Finals Set as Deo Benard, EJ Tackett Lead Squads in PBA Norm Duke Open
Following a brief delay on Thursday due to a power outage in the area, qualifying was completed in The Magnum Ice Cream Company PBA Norm Duke Open on Friday.
Deo Benard led A-squad and all players with a total pinfall of 5,659 (+659) for his 25 games. Marshall Kent, Richie Teece, and Bill O’Neill advanced to the squad’s televised stepladder as the second through fourth seeds.
EJ Tackett continued his dominant season by leading B-squad with a total pinfall of 5,580 (+580). Anthony Simonsen, AJ Johnson, and Eric Jones earned the second through fourth seeds.
Each stepladder, starting at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively, will include two single game matches followed by a Race-to-Two match with the No. 1 seed.
The winner of each stepladder will meet in a Race-to-Two championship match, starting at 4 p.m. ET.
The televised rounds of the Norm Duke Open, as well as Saturday's PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands presented by Beatbox, will be held at Steel City Bowl and Brews in Bethlehem, Pa.
Qualifying in the Norm Duke Open was held at Lucky Strike Sinking Spring in Sinking Spring, Pa.
Complete standings are available here.
Benard, the 22-year-old Texas native, averaged more than 226 on the difficult 39-foot Norm Duke oil pattern.
The 16-time PBA Regional Tour champion — the most of any player by the age of 22 — will look to win his second career PBA Tour title on Sunday.
Benard won the 2024 PBA Cheetah Championship against Marshall Kent, who he could see in the final match of his squad’s stepladder
Kent, though nearly 200 pins behind Benard, distanced himself from the rest of the field throughout qualifying. After winning the PBA Indiana Classic in March, the Washington state native will look for for his second title of the season and ninth of his career.
England’s Richie Teece had himself quite an adventure on Friday evening in Sinking Spring. He surged from eighth to fourth with 258 in his first game, then plummeted to 13th with 128 in his second game.
Teece rebounded with final games of 266 and 248 to jump into third on his squad.
Pennsylvania native Bill O’Neill, who lives an hour and 15 minutes east of Sinking Spring in Langhorne, earned the opportunity to bowl in front of his family on Father’s Day.
The PBA Hall of Famer will look to capture his 16th career title.
Zach Wilkins, who engineered a thrilling run to second place in last week’s AMF PBA World Championship, finished fifth on A-sqaud and one pin behind O’Neill. TJ Rock, Kyle Troup and Cam Crowe rounded out the top eight on the squad.
Tackett did not perform at his best on Friday, averaging 212 for his 10 games, but still managed to stave off Simonsen and Johnson to lead B-squad by 201 pins.
Tackett surpassed Duke with his eighth career major title in last week’s World Championship, becoming the first player in PBA history to win an event in four consecutive years.
In making his ninth televised final of the season, Tackett positioned himself a pair of Race-to-Two match victories away from tying Mike Aulby with his 29th career title.
Simonsen, who earned the squad’s second seed, has a unique, personal bond with Duke. When Duke won his 40th and final PBA Tour title in the 2019 PBA Jonesboro Open, he defeated Simonsen in the title match.
Simonsen, who finished runner-up in the U.S. Open and won the Groupon PBA Illinois Classic earlier this season, will look for his second title of the season.
The 17-time PBA Tour champion won the 2024 PBA Tour Finals at Steel City Bowl and Brews.
AJ Johnson broke through to make his second TV final of the season. The 33-year-old will look for his second career title on Sunday.
Eric Jones emerged from a crowded field in the final game to secure squad’s fourth position in Sunday’s championship rounds.
The two-handed lefty started with 165 on Friday evening, but rallied with games of 223, 217 and 235 to distance himself from rookie Brett Lloyd, Darren Tang and Chris Via.
All televised rounds will take place Sunday, June 21 from 12-5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, rounding out the televised portion of the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling.
Additionally, the PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands presented by Beatbox season wraps up with four hours of CBS Sports Network coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
The Tackett-led Motiv squad earned the top seed for the six-team stepladder finals and will bowl for the Commissioner’s Cup against either Hammer, Storm, 900 Global, Brunswick or Roto Grip.
All televised rounds will be held at Steel City Bowl and Brews in Bethlehem, Pa.
A-Squad Results — 25 Games
- Deo Benard, 5,559 (+659)
- Marshall Kent, 5,460 (+460)
- Richie Teece, 5,354 (+354)
- Bill O’Neill, 5,339 (+339)
- Zach Wilkins, 5,338 (+338)
- TJ Rock, 5,334 (+334)
- Kyle Troup, 5,315 (+315)
- Cam Crowe, 5,314 (+314)
- Jake Peters, 5,313 (+313)
- Alex Horton, 5,305 (+305)
- Julian Salinas, 5,301 (+301)
- Brandon Bonta, 5,292 (+292)
- Michael Davidson, 5,283 (+283)
- Boog Krol, 5,281 (+281)
- Packy Hanrahan, 5,233 (+233)
- Tomas Käyhkö, 5,194 (+194)
B-Squad Results — 25 Games
- EJ Tackett, 5,580 (+580)
- Anthony Simonsen, 5,379 (+379)
- AJ Johnson, 5,366 (+366)
- Eric Jones, 5,313 (+313)
- Brett Lloyd, 5,283 (+283)
- Darren Tang, 5,280 (+280)
- Chris Via, 5,273 (+273)
- Tim Foy Jr., 5,255 (+255)
- Matt Sanders, 5,253 (+253)
- Ryan Burton, 5,236 (+236)
- CJ Petrin, 5,228 (+228)
- Justin Knowles, 5,226 (+226)
- Brian Robinson, 5,216 (+216)
- Aaron Major, 5,184 (+184)
- Joe Paluszek, 5,138 (+138)
- Tom Smallwood, 5,136 (+136)
Complete standings are available here.
Schedule
Saturday, June 20
1 p.m. — PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands play-in stepladder
3 p.m. — PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands stepladder finals
Sunday, June 21
12 p.m. — A-Squad Stepladder
2 p.m. — B-Squad Stepladder
4 p.m. — Championship Match
Tournament Details: The Magnum Ice Cream Company PBA Norm Duke Open
Tournament Details: PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands presented by Beatbox