Two squads of the second qualifying block at the 2026 U.S. Open are complete, and Matt Sanders has taken the lead after a strong performance heading into the final squad of the day.
Competing on the 47-foot Oil Pattern 2, Sanders delivered the second-strongest block of the day so far. He rolled 1,810 over eight games, bringing his 16-game total to 3,536 and moving to +336 overall to claim first place by two pins.
Ethan Fiore and Malaysia’s Tun Hakim are tied for second with 3,534 each. Meanwhile, 2022 U.S. Open champion Anthony Simonsen, who led the tournament after Qualifying Round 1, now sits in fourth with 3,529 after 16 games. Michael Davidson follows in fifth with 3,500, and Jason Belmonte is sixth with 3,458.
The biggest move of the day belongs, at least for now, to Zachary Wilkins. After sitting in 70th position following Qualifying Round 1, the Canadian recorded the highest eight-game total of both B and C squads with 1,861. That performance lifted him to seventh place overall with 3,440.
Tom Daugherty currently stands eighth with 3,435. Julian Salinas follows in ninth with 3,404, while A.J. Johnson rounds out the top 10 with 3,400.
The cut line after two squads of Round 2 is currently held by Traeten
Henrichsmeyer. He sits in 32nd place with 3,290 after 16 games.
Full
current standings of the Qualifying Round 2 can be found here.
Squad A will close out the day’s action with its eight-game block beginning at 6 p.m. local time. The squad will be streamed on BowlTV.
