EJ Tackett and Four Potential First-Time Champions Advance to PBA Scorpion Championship Finals

The first championship round of the PBA World Series of Bowling (WSOB) XVI epitomizes the potential of the global event, which is being held at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

The PBA Scorpion Championship finals, airing live on FS1 and the FOX Sports app at 5 p.m. Pacific/local (8 p.m. Eastern) time, includes three international players, a rookie, and a future Hall of Famer in his prime.

Malaysia’s Rafiq Ismail, Germany’s Tobias Börding and Sweden’s Rasmus Edvall will each make their televised championship round debut, while Ryan Barnes will make his second championship round of his rookie season. 

And then there’s the No. 2 seed EJ Tackett, who will be making his fourth championship round appearance of the season (and his second in as many nights). 

Tackett looks to tie Don Johnson for 10th all time with a 26th career title, while each of the other four players will attempt to win their first career title.

Ismail earned the top seed as the highest-seeded qualifier to emerge from the elimination bracket, which featured the top 24 qualifiers in best-of-five-games matches.

The powerful one-handed lefty previously made the championship round of the 2018 PBA Xtra Frame Greater Jonesboro Open, which was won by last night’s PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic champion Andrew Anderson. He also represented the World team in the televised 2017 USA vs. the World event, also held during the WSOB at the National Bowling Stadium.

Tackett, who finished runner up to Anderson last night, is the two-time reigning PBA Player of the Year. The only player to have won two titles so far this season could seize a firm grasp on this year’s POY race with a win.

Börding will aim to become the first German player to win a title on the PBA Tour. He said he has been bowling the WSOB since 2015, the same year fellow German Pascal Winternheimer made the PBA Chameleon Championship finals.

Barnes is the current front-runner for PBA Rookie of the Year, ranking eighth overall in points and first among first-year players. The son of PBA Hall of Famer Chris Barnes finished fifth in the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic earlier this season and third in the PBA Players Championship finals as an amateur in 2024.

Edvall earned the No. 5 seed as the highest-seeded qualifier to lose in the Round of 8. He said he has been battling injuries to both knees since January 2024 and was unsure if he would be able to compete in this event. Instead, the Swede persevered and will net the best finish of his career.

The stepladder finals will begin at 5 p.m. Pacific/local (8 p.m. Eastern) time, airing live on FS1 and the FOX Sports app.

Round of 16 Results

No. 16 Boog Krol def. No. 1 Tim Foy Jr., 3-1
No. 8 EJ Tackett def. No. 24 Arnar Jonsson, 3-1

No. 18 Tobias Börding def. No. 2 BJ Moore, 3-1
No. 23 Marshall Kent def. No. 7 Matt Ogle, 3-1

No. 19 Patrick Dombrowski def. No. 3 Jason Belmonte, 3-1
No. 22 Ryan Barnes def. No. 6 Trevor Roberts, 3-1

No. 4 Rafiq Ismail def. No. 13 Shawn Maldonado, 3-2
No. 12 Rasmus Edvall def. No. 5 Cam Crowe, 3-2

Round of 8 Results

No. 8 EJ Tackett def. No. 16 Boog Krol, 3-1
No. 18 Tobias Börding def. No. 23 Marshall Kent, 3-1
No. 22 Ryan Barnes def. No. 19 Patrick Dombrowski, 3-2
No. 4 Rafiq Ismail def. No. 12 Rasmus Edvall, 3-0

Championship Round Matches

Match One: No. 4 Ryan Barnes vs. No. 5 Rasmus Edvall
Match Two: winner vs. No. 3 Tobias Börding
Match Three: winner vs. No. 2 EJ Tackett
Championship: winner vs. No. 1 Rafiq Ismail

Full standings and match results are available here.