Even though the top three positions remained unchanged, the third qualifying round at the PBA Players Championship brought significant movement across the rest of the leaderboard, tightening the race ahead of the final block in Arlington, Texas.
After 18 of 24 qualifying games, Shawn Maldonado remains in first place with a total of 4,196 pins and a 233 average.
Although he finished 38th in Round 3, his earlier performance was strong enough to keep him at the top position overall.
EJ Tackett still holds second place with 4,163 pins and a 231 average. He placed 22nd in the third round but remains firmly in contention heading into the final block of qualifying.
DeeRonn Booker sits in third with 4,144. Matthew Ogle has moved from tenth into fourth place with 4,120, followed by Trevor Roberts in fifth at 4,104. Mitch Hupé currently stands sixth with 4,072.
Andrew Anderson made one of the biggest moves of the round, finishing second in the block and surging from 36th place after Round 2 all the way up to seventh overall with 4,048 pins.
Tim Foy Jr. occupies eighth place with 4,046. Nicholas Pate holds ninth at 4,035.
At the same time, Malaysia’s Timmy Tan produced a major jump in the standings. He entered Round 3 in 47th place, then set the pace for the block with 1,461 over six games. That result lifted him into 10th overall with a total of 4,025 pins.
The defending champion Ethan Fiore is currently in 24th place with 3,975 pins.
Around the cut line, the race remains tight. Deo Benard and Jason Belmonte are
tied in 31st and 32nd place with 3,951 pins each, both averaging 220. Just
below the cut, Sean Lavery-Spahr sits in 33rd with 3,947, only four pins
behind the advancing position.
Full results can be found
here.
One more six-game qualifying block remains before the field is reduced to the top 32 players. Round 4 will be contested on the longer 50-foot Badger oil pattern, starting at 6 p.m. CST.
The stepladder finals of the PBA Players Championship will be broadcast on Sunday, February 22 at 4 p.m. Eastern on The CW.
