Who won the 2026 Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship?

Mika Koivuniemi won the championship by defeating Chris Barnes 245-235 in the final match, earning the $20,000 top prize.

Where were the finals of the tournament hosted?

While qualifying and match play took place at Bowl America Woodbridge, the stepladder finals were held at Bud Moore Lanes, a private two-lane center in the basement of Bill Moore's home in Clifton, Virginia.

Why are the lanes at Bud Moore Lanes numbered 13 and 14?

Even though the private facility only has two lanes, they are numbered 13 and 14 as a tribute to Lewis 'Bud' Moore, who rolled one of his perfect 300 games on those lane numbers.

How many PBA50 titles does Mika Koivuniemi have?

With this victory, Mika Koivuniemi secured his third PBA50 Tour title and his second career PBA50 major championship.

Mika Koivuniemi Wins Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship

How many bowlers can say they have won a professional major title inside someone else’s home? I bet the answer is very few.

Mika Koivuniemi joined that short list on Wednesday after winning the 2026 Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship on lanes 13 and 14 in the basement of Bill Moore’s home in Clifton, Virginia.

The private bowling center, Bud Moore Lanes, was built as a tribute to Bill Moore’s father, Lewis “Bud” Moore, a Niagara Falls Bowling Association Hall of Famer who spent much of his life around the sport.

Even the lane numbers carry part of the Moore family story. Although the center has only two lanes, they are numbered 13 and 14 - the pair on which Bud Moore rolled one of his two perfect games.

With only two lanes, Bud Moore Lanes hosted the star-studded stepladder finals, while qualifying and match play took place at Bowl America Woodbridge.

The stepladder began with No. 5 seed Pete Weber facing defending champion Tom Hess. Weber advanced with a 224-213 victory.

Brad Angelo then defeated Weber 247-224 to reach the semifinal. Angelo opened the next match with a double, but Chris Barnes took control with six consecutive strikes and won 256-233.

That set up a championship match between Koivuniemi and Barnes, longtime friends who also share accommodation while competing on the PBA and PBA50 tours.

Both players opened the final with three strikes. Koivuniemi then left a split in the fourth frame and was unable to convert it. Barnes continued striking and began the match with six in a row before making a spare in the seventh.

Koivuniemi recovered from his open frame with a double. He covered a 10-pin in the seventh and struck again in the eighth.

The match changed when Barnes missed a 10-pin spare to the left. He returned with a strike in the foundation frame, but Koivuniemi struck in the ninth and delivered three more strikes in the 10th to finish with 245.

Barnes needed a strike on his first ball in the 10th, but he left another ringing 10-pin, ending the title race. Barnes finished with 235.

The victory earned Koivuniemi the $20,000 first prize. Barnes received $11,000 for second place, while Angelo finished third.

It was Koivuniemi’s third PBA50 Tour title and his second PBA50 major.