John Marsala Earns Top Seed Entering Match Play in Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship
Woodbridge, Virginia – There was plenty of movement on the leaderboard during the final day of qualifying at the 2026 Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship. After C-squad hit the lanes first on Monday, Jon Rakoski got lined up quickly with the right ball in his hand to tie day one and day two top seed Brad Angelo’s two-day total of +489.
Rakoski saved his best block for last with 222, 269, 235, 211, 242 and 226 for 1,405. After having surgery on his right bowling hand in February and making a complete fit change, Rakoski is feeling confident in his game.
“The carpal tunnel surgery was fine, and everything is back to normal for that part. But I have a bone spur that is hitting a tendon in my ring finger. It is like the ring finger is almost semi-fingertip now. I put my finger in past the bone spur, so it doesn’t hurt whatsoever,” Rakoski said. “It definitely feels good to get back bowling again better than I have been. It was different getting used to a different fit. It took a lot of changes, spans, and pitches, but we got it figured out.”
With Angelo and A-squad up next, it was Jason Couch who moved into the overall lead. He shot 268, 245, 186, 208, 259 and 210 for an 18-game total of 4,177. He is followed closely by Chris Barnes at 4,168 in third place.
“I am only using a couple of bowling balls. I have been playing the same part of the lane for the burn and the double burn. I have thrown it good this week and I also got some breaks,” Couch said. “Tuesday starts a different beast. It’s match play and all about getting the 30 bonus pins. I have always liked the round-robin match play because you get to bowl everybody.”
As B-squad attacked the double-burn oil pattern, it was another left-hander, John Marsala, who rose to the top. He posted scores of 216, 256, 215, 224, 234 and 257 for 1,402. His total of 4,234 earned him the No. 1 seed entering round-robin match play.
“It’s pretty special. I haven’t bowled this good probably since the (2023) USBC Super Senior Classic, so it feels good. When I can make spares and not leave many splits, scores go up,” Marsala said. “I have had a lot of confidence this year. I feel like I have bowled really good all year and a lot better than last year for sure. The confidence is there. I am comfortable and my health is better.”
Looking ahead, Marsala plans to stay focused on his game and bowl to the best of his ability. If he does that, he just might find himself in the stepladder finals at a memorable place where he made history. He won the 2021 PBA50 Bud Moore Classic, which was the first time a professional bowling tournament had ever been held on a private set of lanes inside tournament sponsor Bill Moore’s home. After that win, Marsala said, “It made me feel like I belong out here and I can compete with the Hall of Famers.”
There are plenty of champions remaining in the top 24. Barnes is followed by Ricky Schissler in fourth at 4,146 and Erick Pawlak is fifth with 4,143. Tom Adcock was the final player to make the cut with 3,956 (+356). Ryan Shafer had a perfect game on Monday, which helped to move him into 10th place. He shared on Facebook that was his 60th career 300 in PBA competition.
The top 24 will move into round-robin match-play on Tuesday. Round 1 will start at 9 a.m. Eastern followed by Round 2 at 3 p.m. ET. The last six games will start at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday to determine the top five. The unique stepladder finals are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET. Continue to watch the last two days of this major tournament on BowlTV.
Top 10 Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship standings:
- John Marsala, 4,234 total pinfall (+634)
- Jason Couch, 4,177 (+577)
- Chris Barnes, 4,168 (+568)
- Ricky Schissler, 4,146 (+546)
- Erick Pawlak, 4,143 (+543)
- Mika Koivuniemi, 4,130 (+530)
- Brad Angelo, 4,121 (+521)
- Mike Machuga, 4,093 (+493)
- Jon Rakoski, 4,089 (+489)
- Ryan Shafer, 4,083 (+483)
