Singapore’s Darren Ong Wins First Title in PBA Viper Championship

For the second night in a row, an international player has claimed their first career PBA Tour title in the World Series of Bowling (WSOB) XVI.

Singapore’s Darren Ong defeated EJ Tackett, 215-205, to win the PBA Viper Championship and the $20,000 top prize on Monday night at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Ong, the top seed for the stepladder finals, became the first player from Singapore to win a PBA Tour title.

“I still can't believe that this actually happened,” Ong said. “Through the days of qualifying and the (match play) rounds, each step made it more achievable. For it to finally all come together, it's incredible. I hope this achievement inspires other bowlers, not just in Singapore, but in Southeast Asia and Asia. We are capable of coming on tour and giving everyone here a run for their money.”

While Ong is the first Singapore player to win on the PBA Tour, several Singaporean women have won on the PWBA Tour.

“Being able to be the first male to have won a title adds to the list of great things that the women’s team has already done,” Ong said. “They’ve really paved the way for us. Even though (they won) on the PWBA Tour, they have shown us that it's possible. I think that has really inspired us as well."

Tackett almost completed an epic climb of the stepladder finals, defeating Jason Belmonte, Zach Wilkins and Kris Prather before falling to Ong.

“EJ is the best bowler on the planet right now,” Ong said. “To be able to compete against him on the same stage is really a privilege and honor for myself. To take a win from him, I don’t think many of that will come by, so I will cherish this one very much.”

Tackett defeated Belmonte in a battle of the winningest WSOB players ever. The strikes came in bunches during the first half of the match, but Belmonte struggled to keep striking as the 38-foot Viper oil pattern transitioned.

Tackett then prevailed over Canada’s Wilkins, 254-237. Wilkins struck eight times, but left two 10-pins and two 7-pins. Tackett meanwhile fired nine of 10 strikes after a split in the first frame.

Prather fell victim to the same left lane that flustered Tackett in Sunday’s PBA Scorpion Championship semifinal match. After a first-frame strike, he never struck again on the lane.

Tackett started to lose the left lane himself, splitting in the eighth frame, but starting with five consecutive strikes allowed him to hold on to a 224-207 win.

It was the right lane, however, that cost Tackett the ultimate victory in the title match.

Facing an opportunity to shut out Ong in the ninth and 10th frames, Tackett left the 4-10 split in the ninth frame. Though he responded after the open frame with two strikes in the 10th, Ong only needed a mark to claim his first career title.

The Singapore star packed a strike as his teammates, Jaris Goh and Nu'Man Syahmi Yusri, erupted in the front row.

“I wish my whole team was here, but I'm still very grateful that the three of us were able to come out here on tour and bowl with the best bowlers on Earth,” Ong said.

The WSOB continues with the PBA Chameleon Championship on Tuesday at the National Bowling Stadium.

The Round of 16 will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific/local (12 p.m. Eastern) time, followed by the Round of 8 at 11:30 a.m. PT (2:30 p.m. ET) on BowlTV. 

The PBA Chameleon Championship stepladder finals will air live on FS1 and the FOX Sports app at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). International viewers can watch via BowlTV.

It will be the same schedule for the PBA Shark Championship on Wednesday, followed by the PBA World Championship finals on Saturday, March 22. 

The full upcoming PBA television schedule is available here.

Round of 16 Results

No. 1 Darren Ong def. No. 16 Stu Williams, 3-0
No. 24 Trevor Roberts def. No. 8 Jean Perez, 3-0

No. 2 EJ Tackett def. No. 15 Patrick Dombrowski, 3-2
No. 10 Zach Wilkins def. No. 7 Thomas Larsen, 3-0

No. 3 Boog Krol def. No. 14 Jesper Svensson, 3-0
No. 11 Jason Belmonte def. No. 6 Matt Ogle, 3-1

No. 5 Kris Prather def. No. 12 Chris Barnes, 3-1
No. 4 Tom Daugherty def. No. 20 Trevor Ashby, 3-2

Round of 8 Results

No. 1 Darren Ong def. No. 24 Trevor Roberts, 3-0
No. 10 Zach Wilkins def. No. 2 EJ Tackett, 3-0
No. 11 Jason Belmonte def. No. 3 Boog Krol, 3-2
No. 5 Kris Prather def. No. 4 Tom Daugherty, 3-2

Championship Round Scores

Match One: No. 5 EJ Tackett def. No. 4 Jason Belmonte, 247-220
Match Two: No. 5 EJ Tackett def. vs. No. 3 Zach Wilkins, 254-237
Match Three: No. 5 EJ Tackett def. vs. No. 2 Kris Prather, 224-207
Championship: No. 1 Darren Ong def. No. 5 EJ Tackett, 215-205

Full standings and match results are available here.

Final Standings

1. Darren Ong, $20,000
2. EJ Tackett, $13,500
3. Kris Prather, $10,000
4. Zach Wilkins, $7,500
5. Jason Belmonte, $6,000

More information on the PBA Viper Championship is available here.

Tournament Schedule

National Bowling Stadium | Reno, NV

All times Pacific/local

Tuesday, March 18
9 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Chameleon Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)

Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Chameleon Championship stepladder finals

4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Chameleon Championship - Finals
Free Tickets

Wednesday, March 19
9 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 16 (best-of-five games)
11:30 a.m. — PBA Shark Championship - Match Play Round of 8 (best-of-five games)

Four winners and highest-seeded loser in Round of 8 advance to PBA Shark Championship stepladder finals

4 p.m. on FS1 — PBA Shark Championship - Finals
Free Tickets

Thursday, March 20
10 a.m. — PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 1 (eight games)
5 p.m. — PBA World Championship - Round-Robin Match Play Round 2 (eight games)

Top five players advance to PBA World Championship stepladder finals

Saturday, March 22
12 p.m. on FOX — PBA World Championship Finals
Free Tickets

More information on the PBA World Series of Bowling XVI is available here.