Tackett Chasing History at the PBA World Championship

The pressure is building, the lights are getting brighter, and one name keeps sitting at the top of the leaderboard — EJ Tackett.

With just 16 players left standing at the 2026 AMF PBA World Championship, Tackett is locked in and hunting history at Bowlero Brooklyn Park in Minneapolis. After 50 brutal games across five different oil patterns, the three-time defending champ leads the field with a monster 11,316 pinfall average at over 226.

And here’s the scary part for the rest of the field… he still hasn’t won a title this season.

That’s right. The guy leading the PBA points race all year long is still chasing his first trophy of 2026 — and now he’s staring down a chance to do something nobody in PBA history has ever done: win four straight World Championships.

Tackett made it crystal clear where his mindset is.

“I’m here to do a job, and that job is to win.”

No fluff. No excuses. Just business.

Behind Tackett is an absolute shark tank of talent featuring major champions like Chris Via, Jason Belmonte, Kris Prather, and Hall of Famer Bill O'Neill.

Belmo lurking in fourth? Yeah… nobody wants to see that come stepladder time.

Meanwhile, O’Neill is quietly grinding his way into contention. Sitting sixth after 50 games, the veteran says his physical game feels strong, but ball reaction and lane transition decisions have kept him from making a bigger charge.

Classic O’Neill honesty.

He knows the window is there — especially on the demanding conditions at Brooklyn Park — but he’ll need to clean up the decision-making if he wants another major run.

And then there’s the rest of the pack.

Darren Tang, Jason Sterner, and Zach Wilkins currently hold the final stepladder spots, while names like Packy Hanrahan, Ryan Barnes, and Tommy Jones are still within striking distance heading into the final grind of match play.

The final 16 games of round-robin match play are set for Wednesday, with only the top nine surviving to advance to the stepladder finals at Thunderbowl Lanes on June 13.

And if Tackett finishes the job?

We may be witnessing one of the greatest stretches in modern PBA history. 🔥🎳