Newbies Shine in PBA Tournament of Champions
Six first-time winners have emerged this season on the PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling.
Two of them — rookie Brandon Bonta and Canadian Zach Wilkins — pace the field after two qualifying rounds in their debut PBA Tournament of Champions.
Bonta leads the 72-player field, averaging more than 241 for his opening dozen games at AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio.
Wilkins ranks second with Tim Foy Jr., Kris Prather and Mitch Hupé rounding out the top five.
Four-time TOC champion Jason Belmonte, returning from a two-week absence, ranks 11th after two rounds.
EJ Tackett, the three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year, is in 16th place.
Ohio native Michael Davidson sits in 24th place, which will be the cut number after Thursday’s third round of qualifying. Davidson is averaging 220.08.
Defending champion Jesper Svensson withdrew from the event with an illness.
This year’s 61st TOC marks the 37th time Riviera has hosted the major championship.
The 10th tournament of the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling also the final PBA Championship Sunday on The CW of the season.
The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.
Bonta, one of three first-year players to win a title this season, is making a case for the greatest rookie season in PBA history.
He won the season-opening PBA Players Championship by climbing the stepladder, defeating top-seeded Tackett, and shooting a televised perfect game.
Weeks later, he broke the single-season rookie earnings record by surpassing Ryan Barnes’ total from last season. Bonta also finished sixth in the Masters, one spot shy of the finals.
“It's pretty awesome being able to bowl on tour, it's a dream come true for me,” Bonta said. “This year has been, once again, an absolute dream come true. Being able to win a major in the first tournament of the year, and traveling with my friends and living out our dream together has been awesome. Then being able to bowl well here and lead after Day 1 of the PBA Tournament of Champions is pretty special.”
During the tour season, Bonta rooms with two former college teammates in Barnes and TJ Rock, fellow rookie CJ Petrin, and Eric Jones, who is the youngest of the group but also boasts four years of tour experience.
“It's been the best choice that I think I've made on tour this season,” Bonta said. “I know that it's an individual sport, but I wanted to room with guys that make it feel like a team. After we get done bowling, it's straight smiles and laughs. It keeps all of us loose, even if we’re bowling badly. It really lightens the mood, and it makes bowling out here a little less stressful.”
Wilkins, who won his first career title in Sunday’s Owen's Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship with AJ Chapman, said he is riding the adrenaline and the momentum from last week.
He said he had to calm himself down during practice prior to the first round of qualifying.
“I’m trying to process this, like, I’m in the TOC right now. This is unbelievable,” Wilkins said. “I texted my coach that I needed to calm my heart rate down.”
Wilkins said he has noticed, during his career, how players have performed the week after a win.
“Their demeanor, their attitude, they are just as locked in as the week before when they won,” Wilkins said. “I’m trying to use that mentality with my own twist on it to stay locked in and keep trusting my own process.”
Qualifying concludes with six games beginning Thursday at 11 a.m. ET.
The top 24 players will advance to round-robin match play, starting Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
Two more match play rounds on Friday will solidify the five-player field for the championship round.
The five players with the most pins after 42 games are completed on Friday will advance to Sunday’s stepladder finals, airing live at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.
All qualifying rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.
This week’s 40-foot oil pattern is named in honor of Don Johnson, the PBA Hall of Famer who famously shot 299 on lanes 27-28 at AMF Riviera Lanes during the 1970 Firestone Tournament of Champions title match.
Round 2 Leaders | 12 Games
- Brandon Bonta, 2,893 total pinfall, 241.08 average
- Zach Wilkins, 2,849, 237.42
- Tim Foy Jr., 2,815, 234.58
- Kris Prather, 2,804, 233.67
- Mitch Hupé, 2,778, 231.50
- BJ Moore, 2,765, 230.42
- Chris Via, 2,752, 229.33
- Darren Tang, 2,739, 228.25
- Brett Lloyd, 2,726, 227.17
- Santtu Tahvanainen, 2,716, 226.33
Complete standings are available here.
Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern
Thursday, April 23 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games)
6 p.m. — Round-Robin Match Play Round 1 (six games)
Thursday, April 24 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Round-Robin Match Play Round 2 (six games)
6 p.m. — Round-Robin Match Play Round 3 (six games)
Sunday, April 26 — The CW
4 p.m. — PBA Tournament of Champions finals
More information on the PBA Tournament of Champions is available here.