April 4, 2026 Nolan Hughes

Belmonte captains World to third straight PBA USA vs. The World victory

For the third straight time in the PBA USA vs. The World event, the international stars dominated the Americans.

Captain Jason Belmonte led the World to a triumphant victory, winning three of four matches at Columbus Square Bowling Palace in Ohio.

In the singles match, Belmonte got the better of EJ Tackett in a battle between team captains.

Belmonte fell behind early after an open in his second frame, while Tackett started with five strikes. However, Belmonte responded with 10 straight strikes to shoot 268.

Tackett needed a double in his 10th frame to win the match — the same task he needed in each of his 2023 and 2025 PBA World Championship victories over Belmonte.

But this time, the 9-pin denied Tackett a win.

 

The Americans even the match as Anthony Simonsen and Ethan Fiore took care of Jesper Svensson and Graham Fach in the doubles match, 220-210.

Fach and Fiore each struggled on the right lane, and Simonsen put together a pair of strikes in the final frame to ultimately secure the win.

The World took the first team game, in which all four players rotate bowling each frame.

Tackett and Andrew Anderson each had an open frame, while the World stayed clean to take the first of two team games by a 235-202 margin.

With the total score serving as a potential tiebreaker, the World’s 235-202 margin in the third match forced the Americans to not only win the final match, but win by at least 34 pins.

The Americans started the second team game with four straight strikes, but Simonsen’s pocket 7-9 split in the fifth frame sapped the team of all momentum.

Tackett’s 7-pin leave in the eighth frame put the Americans’ comeback hopes to bed as the World stuck on nine of 11 shots in the final game.

Colby Barrett, Dom's son, threw the 12th shot as the World had already clinched the match.

 

The PBA season continues with the Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic finals on Sunday.

The stepladder finals, featuring Tackett and top seed Ryan Barnes, will air at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, April 5 on The CW.

Match Results

Match 1 (Singles): Belmonte def. Tackett, 268-258-235
Match 2 (Doubles): Fiore/Simonsen def. Svensson/Fach, 220-210
Match 3 (Team): World def. USA, 235-202
Match 4 (Team): World def. USA, 244-232
Total score: World def. USA, 957-912

Final Results
  1. World: Jason Belmonte (captain), Dom Barrett, Jesper Svensson and Graham Fach, $15,000 each
  2. USA: EJ Tackett (captain), Andrew Anderson, Ethan Fiore and Anthony Simonsen, $7,500 each