February 17, 2026 Nolan Hughes

The first 12 games of the 2026 PBA Tour are in the books following the opening two rounds of the PBA Players Championship.

Shawn Maldonado paced the major championship field, averaging more than 240. Across two oil patterns — 37-foot Viper for the first round and 50-foot Badger for the second round — Maldonado racked up a total pinfall of 2,886 (+486).

“It's a great feeling,” Maldonado said after leading. “I really had no expectations coming into the first event. Normally in the first event, I'm trying to sharpen up. Being able to lead, that's a good sign for me.”

EJ Tackett, the three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year, sits in second place. DeeRonn Booker, Trevor Roberts and Graham Fach, who won the season-opener in 2025, round out the top five.

Defending champion Ethan Fiore sits in seventh place.

Tackett’s performance on Tuesday, as well as during Sunday’s Captains Match win over Jason Belmonte, proved his work in the offseason paid off.

“With the success that I've had over the past few years, I know guys are going to work a little bit harder to prepare,” Tackett said. “They want to beat me. It's the same way I felt about Jason (Belmonte). I know that I have to continue to put the work in to compete with everybody else. If I stop working, I'm going to get passed by really, really fast.”

The major championship continues with six more games on Viper at 12 p.m. ET, followed by six games on Badger at 7 p.m. ET. After all 24 games of qualifying, the field will be trimmed to the top 32 players.

Zach Weidman currently occupies 32nd place with a pinfall of 2,604, a 217 per game pace.

Following Friday’s match play rounds, the top five players will advance to the stepladder finals. The first PBA Championship Sunday on The CW will be Sunday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. ET.

All qualifying rounds are available to watch on BowlTV.

Round 2 Leaders
  1. Shawn Maldonado, 2,886 total pinfall, 240.50 avg
  2. EJ Tackett, 2,815, 234.58
  3. DeeRonn Booker, 2,788, 232.33
  4. Trevor Roberts, 2,774, 231.17
  5. Graham Fach, 2,762, 230.17
  6. Mitch Hupé, 2,728, 227.33
  7. Ethan Fiore, 2,719, 226.58
  8. Nick Pate, 2,698, 224.83
  9. Tim Foy Jr., 2,694, 224.50
  10. Matt Ogle, 2,689, 224.08

Full standings are available here.

PBA Players Championship Schedule

Wednesday, Feb. 18 — BowlTV
12 p.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games; 37-foot Viper oil pattern)
7 p.m. — Qualifying Round 4 (six games; 50-foot Badger oil pattern)

Thursday, Feb. 19 — BowlTV
7 p.m. — Advancers (six games; dual Viper and Badger oil patterns)

Friday, Feb. 20 — BowlTV
12 p.m. — Match Play Round 1 (eight games; dual Viper and Badger oil patterns)
7 p.m. — Match Play Round 2 (eight games; dual Viper and Badger oil patterns)

Saturday, Feb. 21 — BowlTV
6 p.m. — PBA Hall of Fame and 2025 Season Awards Ceremony

Sunday, Feb. 22 — The CW
4 p.m. — PBA Players Championship finals