March 2, 2022 Nolan Hughes

Following the PBA’s signature event, the Kia PBA Tournament of Champions, at the most historic lanes in bowling, AMF Riviera Lanes, much has changed in the points race. But the more things change, the more they stay the same—at least at the top of the list.

1. Jason Belmonte - 18,325
Belmonte continues to lead the pack in the points race by a considerable margin. Belmonte aimed to make his fifth consecutive TOC show, and 10th in 11 seasons, but came up short. He entered the final round of match play trailing the fifth seed, Shawn Maldonado, by just 34 pins, but couldn’t string consistent high scores to make up the ground. However, Belmonte did post his 11th consecutive top-10 finish at the TOC.

2. Anthony Simonsen - 13,705
Already the youngest player to win three major titles at just 25 years old, Simonsen looked to extend his record with a fourth major title at the TOC. After earning the top seed in 2021 and the two-seed in 2020, falling to the eventual champions, he had redemption on his mind as well. Ultimately, he missed the show by 109 pins and collected a sixth-place finish, trimming his deficit behind Belmonte ever so slightly.

3. Dom Barrett - 13,560
A strong 2022 season quickly turned into a historic one for Barrett. With his TOC victory, he became the eighth player in PBA history to win the Triple Crown, and the first European. He attributed his success to not thinking ahead; that’s when bad things happen, he said. Since COVID, Barrett has experienced what he calls an “unforced break.” Mired in an 18-month slump, he has been unable to develop a consistent practice schedule back home in England. As he struggled to get his swing into place, he developed nagging injuries in places where he hadn’t before. Before the TOC, he had not won a PBA title since 2019. A major title moved Barrett into third in the 2022 points list, but he was already inside the top five. It’s safe to say his slump is officially over.

4. EJ Tackett - 12,310
A ninth-place finish at the TOC secured Tackett’s fourth consecutive top-10 finish of 2022. His steadiness has enabled him to sit within striking distance of the points lead, even without a title.

Ben Glascock, who runs the Ten Pin Life YouTube channel, mic’d up Tackett during the second round of qualifying at the TOC.

5. Sean Rash - 10,295
Rash earned his third consecutive TOC telcast appearance last weekend, the longest active streak on tour, while in pursuit of his first major title since the 2012 TOC. His six TOC championship rounds since 2012 are the second most of any player—you’ll never guess who he trails—and twice more than a quintet of players with three.

6. Kris Prather - 8,515
Prather has developed an unparalleled comfort at AMF Riviera Lanes. He won the event in 2020, the last time it was held at the iconic venue, and led qualifying this year. But he wasn’t able to replicate the magic he produced on the 2020 show, falling to Barrett in the title match as repeated nine-counts plagued his bid for a second TOC title in three years.

Single-game matches are a fickle beast. Prather bowled a “physically and mentally great game,” as he described it, but the bowling gods just weren’t on his side Sunday afternoon.

7. Tommy Jones - 8,060
PBA Hall of Fame induction weekends bring out the best in Jones. Two years ago, the day after his own induction, he bowled a 300 in the title match of the Hall of Fame Classic. The perfect game secured his 20th career title, and a bear hug from Wes Malott, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame himself this year, prophetically captured the moment.

Jones has been lights out in majors this season, finishing in the top six in all three majors and making two championship-round appearances. He’ll aim to carry that success into the World Series of Bowling, where a World Championship title would complete the Triple Crown for Jones.

8. Kyle Troup - 7,125
Troup cut his rank in half with a seventh-place TOC finish, climbing from the playoff bubble to the top 10. He made the show three times at last year’s World Series of Bowling (Doubles, Scorpion and World Championship), but will look to take home a trophy this year. His next PBA title will be his ninth, breaking the tie with his father, Guppy.

9. Bill O’Neill - 6,745
O’Neill has been—wait for it—keep waiting—one more second—the Real Deal this season. Much like many players in this region, he has found consistent success, but O’Neill hasn’t been able to break through with a championship round appearance since the East Region finals of the Players Championship.

10. Jake Peters - 6,710
Peters slipped from sixth to 10th overall after missing the match play cut at the TOC by 55 pins. But the weekend wasn’t a total loss for the 32-year-old, as he accepted the 2021 Steve Nagy Sportsmanship award to a standing ovation.

11. Tom Daugherty - 6,680
Other than an off performance in Jackson, Daugherty has been remarkably consistent this season. He’s earned at least 1,280 points in the other four events, but has yet to break through with a championship-round appearance.

12. Shawn Maldonado - 6,230
Maldonado snagged the fifth seed for the TOC show, then survived perhaps the most perplexing conclusion to a match we’ll see all year against Jones. Barrett cut the 36-year-old’s bid for a first career major title short, but a third-place finish boosts Maldonado inside the current PBA Playoffs cut.

13. Jesper Svensson - 5,885
Svensson has been the top left-hander on tour this season by a significant margin; the next-highest lefty, Jakob Butturff, ranks 30th with 4,240 points. Although, outside of his title in Jackson, Svensson has collected just 885 points.

14. Kyle Sherman - 5,755
Sherman flirted with making the show at the TOC, but ultimately took home a 13th-place finish. His solid performance catapulted him up the rankings, from 25th to inside the current Playoffs cut.

15. Nick Pate - 5,750
Pate sits inside the current PBA Playoffs cut despite missing two of the season’s three majors to date. If he had competed and made the first cut in each, he’d sit ahead of Troup in eighth place on the season; if he had done anything close to his top-four performances in the Storm Cup events, he could be well inside the top five.

But those points—like the ones on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”—are made up and the points don't matter. The Minnesota native will invade enemy territory at the World Series of Bowling, which begins this week in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

16. AJ Johnson - 5,670
Like Pate, Johnson was not able to escape the PTQ round of the Tournament of Champions. But holding onto the last PBA Playoffs spot without the benefit of a major’s weighted points is a testament to Johnson’s achievements earlier this season.

17. Matt Ogle - 5,650
His 16th place at the TOC elevated Ogle into the thick of the playoff race. He had been on the fringes of the race since his 14th-place finish in Jackson. The 2019 Mark Roth/Marshall Holman Doubles champion will look to add a second doubles title to his résumé this weekend.

18. François Lavoie - 5,425
His strong start to the 2022 season buoyed his dismal performances in the Storm Cup events. A 23rd-place finish at the TOC allowed him to maintain his rank in 18th, but he’ll need more performances like his 13th-place showing at the U.S. Open to get back into the Playoffs cut.

19. Wes Malott - 5,390
The newest member of the Hall of Fame hoped to make a Jones-esque run at the TOC, but Malott settled for a 12th-place finish. He jumped 10 spots in the points rankings and will look to continue his ascent at the World Series of Bowling.

20. Arturo Quintero - 5,330
Quintero did not compete at the TOC, and subsequently fell eight spots in the rankings.

Dropped outside the top-20: Brad Miller, Packy Hanrahan, DJ Archer, Sam Cooley, Brandon Novak