April 12, 2023 Nolan Hughes

As the Guaranteed Rate World Series of Bowling XIV rolled onto PBA Scorpion Championship qualifying, the two leading candidates for PBA Player of the Year rose to the top.

At Bowlero Wauwatosa outside of Milwaukee, EJ Tackett and Anthony Simonsen occupy the top two positions through 10 games on the 42-foot Scorpion pattern. Tackett leads with a total pinfall of 2,274 (+274), eclipsing Simonsen by nine pins.

Fittingly at the WSOB, England’s Stu Williams, Sweden’s Jesper Svensson and Finland’s Santtu Tahvanainen round out the top five, each averaging over 225.

PBA World Championship qualifying consists of scores from the PBA Cheetah, Scorpion and Shark Championships. After all 60 games of qualifying, the top 12 players will advance to a round-robin match play round.

Through 30 games, Tackett (+993) leads BJ Moore by 100 pins for the pole position. Nathan Bohr (+738) sits in 12th place through six rounds.

Competition resumes Wednesday at noon ET. The finalists of the PBA Scorpion Championship will be determined following the third and fourth rounds of qualifying on Wednesday.

PBA Shark Championship qualifying begins on Thursday.

PBA Scorpion Championship Round 2 Leaders

  1. EJ Tackett, 2,274 (+274)
  2. Anthony Simonsen, 2,265 (+265)
  3. Stu Williams, 2,258 (+258)
  4. Jesper Svensson, 2,257 (+257)
  5. Santtu Tahvanainen, 2,252 (+252)
  6. Matt Russo, 2,250 (+250)
  7. Marshall Kent, 2,244 (+244)
  8. Bill O’Neill, 2,239 (+239)
  9. Shawn Maldonado, 2,233 (+233)
  10. Brian Robinson, 2,229 (+229)

Full PBA Scorpion Championship standings are available here.

PBA World Championship Round 6 Leaders

  1. EJ Tackett, 6,993 (+993)
  2. BJ Moore, 6,893 (+893)
  3. Anthony Simonsen, 6,888 (+888)
  4. Santtu Tahvanainen, 6,863 (+863)
  5. Jakob Butturff, 6,482 (+842)
  6. Jesper Svensson, 6,816 (+816)
  7. James Blomgren, 6,816 (+816)
  8. Bill O’Neill, 6,782 (+782)
  9. Shawn Maldonado, 6,748 (+748)
  10. Chris Via , 6,747 (+747)
  11. Jake Peters, 6,746 (+746)
  12. Nathan Bohr, 6,738 (+738)

Full PBA World Championship standings are available here.

WSOB XIV Schedule

All times listed in Eastern.

Wednesday, April 12
Noon — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
7 p.m. — Scorpion Championship Qualifying Round 4 (five games)

Thursday, April 13
Noon — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 1 (five games)
7 p.m. — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 2 (five games)

Friday, April 14
Noon — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 3 (five games)
7 p.m. — Shark Championship Qualifying Round 4 (five games)

Saturday, April 15
2:30 p.m. on FOX — USA vs. The World Day 1
Tickets are available here.

Sunday, April 16
Noon on FS1 — USA vs. The World Finals
Tickets are available here.

Monday, April 17
7 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Cheetah Championship Finals
Tickets are available here.

Tuesday, April 18
7 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Scorpion Championship Finals
Tickets are available here.

Wednesday, April 19
7 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Shark Championship Finals
Tickets are available here.

Thursday, April 20
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship Match Play Round 1 (six games)
2:30 p.m. — PBA World Championship Match Play Round 2 (six games)

Sunday, April 23
Noon on FOX — PBA World Championship Finals
Tickets are available here.