March 24, 2026 Nolan Hughes

Round 1 Standings

Deo Benard led the first round of qualifying in the USBC Masters, the third major championship of the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling.

Benard has fond memories of competing at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.

The historic venue, after all, is where he won his first PBA Tour title in the 2024 PBA Cheetah Championship.

“I love this place to death,” Benard said of Thunderbowl. “I have a lot of good memories here. My whole family saw me win my title here, so that was the best thing ever. It's just so great to be back. I love this place.”

While the 22-year-old Texan’s latest achievement cannot compare to a title, it does place him among PBA royalty.

Benard’s five-game total pinfall of 1,309 (+309) now ranks second all time in USBC Masters history, surpassing Pete Weber by one pin and trailing only Parker Bohn III’s 1,319.

“That's pretty unbelievable,” Benard said. “I had no clue about that. It was honestly like the best day ever. I came in with the game plan to keep (the ball) in front of me and to keep my ball speed slow. I was honestly surprised with how well my carry was today, and really thankful.”

Dom Barrett, who led the opening rounds of last week’s PBA Indiana Classic, sits in second place. 

Competing on A-squad, Barrett shot 300 in the first game of the event and hardly slowed down on the fresh 41-foot oil pattern.

The native of England averaged more than 256 for his five games, totaling 1,282 (+282).

“I had a game plan to find hook anywhere to the right,” Barrett said. “On that pair there was, so I got pretty comfortable, pretty quickly.”

Barrett is one of nine players — and the only European — to win the PBA’s Triple Crown, which includes titles in the U.S. Open, PBA World Championship and PBA Tournament of Champions.

A USBC Masters win would complete the Grand Slam, a feat matched only by Jason Belmonte, Norm Duke and Mike Aulby.

“I managed to pull off the Triple Crown somehow. If I could get anywhere near winning a Grand Slam, that would be amazing,” Barrett said. “This is such a unique event. I've missed plenty of those cuts (to match play), so obviously qualifying is really important. It’s definitely not a given you're going to get there. I feel like I'm pretty good at just bowling, doing whatever I have to do to feel like I can bowl at my best, and then whatever happens, happens.”

Jakob Butturff led B-squad on the burn, bowling on the same lane conditions as A-squad without a re-oil.

Butturff ranked third overall with Canadians Zach Wilkins and Graham Fach rounding out the top five.

On Wednesday, B-squad will see fresh lane conditions for the first time, beginning competition at 8 a.m. ET on BowlTV.

C-squad will follow at 12:30 p.m. ET for the day’s burn squad, while A-squad closes out the night at 6:30 p.m. ET again on fresh lane conditions.

After 15 games of qualifying are completed on Thursday night, 64 players will advance to the double-elimination match play bracket.

The current cut is held by Quinton Bohlen, who averaged 223.60 for his first five games to tally a pinfall of 1,118 (+118).

Defending champion Gary Haines, who ranked 206th after the first round, is guaranteed a berth in the bracket. If he qualifies lower than 64th place, he will be awarded the No. 64 seed for the bracket.

The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, March 29 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on The CW.

Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern

Wednesday, March 25  — BowlTV
8 a.m. — B-squad Qualifying Round 2 (5 games, fresh)
12:30 p.m. — C-squad Qualifying Round 2 (5 games, burn)
6:30 p.m. — A-squad Qualifying Round 2 (5 games, fresh)

Thursday, March 26 — BowlTV
8 a.m. — C-squad Qualifying Round 3 (5 games, fresh)
12:30 p.m. — A-squad Qualifying Round 3 (5 games, burn)
6:30 p.m. — B-squad Qualifying Round 3 (5 games, fresh)

Friday, March 27 — BowlTV
10 a.m. — Left side of bracket (fresh)
12:30 p.m. — Right side of bracket (fresh)
2:30 p.m. — All winners (burn)
5 p.m. — Contenders bracket matches (fresh and burn)

Saturday, March 28 — BowlTV
10 a.m. — Winners and Contenders bracket matches (fresh and burn)
2 p.m. — Winners and Contenders bracket matches (fresh)

Sunday, March 29 — The CW
4 p.m. — Finals