Anderson still leads pack at 2025 U.S. Open; five former champs lurking close behind
February 01, 2025
Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, went 12-4 over the course of two match-play rounds on Friday to remain the overall leader at the 2025 U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling, which is being held at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
MATCH PLAY RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS – Friday was a long and challenging day for the 24 players still in contention at the 2025 U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling as they completed not one but two eight-game rounds of head-to-head matches at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
Many of those bowlers watched their names rise and fall in the standings at various points throughout the day, but that wasn’t the case for qualifying leader Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, whose name never left the top spot on the leaderboard during Friday’s 16-game gauntlet.
That’s because the 29-year-old right-hander averaged just over 223 per game and authored a field-best 12-4 record over the course of his two rounds on the 41-foot match-play oil pattern, going 5-3 during the morning block and following it up with a 7-1 mark Friday night to finish the day’s competition with a leading total of 9,291, which includes 30 bonus pins for each win in match play.
Amazingly, former U.S. Open champions secured each of the next three places in the standings and a total of five spots in the top 12.
Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, finished Friday’s action in second place with a score of 9,027 while this year’s opening-round leader, Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio, finished third with 9,021 – Via won the U.S. Open in 2021.
The remaining spots in the top five were held down by 2023 U.S. Open champ EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana (9,006), and four-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour titlist Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Florida (9,001).
Also lurking close behind were two-time U.S. Open winner – 2019 and 2016 – Francois Lavoie of Wichita, Kansas (8,909), and 2020 champ Jason Belmonte of Australia (8,831), who finished the day in ninth and 13th place, respectively.
Ninth place is a particularly valuable spot in the standings at this point in the tournament as that is the position bowlers will have to be at or inside of at the conclusion of Saturday morning’s final eight-game match-play block in order to advance to this year’s two U.S. Open stepladder finals broadcasts.
The first show will feature seeds No. 5-9 battling it out on FS1 on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. Eastern. The bowler who wins that stepladder will join seeds No. 1-4 for the championship round on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
That’s when the five surviving players out of this year’s original field of 108 bowlers will square off to see who brings home the U.S. Open’s $100,000 top prize, the coveted green jacket and the first major title of the 2025 PBA Tour season.
With a 264-pin lead at his disposal entering the final round of match play, most people would look at Anderson as a shoe in to qualify for Sunday afternoon’s final stepladder and likely to be its No. 1 seed.
However, Anderson isn’t taking that for granted; in fact, rather than easing up on Saturday, he’ll be looking to widen the gap even further.
“My mindset is that I want to lead by more,” Anderson said. “I’m going to stay aggressive and commit to my shots because it’s very easy for me to miss the head pin if I don’t.
“Winning matches is key. I have to make sure I come in here aggressive in the morning, put up some scores and win some games early on.”
To do so, Anderson may have to stave off some of the nervous energy he found himself saddled with at the start of competition on Friday.
“To start the day early this morning, honestly, was the worst I’ve bowled all week physically,” Anderson said. “I had a lot of anxiety going on, and I didn’t really feel good. So, going into practice for the second block, I cared a little bit less about ball motion and just tried to get back to throwing some better shots because when you have guys like EJ (Tackett) and Simo (Anthony Simonsen) chasing you, you can’t afford to give up anything.”
Tackett, Simonsen and the other former champions still in contention at this year’s tournament have clearly demonstrated their ability to do what it takes to win a U.S. Open title, which is why each of them has at least one green jacket hanging in his closet.
Anderson has had his share of success at bowling’s most prestigious major championship, too, however; he just needs to figure out how to get over the hump and land in the winner’s circle.
“Not too many people know this, but even though this was my first time leading, I’ve been in the top two or three going into match play at the U.S. Open three times now,” Anderson said. “The last couple times, I made some poor ball choices because you think they’ll hook less with just two people on the lane, but it’s actually the opposite.
“I had a few six-baggers today that had a Brooklyn or tripped four in the middle, but sometimes it’s just your day. Sometimes it’s your week. However, I attribute it to being on the same page with my ball reps and the confidence that gives me in my shot-making.”
Anderson has made as many or more good shots as anyone during the first four days of competition at Royal Pin Woodland. If that continues on Saturday and Sunday, then it just may be his week after all.
The final eight-game round of match play begins Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Eastern.
The 2025 U.S. Open is a collaborative effort between the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and is considered a major on the PBA Tour. The total prize fund for the event will exceed $275,000.
For more information about the U.S. Open, CLICK HERE.
MATCH PLAY RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS – Friday was a long and challenging day for the 24 players still in contention at the 2025 U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling as they completed not one but two eight-game rounds of head-to-head matches at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
Many of those bowlers watched their names rise and fall in the standings at various points throughout the day, but that wasn’t the case for qualifying leader Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, whose name never left the top spot on the leaderboard during Friday’s 16-game gauntlet.
That’s because the 29-year-old right-hander averaged just over 223 per game and authored a field-best 12-4 record over the course of his two rounds on the 41-foot match-play oil pattern, going 5-3 during the morning block and following it up with a 7-1 mark Friday night to finish the day’s competition with a leading total of 9,291, which includes 30 bonus pins for each win in match play.
Amazingly, former U.S. Open champions secured each of the next three places in the standings and a total of five spots in the top 12.
Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, finished Friday’s action in second place with a score of 9,027 while this year’s opening-round leader, Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio, finished third with 9,021 – Via won the U.S. Open in 2021.
The remaining spots in the top five were held down by 2023 U.S. Open champ EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana (9,006), and four-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour titlist Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Florida (9,001).
Also lurking close behind were two-time U.S. Open winner – 2019 and 2016 – Francois Lavoie of Wichita, Kansas (8,909), and 2020 champ Jason Belmonte of Australia (8,831), who finished the day in ninth and 13th place, respectively.
Ninth place is a particularly valuable spot in the standings at this point in the tournament as that is the position bowlers will have to be at or inside of at the conclusion of Saturday morning’s final eight-game match-play block in order to advance to this year’s two U.S. Open stepladder finals broadcasts.
The first show will feature seeds No. 5-9 battling it out on FS1 on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. Eastern. The bowler who wins that stepladder will join seeds No. 1-4 for the championship round on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
That’s when the five surviving players out of this year’s original field of 108 bowlers will square off to see who brings home the U.S. Open’s $100,000 top prize, the coveted green jacket and the first major title of the 2025 PBA Tour season.
With a 264-pin lead at his disposal entering the final round of match play, most people would look at Anderson as a shoe in to qualify for Sunday afternoon’s final stepladder and likely to be its No. 1 seed.
However, Anderson isn’t taking that for granted; in fact, rather than easing up on Saturday, he’ll be looking to widen the gap even further.
“My mindset is that I want to lead by more,” Anderson said. “I’m going to stay aggressive and commit to my shots because it’s very easy for me to miss the head pin if I don’t.
“Winning matches is key. I have to make sure I come in here aggressive in the morning, put up some scores and win some games early on.”
To do so, Anderson may have to stave off some of the nervous energy he found himself saddled with at the start of competition on Friday.
“To start the day early this morning, honestly, was the worst I’ve bowled all week physically,” Anderson said. “I had a lot of anxiety going on, and I didn’t really feel good. So, going into practice for the second block, I cared a little bit less about ball motion and just tried to get back to throwing some better shots because when you have guys like EJ (Tackett) and Simo (Anthony Simonsen) chasing you, you can’t afford to give up anything.”
Tackett, Simonsen and the other former champions still in contention at this year’s tournament have clearly demonstrated their ability to do what it takes to win a U.S. Open title, which is why each of them has at least one green jacket hanging in his closet.
Anderson has had his share of success at bowling’s most prestigious major championship, too, however; he just needs to figure out how to get over the hump and land in the winner’s circle.
“Not too many people know this, but even though this was my first time leading, I’ve been in the top two or three going into match play at the U.S. Open three times now,” Anderson said. “The last couple times, I made some poor ball choices because you think they’ll hook less with just two people on the lane, but it’s actually the opposite.
“I had a few six-baggers today that had a Brooklyn or tripped four in the middle, but sometimes it’s just your day. Sometimes it’s your week. However, I attribute it to being on the same page with my ball reps and the confidence that gives me in my shot-making.”
Anderson has made as many or more good shots as anyone during the first four days of competition at Royal Pin Woodland. If that continues on Saturday and Sunday, then it just may be his week after all.
The final eight-game round of match play begins Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Eastern.
The 2025 U.S. Open is a collaborative effort between the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and is considered a major on the PBA Tour. The total prize fund for the event will exceed $275,000.
For more information about the U.S. Open, CLICK HERE.