EJ Tackett Defends PBA Shark Championship Title, Ties Don Johnson in Career Wins

Tackett Secures 26th Career Title in Dominant Performance

EJ Tackett successfully defended his PBA Shark Championship title, clinching his 26th career PBA Tour victory with a commanding 265-206 win over Tom Smallwood. With this win, Tackett ties bowling legend Don Johnson for 10th place on the all-time career titles list.

Tackett had reached the championship round in every PBA Tour event held in Reno, including the PBA Mike Aulby Nevada Classic and four animal pattern championships in the PBA World Series of Bowling XVI. However, he had fallen short in his first four attempts in Reno before finally securing this crucial victory.

“It Feels Unbelievable,” Says Tackett

After coming close multiple times throughout the tournament, Tackett expressed his relief and excitement after the win.

“It is really nice to finally get that win after being so close so many times this week,” Tackett said. “It’s been some grueling days, but I feel like one of my best attributes is being able to let go of whatever happened the day before and wake up like it never happened. I’ve been able to do that really well this week, and it’s definitely paid off.”

On reaching 26 career titles and tying Don Johnson, Tackett reflected on his journey.

“It’s unbelievable. I never, ever in my life thought, ‘One day I’m going to be tied with Don Johnson.’ After I won a title, I thought maybe I could win four or five, and then I went on a run and thought maybe I could win 10. As I keep performing and winning, it just doesn’t feel real.”

Path to Victory

Tackett qualified second in the tournament, just behind Malaysia’s Ahmad Muaz. In the elimination bracket, he defeated Jean Perez in the Round of 16 and then made an incredible comeback from an 0-2 deficit against 18-year-old Landin Jordan in the Round of 8. This secured him the top seed in the stepladder finals.

Tom Smallwood, who ultimately finished as the runner-up, fought his way to the championship match by defeating Jesper Svensson, Tim Foy Jr., and Packy Hanrahan.

However, in the final match, Tackett dominated from the start. While Smallwood struggled with three consecutive 10-pin spares in frames three through five, Tackett capitalized with seven consecutive strikes. He remained clean in the final frames to seal his first win of the WSOB XVI.

Tournament Results

Round of 16 Results

• No. 17 Tim Foy Jr. def. No. 1 Ahmad Muaz, 3-1
• No. 9 Jason Belmonte def. No. 8 Ben Robinson, 3-2
• No. 2 EJ Tackett def. No. 18 Jean Perez, 3-0
• No. 23 Landin Jordan def. No. 7 Jakob Butturff, 3-0
• No. 3 Packy Hanrahan def. No. 19 Ryan Barnes, 3-2
• No. 6 Justin Knowles def. No. 11 Chris Via, 3-1
• No. 4 Jesper Svensson def. No. 13 Kyle Troup, 3-2
• No. 21 Tom Smallwood def. No. 5 Matt Ogle, 3-2

Round of 8 Results

• No. 2 EJ Tackett def. No. 23 Landin Jordan, 3-2
• No. 3 Packy Hanrahan def. No. 6 Justin Knowles, 3-1
• No. 17 Tim Foy Jr. def. No. 9 Jason Belmonte, 3-1
• No. 21 Tom Smallwood def. No. 4 Jesper Svensson, 3-1

Championship Round Results

• Match One: No. 4 Tom Smallwood def. No. 5 Jesper Svensson, 247-192
• Match Two: No. 4 Tom Smallwood def. No. 3 Tim Foy Jr., 189-182
• Match Three: No. 4 Tom Smallwood def. No. 2 Packy Hanrahan, 222-212
• Championship: No. 1 EJ Tackett def. No. 4 Tom Smallwood, 265-206

Final Standings and Prize Money

Up Next: PBA World Championship Defense

With the PBA Shark Championship secured, Tackett now turns his focus to defending his PBA World Championship title over the next three days. Currently, he holds a 65-pin lead over Jason Belmonte after 64 games in the tournament.

Tackett acknowledged the challenge ahead:

“I think Jason is very hungry to win a title. Obviously, he’s been close all week as well. I think he’s going to come in tomorrow and be very locked in. It’s going to be very, very difficult for me to hold him off, so I have to mentally prepare for that.”

The top five players after Thursday’s match play rounds will advance to Saturday’s stepladder finals, airing at 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET) on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

Tackett and Belmonte have combined to win six of the past eight PBA World Championship titles, with Tackett claiming the last two, including a 2023 title match victory over Belmonte.

Can Tackett continue his hot streak and defend his World Championship title? Fans won’t have to wait long to find out.