Form is temporary. Class is permanent. After all four qualifying rounds at the PBA Players Championship on the Viper 37-foot and Badger 50-foot oil patterns, EJ Tackett finally took first place with a total of 5,545 pins and a 231.04 average. He ended +745 above the 200-average pace across the 24-game block.
In two days, players bowled 24 games across four qualifying rounds. Even though Tackett did not win any of those rounds, his consistent pace allowed him to secure the top position overall.
After the final game, the reigning Player of the Year admitted that he felt tired after the intense schedule, but was pleased with the result.
“The No. 1 position is where you want to be,” he told Nolan Hughes of the PBA after his final shot. “We’ve got a lot of games left to go, but we’ve got a good start going into match play.”
Shawn Maldonado, who led the field for most of qualifying, secured second place with 5,479, followed by Andrew Anderson in third with 5,441. Anderson had a slow start, but Qualifying Round 3 marked a major turnaround, as he climbed from 36th position to seventh.
CJ Petrin finished fourth at 5,405, and Nate Garcia, who made it to the main field through the PTQ, rounded out the top five with 5,403.
Graham Fach placed sixth with 5,366. Tim Foy Jr. finished seventh at 5,349, Matt Ogle took eighth with 5,342, and Jesper Svensson secured ninth place at 5,329. Spencer Robarge completed the top ten with 5,312.
Jesper Svensson was one of three Swedish bowlers competing in the PBA Players Championship qualifiers, but he was the only one to complete the event.
Rasmus Edvall, the PBA Scorpion Champion, felt pain in his knee, the same knee that previously sidelined him for nearly a year, and had to withdraw during Game 3 of Qualifying Round 1.
“The knee I had problems with before is acting up again, but it’s something different this time,” he told BowlingLife. “I’ll go home and see some doctors to find out what’s going on this time.”
Meanwhile, Martin Larsen experienced issues with his elbow and also withdrew after the first day of competition.
The battle around the cut line remained close until the final games. Timmy Tan, who made a significant move earlier in qualifying, secured the 31st position with 5,209 pins and a 217.04 average. Tom Daugherty claimed the final advancing spot in 32nd place with 5,203.
Just outside the cut, Santtu Tahvanainen finished 33rd with 5,199, missing the Advancers Round by four pins.
Defending champion Ethan Fiore did not advance this year. He concluded qualifying in 41st place with 3,975 through 18 games before falling short of the top 32 after the final round.
The remaining 32 players will return for the Advancers Round, a six-game block scheduled for 6 p.m. CST on a dual oil pattern format, with Badger on one lane and Viper on the other.
Following the Advancers Round, the top 16 will move on to round-robin match play. The stepladder finals of the PBA Players Championship are set for Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern on The CW.
