EJ Tackett Continues Dominance in Pilgrim's PBA Ohio Classic
Less than 48 hours after one of the most demoralizing losses of his career in the USBC Masters, EJ Tackett responded in typical Tackett fashion.
Tackett leads the Pilgrim's PBA Ohio Classic through two rounds of qualifying, averaging just shy of 250 for the opening 12 games on the 47-foot Dragon oil pattern.
He tallied a total pinfall of 2,996 (+596) at Columbus Square Bowling Palace in Columbus, Ohio.
Packy Hanrahan, Ohio native Chris Via, Ryan Barnes and Darren Tang round out the top five.
Tomas Käyhkö holds the current cut position in 40th place. His total pinfall of 2,804 required an average of more than 233.
Tackett lost the USBC Masters title match to Boog Krol on Sunday by one pin. He needed one more strike to clinch the victory.
A win would have made him the fourth player to complete the PBA’s Grand Slam with wins in the Masters, U.S. Open, PBA Tournament of Champions and PBA World Championship.
“The loss… sucked,” Tackett said. “Honestly, I was a little bit depressed Sunday night and still felt a little bit of it coming over here Monday morning. But once we got on the lanes in practice yesterday and for score this morning, I was able to put it behind me. I just got to bowl and put a few good games together that block to get up there close to the lead.”
Tackett’s ability to bounce back after a tough loss or continue momentum after an exhilarating win during the past four seasons has been nothing short of extraordinary.
He has threatened the PBA Tour’s single-season average record in each of the past two seasons and is on pace to break it once again this season.
Json Belmonte averaged 229.39 in his record-setting 2017 campaign. Tackett is averaging 233.67 for 252 games entering the Pilgrim's PBA Ohio Classic.
He has already raised that number north of 234 through two rounds in Columbus.
“I really think my eye for staying ahead of the moves has been really, really good the last few years,” Tackett said. “Overall, I think I've been just a couple frames faster than everyone else. Obviously, not every single day, not every game, not every tournament. But when you can do that, throw a shot and get nine instead of splitting, it adds up quickly. Hopefully I continue to see the lanes as good as I've been seeing them, and maybe at the end of the year, we can check off another box.”
Tackett, seeking an unprecedented fourth straight PBA Player of the Year award, leads the PBA Tour in competition points. But he remains in pursuit of his first title of 2026.
His quest — and the goal of all 199 competitors to stifle Tackett’s ambition — continues Wednesday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET for the final rounds of qualifying before the first cut.
Forty players will advance to Thursday’s first advancer rounds, while the top 16 players will move on to the second advancer round on Thursday evening.
The top five players after 36 games are completed will advance to Sunday’s championship round.
The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, April 5 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.
All qualifying rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.
The PBA USA vs. The World event, marking the debut of the PBA on CBS and Paramount+, will air Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. ET.
Round 2 Leaders | 12 Games
- EJ Tackett, 2,996 pinfall, 249.67 average
- Packy Hanrahan, 2,969, 247.42
- Chris Via, 2,968, 247.33
- Ryan Barnes, 2,967, 247.25
- Darren Tang, 2,954, 246.17
- Kyle Sherman, 2,947, 245.58
- Bill O'Neill, 2,929, 244.08
- Gary Haines, 2,926, 243.83
- Matt Russo, 2,913, 242.75
- Spencer Robarge, 2,900, 241.67
Complete standings are available here.
Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, April 1 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games)
6 p.m. — Qualifying Round 4 (six games)
Thursday, April 2 — BowlTV
11 a.m. — Advancer Round 1 (six games)
6 p.m. — Advancer Round 2 (six games)
Saturday, April 4 — CBS and Paramount+
2 p.m. — PBA USA vs. The World
Sunday, April 5 — The CW
4 p.m. — Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic finals
More information on the Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic is available here.