EJ Tackett’s home can now be called the nest of Eagles, as a second The Eagle trophy has landed in the Tackett household. He triumphed at the 2025 U.S. Open, presented by Go Bowling!, held at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis, defeating No. 1 seed Andrew Anderson 238-184 to secure the season’s first major title and a $100,000 prize.

The first 2025 U.S. Open stepladder finals match featured two bowlers who, together, have three U.S. Open titles—No. 5 seed and yesterday's preliminary stepladder finals winner Anthony Simonsen against the only man in the finals who has won this tournament twice: 2016 and 2019 U.S. Open champion François Lavoie.

While Simonsen started with a triple, Lavoie began the televised finals with a strike followed by four spares, giving an early but fragile lead to Simonsen. However, it didn’t last long, as Simonsen left an unfortunate 7-10 split in the sixth frame and an 8-10 in the seventh, instantly erasing his lead and putting himself in the role of the chaser.

Sensing the opportunity, Lavoie seized the momentum, striking five times between frames 7 and 10 to secure a 246-206 victory and advance to the next match.

In Stepladder Match 2, François Lavoie stepped onto the lanes to face Chris Via, the 2021 U.S. Open champion. Via is certainly not an easy opponent, and Lavoie made his task even harder by opening the match with a 4-6-10 split, followed by two 10-pin spares in frames two and three.

While Lavoie was still searching for his first strike, Via got off to a strong start with a triple in the first three frames, followed by a 7-pin spare, taking an early 31-pin lead. Lavoie then switched to a Storm DNA Coil, which resulted in five straight strikes. However, Via responded with a six-bagger of his own, and despite leaving an open frame in the tenth, the 32-year-old secured a 238-226 victory to advance to the 2025 U.S. Open semifinals.

The semifinal encounter between Chris Via and 2023 U.S. Open winner and 2023/2024 Player of the Year EJ Tackett didn’t unfold as tensely as fans had anticipated.

Both players started with a strike, but Via then left a split and knocked down only four pins on his first shot in the third frame. He recovered with a spare, but Tackett was unstoppable, stringing together strikes in his home state. He quickly built a 44-pin lead after four frames at the bowling alley he knows so well—one that holds fond memories of his 2023 U.S. Open victory.

Tackett’s strong start gave him momentum as he continued sending pins flying across the deck, adding two more strikes before heading into the commercial break with a six-bagger on the scoreboard. After the break, Via opened with another missed frame, making the rest of the match little more than a formality. Eventually, EJ Tackett secured his spot in the title match with a dominant 245-152 victory.

In an all-one-handed title match, No. 1 seed Anderson started strong with a strike, while Tackett opened with back-to-back stone 9 pins, immediately testing his nerves. Although he converted both spares, he needed to focus not only on making adjustments but also on controlling his emotions. Tackett finally struck in the third frame, spared in the fourth, and struck again in the fifth.

Meanwhile, Anderson was on a striking run but stumbled in the fifth frame with an open after leaving a tricky 1-5-7-8 combination. He then experienced Tackett’s earlier frustration by leaving a stone 9 of his own. Seizing the opportunity, Tackett strung together three strikes in a row, extending his lead to 25 pins by the seventh frame.

But it wasn’t just Tackett’s strikes widening the gap—Anderson spared in the seventh and then left an open frame in the eighth, falling 55 pins behind. Tackett closed out the match comfortably in the final two frames, securing a decisive 238-184 victory.

The 2025 U.S. Open is a joint effort between the United States Bowling Congress and the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America. It is recognized as a major event on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour and stands as one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sport.

Total of 108 bowling players competed in this year's U.S. Open at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.

The total prize fund for the 2025 U.S. Open was $301,750.

2025 U.S. Open Stepladder Finals Scores:

• Match 1: No. 5 Anthony Simonsen - No. 4 François Lavoie, 206-246
• Match 2: No. 4 François Lavoie - No. 3 Chris Via, 226-238
• Match 3: No. 3 Chris Via - No. 2 EJ Tackett, 152-245
• Match 4: No. 6 Tom Daugherty - No. 1 Andrew Anderson, 238-184