The Scorpion pattern did exactly what it usually does - created a tight race where only two pins could decide whether a player gets another shot at a title or not.
At the PBA World Series of Bowling XVII, Zach Wilkins, who won his first title this year at the Roth/Holman Doubles, came out on top after 10 games of PBA Scorpion Championship qualifying, leading the 12 players who advanced to the single-elimination finals.
Wilkins finished with 2,334 pins, just two ahead of Chris Via, who took second with 2,332. EJ Tackett was third with 2,331, while Zach Weidman completed the top four with 2,319.
Those four players earned a one-round bye for the finals, which will air Monday, May 11 on CBS Sports Network.
PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic winner Graham Fach finished fifth with 2,309, tied on total pins with Jesper Svensson, who placed sixth. Sean Rash qualified seventh with 2,271, while Thomas Larsen took eighth with 2,244.
Kris Prather finished ninth with 2,231, followed by Santtu Tahvanainen in tenth with 2,230. Nate Stubler also finished with 2,230 and claimed 11th place, while Darren Tang secured the final qualifying spot in 12th with 2,215.
Ryan Barnes was the first player outside the cut. He finished 13th with 2,213, missing the top 12 by just two pins.
Full Scorpion Championship qualifying results can be found here.
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The first bracket stage will determine the four players who move into the championship round on Monday, May 11.
The PBA Scorpion Championship finals are scheduled for 8:00 p.m. local. The title match will use a Race-to-Two format to decide the champion.
Finals Bracket
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Game 1
- No. 8 Thomas Larsen vs. No. 9 Kris Prather
- No. 5 Graham Fach vs. No. 12 Darren Tang
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Game 2
- No. 7 Sean Rash vs. No. 10 Santtu Tahvanainen
- No. 6 Jesper Svensson vs. No. 11 Nate Stubler
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Game 3
- No. 1 Zach Wilkins vs. Larsen/Prather winner
- No. 4 Zach Weidman vs. Fach/Tang winner
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Game 4
- No. 2 Chris Via vs. Rash/Tahvanainen winner
- No. 3 EJ Tackett vs. Svensson/Stubler winner
On May 4, the fourth and final PBA animal pattern qualifier begins. After those last 10 games, all animal pattern advancers will be set, and PBA World Championship qualifying will also be complete.
After 30 games of the PBA World Championship qualifying, EJ Tackett leads the standings with 6,743 pins. Darren Tang sits second with 6,735, followed by Jason Sterner in third with 6,696. Bill O’Neill is fourth with 6,682, while Kris Prather rounds out the current top five with 6,670.
After 40 qualifying games, the top third of the field will advance to the PBA World Championship Advancers Round. From there, 10 more games will decide the 16-player match play field.
After 66 total games, the top nine players will move on to the televised championship rounds on June 13. The semifinal and championship round will follow a nine-player stepladder format.
2026 PBA World Series of Bowling XVII Schedule
All times listed are local Central Time.
Monday, May 4 - PBA Shark Championship Qualifying
11:00 a.m. - Round 1 (5 games)
5:00 p.m. - Round 2 (5 games)
After 10 games, the field is cut to the top 12 for match play and finals, airing live on CBS Sports Network on May 12.
Tuesday, May 5 - PBA World Championship Advancers Round
9:00 a.m. - Practice
12:00 p.m. - Round 1 (5 games)
5:00 p.m. - Round 2 (5 games)
Wednesday, May 6 - World Championship Match Play
11:00 a.m. - Round 1
5:00 p.m. - Round 2
Saturday, June 13 - PBA World Championship TV Finals
11:00 a.m. ET - Semifinals (CBS Sports Network)
1:00 p.m. ET - Finals (CBS)
