The Shark pattern brought the final animal pattern test at the PBA World Series of Bowling XVII, and it also closed the qualification of the PBA World Championship, fourth and final major tournament of the season.
The top seed at the fourth and final animal pattern went to 46-year-old Ronnie Russell.
The four-time PBA Tour champion, whose most recent title came at the 2016 PBA Team Challenge in Las Vegas, led the PBA Shark Championship qualifying after 10 games and topped the 12-player field advancing to the single-elimination finals.
Russell finished with 2,366 pins, ahead of Chris Via, who took second with 2,337. 2026 U.S. Open champion Patrick Dombrowski was third with 2,318, while Brandon Bonta, who won the first major of the season, completed the top four with 2,310.
Those four players earned a one-round bye for the finals, which will air Tuesday, May 12 on CBS Sports Network.
The result came as a bit of a surprise for Russell himself, especially after had decided that this would be his final season as a full-time touring professional. While he may still bowl selected majors, Russell is expected to step away from the weekly grind and make more room for the next generation on tour.
That decision seemed to take some pressure off his shoulders, especially in the second five-game block. Russell posted 1,213 pins with games of 246, 256, 230, 246, and 235, finishing 29 pins ahead of Chris Via.
EJ Tackett finished fifth with 2,299, followed by Hayden Stippich in sixth with 2,290. Tobias Börding placed seventh with 2,282, while Packy Hanrahan took eighth with 2,281.
Tommy Jones qualified ninth with 2,265, followed by PBA Tournament of Champions winner Alex Horton in tenth with 2,259. Kyle Sherman finished 11th with 2,254, while Mitch Hupé secured the final advancing spot in 12th with 2,253.
Zac Tackett was the first player outside the cut. He finished 13th with 2,237, missing the top 12 by 16 pins.
Full Shark Championship qualifying results can be found here.
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The first bracket stage will decide the four players who move into the Shark Championship round on Tuesday, May 12.
The PBA Shark 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 Packy Hanrahan vs. No. 9 Tommy Jones
- No. 5 EJ Tackett vs. No. 12 Mitch Hupé
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Game 2
- No. 7 Tobias Börding vs. No. 10 Alex Horton
- No. 6 Hayden Stippich vs. No. 11 Kyle Sherman
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Game 3
- No. 1 Ronnie Russell vs. Hanrahan/Jones winner
- No. 4 Brandon Bonta vs. Tackett/Hupé winner
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Game 4
- No. 2 Chris Via vs. Börding/Horton winner
- No. 3 Patrick Dombrowski vs. Stippich/Sherman winner
With the Shark qualifying block finished, PBA World Championship qualifying is also over after 40 games across the four animal patterns.
EJ Tackett maintained his lead at the PBA World Championship standings with 9,042 pins. Chris Via finished second with 8,991, followed by PBA Players Championship winner Brandon Bonta in third with 8,898. Jason Sterner is fourth with 8,884, while Bill O’Neill rounds out the top five with 8,864. Full standings can be found here.
The top third of the field advanced to the PBA World Championship Advancers Round. The final advancing spot went to 2026 USBC Master champion Boog Krol, who finished 40th with 8,584 pins across 40 games.
From here, 10 more games will decide the 16-player match play field for the PBA World Championship.
After 66 total games, the top nine players will advance 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.
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)
