March 13, 2026 Nolan Hughes

The strikes came in bunches and the stars shone brightest this week in the Groupon PBA Illinois Classic at David Small’s Victory Lanes in Decatur, Ill.

Anthony Simonsen, Santtu Tahvanainen, EJ Tackett, Shawn Maldonado and Matt Ogle advanced to the tournament’s stepladder finals, airing live Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on The CW.

 

Ninety-six players began the week with hopes of hoisting the season’s fourth title. Only 32 advanced through the first cut on Wednesday night and 24 made it to match play.

The top eight players following the Advancers Round on Thursday afternoon earned a one-round bye in the elimination match play bracket, and the top four put that rest to good use.

Simonsen, Tahvanainen, and Tackett each won both of their best-of-seven-games matches on Friday to advance to the finals.

Simonsen defeated Brandon Runk in the Round of 16, a four-game sweep in which Simonsen threw 23 of 24 strikes with games of 299 and 300. Simonsen then prevailed in five games over Bill O’Neill in the Round of 8 in a match that was closer than the match score would indicate. 

Simonsen took a dominant 2-0 lead with games of 279 and 258, then lost Game 3 by a single pin with a nine-spare, nine-count finish. 

The pivotal fourth game ended in even more dramatic fashion. O’Neill struck on his first shot in the 10th, then left the 1-2-4-6-10 washout on his second.

O’Neill needed to knock over at least three pins to force a tie and four of the five pins to even the match. He got just two, allowing Simonsen to win by a one-pin margin and take a 3-1 advantage.

Simonsen ran away with the fifth game to earn his second consecutive No. 1 seed. He lost in the Go Bowling U.S. Open title match last Sunday, falling to Patrick Dombrowski after leaving a 7-10 split on his final shot.

“The biggest thing for me, regardless of how Sunday goes, is this is a pat on the back for being able to put that show behind me,” Simonsen said. “I came in with not necessarily a full head of steam, but it's a new week, so I think mentally that I was really good. It's a nice bounce back and regardless of what happens on Sunday, that's good momentum leading into the rest of the season.”

Tahvanainen, who won the PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic in Vernon Hills last year, battled for the lead throughout qualifying with Simonsen and Boog Krol. He settled for the second seed heading into match play.

He defeated Deo Benard — a two-handed lefty who threw back-up balls for most of the tournament, until this match when Tahvanainen forced Benard back to his normal left side of the lane — in the Round of 16.

Tahvanainen then defeated fellow Finnish two-hander, Tomas Käyhkö, in a match that went the distance. 

After Tahvanainen left the door open, Käyhkö pounced on the opportunity and took a 2-0, and later 3-1, advantage.

Tahvanainen responded to the adversity with a perfect 300 game, then completed the comeback with games of 239 and 229. He said competing as the defending champion helped him in those moments of adversity.

“It creates an extra motivation, you don't come by with those chances that often,” Tahvanainen said. “I'm able to get a little bit more out of myself, knowing that in the back of my head that we have a chance for back-to-back titles.”

Tackett qualified third for match play, then defeated Ryan Barnes and Boog Krol in five games apiece.

The three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year averaged just shy of 240 during his 10 games of match play. He expects the high scores to continue in the finals on Sunday.

“I don't expect to bowl 230 and have a chance to win,” Tackett said. “I think you're going to have to bowl 240s and 250s to even have a chance to win, and 260 or 270 is probably what you're going to have to put up to to really feel safe. There's a good probability that a 300 will happen on the show on Sunday. You’re going to have to bring your striking shoes and apply pressure early and often.”

When Ogle saw Simonsen’s defeat of O’Neill, he knew he had just clinched a berth in the finals as the highest seed remaining. At the time, however, Ogle was up 3-1 over Maldonado and had aspirations of earning the No. 2 seed.

Though Ogle fired 237, 244, and 248 over his next three games, Maldonado bested those high scores with 247, 277, and 257 to steal the match. Ogle advanced to the finals as the highest-seeded loser in the Round of 8.

“When you have to strike and make shots under pressure, you really have to get after it,” Maldonado said. “The fact that I was able to get it done builds confidence for me.”

“I'm happy to be on the show, but disappointed with how it went down,” Ogle said. “I had a chance to lock it up in Game 5 in the 10th, and threw a terrible shot. I gave it all I could, but he had the world. He bowled well and every time he hit the pocket he struck. It's hard to beat a guy who is lined up and makes great shots, so it is what it is.”

The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) on The CW.

Round of 24 Results

No. 16 Brandon Runk def. No. 17 Kyle Troup, 4-3
No. 9 Zach Wilkins def. No. 24 Julian Salinas, 4-2

No. 10 Shawn Maldonado def. No. 23 Patrick Dombrowski, 4-3
No. 15 Kevin McCune def. No. 18 Jake Peters, 4-1

No. 14 Deo Benard def. No. 19 Matt Russo, 4-3
No. 11 Tomas Käyhkö def. No. 22 Darren Tang, 4-0

No. 12 Alec Keplinger def. No. 21 Jason Belmonte, 4-3
No. 20 Ryan Barnes def. No. 13 Michael Davidson, 4-2

Round of 16 Results

No. 1 Anthony Simonsen def. No. 16 Brandon Runk, 4-0
No. 8 Bill O’Neill def. No. 9 Zach Wilkins, 4-0

No. 2 Matt Ogle def. No. 15 Kevin McCune, 4-2
No. 10 Shawn Maldonado def. No. 7 Ethan Fiore, 4-1

No. 3 Santtu Tahvanainen def. No. 14 Deo Benard, 4-0
No. 6 AJ Chapman vs. No. 11 Tomas Käyhkö, 4-3

No. 4 EJ Tackett def. No. 20 Ryan Barnes, 4-1
No. 5 Boog Krol def. No. 12 Alec Keplinger, 4-0

Round of 8 Results

No. 1 Anthony Simonsen def. No. 8 Bill O’Neill, 4-1

No. 10 Shawn Maldonado def. No. 2 Matt Ogle, 4-3

No. 3 Santtu Tahvanainen def. No. 11 Tomas Käyhkö, 4-3

No. 4 EJ Tackett def. No. 5 Boog Krol, 4-1

Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern

Sunday, March 15 — The CW
4 p.m. — Finals