May 3, 2022 Jef Goodger

 

The four remaining players battle for a spot in the championship match to take place May 15

 

The 2022 Kia PBA Playoffs are down to the last four players—two former Playoffs champions, one Hall of Famer and one man looking to win his first ever Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour title—and air live on FOX Broadcast Channel Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

The semifinals matches will be contested in the Race to 2 Points format, with one point going to the winner of each game. If the players are tied at one point apiece, the deciding point will be awarded to the winner of a 9th/10th-frame roll-off.

No. 5 Kris Prather vs. No. 9 Kyle Troup
There will be a former champion in the title match of the Kia PBA Playoffs. The inaugural PBA Playoffs Champion (Prather) and the defending champion (Troup) will compete for that opportunity on Sunday. Prather made it to the semifinals with two sweeps, taking out Brad Miller in two games and then eliminating Dom Barrett in a high-scoring quarterfinals match, with Prather winning 279-248 and 278-268.

Troup took out Sean Rash in the Round of 16, two games to none, then swept the other player to win this event in its three-year history, 2020 champion Bill O’Neill.

Prather is looking to win his sixth PBA Tour title and second of the season while Troup is attempting to win title number nine, which would break the tie at eight he currently holds with his father, Guppy.

No. 6 Tommy Jones vs. No. 10 AJ Johnson
The first semifinal match features two players who have not gone to a roll-off yet in the 2022 Kia PBA Playoffs, but this one is a duel between two players who both won a roll-off in the quarterfinals to advance. After eliminating Kyle Sherman in the opening round, 2-0, Tommy Jones needed a roll-off—and rolled a perfect score of 60—to get past Jesper Svensson in the quarterfinals.

AJ Johnson was almost perfect in his roll-off win over Shawn Maldonado in the quarterfinals, with Johnson posting 59 to Maldonado’s 40. In the opening round, Johnson swept Jakob Butturff in two games.

Johnson hopes to make the Kia PBA Playoffs his first PBA Tour title while Jones is hoping to add number 21 to his Hall of Fame career.

The winners of these two matches will meet May 15 in the championship match, live at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Channel. The championship match will be a Race to 3 Points contest. If the players are tied at two apiece after four games, a 9th/10th-frame roll-off will decide the champion.

The winner of the Kia PBA Playoffs will earn $100,000, a Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour title and a custom WWE championship title belt.

Kia PBA Playoffs Remaining Television Schedule

Sunday, May 8 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX – Semifinals
No. 5 Kris Prather vs. No. 9 Kyle Troup
No. 6 Tommy Jones vs. No. 10 AJ Johnson

Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX – Championship
Winner of Prather/Troup vs. Winner of Jones/Johnson

Purchase tickets to watch the Kia PBA Playoffs semifinals LIVE in person

Kia PBA Playoffs Champions Since 2019

2019 – Kris Prather
2020 – Bill O’Neill
2021 – Kyle Troup

About the PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2020, the PBA launched PBA Jr., a club for elite youth bowlers under the age of 17 and the PBA Pinsiders, a membership for fans of the sport. For more information, please visit PBA.com.