2022 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour Season in Review
The 2022 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour season was big on established stars extending and breaking records and joining exclusive clubs.
Jason Belmonte won his 14th major title, Anthony Simonsen made himself the youngest player to win three and four majors and Dom Barrett completed the Triple Crown. Simonsen and Barrett both joined the 10-title club while Belmonte won his 30th.
Kyle Troup repeated as PBA Playoffs champion and EJ Tackett picked up a pair of titles to join Belmonte, Simonsen and Barrett as multi-time winners.
Keven Williams was the only first-time champion in 2022, winning the PBA Shark Championship.
PBA Players Championship
Bowlero Euless
Euless, Texas
Winner: Jason Belmonte (26th career title)
For the second straight year, the Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour began with the PBA Players Championship, the first of five majors on the season. Also for the second straight year, the PBA Players Championship featured its unique format in which players compete in five regional qualifiers in an effort to reach the regional stepladder finals, then must win the region to advance to the overall stepladder finals.
After a winless 2021, Jason Belmonte returned to competition by extending his all-time majors record to 14 with his win in the Players Championship. As he celebrated his third Players Championship win, he—we can now say retroactively—foreshadowed what was to come throughout the season with an emphatic, “I’m back.”
U.S. Open
Woodland Bowl
Indianapolis, Indiana
Winner: Anthony Simonsen (9)
The “Anthony Simonsen is the youngest player to win x titles” narrative continued in Indianapolis, with Simonsen claiming his third major and asserting himself as the youngest to win one, two and three majors. Simonsen struck in six of the first seven frames to build an insurmountable lead over EJ Tackett.
Tackett was the story of qualifying and match play, leading the field by 502 pins into the stepladder finals, but like so many U.S. Open top seeds, Tackett ultimately finished second. (Simonsen himself finished second as the top seed in this event in 2020, losing to Belmonte, whom Simonsen defeated in this season’s semifinal.)
David Small’s Best of the Best Championship
JAX60
Jackson, Michigan
Winner: Jesper Svensson (11)
After missing the PBA Players Championship and, in his words, underperforming in the U.S. Open, Jesper Svensson attacked JAX60 in Jackson, Michigan, leaving little doubt who was going to emerge victorious.
Svensson led the entire tournament on the way to his 11th PBA Tour title, eventually defeating Packy Hanrahan in the championship match.
David Small’s Kokomo Championship
Heritage Lanes
Kokomo, Indiana
Winner: Jason Belmonte (27)
No. 1 seed Belmonte faced Nick Pate, who eliminated Simonsen and Tackett on the way to the title match, and both Belmonte and Pate began with the front six. Pate extended his streak to seven and had a chance to win in the 10th frame, but when he left a 10-pin on his second shot, the title was Belmonte’s.
“He could’ve easily struck on that shot,” said Belmonte, “and if it were to be, he would be fully deserving.”
Belmonte’s 27th title moved him to ninth in PBA history, breaking the tie he shared with “Kokomo Kid” Don Johnson.
Kia PBA Tournament of Champions
AMF Riviera Lanes
Fairlawn, Ohio
Winner: Dom Barrett (9)
Dom Barrett’s third career major championship was especially important as he became just the eighth player (and first European) in PBA Tour history to complete the Triple Crown (U.S. Open, PBA World Championship, PBA Tournament of Champions).
Barrett rolled 279 in the semifinal match over Shawn Maldonado before besting top seed Kris Prather in the championship match.
PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship
Bowlero Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Winners: EJ Tackett (15) and Marshall Kent (5)
For the fifth time in six years, EJ Tackett and Marshall Kent qualified for the stepladder finals of the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship. Finally, despite qualifying fourth and thus needing to win four matches to climb the stepladder and win the title, the duo claimed the trophies.
It was Tackett’s 15th PBA Tour title and Kent’s fifth.
PBA World Championship presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon
Bowlero Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Winner: Kris Prather (5)
Two weeks after finishing second in the Tournament of Champions as the top seed, Kris Prather was again the top seed in a major, this time prevailing to win his second career major championship.
Prather needed a roll-off to do it, striking to beat No. 4 seed Jason Sterner’s six count, enough to claim the third six-figure check of Prather’s PBA Tour career.
PBA Cheetah Championship
Bowlero Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Winner: Kyle Sherman (2)
Kyle Sherman’s second PBA Tour title was his first singles title, winning two matches as the No. 2 seed in the stepladder finals to claim the PBA Cheetah Championship. A four-pin victory over Kris Koeltzow earned Sherman a spot in the championship match, in which he defeated Cristian Azcona for the title.
PBA Scorpion Championship
Bowlero Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Winner: Jason Belmonte (28)
As the No. 4 seed, Jason Belmonte had to win four matches to win his first Scorpion Championship and record ninth World Series of Bowling title. Those four matches required wins over EJ Tackett, Tommy Jones, Packy Hanrahan and Anthony Simonsen.
Formidable for sure, but none of the matches were close. Belmonte blew the field away and won his third title of the season.
PBA Shark Championship
Bowlero Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Winner: Keven Williams (1)
During the title match of the PBA Shark Championship, we were guaranteed a first-time champion as second-seeded AJ Chapman advanced past Belmonte to earn a match with top seed Keven Williams. What no one could know at the time was the winner of the match would be the only first-time champion of the entire 2022 PBA Tour season.
It came down to the 10th frame and Williams needing a double and nine to win. He struck all three times and can now call himself a PBA Tour champion.
PBA Lubbock Sports Open
South Plains Lanes
Lubbock, Texas
Winner: Jason Belmonte (29)
For the second time in Jason Belmonte’s career, he captured four titles in a single season (he first did so in 2017). This time, his fourth title was the 29th of his career, tying him with Hall of Famer Mike Aulby on the all-time titles list.
PBA Colorado Springs Open
Harmony Bowl
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Winner: Dom Barrett (10)
Barrett winning the Triple Crown earlier in 2022 seemed like enough of a career milestone for the season, but then Barrett went to Colorado and won his 10th PBA Tour title, a total most professional bowlers can only dream of reaching. Although he was already eligible for Hall of Fame consideration entering the season, now owning double-digit titles and three majors among them should make Barrett a first-ballot selection.
USBC Masters
Gold Coast Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
Winner: Anthony Simonsen (10)
Writing of 10 titles, Anthony Simonsen soon joined the double-digit club with Barrett, taking down Norm Duke in the championship match of the USBC Masters. Simonsen’s second major championship of the season was the fourth of his career and he now holds the PBA record as the youngest to win one, two, three and four majors.
Kia PBA Playoffs
Bowlero Jupiter
Jupiter, Florida
Winner: Kyle Troup (9)
Kyle Troup was the only player to successfully defend a title during the 2022 season, winning the PBA Playoffs for the second straight year. It was Troup’s only title in the season following his 2021 Player of the Year campaign and also moved him past his father, Guppy, with nine career titles to Guppy’s eight.
King of the Lanes: Royal Family Edition
Bowlero Jupiter
Jupiter, Florida
Reigning Royal Family: Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Alyssa Ballard
In the inaugural King of the Lanes: Royal Family Edition, incoming royalty Guppy and Kyle Troup dropped the crowns to Chris and Ryan Barnes, who reigned as royalty for two nights before falling to Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Alyssa Ballard.
King of the Lanes
Bowlero Jupiter
Jupiter, Florida
Reigning King: Kyle Troup
Kyle Troup, by virtue of qualifying for the PBA Playoffs championship match, earned a berth in the King of the Lanes, taking out his Playoffs championship opponent, Tommy Jones, and then dethroning long-reigning Jason Sterner to claim the crown.
PBA Tour Finals
Strikerz at Angel of the Winds Casino
Arlington, Washington
Winner: Jason Belmonte (30)
In the first game of the race-to-two-points championship match with Dom Barrett, Jason Belmonte bowled 300. It was the second televised 300 of his career, making him the fourth player ever to achieve that feat in title events. A 235 in the next game was enough to sweep Barrett, earning Belmonte his fifth title of the season (the first time he’s won five times in a single season) and 30th of his career, tying Dick Weber on the all-time titles list and joining an elite group of eight players to have won at least 30 times.
PBA League Elias Cup Finals
Bayside Bowl
Portland, Maine
Winners: Portland Lumberjacks (3rd Elias Cup championship)
The PBA League returned to Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine and the Portland team hoisted the Elias Cup for the third straight season. Four players—Wes Malott, Kris Prather, Kyle Troup and Packy Hanrahan—returned from their prior championship team, joined this season by Arturo Quintero, to defeat the Dallas Strikers, three games to two, in the best-of-five Elias Cup Championship.
With the win, Malott is now tied with Tommy Jones for most career Elias Cup wins at four. Malott and Jones won once together as members of the Silver Lake Atom Splitters in 2014.
PBA Strike Derby
Bayside Bowl
Portland, Maine
Winner: Kyle Troup
Kyle Troup continued his run of success that began in the PBA Playoffs, winning the PBA Strike Derby for his third exhibition win of the season. Troup finished the 2022 season as a two-time PBA Playoffs champion, reigning King of the Lanes, Mark Roth MVP of the PBA League (although he passed it to Arturo Quintero) and Strike Derby champion.
PBA League All-Star Clash
Bayside Bowl
Portland, Maine
Winner: Jake Peters
In the single-shot, low-man-out PBA League All-Star Clash competition, Jake Peters held on against the other nine top performers from PBA League qualifying competition, ultimately defeating Packy Hanrahan in the final round to close the PBA Tour All-Star Weekend with a victory for himself and his Guaranteed Rate Chicago Hitmen teammates.
PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles
Copperfield Bowl
Houston, Texas
Winners: EJ Tackett (16) and Diandra Asbaty (2nd PWBA Tour title)
Once again, the scores were so close at the end of SABCMD match play that even the players weren’t sure who won. For the second straight year and third time in the last four editions of the event, EJ Tackett was on the winning team. Diandra Asbaty became the third person to win the SABCMD with EJ Tackett, joining Danielle McEwan (2021) and Liz Johnson (2018).
Final 2022 PBA Tour Points Standings
- Jason Belmonte, 34,230
- Anthony Simonsen, 26,195
- EJ Tackett, 24,660
- Dom Barrett, 22,790
- Kris Prather, 19,155
- Tommy Jones, 16,735
- Jakob Butturff, 14,395
- Sean Rash, 14,210
- Kyle Troup, 13,392.5
- AJ Johnson, 13,375
Final 2022 PBA Tour Earnings List
- Jason Belmonte, $302,525
- Anthony Simonsen, $274,975
- Kris Prather, $222,750
- Kyle Troup, $213,950
- Dom Barrett, $201,595
- Tommy Jones, $170,475
- EJ Tackett, $160,675
- Sean Rash, $114,140
- AJ Johnson, $92,700
- Jakob Butturff, $91,575
2022 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour Champions
Majors in bold
Non-title events in italics
PBA Players Championship: Jason Belmonte (26th career title)
U.S. Open: Anthony Simonsen (9)
David Small’s Best of the Best Championship: Jesper Svensson (11)
David Small’s Kokomo Championship: Jason Belmonte (27)
Kia PBA Tournament of Champions: Dom Barrett (9)
PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship: EJ Tackett (15) and Marshall Kent (5)
PBA World Championship presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon: Kris Prather (5)
PBA Cheetah Championship: Kyle Sherman (2)
PBA Scorpion Championship: Jason Belmonte (28)
PBA Shark Championship: Keven Williams (1)
PBA Lubbock Sports Open: Jason Belmonte (29)
PBA Colorado Springs Open: Dom Barrett (10)
USBC Masters: Anthony Simonsen (10)
Kia PBA Playoffs: Kyle Troup (9)
King of the Lanes: Royal Family Edition: Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Alyssa Ballard
King of the Lanes: Kyle Troup
PBA Tour Finals: Jason Belmonte (30)
PBA League Elias Cup: Portland Lumberjacks
PBA Strike Derby: Kyle Troup
PBA League All-Star Clash: Jake Peters
PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles: EJ Tackett (16) and Diandra Asbaty (2nd PWBA Tour title)