Qualifying is officially complete at the 2026 Groupon PBA Illinois Classic, and the 96-player field has now been cut to the top 32 players advancing at David Small’s Victory Lanes in Decatur, Illinois.
After evening's A squad, the defending champion Santtu Tahvanainen took the lead in Round 2.
After sitting second overall following the first eight games, the Brunswick Ballmaster Open champion increased his scoring in the second block even more and finished with 3,882 total pins to claim the top position heading into Thursday’s Advancers Round.
Anthony Simonsen, who also had an amazing run in Round 2, finished just five pins behind in second place with 3,877.
Boog Krol, the Round 1 leader, settled into third with 3,857. EJ Tackett secured fourth with 3,791, followed by Matt Ogle in fifth at 3,770.
AJ Chapman claimed sixth with 3,726, Michael Davidson took seventh with 3,721, Nate Purches finished eighth with 3,700, Deo Benard placed ninth with 3,698, and Jake Peters rounded out the top ten with 3,676.
The top 32 players now move on to Thursday’s six-game Advancers Round at 12 p.m. ET, which will determine the 24 players advancing to elimination match play.
Elimination match play begins Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET, with each match contested in a best-of-seven format.
The winners of each bracket, along with the highest-seeded loser in the Round of 8, will advance to the stepladder finals.
The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on The CW.
