Stepladder finals set at 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open in Indianapolis
March 08, 2026
(From left to right): Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas, Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio; Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio; Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, and Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, smile on the approach at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on Saturday night. The five were the last men standing at the end of match play, which allowed them to advance to Sunday's stepladder finals at the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open.
FULL RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS – It’s often been said that nobody wins a U.S. Open title by accident. After all, an athlete must roll at least 56 games over the course of five days on some of the sport’s most challenging lane conditions just to reach the stepladder finals.
The 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open began at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on Tuesday morning with 108 bowlers hoping the week would end with them hoisting the trophy, donning the coveted green jacket and pocketing the hefty $100,000 first-place prize.
At the end of Saturday night’s final round of match play, however, that dream remained alive for just five competitors. Those five will compete for bowling’s most prestigious major title during Sunday’s stepladder finals, which will be broadcast live on The CW at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas earned the No. 1 seed for Sunday’s show after leading this year’s field with a 56-game total of 13,024 pins, which included 30 bonus pins for each win that he collected while posting a 15-9 match-play record on Friday and Saturday.
Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, used a 17-7 match-play mark to come in with 12,981 and qualify second.
Earning the third spot in the stepladder finals was Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio, who went 14-10 during match play to finish just two pins behind Dombrowski with a 56-game tally of 12,979.
Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, went 11-12-1 to grab the No. 4 seed with 12,945 while Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, secured the fifth and final stepladder finals berth thanks to a 14-8-2 head-to-head mark and a grand total of 12,829.
And Anderson needed every last one of those pins to get past Malaysia’s Tun Hakim and claim the final spot on Sunday’s telecast.
Hakim held a three-pin lead over Anderson heading into Saturday night’s final game, the position-round where No. 1 in the standings faced No. 2, No. 3 faced No. 4 and so on down the line.
Anderson and Hakim battled tooth-and-nail throughout their head-to-head bout, but when Hakim left a 4-6-10 split in the ninth and suffered an open frame, it appeared as if Anderson was destined to win the match and go around Hakim to collect the final berth in the finals.
That all changed, however, when Anderson left a 2-8-10 of his own during the 10th frame. Once he failed to convert the challenging split, the advantage once again swung back in Hakim’s direction.
If he could strike on the first two shots of his final frame and then get eight or better on the fill ball, he would hold Anderson off claim the last spot on Sunday’s show.
The capacity crowd inside Royal Pin Woodland was dead silent as Hakim stepped onto the approach and attempted to deliver the strikes he needed just as he had so many times before during this year’s tournament.
It wasn’t meant to be this time, however, as a light pocket hit left the 2-5 standing, ending Hakim’s impressive run and pushing Anderson through to the U.S. Open stepladder for the second year in a row.
Anderson was the top seed for the TV finals in 2025, but he fell to EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, 238-184, during the title match, giving Tackett his second U.S. Open title and forcing Anderson to settle for a runner-up finish.
As this year’s No. 5 seed, Anderson will have to win four matches on Sunday if he hopes to avenge last year’s disappointment and collect his first U.S. Open crown and second major title – His first came at the 2018 United States Bowling Congress Masters in Syracuse, New York.
It’s a tall order to be sure, but Anderson isn’t intimidated by the challenge.
“A few weeks ago, Brandon Bonta made a run up the ladder at a major and won it all, which proves it can be done,” Anderson said in reference to Bonta’s win at the season opening Professional Bowlers Association Players Championship in Arlington, Texas. “I have more experience now after competing in the U.S. Open stepladder last year, so we’ll see if we can go out there tomorrow and put on a show.”
There have been plenty of fireworks already at this year’s tournament as nine perfect games have been recorded, which is the most thrown at a single U.S. Open since the current format was adopted in 2020.
Three of those 300s were recorded on Saturday, one by Via, who achieved perfection for the second time this week, and the others by England’s Dom Barrett and Australia’s Jason Belmonte.
Foy has yet to tally a perfect game this week; nevertheless, he established the highest average among the five stepladder finalists with 225.
On Sunday, Foy, who made six TV finals appearances during the 2025 PBA Tour season, including two at majors, will look to use that striking power to take down Anderson during Match 1 and start his own run up the ladder.
“I made the show at two majors last year and bowled well at both, so I’ve gotten very comfortable on TV,” Foy said. “I just need to take the momentum, experience and lessons I’ve learned and apply them tomorrow. Hopefully, I bowl like I did on TV last year, and the breaks go my way. If that happens, I like my chances.”
If Foy can get past Anderson in the opener, his Match 2 opponent will be Via, a player who, when he’s been lined up, has given opponents little to no chance.
In addition to the aforementioned pair of perfect games, Via also recorded an 813 series this week at Royal Pin Woodland. It came when the 2021 U.S. Open champ produced scores of 279, 257 and 277 during Games 1-3 of the Cashers’ Round on Friday morning.
Big scores are nothing new to Via, who was the third player in PBA history to record multiple televised 300 games and the first to notch two perfect games on TV in one season.
But the 33-year-old two-handed righty won’t be thinking about honor scores when he faces the winner of Anderson-Foy during Match 2 on Sunday; instead, he’ll try to stay relaxed and just let things happen.
“I bowled a really good game the first game on TV last year, but then I kind of started forcing it because I was bowling EJ (Tackett) and felt like I had to bowl 260,” Via said, referring to the 2025 U.S. Open stepladder finals where he defeated Canada’s Francois Lavoie, 238-226, before falling to Tackett in the semifinals by a final score of 245-152. “My goal this year is to just bowl and let it happen. When I was bowling well, that’s kind of what I was doing, executing, making good shots and seeing what happens after that.”
If Via can win his first match tomorrow, what will happen next is a semifinal bout versus Dombrowski with a berth in the title match on the line.
Dombrowski authored his fair share of big scores this week as well, particularly during Round 3 of qualifying when he recorded 21 strikes in a row while shooting 300 during Game 5 and 299 in Game 6.
Still, the only number on Dombrowski’s mind on Sunday will be two as that’s the number of matches he’ll have to win to record his first PBA Tour title and major.
The 47-year-old right-hander recorded a runner-up finish at the 2024 USBC Masters and has 11 PBA regional titles to his credit; nevertheless, he’s yet to reach the winner’s circle on the PBA Tour.
“I want a national title; that’s all that I want,” Dombrowski said. “I’ll just have to see how the first two matches go, see where they’re playing and see what the ball reps are thinking in regard to how to play the lanes. I feel good, so after that it will just be about trying to execute shots.”
Quality shots will need to come in bunches for Dombrowski or any other finalist who hopes to take down Simonsen in Sunday’s title match.
After all, Simonsen has now reached the U.S. Open stepladder finals five years in a row and eight times in the last 11 years.
He won the 2022 event, which also was contested at Royal Pin Woodland. Now, the 29-year-old two-handed righty will come to Sunday’s show in search of his 17th PBA Tour title, sixth major and second green jacket.
Sometimes the magnitude of all that he’s accomplished even surprises Simonsen himself.
“Eight in 11 is kind of crazy because I finished sixth one of the years I didn’t make the show,” Simonsen said. “I never really put that into perspective until now, so that’s kind of wild.”
What else is wild is Simonsen’s drive to win because, despite all that he’s accomplished, he’s still as hungry as ever.
“Obviously, it would be pretty cool to add another U.S. Open to the list,” Simonsen said. “It would be a nice little bounce back from last season and great way to make my debut on The CW. I’m slowly piecing the puzzle together this season and just hoping to bowl one more good game on Sunday.”
The 2026 U.S. Open is a collaborative effort between the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America. The total prize fund for the event will exceed $275,000.
All qualifying and match-play rounds leading up to the stepladder finals were broadcast live on BowlTV.
CLICK HERE for more information about the U.S. Open.
FULL RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS – It’s often been said that nobody wins a U.S. Open title by accident. After all, an athlete must roll at least 56 games over the course of five days on some of the sport’s most challenging lane conditions just to reach the stepladder finals.
The 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open began at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on Tuesday morning with 108 bowlers hoping the week would end with them hoisting the trophy, donning the coveted green jacket and pocketing the hefty $100,000 first-place prize.
At the end of Saturday night’s final round of match play, however, that dream remained alive for just five competitors. Those five will compete for bowling’s most prestigious major title during Sunday’s stepladder finals, which will be broadcast live on The CW at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas earned the No. 1 seed for Sunday’s show after leading this year’s field with a 56-game total of 13,024 pins, which included 30 bonus pins for each win that he collected while posting a 15-9 match-play record on Friday and Saturday.
Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, used a 17-7 match-play mark to come in with 12,981 and qualify second.
Earning the third spot in the stepladder finals was Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio, who went 14-10 during match play to finish just two pins behind Dombrowski with a 56-game tally of 12,979.
Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, went 11-12-1 to grab the No. 4 seed with 12,945 while Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, secured the fifth and final stepladder finals berth thanks to a 14-8-2 head-to-head mark and a grand total of 12,829.
And Anderson needed every last one of those pins to get past Malaysia’s Tun Hakim and claim the final spot on Sunday’s telecast.
Hakim held a three-pin lead over Anderson heading into Saturday night’s final game, the position-round where No. 1 in the standings faced No. 2, No. 3 faced No. 4 and so on down the line.
Anderson and Hakim battled tooth-and-nail throughout their head-to-head bout, but when Hakim left a 4-6-10 split in the ninth and suffered an open frame, it appeared as if Anderson was destined to win the match and go around Hakim to collect the final berth in the finals.
That all changed, however, when Anderson left a 2-8-10 of his own during the 10th frame. Once he failed to convert the challenging split, the advantage once again swung back in Hakim’s direction.
If he could strike on the first two shots of his final frame and then get eight or better on the fill ball, he would hold Anderson off claim the last spot on Sunday’s show.
The capacity crowd inside Royal Pin Woodland was dead silent as Hakim stepped onto the approach and attempted to deliver the strikes he needed just as he had so many times before during this year’s tournament.
It wasn’t meant to be this time, however, as a light pocket hit left the 2-5 standing, ending Hakim’s impressive run and pushing Anderson through to the U.S. Open stepladder for the second year in a row.
Anderson was the top seed for the TV finals in 2025, but he fell to EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, 238-184, during the title match, giving Tackett his second U.S. Open title and forcing Anderson to settle for a runner-up finish.
As this year’s No. 5 seed, Anderson will have to win four matches on Sunday if he hopes to avenge last year’s disappointment and collect his first U.S. Open crown and second major title – His first came at the 2018 United States Bowling Congress Masters in Syracuse, New York.
It’s a tall order to be sure, but Anderson isn’t intimidated by the challenge.
“A few weeks ago, Brandon Bonta made a run up the ladder at a major and won it all, which proves it can be done,” Anderson said in reference to Bonta’s win at the season opening Professional Bowlers Association Players Championship in Arlington, Texas. “I have more experience now after competing in the U.S. Open stepladder last year, so we’ll see if we can go out there tomorrow and put on a show.”
There have been plenty of fireworks already at this year’s tournament as nine perfect games have been recorded, which is the most thrown at a single U.S. Open since the current format was adopted in 2020.
Three of those 300s were recorded on Saturday, one by Via, who achieved perfection for the second time this week, and the others by England’s Dom Barrett and Australia’s Jason Belmonte.
Foy has yet to tally a perfect game this week; nevertheless, he established the highest average among the five stepladder finalists with 225.
On Sunday, Foy, who made six TV finals appearances during the 2025 PBA Tour season, including two at majors, will look to use that striking power to take down Anderson during Match 1 and start his own run up the ladder.
“I made the show at two majors last year and bowled well at both, so I’ve gotten very comfortable on TV,” Foy said. “I just need to take the momentum, experience and lessons I’ve learned and apply them tomorrow. Hopefully, I bowl like I did on TV last year, and the breaks go my way. If that happens, I like my chances.”
If Foy can get past Anderson in the opener, his Match 2 opponent will be Via, a player who, when he’s been lined up, has given opponents little to no chance.
In addition to the aforementioned pair of perfect games, Via also recorded an 813 series this week at Royal Pin Woodland. It came when the 2021 U.S. Open champ produced scores of 279, 257 and 277 during Games 1-3 of the Cashers’ Round on Friday morning.
Big scores are nothing new to Via, who was the third player in PBA history to record multiple televised 300 games and the first to notch two perfect games on TV in one season.
But the 33-year-old two-handed righty won’t be thinking about honor scores when he faces the winner of Anderson-Foy during Match 2 on Sunday; instead, he’ll try to stay relaxed and just let things happen.
“I bowled a really good game the first game on TV last year, but then I kind of started forcing it because I was bowling EJ (Tackett) and felt like I had to bowl 260,” Via said, referring to the 2025 U.S. Open stepladder finals where he defeated Canada’s Francois Lavoie, 238-226, before falling to Tackett in the semifinals by a final score of 245-152. “My goal this year is to just bowl and let it happen. When I was bowling well, that’s kind of what I was doing, executing, making good shots and seeing what happens after that.”
If Via can win his first match tomorrow, what will happen next is a semifinal bout versus Dombrowski with a berth in the title match on the line.
Dombrowski authored his fair share of big scores this week as well, particularly during Round 3 of qualifying when he recorded 21 strikes in a row while shooting 300 during Game 5 and 299 in Game 6.
Still, the only number on Dombrowski’s mind on Sunday will be two as that’s the number of matches he’ll have to win to record his first PBA Tour title and major.
The 47-year-old right-hander recorded a runner-up finish at the 2024 USBC Masters and has 11 PBA regional titles to his credit; nevertheless, he’s yet to reach the winner’s circle on the PBA Tour.
“I want a national title; that’s all that I want,” Dombrowski said. “I’ll just have to see how the first two matches go, see where they’re playing and see what the ball reps are thinking in regard to how to play the lanes. I feel good, so after that it will just be about trying to execute shots.”
Quality shots will need to come in bunches for Dombrowski or any other finalist who hopes to take down Simonsen in Sunday’s title match.
After all, Simonsen has now reached the U.S. Open stepladder finals five years in a row and eight times in the last 11 years.
He won the 2022 event, which also was contested at Royal Pin Woodland. Now, the 29-year-old two-handed righty will come to Sunday’s show in search of his 17th PBA Tour title, sixth major and second green jacket.
Sometimes the magnitude of all that he’s accomplished even surprises Simonsen himself.
“Eight in 11 is kind of crazy because I finished sixth one of the years I didn’t make the show,” Simonsen said. “I never really put that into perspective until now, so that’s kind of wild.”
What else is wild is Simonsen’s drive to win because, despite all that he’s accomplished, he’s still as hungry as ever.
“Obviously, it would be pretty cool to add another U.S. Open to the list,” Simonsen said. “It would be a nice little bounce back from last season and great way to make my debut on The CW. I’m slowly piecing the puzzle together this season and just hoping to bowl one more good game on Sunday.”
The 2026 U.S. Open is a collaborative effort between the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America. The total prize fund for the event will exceed $275,000.
All qualifying and match-play rounds leading up to the stepladder finals were broadcast live on BowlTV.
CLICK HERE for more information about the U.S. Open.