April 6, 2022 Nolan Hughes

Bill O’Neill lingered around the Kia PBA Playoffs cut all season. The signature performance that would lock up a berth eluded him; he needed consistency to survive. Entering the Masters, the last tournament of the season, he knew he needed to make a run.

With so many points up for grabs and a bracket format that breeds chaos, anyone within the vicinity of the cut could charge into the playoffs. O’Neill, and presumably most players, don’t track points while they compete, but they are aware of the stakes.

“After I had lost to AJ (Johnson), I knew a number of things needed to happen for me to miss the playoffs,” said O’Neill, who finished in a tie for 13th place. “Match by match, they all slowly started to happen.”

Brad Miller and Shawn Maldonado overtook Jake Peters and Jason Sterner by making the Masters show. Then, the immortal Norm Duke earned the top seed for the stepladder, which meant the final playoff spot would be decided in the title match: If Duke won, he’d usurp O’Neill; anything less and O’Neill would hold on to the last spot.

O’Neill couldn’t bear to watch the Masters show. Instead, he spent his Sunday afternoon playing with his kids, waiting for the onslaught of texts to notify him of the results.

“I love Norm, and I didn't want to have to sit there and root against him,” O’Neill said. “It's not something that I really wanted to be doing.”

The 40-year-old made the right call, not only because three months on the road merited long-overdue family time, but no one deserves the anxiety associated with watching their season come down to literally one shot.

When Anthony Simonsen, a player more than double Duke’s junior, struck in the 10th frame, he secured his second career Masters title, a fourth career major title and extended O’Neill’s season.

Of course, O’Neill won’t be the lone player traveling to Lake Wales, Florida this weekend. He’ll be joined by 15 of the game’s brightest stars, ascending talents and beloved vloggers. The full standings are available on PBA.com.

Here’s how the each of the 16 players advanced to the Kia PBA Playoffs:

1. Jason Belmonte - 34,230
Though Belmonte had already clinched the top seed for the Kia PBA Playoffs, he entered the Masters as a man on a mission. But like Kentucky a few weeks ago, he succumbed to an early-round upset. Belmonte rallied and fought off opponents like a Roman soldier in the Colosseum, churning out a tied-seventh-place finish.

Belmonte may have a record 14 major titles under his belt, but he’s never won the Kia PBA Playoffs, and has only advanced to the final four once.

2. Anthony Simonsen - 26,195
Well, well, well. Just when we thought the Player of the Year race was over, Simonsen went out and won the dang Masters. The significant point differential between Belmonte and Simonsen still indicates a sizable lead for the elder statesman. But with two major titles in 2022, Simonsen could make a serious bid for the award if he can win the playoffs as well.

3. EJ Tackett - 24,660
Tackett might be third in points with one doubles title, but he closed the regular season leading the tour in average. He averaged 224.41 across 349 games, while Belmonte averaged 224.28 for 378 games. If Tackett’s total had been just 46 pins less — that’s .13 pins per game — Belmonte would have eclipsed him in average.

However, the playoffs and PBA Tour Finals will count towards the players’ season stats, so the race isn’t over yet. Even in 10th frames with a match already decided, Belmonte or Tackett need to knock over every possible pin.

4. Dom Barrett - 22,790
After his second win of the season in Colorado Springs, the Dominator’s dominant run came to a halt at the Masters. (My apologies for that wretched sentence.) While he missed the cut by just 18 pins, he still holds onto a top-four spot in the points race. He’ll remain on this side of the pond for a few more weeks, but a potential $100,000 prize makes the extended business trip worthwhile.

5. Kris Prather - 19,155
Earlier this season, Prather led back-to-back majors at the Tournament of Champions and World Championship, winning the latter. Those two performances alone would have been enough to secure a playoff berth, but he tacked on a few thousand more points for good measure. The 2019 PBA Playoffs champion will look for another championship belt in 2022.

6. Tommy Jones - 16,735
Tommy Jones finished outside the top-six in a 2022 major.

Alert the authorities! Cast the Bat Signal! Call the press! (Wait, that’s me.)

Ah, well it was a splendid run while it lasted for the 43-year-old. Father Time comes for us all, I suppose—well, except for Duke. Hyperbole aside, Jones closes the regular season sixth in points and will comfortably move onto the Kia PBA Playoffs this weekend.

7. Jakob Butturff - 14,396
Butturff began his season riding the struggle bus. Through four events, he sat 36th in points—and that was before they banned the purples. (Relax, I’m kidding! Put down your pitchforks.) But much like the Tar Heels, he turned his season around in late February, except his version of embarrassing the Blue Devils was AMF Riviera Lanes. He took 17th place on brutal left-handed conditions, as the next-highest lefty was Jesper Svensson in 40th. Then he racked up top-15 finishes in each of the final nine events of the season, including five top-10 finishes in five events at the World Series of Bowling.

8. Sean Rash - 14,210
Rash, on the other hand, came out firing in 2022. He earned the top-seed at the Players Championship, then turned in a 12th place finish at the US Open and made the TOC show for the sixth time in 11 years.

He experienced a midseason lull precipitated by a back injury, but regained his form at the Masters. His playoff matchup with the next player on this list will be must-watch TV.

9. Kyle Troup - 13,392.5
*Insert obligatory note about how Troup hasn’t been as good as his 2021 Player of the Year campaign but has still been really freakin’ good*

Troup vs. Rash. April 10. 12 p.m. ET. Tune in.

10. AJ Johnson - 13,375
In some ways, Johnson’s TV record echoes Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament showings this century—but don’t let the lack of a ring collection overshadow his stellar season. He made the U.S. Open and Masters shows, and nearly made a third major telecast at the Players Championship.

The 29-year-old is growing more and more comfortable on TV. Could he break through in the Kia PBA Playoffs?

11. Kyle Sherman - 12,745
Let’s face the facts: Kyle has one title this season; Brad has zero. Kyle finished 11th in points; Brad finished 12th. Kyle beat Brad in the Southwest Region Finals at the Players Championship.

It’s time to rebrand the Brad and Kyle channel—it’s now “Kyle and Brad.”

12. Brad Miller - 12,535
But let’s not overlook Miller’s accomplishments. He needed a massive performance at the Masters to leapfrog four players and stave off all other competitors. He delivered his own “One Shining Moment” with a third place finish, highlighted by an unforgettable roll-off with Johnson. If not for an errant shot late in the semifinal against Simonsen, he likely would have bowled for the title.

The Bald Eagle will face the Shark in the first round of the playoffs. Not even the Discovery Channel can deliver a thrilling clash like that.

13. Packy Hanrahan - 12,392.5
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season in his fourth year on tour, doubling his career championship round appearances in 2022. Back in early February, he nearly climbed the ladder and came away with the win in Jackson. Then he racked up five top-15 showings at the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Series of Bowling, including a third-place finish at the Scorpion Championship.

14. Jesper Svensson - 12,385
Svensson snuck into the bracket by ten sticks and ultimately wound up with a tied-25th-place finish. He took down Belmonte in the first round at the Masters, and he’ll draw another tough opponent with Tackett on deck in the playoffs.

15. Shawn Maldonado - 11,882.5
Entering the Masters, Maldonado sat in 19th place and 465 points out of the playoffs. With more than a dozen players behind him also vying for a playoff berth, he needed a big-time performance in Vegas—and he delivered.

Maldonado qualified in 28th, won a pair of matches in the winner’s bracket then clawed his way to the show. He didn’t find much of anything against Johnson, but he secured just enough points to clinch a playoff spot.

16. Bill O’Neill - 11,625
“The Masters was the best that I bowled all season physically,” O’Neill said. “It finally felt like things were coming together.”

His confidence is the highest it's been all year, which he’ll need facing the world’s best bowler and his best mate, Belmonte, in the first round. Fortunately for Belmonte, he arranged his travel plans long ago. Otherwise, O’Neill, who sometimes plans his tour roommate’s itinerary, might have booked Belmo an early flight back to Australia.