Marshall Kent Wins PBA Indiana Classic Title
Marshall Kent is, once again, back on top of the PBA Tour.
The 33-year-old won the PBA Indiana Classic and rejuvenated his career after a season and a half of perhaps the worst bowling of his professional career.
Kent’s performance in the title match against top seed Boog Krol was emblematic of his past two years.
With a score of 69 through six frames, Kent struck in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames to distance himself from a similarly-struggling Krol.
“I've had to dig myself out a lot of holes, so I have some experience doing it,” Kent said on Friday night.
Kent defeated Krol in the title match, 152-136, to win his eighth career PBA Tour title and the $30,000 top prize at David Small’s Pro Bowl West in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The winning score (152) and combined score (288) mark the lowest in PBA Tour title match history.
Dennis Jacques set both previous records (157 and 296) in 1983, though in separate tournaments.
The opening match of the stepladder finals pitted the reigning PBA Player and Rookie of the Year in EJ Tackett and Ryan Barnes.
Barnes provided the highlight of the evening with a 2-8-10 conversion, but it was one too many spare conversions by the sophomore.
Tackett, competing 45 minutes north of his hometown of Bluffton, Ind., struck in the 10th frame to shut out Barnes and ultimately win by a 244-202 margin.
The 39-foot Mike Aulby oil pattern’s transition started to give Timmy Tan and Tackett fits in the second match.
Malaysia’s Tan left five single-pins and failed to convert the first one, while Tackett left two splits on the left lane.
Tackett recovered from his second open frame by throwing two strikes to shut out Tan.
Strikes returned in the semifinal match as Kent and Tackett combined to strike on 15 of their first 18 shots.
A pocket 7-pin by Tackett in the eight frame put the Hoosier in a hole. Tackett struck on his first shot in the 10th, but another split on his second released much of the pressure on Kent.
Kent needed just eight pins in his final frame to secure his victory over Tackett.
After Kent and Tackett each bested 240 in the semifinal, the scoring pace abruptly plummeted in the title match.
Neither player felt comfortable with their decision making, which led to execution issues.
Kent left a 2-8-10 split in the second frame and a washout in the fourth frame, though he said he felt each of those were quality shots.
“To me, it felt like (the ball on) those two shots should have come off the pattern downlane a lot harder than they did,” Kent said. “I didn't think they warranted the results that they got and I think because of that, I got subconsciously scared to throw it to the right again. I overcompensated and made sure (the ball) didn't get there, so I missed the head-pin left twice in a row.”
Krol’s struggles may have stemmed from his decision to throw urethane despite every other finalist throwing reactive bowling balls during competition. Many players threw urethane in practice before the show.
While Krol never found a consistent path to the pocket, Kent said he understood Krol’s strategy.
“Honestly, if I was him, I probably would have made the same call,” Kent said. “He has a little trick that he can do better than most people when urethane doesn't work late in the block. That’s the hard part about bowling on TV. You have to make those calls and in the moment, and you’ve got to commit to it. Sometimes you just make the wrong guess, and sometimes make the right one. It's just the nature of the beast.”
This marked Kent’s first title match appearance since the 2024 season, in which he finished second in points and finished runner-up in Player of the Year voting, each to Tackett.
Since then, Kent has not been the same player. He finished the 2025 season 52nd in points and entered this week’s tournament 72nd overall.
“There was a point in time where I wasn't sure if I'd be back in the winner’s circle or on TV,” Kent said. “If you would have asked me two weeks ago, I would have told you I had no shot to make the show. I was pretty down on confidence, and physically I wasn't feeling good. Then I put the work in and came in this week with a different mindset. All of a sudden, here we are holding the trophy. It's absolutely wild.”
The 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling continues with the USBC Masters in Allen Park, Mich.
Qualifying gets underway at the famed Thunderbowl Lanes on Tuesday.
The finals are set for Sunday, March 29 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.
Championship Round Matches
Match One: No. 5 EJ Tackett def. No. 4 Ryan Barnes, 244-202
Match Two: No. 5 EJ Tackett def. No. 3 Timmy Tan, 202-172
Match Three: No. 2 Marshall Kent def. No. 5 EJ Tackett, 252-242
Championship: No. 2 Marshall Kent def. No. 1 Boog Krol, 152-136
Final Standings
- Marshall Kent, $30,000
- Boog Krol, $18,000
- EJ Tackett, $13,000
- Timmy Tan, $10,000
- Ryan Barnes, $9,000
Complete standings are available here.