March 25, 2026 Nolan Hughes

Round 2 Standings

Through two qualifying rounds in the 2026 USBC Masters, the third major championship of the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling, Jakob Butturff leads the field.

Butturff has tallied a total pinfall of 2,485 (+485) through his first 10 games, averaging more than 248. He competed on the burn squad on Tuesday, meaning the lanes were not re-oiled after the previous squad, and on the fresh 41-foot oil pattern on Wednesday.

“I’m playing my A-game, playing as straight as I possibly can and not trying to open up the lanes,” Butturff said. “That's what I love to see on the lanes and it's been working. Even going across the whole house, if I know (the lanes are) hooking, I can get my speed up a little bit. If I know a pair is a little tighter, I'll slow down my speed and move a little bit right. I think that's one advantage I have over everybody in the building right now.”

Butturff, 31, is an eight-time PBA Tour champion whose lone major victory came in the 2019 Masters. A second major win would make him title-eligible for the PBA Hall of Fame.

“Because this is a tournament I've won in the past, it puts a lot more mental strength in my mind,” Butturff said. “Not many people could say they've won the same major multiple times before. Not only would that be an accomplishment this week, but it would also make me (title-eligible) for the PBA Hall of Fame, so there is a lot to bowl for this week.”

Deo Benard, who bowled the second-highest five-game block in USBC Masters history on Tuesday, sits in second overall.

Jesper Svensson, Graham Fach, and Killian Kilpatrick round out the all-left-handed top five.

 

Dom Barrett sits in sixth place overall as the top right-handed player. Barrett, a past champion of the U.S. Open, PBA World Championship and PBA Tournament of Champions, is a USBC Masters title shy of winning the Grand Slam.

EJ Tackett and Chris Barnes are also Triple Crown winners seeking their first Masters title. Tackett is inside the current cut in 30th place, while Barnes is currently outside of the cut.

With a total pinfall of 2,177 (+177), Mason Edmondson occupies the current cut position in 63rd place.

Defending champion Gary Haines, who sits in 180th place, 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 two most prolific players in USBC Masters history — Jason Belmonte and Anthony Simonsen — are each outside the cut after two qualifying rounds. 

Simonsen (+144) ranks one pin ahead of Belmonte (+143), each within 35 pins of the cut.

Belmonte’s four Masters titles (2013-15, 2017) are the most of any player. His three-peat is also the lone in Masters history.

Simonsen became the youngest player to win a PBA major championship in the midst of Belmonte’s run, then went back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. He also finished runner-up to Haines a year ago.

C-squad will begin the final day of qualifying at 8 a.m. ET on Thursday. A-squad will follow at 12:30 p.m. ET for the day’s burn squad, while B-squad closes out the night at 6:30 p.m. ET again on fresh lane conditions.

All rounds of qualifying and match play will air live on BowlTV.

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

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