Scandinavian clash at the PBA WSOB XIV Scorpion Championship

Apr 19, 2023 | By Erikas Jansonas

PBA

Article hero image

Scandinavian clash at the PBA WSOB XIV Scorpion Championship

Apr 19, 2023 | By Erikas Jansonas

PBA

After AJ Johnson seized final spot from James Blomgren at the PBA Cheetah Championship, Europeans had better luck at Scorpion - Finland's Santtu Tahvanainen and Sweden's Jesper Svensson made the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Series of Bowling XIV Scorpion Championship Finals. Still, they did not go all the way to the title.

Current Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year Sannttu Tahvanainen finished fourth, while Sweden's Jesper Svensson made his first appearance in the championship round this year and for the first time since the PBA Playoffs in 2022, finishing third.

Jesper Svensson won game one at the Scorpion Championship by defeating U.S. Anthony Simonsen in a high-scoring game with a final score of 248-225.

The next match pitted Svensson against Tahvanainen in a European duel. It was the first career singles telecast for Santtu Tahvanainen. Misfortunately, he could have performed better in the camera lights, as Svensson routed Tahvanainen, 228-186.

'It's definitely a good experience,' Tahvanainen said of his first career singles telecast. 'But at the same time, I hope this concludes my bad bowling, and tomorrow we can see my good bowling.'

Santtu Tahvanainen will have a chance to win another title tonight, as he also made it to the Shark Championship finals.

With only two opponents left, separating Svensson from his first title since last year, he met probably the least desired rival this year - EJ Tackett - who won the PBA Cheetah Championship the day before to claim his eighth career title.

As if that wasn't enough, transition on the lanes began to appear.

'I knew (transition) was coming," Svensson said. 'I was just hoping that the look I had after wasn't as bad as it was.'

Unfortunately for Svensson, it was quite an unpleasant look indeed. The two-hander's look with urethane started to fade, leaving two buckets in the first four frames, and Swede's attempts to switch to a reactive bowling ball led to nasty splits.

Svensson did all he could, but all of his options failed. Ultimately, Tackett defeated him 184–158, not performing his best game either.

'If I would have known that EJ would've shot 180, I probably would've done what I did the first few frames (throwing urethane) and just tried to hit the pocket and make whatever spares are left,' Svensson said. 'But I figured that he's probably going to have a very good game, so I had to be aggressive.

In the title match, 28-year-old Jakob Butturff ended his near-four-year title drought, defeating EJ Tackett 225-217, and dedicated this victory to his late mother.

'It's my first Tour win since my mom passed away back in November 2020,' Butturff said. 'I know she was looking down on me and made sure I made my 7-pins in that match.'

After 60 qualification games on Cheetah, Scorpion, and Shark, two Europeans - Santtu Tahvanainen and Jesper Svensson - made it to the top 12 of the PBA WSOB XIV World Championship.

A PBA WSOB XIV World Championship winner will be awarded the season's fourth Major and a prize fund of $100,000.

Similar Articles

see more
Article thumbnail image

Coté and Via Capture 2025 Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles Title

Chris Via and Bryanna Coté claimed the title at the 25th anniversary edition of the Storm PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles, held at Copperfield Bowl in Houston. After finishing qualifying in 22nd place, the pair surged during match play and secured the top spot heading into the final game. With a total pinfall of 10,416 (+1,216) over 46 combined games, they held a comfortable lead of 260 pins over Kyle Troup and Liz Johnson, who finished in second with +1,042. Latest win marked Coté’s sixth PWBA title and Via’s second PBA title. For the win they were awarded with $25,000. Via also rolled the only two 300 games of the tournament and donated both $300 bonuses to the Striking Against Breast Cancer foundation. Last year's champions Anthony Simonsen and Danielle McEwan finished in 22nd. Last year's champions Last year's champions The final PBA title event of the season will be the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters in Helsingborg, Sweden, while the PWBA season wraps in August with Championship Week in Rochester, New York. Storm Lucky Larsen Masters in Helsingborg, Sweden Storm Lucky Larsen Masters in Helsingborg, Sweden Championship Week in Rochester, New York Championship Week in Rochester, New York Top 5 Final Standings: Top 5 Final Standings: Chris Via / Bryanna Coté – 10,416 (+1,216)Kyle Troup / Liz Johnson – 10,242 (+1,042)Darren Tang / Sin Li Jane – 10,039 (+839)Andrew Anderson / Erin McCarthy – 9,952 (+752)Tommy Jones / Shannon Pluhowsky – 9,918 (+718) Chris Via / Bryanna Coté – 10,416 (+1,216) Kyle Troup / Liz Johnson – 10,242 (+1,042) Darren Tang / Sin Li Jane – 10,039 (+839) Andrew Anderson / Erin McCarthy – 9,952 (+752) Tommy Jones / Shannon Pluhowsky – 9,918 (+718)

PBA

Article thumbnail image

Mika Koivuniemi Captures PBA50 Petraglia Championship Title

The 2025 PBA50 Petraglia Championship concluded on Tuesday in Jackson, Michigan, with Finland’s Mika Koivuniemi winning his first PBA50 title since 2018. In the title match, Koivuniemi, the No. 2 seed, started strong with a strike and spare, then built momentum with seven consecutive strikes from the fourth to the tenth frame - a pace his opponent just couldn't hande, securing the win 258-224. Previously, in the semifinal, Koivuniemi defeated No. 5 seed Liz Johnson, who had advanced through two earlier matches by defeating Brian LeClair in the opening match, 215-199 and then defeating Tom Daugherty 225-197. Johnson and Koivuniemi were even early in the game, but a split in the fourth frame gave Koivuniemi the lead. He remained clean through the match and finished strong to win 227-202. Koivuniemi earned $5,000 for the win. This win was crucial for Major Mika as he moves closer to qualifying for the PBA50 World Championship match play. All qualifying scores from this tournament, along with those from the Ballard, Monacelli, and Holman Championships, will determine the top 18 players advancing to the World Championship. Koivuniemi currently stands in 19th place and will need strong results in the upcoming Holman Championship to move up. All matches of the PBA50 are available to watch live on BowlTV. PBA50 Petraglia Championship Stepladder Finals – Match Results PBA50 Petraglia Championship Stepladder Finals – Match Results Match 1: Liz Johnson def. Brian LeClair, 215 – 199 Match 1: Match 2: Liz Johnson def. Tom Daugherty, 225 – 197 Match 2: Semifinal: Mika Koivuniemi def. Liz Johnson, 227 – 202 Semifinal: Final: Mika Koivuniemi def. Bo Goergen, 258 – 224 Final:

PBA

Article thumbnail image

Andrew Anderson Defeats Belmo and Tackett to Win 2025 PBA Tour Finals

Andrew Anderson defeated EJ Tackett in two straight games during Sunday’s finale at Steel City Bowl & Brews in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to become the fifth bowler to claim the title since the lounch of the event. The final match began with Tackett taking an early lead with four straight strikes, but open frames in the later stages allowed Anderson to steal Game 1, 212–200. In Game 2, early errors from Tackett gave Anderson a comfortable advantage. Despite an open frame in the sixth, Anderson held on to win 212–189 and sweep the Race-to-Two final. This win marks Anderson’s second title of the season—both earned in finals matches against Tackett—and the sixth PBA Tour title of his career. Earlier in the year, Tackett topped Anderson in the U.S. Open, but Anderson bounced back to defeat him at the PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic. Tackett topped Anderson in the U.S. Open Tackett topped Anderson in the U.S. Open PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic With this win, he also pockets the $35,000 top prize. The Tour Finals featured the top eight points leaders from the 2024 and 2025 seasons, split into two groups. Anderson and Tackett each earned the top seed in their respective groups during Saturday’s positioning rounds and fought their way through stepladder matches to reach the final. In Group 1, Tackett advanced after narrowly escaping a roll-off win against Graham Fach. In Group 2, Anderson survived a high-scoring bracket that saw Jason Belmonte shoot 269 and 278 in his first two matches. Anderson lost the first game of their head-to-head but forced a roll-off and doubled in the tenth to move on to the championship. The PBA Tour Finals closes out the 2025 season. The post-season begins with the Storm PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles in July, followed by a return to international play in August at the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters in Sweden. Group 1 Stepladder Results: Group 1 Stepladder Results: Match 1: Kyle Troup (No. 4) defeated Bill O’Neill (No. 3), 227–214Match 2: Graham Fach (No. 2) defeated Kyle Troup, 226–197Match 3: EJ Tackett (No. 1) defeated Graham Fach, 2–1 Match 1: Kyle Troup (No. 4) defeated Bill O’Neill (No. 3), 227–214 Match 1: Match 2: Graham Fach (No. 2) defeated Kyle Troup, 226–197 Match 2: Match 3: EJ Tackett (No. 1) defeated Graham Fach, 2–1 Match 3: Group 2 Stepladder Results: Group 2 Stepladder Results: Match 1: Jason Belmonte (No. 3) defeated Anthony Simonsen (No. 4), 269–259Match 2: Jason Belmonte defeated Marshall Kent (No. 2), 278–221Match 3: Andrew Anderson (No. 1) defeated Jason Belmonte, 2–1 Match 1: Jason Belmonte (No. 3) defeated Anthony Simonsen (No. 4), 269–259 Match 1: Match 2: Jason Belmonte defeated Marshall Kent (No. 2), 278–221 Match 2: Match 3: Andrew Anderson (No. 1) defeated Jason Belmonte, 2–1 Match 3:

PBA

Article thumbnail image

PBA Tour Finals 2025: Tackett and Anderson Lead Positioning Rounds

The final PBA Tour title of the 2025 season is on the line this weekend in Pennsylvania, where the top eight point leaders from the 2024 and 2025 seasons are competing in the PBA Tour Finals. On Saturday, the players were split into two groups based on their points standings. Group 1 included EJ Tackett, Bill O’Neill, Kyle Troup, and Graham Fach. Group 2 featured Anthony Simonsen, Jason Belmonte, Andrew Anderson, and Marshall Kent. Each group bowled two games on dual oil patterns—46-foot Petraglia on the left lane and 40-foot Monacelli on the right. The two lowest scorers were placed as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds for Sunday’s stepladder. The top two advanced to a one-game match to determine seeding for the final. In Group 1, Tackett led the pack with 266 in his first game and stayed consistent to finish with a total of 488. Fach followed closely with 460 to join him in the seeding match, where Tackett rolled 258 to Fach’s 211 to claim the top seed. O’Neill and Troup will open Sunday’s Group 1 stepladder at 5 p.m. ET. The winner will face Fach, and then meet Tackett in a Race-to-Two match. Group 2 saw a standout performance from Andrew Anderson, who started with a 279 and followed it with 206 for a 485 series. Marshall Kent secured second with 452, while Belmonte and Simonsen struggled to keep pace. Anderson edged out Kent in the seeding match, 193–191, and now waits for the winner of the Group 2 stepladder starting at 7 p.m. ET. Belmonte and Simonsen will face off in the opener, with the winner moving on to face Kent. The two stepladder winners will meet in the championship match at 9 p.m. ET. All matches will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, which recently signed a new two-year agreement with the PBA beginning in 2026. new two-year agreement with the PBA beginning in 2026 new two-year agreement with the PBA beginning in 2026

PBA