February 16, 2026 Nolan Hughes

Need To Know

  • PBA Players Championship marks first tournament of the 2026 PBA Tour season
  • Qualifying begins Tuesday on BowlTV
  • The first Championship Sunday airs at 4 p.m. Eastern on The CW.
  • The player who has won a season's first major has gone on to be named PBA Player of the Year in four of the last five seasons.

The best bowlers in the world have convened in Arlington, Texas for the PBA Players Championship — the first title event and first major championship of the 2026 PBA Tour season.

The dawn of a new season presents limitless possibilities. All players begin the season with zero points, zero earnings and zero titles.

Living legend will add to their decorated résumés. Newcomers will introduce their names and their talents to the world. Veterans who have been working all their lives will, at long last, have their moment in the spotlight.

With dozens of cards sprawled across the table, how does one choose where to begin?

That’s easy: You start at the top.

EJ Tackett’s Dominance
 

As the three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year, the honor of “best in the world” belongs to Tackett.

The Indiana native has a chance to further cement his place in history this season. No player has ever won four consecutive POTY honors, nor four consecutive major championships. Tackett has the opportunity to achieve both feats this season.

But his 2026 campaign begins with a mountain he has yet to reach the summit. Despite seven career majors titles to his name, including five over the past three seasons, Tackett has yet to win the PBA Players Championship. He finished second to Bill O’Neill by one pin in the 2020 title match.

A win this week would put Tackett on the fast track for yet another POTY honor and place him only a USBC Masters title shy of winning all five major championships, a.k.a. the Super Slam.

Tackett already proved to be in mid-season form, winning the PBA USA vs. The World Captains Match over Belmonte on Sunday afternoon.

Jason Belmonte’s GOAT Pursuit

Belmonte, the only active player who has achieved the Super Slam, has won the PBA Players Championship a record three times among his record total of 15 major titles.

The Australian won the event in the 2022 season opener, leading to his record-tying seventh POTY award.

Belmonte has long said his goal is to win 20 major titles, an incomprehensible achievement that would double the previous record. A sweet 16th major in Texas would be an ideal start to a potential revenge-filled campaign for the two-handed pioneer.

 
Ryan Barnes’ Sophomore Season

Barnes faced enormous expectations entering his rookie season last year.

In 2024, Barnes finished an incredibly successful collegiate career at powerhouse Wichita State and made the finals of a PBA major championship as an amateur… and there’s also the whole “both of his parents are in bowling halls of fame” thing.

Barnes, in fact, exceeded the hype as a rookie. He set the single-season rookie earnings record ($113,502) and prevailed in Rookie of the Year voting by virtually the same dominant margin as Tackett in the POTY race.

Linear progression indicates Barnes is poised to win his first career PBA Tour title this week. He finished third as an amateur in 2024, then as the runner-up to Ethan Fiore a year ago. 

Another point in Barnes’ favor this week, should he make his way to the championship round, is that perhaps no player has practiced more often at the International Training and Research Center (ITRC), where the championship round will be held, leading up to the season-opener than the Denton, Texas native.

Ethan Fiore’s Historic Title Defense Opportunity

Those who keep a close eye on the PBA Regional Tour scene have seen Fiore, a Tampa native, coming for a few years. But nobody expected the kid to blossom into a full-blown PBA star by the age of 20.

Fiore’s PBA Players Championship victory a year ago made him the fourth-youngest player to win a major title in PBA history.

Not only will Fiore have the opportunity to defend his title, but he will have five opportunities to become the youngest player to win two major titles and surpass the record set by 22-year-old Anthony Simonsen in 2019.

 
Anthony Simonsen’s Homecoming

Speaking of Simonsen, the 29-year-old will return to his home city this week in search of becoming the youngest to achieve six career major titles. 

Born on the other side of Dallas in Mesquite, Simonsen has spent plenty of time competing in the area. In particular, Simonsen said he has extensive experience on the lanes at the ITRC.

After a title-less 2025 campaign, the fiery Texan will be hungry to return to his winning ways early in 2026.

Kyle Troup’s Resurgence

Troup had a similarly down-year in 2026 by his lofty standards last season. Troup did not make a show in a title event until the PBA Playoffs at the end of the season, though it should be noted that qualifying for the PBA Playoffs without making a championship round is impressive in its own right.

In 2020 at the ITRC, Tommy Jones shot 300 and won the PBA Hall of Fame Classic title the night after his own induction into the PBA Hall of Fame.

While Troup is a couple years away from HOF eligibility himself, his father Guppy Troup is the lone member of the PBA’s 2026 HOF class and will be enshrined on Feb. 21.

So Troup has an opportunity to introduce his father as the newest member of the PBA Hall of Fame on Saturday, then win a major title himself on Sunday. There may not be a better possible way to begin a season than that.

Jesper Svensson’s Momentum

The Iceman started off last season cold, but finished red hot with victories in the PBA Tournament of Champions and PBA Playoffs. Svensson has yet to have been named the Player of the Year, but if he can figure out how to start a season like he often finishes them, he has every bit of the ability to win the award.

PBA Players Championship Schedule

Monday, Feb. 16
10 a.m. — Pre-Tournament Qualifier (PTQ)
4 p.m. — Official practice session
6 p.m. — Pro-Am

Tuesday, Feb. 17 — BowlTV
12 p.m. — Qualifying Round 1 (six games; 37-foot Viper oil pattern)
7 p.m. — Qualifying Round 2 (six games; 50-foot Badger oil pattern)

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

More information on the PBA Players Championship is available here.