In January, Tun Hakim struck gold with Team Malaysia at the IBF World Cup, but today's achievement eclipses that victory. Tun Hakim earned Malaysia's first Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour title at the all-onehanded PBA Chameleon Championship, defeating Kevin McCune 269-227 in the final.
In the first Stepladder Finals match, Mitch Hupé and Andrew Anderson faced off in a Round of 8 rematch. Anderson secured a 3-2 victory, earning his No. 4 spot in the stepladder finals, while Hupé, the No. 5 seed, advanced as the highest-seeded qualifier to lose in the Round of 8.
Anderson, ranked second in points this season and making his third TV appearance, started the match with a shot way off target, leaving a 2-10 split—but he converted it beautifully. With redemption on the line, Hupé looked to turn the tables, opening with two spares using his Storm Ion Pro bowling ball. Anderson quickly responded with a triple using his Roto Grip Attention Star S2, but his lead was short-lived as Hupé fired back with four consecutive strikes, taking a 10-pin lead before the commercial break.
After the break, Anderson made another spare before switching to the same Storm Ion Pro ball, unleashing three consecutive strikes. Meanwhile, Hupé recorded spares in the eighth and ninth frames, losing his lead and giving Anderson the advantage. Anderson capitalized, striking out to secure a 258-233 victory and advance.
In the second Stepladder match, Anderson faced No. 3 seed EJ Tackett, who was making his fifth consecutive TV appearance and fourth during the World Series of Bowling XVI. Both bowlers had already claimed victories against each other this season—Tackett at the U.S. Open and Anderson at the PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic—leaving their rivalry deadlocked and setting the stage for an intense showdown.
They wasted no time bringing the heat, each starting with a strike, a spare, and another strike. However, Anderson made a costly mistake, failing to convert the 7-pin. Tackett took advantage, responding with another strike and a spare using his Motiv Venom. Anderson, determined to recover, quickly bounced back from the misstep with two consecutive strikes using his Storm Ion Pro on the right lane and Storm Equinox on the left lane, to shrink his deficit to 11 pins.
After the break, Tackett delivered yet another strike but missed left in the seventh frame, leaving a 4-pin spare. Meanwhile, Anderson converted two more strikes to regain the lead, but Tackett responded with two strikes of his own. With two frames remaining, Anderson struck in the ninth, needing two strikes and two pins to shut down Tackett. His first shot was well executed, cutting through the pins beautifully. However, the second shot missed its target to the left, resulting in a Brooklyn strike and a 9-pin spare, leaving Tackett a small window to make two strikes and nine pins.
Tackett's first shot was slightly off target but still resulted in a strike. His second shot looked good, but the stubborn 10-pin remained standing, allowing Anderson to survive and claim another win 237-228 to advance to the PBA Chameleon Championship semifinals.
Now just two wins away from his sixth PBA Tour title, Andrew Anderson faced No. 2 seed Kevin McCune, who was aiming for his second career title and first since the 2023 PBA Players Championship. The 25-year-old McCune started strong with five strikes, including a stunning 10-pin to 7-pin messenger strike using his Storm IQ Tour A.I., which fired up the crowd. Anderson, in response, delivered four strikes in his first six frames, but he found himself trailing by 22 pins as they moved into the break.
After the break, McCune started with a 7-10 split but maintained his lead, delivering three strikes in the 7th through 9th frames. Meanwhile, Anderson struggled to string strikes together, finishing with 215. McCune then finished with 265 and advanced to the championship match.
For the title, McCune started with a spare, while the No. 1 seed, Malaysia's Tun Hakim, one game away from becoming the third international player to claim their first career title in as many nights, began the match with his Hammer Black Pearl Urethane, converting a spare and a strike. In the second frame, McCune made an error by failing to convert a 10-pin, giving the lead to the Malaysian, who quickly responded with five more strikes, extending his lead. McCune couldn't keep up with Hakim's striking pace. Hakim sealed the deal in the ninth frame, ultimately securing a 269-227 win for his first-ever PBA Tour title in Reno.
Three international players from three different countries have claimed the PBA Tour title in Reno, with Sweden's Rasmus Edvall winning the Scorpion, and Singapore's Darren Ong taking the win at Viper yesterday.
The PBA Chameleon Championship held its finals during the PBA World Series of Bowling XVI in Reno. Tomorrow, the competition will shift to the PBA Shark Championship Match Play Rounds and stepladder finals, starting at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
The prize fund for the PBA Chameleon Championship winner was $20,000.
2025 PBA Chameleon Championship Stepladder Finals Scores:
Match 1: No. 5 Mitch Hupé - No. 4 Andrew Anderson, 233-258
Match 2: No. 4 Andrew Anderson - No. 3 EJ Tackett, 237-228
Match 3: No. 4 Andrew Anderson - No. 2 Kevin McCune, 215-265
Match 4: No. 2 Kevin McCune - No. 1 Tun Hakim, 227-269
PBA World Series of Bowling XVI Schedule:
Wednesday, March 19
9 a.m. – PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. – PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)
4 p.m. on FS1 – PBA Shark Championship - Finals
Thursday, March 20
10 a.m. – PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 1 (eight games)
5 p.m. – PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 2 (eight games)
Saturday, March 22
12 p.m. on FOX – PBA World Championship Finals
