February 12, 2025 Nolan Hughes

After winning the U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling in thrilling fashion, there would be no comeback from EJ Tackett in Chicago.

The two-time reigning PBA Player of the Year finished 29th in the PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic and only one spot better in the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship with Marshall Kent.

What changed ahead of this week’s PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic in Springfield, Mo.?

“I beat up a 10-pin on lane 13 at home (EZ Bowl),” Tackett said. “We have string-pins, so it was the same 10-pin every time. I thought I was going to have to change it. I made sure I wasn't going to miss any more. I made them all today.”

“I think a couple days off was also needed,” he added. “I'm throwing it well, seeing the lane well, and then making good shots on top of that, too.”

Tackett torched the 45-foot Dick Weber oil pattern at Enterprise Park Lanes with a near-240 average for his 12 games, racking up a 2,872 (+472) total pinfall.

Tim Foy Jr., Ryan Barnes, Kevin McCune and Kyle Troup round out the top five. Shawn Maldonado, Sean Lavery-Spahr and Bailey Mavrick join the quintet in position for a one-round bye for elimination match play.

Dom Barrett (+201) currently sits in 24th place, which will be the cutline after tomorrow’s final round of qualifying.

Tackett won the 2024 PBA Shark Championship on a long pattern, but of course there is little to be learned from a different pattern in a different bowling center.

“Since we're using fire oil again, (the lanes) transitioned pretty quickly,” Tackett said. “The first game, even though I shot 288, I felt like I was almost moving every shot. My ball just kept trying to go high, so I was inching left every shot. I ended up moving like four or five boards during the game. After that, I felt like I made pretty normal moves for a long pattern.”

Tackett and Motiv seized the lead in the PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands after Tackett’s U.S. Open triumph. Motiv continues to pace the league after Santtu Tahvanainen’s win last week in Illinois.

“It's great to be in that position early, but there's a lot of bowling left to do for the season,” Tackett said. “Everything adds up at the end of the season. Our focus (as players) is trying to be as high as possible, no matter where you are in the standings, because every point matters. And so far, so good.”

Tackett has been in Motiv’s lineup every week, but manager Brett Spangler has started almost every player on their roster, a testament to the team’s depth and chemistry.

“I think we've got a good formula of how we're working and operating,” Tackett said. “It's important every week for guys to be brutally honest with themselves and with the team. It builds everybody's trust in everyone. We know someone is not going to sit here and just say they’ve got a good look because they want to be on the team.”

AJ Johnson’s stellar second round pushed him into the top 10 as well, so Motiv is off to another promising start in the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic.

Six games remain before the cut to elimination match play where, as they say, anything can happen. The action begins at 11 a.m. Central/local time (12 p.m. Eastern) on Thursday with the Round of 24 beginning at 6 p.m. CT.

All rounds of qualifying and match play will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

Round 2 Leaders

  1. EJ Tackett, 2,872 (+472)
  2. Tim Foy Jr., 2,802 (+402)
  3. Ryan Barnes, 2,797 (+397)
  4. Kevin McCune, 2,753 (+353)
  5. Kyle Troup, 2,737 (+337)
  6. Shawn Maldonado, 2,724 (+324)
  7. Sean Lavery-Spahr, 2,718 (+318)
  8. Bailey Mavrick, 2,695 (+295)
  9. Bill O’Neill, 2,692 (+292)
  10. AJ Johnson, 2,689 (+289)

Full standings are available here.

Tournament Schedule

Enterprise Park Lanes | Springfield, MO

All times Central

Thursday, Feb. 13 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games)

Top 24 qualifiers advance to elimination match play

6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 24 (best-of-seven games)

Friday, Feb. 14 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 16 (best-of-seven games)
6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 8 (best-of-seven games)

Sunday, Feb. 16 | FS1
Noon — Championship Round (stepladder finals)

More information on the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic is available here.