The first eight games of round robin match play are complete at the PBA Players Championship, and the race toward the stepladder finals is getting tighter.
Only five players will advance to Sunday’s stepladder finals at the first major of the 2026 PBA Tour season.
After 38 games, EJ Tackett remains in control. He maintained his lead and now sits at 8,851 total pins with a 229 average. He holds a 130-pin advantage over second place and is the only player who can feel relatively safe heading into the final eight match play games.
Behind him, the battle is wide open.
Graham Fach moved into second place with 8,719. Spencer Robarge is third with 8,662, followed closely by Brandon Bonta in fourth at 8,658. Tim Foy Jr. currently holds the fifth and final stepladder position with 8,620.
Andrew Anderson is just three pins behind the cut in sixth place with 8,617. Jesper Svensson follows in seventh at 8,611, while Matthew Ogle sits eighth with 8,609. BJ Moore is ninth with 8,598.
The margin between second place and ninth place is just over 120 pins. With 30 bonus pins awarded for every match play win, the standings can change quickly.
Further down the standings, Bill O’Neill is 10th with 8,489. Brad Miller stands 11th at 8,471. Sam Cooley holds 12th place with 8,448. Nicholas Pate is 13th at 8,399. Shawn Maldonado sits 14th with 8,361. Mitch Hupé follows in 15th at 8,334. CJ Petrin rounds out the top 16 with 8,310.
With eight more games of round robin match play remaining, the pressure continues to build. The stepladder field is not set yet, and with bonus points still in play, the final positions for Sunday’s televised finals remain open. The second Match Play block will start at 6 p.m. CST.
The stepladder finals of the PBA Players Championship are set for Sunday at 3 p.m. CST on The CW.
