Four Champions Crowned in PBA World Series of Bowling XVII
AMF PBA World Championship finals to close out WSOB on June 13
The best bowlers in the world convened at Bowlero Brooklyn Park for the PBA World Series of Bowling XVII earlier this month.
Four of the five PBA Tour titles were awarded during the event, while the finals of the major title in the AMF PBA World Championship are scheduled for June 13.
The nine advancing players, led by three-time defending champion EJ Tackett, will compete in the two-part stepladder finals at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.
The World Championship included from each of the four standard title events, known as animal pattern championships, plus 26 games of advancer rounds and match play on a fifth oil pattern.
The fifth through nine seeds — Jason Belmonte, Brandon Bonta, Zach Wilkins, Jason Sterner and Darren Tang — will compete for the final berth in the championship round. The play-in round will air June 13 at 11 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
The finals will immediately follow the play-in round at 1 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
Tackett, who earned the top seed, is one game away from an unprecedented fourth consecutive title, and a likely fourth consecutive Player of the Year award.
Major champions Chris Via, Bill O’Neill and Kris Prather, along with the emergent player from the play-in round, will hope to dethrone Tackett in the title match.
In each of the four animal pattern championships — Cheetah, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark — players bowled 10 games of qualifying. The top 12 players advanced to the televised bracket finals, which aired May 9-12 on CBS Sports Network.
The four winners of each match advanced to the championship round, which was a continuation of the bracket and featured the Race-to-Two format.
Packy Hanrahan Wins PBA Cheetah Championship
Second-year player Cam Crowe led the field during qualifying and was one of seven southpaws to make the 12-player bracket finals. Crowe fell in his first match to Kris Prather.
But perhaps no player stood a chance against Packy Hanrahan in the finals.
Hanrahan averaged more than 263 in his five games, defeating Chase Nadeau, Zachary Tackett, Prather and Matt Sanders to win his third career PBA Tour title.
Final Standings
- Packy Hanrahan, $20,000
- Matt Sanders, $12,000
- Spencer Robarge, $9,000
- Kris Prather, $9,000
- Cam Crowe, $5,000
- Zachary Tackett, $5,000
- Brandon Kreyer, $5,000
- Hayden Stippich, $5,000
- Bill O’Neill, $3,500
- Brandon Bonta, $3,500
- AJ Johnson, $3,500
- Chase Nadeau, $3,500
Complete standings are available here.
Darren Tang Wins PBA Chameleon Championship
Jason Belmonte led the field during qualifying. The two-handed trailblazer built about a third of his résumé during the WSOB, capturing three titles apiece in previous Chameleon and World Championships.
Belmonte made a bid for a fourth Chameleon title, advancing to the title match with wins over Mitch Hupé and Kyle Sherman, but ran into the man his own greatness inspired.
Darren Tang, a two-handed trailblazer in his own right, swept Belmonte in the Race-to-Two championship match to capture his second career title.
Tang bowled his entire career one-handed before switching to two-handed last season. With his win, Tang became the first player in PBA history to win PBA Tour titles as a one-handed and two-handed player.
Final Standings
- Darren Tang, $20,000
- Jason Belmonte, $12,000
- Kyle Sherman, $9,000
- Santtu Tahvanainen, $9,000
- Jason Sterner, $5,000
- Jakob Butturff, $5,000
- Boog Krol, $5,000
- Mitch Hupé, $5,000
- Tobias Börding, $3,500
- Anthony Simonsen, $3,500
- Deo Benard, $3,500
- Riley Woodard, $3,500
Complete standings are available here.
Zach Wilkins Wins PBA Scorpion Championship
Through three games of qualifying, Zach Wilkins found himself closer to last place than the first. The Canadian preserved and went on a rampage to not only make the cut, but lead qualifying,
He kept the momentum rolling into the finals, defeating Kris Prather, Zach Weidman and Jesper Svensson to earn his second career title and become the first player of the season to win multiple titles.
Final Standings
- Zach Wilkins, $20,000
- Jesper Svensson, $12,000
- Chris Via, $9,000
- Zach Weidman, $9,000
- EJ Tackett, $5,000
- Graham Fach, $5,000
- Kris Prather, $5,000
- Santtu Tahvanainen, $5,000
- Sean Rash, $3,500
- Thomas Larsen, $3,500
- Nate Stubler, $3,500
- Darren Tang, $3,500
Complete standings are available here.
Alex Horton Wins PBA Shark Championship
Wilkins’ run as the lone multi-time champion of 2026 would not last even 24 hours.
Rookie Alex Horton, who defeated Wilkins to win the PBA Tournament of Champions last month, ran the table in the Shark Championship to win his second title in 16 days.
The 22-year-old defeated Tobias Börding, Chris Via, Patrick Dombrowski, and Ronnie Russell to throw his hat into a historic Rookie of the Year race and a crowded Player of the Year conversation.
Final Standings
- Alex Horton, $20,000
- Ronnie Russell, $12,000
- Patrick Dombrowski, $9,000
- EJ Tackett, $9,000
- Chris Via, $5,000
- Brandon Bonta, $5,000
- Hayden Stippich, $5,000
- Tommy Jones, $5,000
- Tobias Börding, $3,500
- Packy Hanrahan, $3,500
- Kyle Sherman, $3,500
- Mitch Hupé, $3,500
Complete standings are available here.
More information on the PBA World Series of Bowling XVII is available here.
PBA World Series of Bowling XVII Schedule
Saturday, June 13 — Thunderbowl Lanes
11 a.m. ET — AMF PBA World Championship semifinals — CBS Sports Network
1 p.m. ET — AMF PBA World Championship finals — CBS and Paramount+