Smallwood among 16 players still undefeated after Day 1 of match play at 2025 USBC Masters
March 28, 2025
Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Michigan, posts up a shot during his second-round match against Kyle Sherman. Smallwood topped Sherman to finish the day 2-0 and remain one of just 16 players still undefeated at the 2025 USBC Masters, which is being contested at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan.
MATCH-PLAY BRACKETS
ALLEN PARK, Michigan – Bowling isn’t typically the first sport that comes to mind when discussing the concept of home-field advantage; nevertheless, most players will tell you that it’s much better to feel like the crowd is rooting for you instead of against you.
Even though Tom Smallwood’s hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, is a couple hours away from Allen Park, there was no doubt who had the most fan support at Thunderbowl Lanes during Thursday’s opening rounds of match play at the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Masters.
Much to the delight of his sizable gallery, Smallwood rode that support to a record of 2-0 on Day 1 of match play, which allowed the 47-year-old right-hander to end the day as one of just 16 players still without a loss.
The other 16 athletes still alive in this year’s Masters field have lost a match and will have to battle their way through the tournament’s Elimination Bracket if they are to make their dreams of becoming 2025 Masters champion come true.
Even though Smallwood managed to remain in the Winners Bracket at the end of Thursday’s opening rounds of match play, his day was hardly stress free.
Both of his three-game, total-pinfall matches came down to the 10th frame of Game 3 and saw Smallwood staring down the possibility of being shut out if his opponent could double.
Neither foe pulled it off, however, and that allowed Smallwood to walk away with a pair of victories, 675-658 over 2002 Masters champion Brett Wolfe of Mesa, Arizona, and 598-594 over Kyle Sherman of O’Fallon, Missouri.
Smallwood will be back on the lanes Friday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern for a Round 3 matchup against No. 53 seed Gary Haines of Babylon, New York.
Haines earned his spot in the Winners Bracket bout by topping Charles Easton of Toledo, Ohio (648-589) during Round 1 and then vanquishing Team USA’s Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas (646-618) in Round 2.
Smallwood, Haines and the 14 other competitors still in the Winners Bracket will come to Thunderbowl Lanes on Friday looking to win at least their first three matches as that would allow them to reach the Winners Bracket final and guarantee themselves no worse than the No. 2 seed for the 2025 Masters stepladder finals, which will take place in the famed Thunderbowl Arena live on FOX this Sunday at noon Eastern.
If Smallwood were to earn a spot on that telecast, he’d likely have the lion’s share of the capacity crowd in his corner, which he would greatly appreciate even though he admits it would be something of a double-edged sword.
“I live a couple hours away, but I’ve bowled at Thunderbowl a lot, I’ve had success here and it’s really where my career began,” Smallwood said. “Whenever I bowl here, I have a lot of people watching me, but it’s kind of a double-edged sword. You love having the cheers, but you feel worse when you bowl bad because you feel like you’re disappointing everybody."
But Smallwood didn’t disappoint anyone on Thursday, and now he’s in prime position to make a run at capturing this year’s Masters title.
Nevertheless, he knows that quest won’t be easy as there are several outstanding players sitting at 2-0 right alongside him.
That list includes three-time Masters champion Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas, who won the event in 2016, 2022 and 2023, reining Professional Bowlers Association Tour Player of the Year EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, who already has four wins this year, including the season’s first two majors (U.S. Open; PBA World Championship) and current and future stars like Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Brandon Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey, and Bailey Mavrick of Peru, Indiana.
Smallwood has the utmost respect for the aforementioned competitors and for all other opponents he may possibly draw on Friday, so he certainly won’t be taking anyone lightly.
“Everyone who makes the cut out here can shoot 750 at you,” Smallwood said. “Also, the lanes are hard when they’re fresh, and the burn is even harder because you’re following someone else.
“I could’ve easily have been 0-2 today, but instead I’m 2-0. This whole week is that way. A hit here or there is what determines whether you get through or not.”
Defending champion DeeRonn Booker of Albuquerque, New Mexico, also navigated the 44-foot 2025 Masters oil pattern well enough to get through on Thursday; however, he did so via the Elimination Bracket.
That’s because Booker lost his opening-round match to No. 1 seed O’Neill by a final score of 706-574.
Nevertheless, showing the heart that led him to the winner’s circle last year in Las Vegas, Booker rebounded, collecting victories over Brent Boho of Collinsville, Illinois (602-548), and Brad Miller of O’Fallon, Missouri (746-718), to keep his hopes of a Masters repeat alive.
At this point, however, Booker would probably be more than happy just to win four matches on Friday to advance to Saturday’s Elimination Bracket finals telecast, which will take place in the Thunderbowl Arena and be aired live on FS1 at noon Eastern.
Those matches will implement a knockout-style format with the winners of the first two games advancing to the finals of the Elimination Bracket. The advancers then will take on players who lost in the semifinals of the Winners Bracket with each winner earning a spot in the opening match of the stepladder on Sunday.
The two players who emerge victorious from Friday’s Winners Bracket semifinals will earn automatic spots on Sunday’s broadcast with a three-game total-pinfall match determining the top seed. This match will be broadcast at BowlTV.com.
With only four players advancing to the stepladder, the top seed will need to be defeated twice on FOX to be denied the title.
The 2025 Masters champion will take home a spot in the tournament’s storied history, a major title on the PBA Tour and the $100,000 top prize.
For more information on the USBC Masters, visit CLICK HERE.
MATCH-PLAY BRACKETS
ALLEN PARK, Michigan – Bowling isn’t typically the first sport that comes to mind when discussing the concept of home-field advantage; nevertheless, most players will tell you that it’s much better to feel like the crowd is rooting for you instead of against you.
Even though Tom Smallwood’s hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, is a couple hours away from Allen Park, there was no doubt who had the most fan support at Thunderbowl Lanes during Thursday’s opening rounds of match play at the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Masters.
Much to the delight of his sizable gallery, Smallwood rode that support to a record of 2-0 on Day 1 of match play, which allowed the 47-year-old right-hander to end the day as one of just 16 players still without a loss.
The other 16 athletes still alive in this year’s Masters field have lost a match and will have to battle their way through the tournament’s Elimination Bracket if they are to make their dreams of becoming 2025 Masters champion come true.
Even though Smallwood managed to remain in the Winners Bracket at the end of Thursday’s opening rounds of match play, his day was hardly stress free.
Both of his three-game, total-pinfall matches came down to the 10th frame of Game 3 and saw Smallwood staring down the possibility of being shut out if his opponent could double.
Neither foe pulled it off, however, and that allowed Smallwood to walk away with a pair of victories, 675-658 over 2002 Masters champion Brett Wolfe of Mesa, Arizona, and 598-594 over Kyle Sherman of O’Fallon, Missouri.
Smallwood will be back on the lanes Friday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern for a Round 3 matchup against No. 53 seed Gary Haines of Babylon, New York.
Haines earned his spot in the Winners Bracket bout by topping Charles Easton of Toledo, Ohio (648-589) during Round 1 and then vanquishing Team USA’s Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas (646-618) in Round 2.
Smallwood, Haines and the 14 other competitors still in the Winners Bracket will come to Thunderbowl Lanes on Friday looking to win at least their first three matches as that would allow them to reach the Winners Bracket final and guarantee themselves no worse than the No. 2 seed for the 2025 Masters stepladder finals, which will take place in the famed Thunderbowl Arena live on FOX this Sunday at noon Eastern.
If Smallwood were to earn a spot on that telecast, he’d likely have the lion’s share of the capacity crowd in his corner, which he would greatly appreciate even though he admits it would be something of a double-edged sword.
“I live a couple hours away, but I’ve bowled at Thunderbowl a lot, I’ve had success here and it’s really where my career began,” Smallwood said. “Whenever I bowl here, I have a lot of people watching me, but it’s kind of a double-edged sword. You love having the cheers, but you feel worse when you bowl bad because you feel like you’re disappointing everybody."
But Smallwood didn’t disappoint anyone on Thursday, and now he’s in prime position to make a run at capturing this year’s Masters title.
Nevertheless, he knows that quest won’t be easy as there are several outstanding players sitting at 2-0 right alongside him.
That list includes three-time Masters champion Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas, who won the event in 2016, 2022 and 2023, reining Professional Bowlers Association Tour Player of the Year EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, who already has four wins this year, including the season’s first two majors (U.S. Open; PBA World Championship) and current and future stars like Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Brandon Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey, and Bailey Mavrick of Peru, Indiana.
Smallwood has the utmost respect for the aforementioned competitors and for all other opponents he may possibly draw on Friday, so he certainly won’t be taking anyone lightly.
“Everyone who makes the cut out here can shoot 750 at you,” Smallwood said. “Also, the lanes are hard when they’re fresh, and the burn is even harder because you’re following someone else.
“I could’ve easily have been 0-2 today, but instead I’m 2-0. This whole week is that way. A hit here or there is what determines whether you get through or not.”
Defending champion DeeRonn Booker of Albuquerque, New Mexico, also navigated the 44-foot 2025 Masters oil pattern well enough to get through on Thursday; however, he did so via the Elimination Bracket.
That’s because Booker lost his opening-round match to No. 1 seed O’Neill by a final score of 706-574.
Nevertheless, showing the heart that led him to the winner’s circle last year in Las Vegas, Booker rebounded, collecting victories over Brent Boho of Collinsville, Illinois (602-548), and Brad Miller of O’Fallon, Missouri (746-718), to keep his hopes of a Masters repeat alive.
At this point, however, Booker would probably be more than happy just to win four matches on Friday to advance to Saturday’s Elimination Bracket finals telecast, which will take place in the Thunderbowl Arena and be aired live on FS1 at noon Eastern.
Those matches will implement a knockout-style format with the winners of the first two games advancing to the finals of the Elimination Bracket. The advancers then will take on players who lost in the semifinals of the Winners Bracket with each winner earning a spot in the opening match of the stepladder on Sunday.
The two players who emerge victorious from Friday’s Winners Bracket semifinals will earn automatic spots on Sunday’s broadcast with a three-game total-pinfall match determining the top seed. This match will be broadcast at BowlTV.com.
With only four players advancing to the stepladder, the top seed will need to be defeated twice on FOX to be denied the title.
The 2025 Masters champion will take home a spot in the tournament’s storied history, a major title on the PBA Tour and the $100,000 top prize.
For more information on the USBC Masters, visit CLICK HERE.