Another year has come and gone. We are back where European bowling shines brightest - Helsingborg, Sweden. On Friday, August 22, the long-awaited Storm Lucky Larsen Masters 2025 begins on the Swedish Riviera.
At least 360 bowlers from 25 countries have already registered for this year’s
event, promising to be the biggest open bowling event of the year.
Bowlers from around the world come for the elite competition, a
prize fund exceeding $130,000, and the only chance outside the U.S. to compete
for a PBA Tour title.
Spots are filling fast, so if you want a chance to lift the trophy, grab a spot now.
The format
Competitors bowl six qualifying games. Unlike other PBA Tour events, unlimited re-entries are allowed during the qualification stages. After qualification, the field is cut to the top 55.
The top 25 advance straight to Final Step 2. The other 30 bowl a six-game scratch block in Final Step 1 to decide the top 15 who move on. In Final Step 2, 40 players bowl six games scratch to determine the top 16.
From there, the top 16 bowl one three-game total-pinfall match in the 1/8-Finals and 1/4-Finals to decide the four semi-finalists. Single-game matches in the semi-finals and final determine the champion and PBA Tour title winner.
Players to watch
With a PBA Tour title on the line, top bowlers are coming from around the world. Beyond Sweden’s neighbors, large delegations from the USA, Germany, Italy, France, and Belgium are expected. Still, local players who know Olympia Bowling may hold an edge. Well, at least that's what that happened last year with all-Swedish final. Here are the names to take both eyes on this year.
Jesper Svensson
Jesper Svensson returns to Helsingborg as the defending champion. Last year, the Swedish superstar finally earned redemption on home soil, winning the 2024 Storm Lucky Larsen Masters.
Svensson defeated fellow Swede Teodor Samuelsson in a tense final, 257-238, to claim his 12th career PBA title - arguably the sweetest of them all. A year has passed, and the Iceman did not hibernate. He closed the 2025 PBA Tour season strong, winning his second career TOC title and the PBA Playoffs.
As if he needed more motivation at Olympia Bowling, Jesper’s Swedish Elitserien team, Team Pergamon, lost the title to Team Clan this year. Jesper didn’t dominate in the finals like he used to, giving him extra motivation to prove he’s still the boss in Sweden.
Andrew Anderson
This year, 30-year-old Andrew Anderson had a renaissance season on the PBA Tour. The right-hander won the PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic and the PBA Tour Finals, and he was just a few shots away from winning the 2025 U.S. Open.
Even more important, he was steady all season and a constant threat. He was
one of the few who got the better of Player of the Year EJ Tackett, winning
two of their three meetings for the title.
Moreover, Swedish lanes
are familiar territory for Anderson. He bowls for
IS Göta in Swedish
Elitserien and knows every lane at Olympia Bowling.
Antonino Fiorentino
When organizers announced a long oil pattern for SLLM 2025, one name came to
mind. Antonino Fiorentino dominated on long patterns this year while many
struggled. He became the only Italian bowler to win
European titles in Singles, Doubles, and Trios this summer, and he returns to Helsingborg ready to make noise.
In addition,
earlier in the year, he also reached the
podium at the Brunswick Ballmaster Open
in Helsinki.
Ryan Barnes & Ethan Fiore
Two of the most exciting young players to watch this season will be in
Helsingborg. The new generation is coming ready to battle for the title.
Barnes and Fiore met in the 2025
PBA Players Championship, where 20-year-old Ethan Fiore captured his first PBA Tour title - and a
major - becoming the second-youngest major champion in PBA history.
Ryan Barnes, meanwhile, became the first rookie to qualify for the
PBA Playoffs. Fiore finished 8th and Barnes 11th in PBA Tour points.
They
might be young, but their potential is unlimited. Anyone who underestimates
them would be making a huge mistake.
Robin Ilhammar
If the USA brings Ryan and Ethan to Helsingborg, Sweden has its own youth
stars to showcase. Last year, Robin Ilhammar came close to the finals but fell
in Final Step 4, losing to runner-up Teodor Samuelsson in a roll-off.
Since then, Ilhammar has dominated nearly every event he entered.
Titles at the
10th Brunswick Madrid Challenge,
IBF Youth World Cup, and
European Men’s Bowling Championships
speak for themselves.
Now, the rising star returns to SLLM to finish what he started and to keep a remarkable summer going by making the finals. Or win the title. Ilhammar is a dark horse at SLLM 2025; keep an eye on him.
Tun Hakim
Malaysia has been a bowling powerhouse for years. A strong national program,
modern venues, and deep competition from youth to seniors have produced many
top players.
In March, national team leader Tun Hakim became the
first Malaysian to win a PBA Tour title,
taking the Chameleon Championship. He will be the only Malaysian in Helsingborg.
He knows what it
takes to win a PBA title; the Swedish Riviera could suit him again.
One thing is certain - anything can happen at the Storm Lucky Larsen Masters. Will we see a new champion or a repeat winner? Will four Swedes make the finals again? We will find out soon enough.
The Storm Lucky Larsen Masters takes place at Olympia Bowling from August 22-31 in Helsingborg, Sweden.
