahvanainen vs. Tomas KayhköShawn Maldonado vs. Matt OgleThe stepladder finals will air liveSunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on The CW. Anthony Simonsen vs. Bill O’Neill Boog Krol vs. EJ Tackett Santtu Tahvanainen vs. Tomas Kayhkö Shawn Maldonado vs. Matt OgleThe stepladder finals will air liveSunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on The CW.

The Round of 24 wrapped up Thursday night at the 2026 PBA Illinois Classic,with eight best-of-seven matches deciding who would move on to face the topeight seeds in the Round of 16. Finland's Tomas Käyhkö delivered one of the strongest performances of theround, sweeping Darren Tang 4-0. The Finnish two-hander took control earlyright from the beginning and never allowed the match to slip away, advancingcomfortably into the Round 16, where he will meet AJ Chapman. Meanwhile, Deo Benard survived a full seven-game battle against Matt Russo,winning 4-3. The tightly contested matchup went back and forth before Benardsecured the deciding game to advance. Brandon Runk also needed all seven games to eliminate Kyle Troup, closing outa 4-3 victory to earn a meeting with top seed Anthony Simonsen in the nextround. Canada's Zach Wilkins handled Julian Salinas in six games, winning 4-2 to moveon, Shawn Maldonado edged2026 U.S. Open champion Patrick Dombrowskiin another seven-game thriller, while Ryan Barnes defeated Michael Davidson4-2 to secure the spot in the Round of 16. 2026 U.S. Open champion Patrick Dombrowski Kevin McCune advanced with a strong 4-1 win over Jake Peters, while AlecKeplinger a bit surprisingly knocked out Jason Belmonte in seven games. Round of 16 Matchups Anthony Simonsen vs. Brandon RunkBill O’Neill vs. Zach WilkinsMatt Ogle vs. Kevin McCuneEthan Fiorevs. Shawn MaldonadoSanttu Tahvanainen vs. Deo BenardAJ Chapman vs.Tomas KäyhköEJ Tackett vs. Ryan BarnesBoog Krol vs. Alec Keplinger Anthony Simonsen vs. Brandon Runk Bill O’Neill vs. Zach Wilkins Matt Ogle vs. Kevin McCune Ethan Fiorevs. Shawn Maldonado Santtu Tahvanainen vs. Deo Benard AJ Chapman vs.Tomas Käyhkö EJ Tackett vs. Ryan Barnes Boog Krol vs. Alec Keplinger Round of 16 action begins Friday at 12 p.m. ET. The winners will move on tothe evening Round of 8. The winners of each bracket, along with thehighest-seeded loser in the Round of 8, will advance to Sunday’s stepladderfinals. The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT)on The CW.

The six-game Advancers Round is complete at the 2026 Groupon PBA IllinoisClassic, and the field has now been reduced to 24 players who will compete inelimination match play. The top eight players after 22 total games earned first-round byes. Anthony Simonsen leads the field with 5,284 total pins. Matt Ogle sits secondwith 5,245, followed by defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen in third with5,237. EJ Tackett holds fourth at 5,156, while Boog Krol advances in fifthwith 5,114. defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen AJ Chapman secured sixth with 5,095, Ethan Fiore claimed seventh with 5,091,and Bill O’Neill locked up the eighth and final bye position with 5,089. View this post on Instagram A post shared by PBA TOUR (@pbatour) View this post on Instagram A post shared by PBA TOUR (@pbatour) Advancing alongside them are Zach Wilkins, Shawn Maldonado, Tomas Kayhko, AlecKeplinger, Michael Davidson, Deo Benard, Kevin McCune, Kyle Troup, BrandonRunk, Jake Peters, Matt Russo, Ryan Barnes, Jason Belmonte, Darren Tang,Patrick Dombrowski, and Julian Salinas. Salinas captured the final advancing position with 4,880 total pins. Brad Miller finished just outside the cut line in 25th place with 4,877,missing advancement by only three pins. Elimination match play begins Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT), witheach match contested in a best-of-seven format. The winners of each bracket, along with the highest-seeded loser in the Roundof 8, will advance to the stepladder finals. The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT)on The CW.

Qualifying is officially complete at the 2026 Groupon PBA Illinois Classic,and the 96-player field has now been cut to the top 32 players advancing atDavid Small’s Victory Lanes in Decatur, Illinois. After evening's A squad, the defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen took thelead in Round 2. defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen After sitting second overall following the first eight games, the Brunswick Ballmaster Open champion increased his scoring in the second block even moreand finished with 3,882 total pins to claim the top position heading intoThursday’s Advancers Round. Brunswick Ballmaster Open champion Anthony Simonsen, who also had an amazing run in Round 2, finished just five pins behind in second place with 3,877. Anthony Simonsen Boog Krol, the Round 1 leader, settled into third with 3,857. EJ Tackettsecured fourth with 3,791, followed by Matt Ogle in fifth at 3,770. Boog Krol, the Round 1 leader, AJ Chapman claimed sixth with 3,726, Michael Davidson took seventh with 3,721,Nate Purches finished eighth with 3,700, Deo Benard placed ninth with 3,698,and Jake Peters rounded out the top ten with 3,676. The top 32 players now move on to Thursday’s six-game Advancers Round at 12p.m. ET, which will determine the 24 players advancing to elimination matchplay. Elimination match play begins Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET, with each matchcontested in a best-of-seven format. The winners of each bracket, along with the highest-seeded loser in the Roundof 8, will advance to the stepladder finals. The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT)on The CW.

Squad B has completed its second eight-game block at the 2026 Groupon PBAIllinois Classic and now awaits the final results from Squad A, which beginsat 6 p.m. CST. Anthony Simonsen delivered outstanding performance and now leads thestandings. Simonsen caught fire in the middle of the block,stringing together 26 consecutive strikes across games three through six. He started the block with 208 game and then fired 279, 268, 300, and 279again. He finished the block with 1,972 pins, bringing his 16-game total to3,877 to take over the overall lead. EJ Tackett currently sits second with 3,791, followed by Matt Ogle in third at3,770. Nate Purches is fourth with 3,700, while Shawn Maldonado holds fifth at3,665. Matt Russo stands sixth with 3,638. Tomas Kayhkö is seventh at 3,622, KyleTroup is eighth with 3,596, Kevin McCune is ninth at 3,574, and Brad Millerrounds out the Squad B top ten with 3,551. A squad will soon start their eight remaining qualification games on the43-foot Carmen Salvino oil pattern. Once qualifying concludes, only 32 playerwill advance to Thursday morning’ssix-game Advancers Round. Those scores will determine the 24 players who moveon to elimination match play. Match play continues Friday with two rounds scheduled. The winners of eachbracket, along with the highest-seeded loser in the Round of 8, will earnspots in Sunday’s televised stepladder finals on The CW.

Qualifying Round 1 is complete at the 2026 Groupon PBA Illinois Classic afterboth squads finished their opening eight games at David Small’s Victory Lanesin Decatur, Illinois. Scoring pace in Squad B was slightly lower than in Squad A, which meansBoog Krol remains the overall leader after the first round. Boog Krol remains the overall leader after the first round Defending championSanttu Tahvanainenremains second overall with 1,940. Santtu Tahvanainen Shawn Maldonado was the top performer from Squad B and now sits third overallwith 1,918. 2026 U.S. Open runner-up Anthony Simonsen follows closely infourth with 1,905. Matt Russo holds sixth at 1,886, Matt Ogle is seventh with 1,881, and EJTackett is eighth with 1,875. Nate Purches is currently 13th with 1,852, KevinMcCune stands 18th with 1,817, Jason Belmonte is 22nd with 1,803, AlexanderHorton is 24th with 1,794, and Brad Miller rounds out the Squad B top ten at1,794. The overall top 10 after Round 1 Boog Krol – +408Santtu Tahvanainen – +340Shawn Maldonado – +318Anthony Simonsen – +305Michael Davidson – +300Matt Russo – +286Matt Ogle – +281EJ Tackett – +275Zach Wilkins – +273Deo Benard – +272 Boog Krol – +408 Santtu Tahvanainen – +340 Shawn Maldonado – +318 Anthony Simonsen – +305 Michael Davidson – +300 Matt Russo – +286 Matt Ogle – +281 EJ Tackett – +275 Zach Wilkins – +273 Deo Benard – +272 At the current cut line for the Advancers Round, Eric Wurmnest Jr. holds 32ndposition with 1,765 total pins. Qualifying continues Wednesday with Squad B returning for their secondeight-game block at 12 p.m. ET, followed by Squad A at 7 p.m. ET. Each player will complete 16 total qualifying games across Tuesday andWednesday on the 43-foot Carmen Salvino oil pattern. Once qualifying concludes, only 32 players will advance to Thursday morning’ssix-game Advancers Round. Those scores will determine the 24 players who moveon to elimination match play. Match play continues Friday with two rounds scheduled. The winners of eachbracket, along with the highest-seeded loser in the Round of 8, will earnspots in Sunday’s televised stepladder finals onThe CW. The CW.

The 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling rolls into Decatur, Illinois this weekfor the Groupon PBA Illinois Classic. The fourth title event of the season isunderway at David Small’s Victory Lanes, where Squad A has completed theopening eight-game qualifying round. David Krol leads the tournament after the first block with 2,008 over eightgames for a 251 average, including a perfect game. Defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen from Finland is currently in secondplace with 1,940. Michael Davidson holds third at 1,900, followed by ZachWilkins in fourth with 1,873. Deo Benard rounds out the top five at 1,872. Defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen Mitch Hupé and Alec Keplinger are tied for sixth at 1,858. Ryan Barnes standseighth with 1,841, while Bill O’Neill and Jake Peters share ninth place with1,831. Squad B will take the lanes at 6 p.m. CST to bowl their eight-game session andcomplete the first half of qualifying. Each player will compete in 16 total qualifying games across Tuesday andWednesday on the 43-foot Carmen Salvino pattern. Once qualifying concludes, only the top third of the field will move forwardto an additional six-game round on Thursday morning. Those scores willdetermine the 24 players who advance to elimination match play. Match play continues Friday with two sessions scheduled. From there, bracketwinners, along with one additional player based on seeding, will advance toSunday’s televised stepladder finals on The CW. The CW

The Pre-Tournament Qualifier at the2026 Groupon PBA Illinois Classiccompleted, and 19 of 72 bowlers earned their spots in the 96-player main fieldat David Small’s Victory Lanes in Decatur. 2026 Groupon PBA Illinois Classic Leading the way was Johnny Quach, who dominated the seven-game block on 44feet Scorpion pattern with 1,723 total, averaging just over 246. Quach finished +323 over, separating himself by more than 70 pins from therest of the field. Behind Quach, David Northouse claimed second place with 1,652, followed byEric Wurmnest Jr. in third with 1,638. Zeke Bayt finished fourth with 1,625,while Tim Gruendler secured fifth with 1,619. Ryan Lopano placed sixth with1,618, Nu’Man Syahmi Yusri was seventh with 1,607, and Collin Howe took eighthwith 1,599. Brad Miller (1,593) and Michael Loera (1,592) rounded out the topten. Advancing from positions 11 through 19 were Alexander Horton, David Simard,Brian Robinson, Jarno Lahti, Julian Salinas, Beau Peterson, Jace L. Meyer,Austin Grammar, and Manny Farrell, who claimed the final advancing positionwith 1,554. Just outside the cut was Alexander Whitney, who also totaled 1,554 but fellshort in a dramatic roll-off against Ferrell, losing by a single pin, 203-202. The 96-player main field begins its first eight-game qualifying round tomorrowat 11 a.m. CST at David Small’s Victory Lanes in Decatur. Five players will advance to the PBA Illinois Classic stepladder finals, whichwill air live onThe CWon Sunday at 3 p.m. CST. The CW

Patrick Dombrowski captured the biggest win of his career, defeating top seedAnthony Simonsen 197–195 to claim his first PBA Tour title and a majorchampionship. In a dramatic title match, Simonsen opened with a strike using the Storm IonMax Pearl, while Dombrowski answered with two strikes of his own, carryingmomentum from his 248–211 semifinal victory over Chris Via. The match quicklyturned into a tense back-and-forth battle, with both bowlers exchanging splitsin the third frame before trading strikes and unfortunate breaks as the gameremained tight heading into the final frames. Simonsen converted a key spare in the ninth frame on the troublesome left lanethat had been a headache for players throughout the night. Dombrowskiresponded with a strike on the right lane and then converted a difficult 3–10split to stay in control. Needing nine pins in the tenth frame to secure thewin, Dombrowski knocked down eight, leaving the door open for Simonsen toforce a roll-off. Simonsen struck on his first two shots in the tenth, but then the star of thenight returned - the 7–10 split appeared once again. With that, Dombrowskisealed the two-pin victory and the first major title of his PBA Tour career. Here’s how the remaining stepladder finals unfolded at the 2026 Go BowlingU.S. Open. #4 Tim Foy Jr. vs. #5 Andrew Anderson In the stepladder opener, Andrew Anderson, using a newStorm Concept, got off to the better start and held a slim five-pin lead before thecommercial break. But Tim Foy Jr., still chasing his first title in 13 years,was not ready to let the opportunity slip away. He responded with a string ofstrikes of his own before leaving a 10 pin in the crucial ninth frame. Storm Concept Although Foy finished with a turkey in the tenth, Anderson needed only 15 pinsin his final frame. He struck on his first two shots to advance, 250-226, tothe second match of the stepladder finals. #3 Chris Via vs. #5 Andrew Anderson In the second stepladder match, Anderson faced No. 3 seed Chris Via, who washoping to give himself an early birthday present, as he will celebratetomorrow. Via showed that intent from the start, opening with a turkey, whileAnderson struggled with splits, including back-to-back 7-10 splits between thethird and fifth frames. That stretch proved costly, allowing Via to build a65-pin lead heading into the break. After the break, the earlier 7-10 splits seemed to linger in Anderson’s mind,as he struggled to strike on quality shots and had to settle for spares. Via,on the other hand, continued to extend his lead. The match was basicallydecided well before the finalStorm Conceptwas thrown, as both players were relying on the same ball. Via secured thewin, 258-159, and advanced to the semifinal match against Patrick Dombrowski. Storm Concept #2 Patrick Dombrowski vs. #3 Chris Via The runner-up at the 2024 USBC Masters, Patrick Dombrowski, opened with aspare, while Via once again started strong with two early strikes to grab theearly lead. Dombrowski struggled to carry strikes, and even a ball change to aStorm Bionic with a different layout did not immediately help. However, he wasperfect on his spare attempts, which kept him within striking distance headinginto the break, trailing by only seven pins. After the break, both bowlers came out at full throttle, trading strikes backand forth. The turning point came in the tenth frame, when Via left a 7-10split at the worst possible moment. That gave Dombrowski the open window, andwith just eight pins needed to win, he closed out the match to advance to thechampionship round, 248-211. The next stop on the PBA Tour schedule is the Groupon PBA Illinois Classic,taking place at David Small’s Victory Lanes in Decatur, Illinois, from March9–15.

The stepladder finals are set at the 2026 U.S. Open in Indianapolis after avery intense Round 3 of match play at Royal Pin Woodland. Anthony Simonsen,Patrick Dombrowski, Chris Via, Tim Foy Jr. and Andrew Anderson advanced tothe championship round. But nothing was decided until the final game. Throughout the final eight-game stretch, the leaderboard kept changing almostafter every match, and the pressure was clearly visible on the lanes. Anthony Simonsen secured the top seed for Sunday’s U.S. Open championshipround. He finished with the highest overall total after 56 games and will needjust one win to capture his second U.S. Open title. Patrick Dombrowski claimed the second seed. Chris Via finished third, followedby Tim Foy Jr. in fourth place. Andrew Anderson secured the final stepladderposition in fifth. The last eight games of the U.S. Open felt like true March Madness, as all 24bowlers refused to surrender and were ready to fight for every single pin. Thetension was clearly felt throughout the building. Tim Foy Jr. experienced a difficult stretch during his match against EthanFiore, losing ball reaction and struggling to find the right look. At onepoint, he stepped aside behind the approach to regroup and calm himself.Fortunately for him, it worked and he earned the No. 4 seed. Andrew Anderson advanced only after a small “gift” from Tun Hakim, who neededa strike in the final frame of match play but came up short, effectivelyclearing the path for Anderson to reach the stepladder finals. Jason Belmonte built momentum in what commentators on BowlTV described as oneof the biggest comeback attempts of the week. However, even a 7-1 record inthe final eight games was not enough to secure a place in the finals, as heultimately finished eighth. The broadcast booth also added to the atmosphere. Randy Pedersen handledcommentary throughout the night, and Rick Allen, the new CW Networkcommentator, joined him during the sixth game. The two shared friendly banter,and Pedersen noted that Allen has done a strong job covering bowling on TheCW. Behind the top five, Tun Hakim finished sixth. Terrance Rock II placedseventh. Ethan Fiore finished ninth, right behind Belmonte, and AJ Johnsonrounded out the top ten. Defending champion EJ Tackett finished tied for eleventh with Tomas Kayhkö. Full results can be found here. The U.S. Open championship round will air live Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern onThe CW from Indianapolis. The winner will earn the major title, the green jacket and $100,000.

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) put one of its' rising stars Cameron Crowe on an indefinite suspension, PBA announced today.The decision was made after the 2026 U.S. Open in Indianapolis took an unexpected turn this week when Cameron Crowe had to withdrew from the tournament before the third roundof qualifying. Crowe competed in the first two qualifying rounds but was listed as withdrawnahead of Round 3. Soon after, reports emerged that the bowler had beenarrested during the tournament week. According to publically available data form Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Crowe was booked into the Hamilton County Jail at 1:47 p.m. on Thursday, March 5 by the Carmel Police Department on tentative drug-related charges. Crowe was listed as withdrawn from the U.S. Open shortly after the arrest. Jeff Richgels of 11thFrame.com reported that by Friday morning (March 6), a search for Crowe on the Hamilton County inmate database returned no results, indicating that he was no longer in custody. 11thFrame.com On Saturday, the PBA Tour released a statement addressing the situation. “The PBA is aware of the reports regarding Cameron Crowe,” the organizationsaid. “We will not be commenting while the judicial proceedings take place andMr. Crowe is being placed on an indefinite suspension, effective immediately.” Crowe recently gained additional attention within the bowling community afterbeing featured in an upcoming five-episode HBO documentary series aboutprofessional bowling. No further official details about the investigation or Crowe’s status havebeen released at this time. Who is Cameron Crowe? Cameron Crowe is one of the younger players on the PBA Tour and earned histour exemption through the 2025 PBA Tour Trials, where he finished seventh.Before joining the professional tour, Crowe built a strong résumé in amateurbowling. He is a two-time member of Team USA and won the 2020 U.S. AmateurChampionship.During his college career at St. Ambrose University, Crowe helped the teamreach the Intercollegiate Team Championships finals twice and was named the2021 Intercollegiate Team Championships MVP.Earlier in his career, Crowe also captured the 2021 U20 Junior Gold title. Cameron Crowe is one of the younger players on the PBA Tour and earned histour exemption through the 2025 PBA Tour Trials, where he finished seventh. Before joining the professional tour, Crowe built a strong résumé in amateurbowling. He is a two-time member of Team USA and won the 2020 U.S. AmateurChampionship. During his college career at St. Ambrose University, Crowe helped the teamreach the Intercollegiate Team Championships finals twice and was named the2021 Intercollegiate Team Championships MVP. Earlier in his career, Crowe also captured the 2021 U20 Junior Gold title.