Benard nearly breaks scoring record, leads Day 1 of qualifying at 2026 USBC Masters
March 25, 2026
Deo Benard of Roanoke, Texas, was the opening-round leader at the 2026 USBC Masters, which is being held at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan. Benard reached the top of the standings thanks to a five-game mark of 1,309 (a 261.8 average), which was the second-highest five-game block total in tournament history.
FULL RESULTS
ALLEN PARK, Michigan – Heading into Tuesday’s opening round of qualifying at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Masters, the tournament’s all-time best five-game block totals belonged to bowling legends like Parker Bohn III and Pete Weber.
A new entry was added to the list by the end of Round 1, however, as Deo Benard of Roanoke, Texas, authored the second-highest five-game round in tournament history, using games of 269, 236, 279, 258 and 267 to finish opening day with a 1,309 total (a 261.8 average) and sole possession of first place in the 390-player field competing at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan.
Benard came to the 10th frame of Game 5 with a shot at Bohn’s all-time record (1,319) still within reach; however, Benard’s first ball in the final frame went high, leaving the 2-4-7.
That took the record out of play, but the 22-year-old two-handed lefty easily converted the spare and then struck on his fill ball to secure second place in the Masters’ record books, one pin ahead of Weber’s 1,308 total from 2015 and two pins clear of the 1,307s authored by Mike Karch of Spanaway, Washington (1996), and Robert Lawrence of Del Valle, Texas (1991).
England’s Dom Barrett finished in second place on Tuesday, kicking off A Squad qualifying with the first 300 game of this year’s tournament – Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Florida, would record the second just a few hours later – and then adding games of 222, 269, 224 and 267 to finish at 1,282.
Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, the 2019 Masters champion, wasn’t far behind, finishing third with a mark of 1,252, which included high games of 258, 268 and 288.
Canadians Zachary Wilkins (1,242) and Graham Fach (1,221) secured the final places in the opening-round top five, coming in with scores of 1,242 and 1,221, respectively.
Defending champion Gary Haines of Babylon, New York, finished Day 1 in 206th place with 1,015; however, even if Haines qualifies outside the top 64, he will still receive a berth in the 64-player match-play bracket as last year’s winner.
Benard won’t be afforded that luxury, so he will look to keep the momentum going on Wednesday and Thursday in order to punch his ticket to match play.
“I’m still just hoping to make the bracket; that would be cool,” Benard said. “I’m going to keep trying to shoot 200s, and hopefully my number is enough so that I can just go from there.”
Benard certainly had no trouble reaching the 200 mark on the 41-foot Masters oil pattern during Round 1. After all, his low game was 236, and his other four scores were 258 or higher.
According to Benard, it was simply a matter of a plan coming together.
“I came in with the gameplan to just keep the ball in front of me and keep my ball speed slow,” Benard said. “I thought I’d have to grind out the first two games, but then I shot 260 in Game 1. After that, I realized I had a good look and might be able to grab a score.
“I was honestly surprised and thankful for how good my carry was today. It was a lot more than I expected. Today was just the greatest day ever.”
Benard walked that statement back moments later, however, stating that his best day ever was the day he won his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour title, the 2024 PBA Cheetah Championship.
That event also was contested at Thunderbowl, a center that Benard holds near and dear to his heart.
“I have a lot of good memories here,” Benard said. “My whole family saw me win my title here, so it’s so great to be back. I love this place to death.”
Benard’s next memory-making opportunity will come during Round 2 of qualifying on Wednesday when he and the other 389 athletes in the field bowl their second five-game blocks. The third and final round of qualifying will take place on Thursday.
After 15 games, which includes two blocks on the fresh lane condition and one squad on the burn, the top 63 players will join Haines in the double-elimination match-play bracket.
Haines has the opportunity to improve his seed during qualifying; however, if he finishes qualifying outside of the top 63, he’ll be the No. 64 seed.
Match play will follow a three-game, total-pins format and take place on Friday and Saturday until the five stepladder finalists have been determined.
The stepladder finals of the 2026 Masters will take place on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern on The CW. The champion will claim a place in the tournament’s storied history, a PBA Tour major title and the $100,000 first-place prize. All rounds leading up to the televised finals will stream live exclusively on BowlTV.
The 2026 USBC Masters also marks the return of the traditional five-player stepladder finals format for the live television broadcast on The CW. The final two competitors remaining in the Winners Bracket will face off for the top seed while the final four players in the Elimination Bracket will compete for the remaining three spots on the TV show. The No. 1 seed will need to be defeated only once during the championship match.
CLICK HERE for more information on the USBC Masters.
FULL RESULTS
ALLEN PARK, Michigan – Heading into Tuesday’s opening round of qualifying at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Masters, the tournament’s all-time best five-game block totals belonged to bowling legends like Parker Bohn III and Pete Weber.
A new entry was added to the list by the end of Round 1, however, as Deo Benard of Roanoke, Texas, authored the second-highest five-game round in tournament history, using games of 269, 236, 279, 258 and 267 to finish opening day with a 1,309 total (a 261.8 average) and sole possession of first place in the 390-player field competing at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan.
Benard came to the 10th frame of Game 5 with a shot at Bohn’s all-time record (1,319) still within reach; however, Benard’s first ball in the final frame went high, leaving the 2-4-7.
That took the record out of play, but the 22-year-old two-handed lefty easily converted the spare and then struck on his fill ball to secure second place in the Masters’ record books, one pin ahead of Weber’s 1,308 total from 2015 and two pins clear of the 1,307s authored by Mike Karch of Spanaway, Washington (1996), and Robert Lawrence of Del Valle, Texas (1991).
England’s Dom Barrett finished in second place on Tuesday, kicking off A Squad qualifying with the first 300 game of this year’s tournament – Tom Daugherty of Riverview, Florida, would record the second just a few hours later – and then adding games of 222, 269, 224 and 267 to finish at 1,282.
Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, the 2019 Masters champion, wasn’t far behind, finishing third with a mark of 1,252, which included high games of 258, 268 and 288.
Canadians Zachary Wilkins (1,242) and Graham Fach (1,221) secured the final places in the opening-round top five, coming in with scores of 1,242 and 1,221, respectively.
Defending champion Gary Haines of Babylon, New York, finished Day 1 in 206th place with 1,015; however, even if Haines qualifies outside the top 64, he will still receive a berth in the 64-player match-play bracket as last year’s winner.
Benard won’t be afforded that luxury, so he will look to keep the momentum going on Wednesday and Thursday in order to punch his ticket to match play.
“I’m still just hoping to make the bracket; that would be cool,” Benard said. “I’m going to keep trying to shoot 200s, and hopefully my number is enough so that I can just go from there.”
Benard certainly had no trouble reaching the 200 mark on the 41-foot Masters oil pattern during Round 1. After all, his low game was 236, and his other four scores were 258 or higher.
According to Benard, it was simply a matter of a plan coming together.
“I came in with the gameplan to just keep the ball in front of me and keep my ball speed slow,” Benard said. “I thought I’d have to grind out the first two games, but then I shot 260 in Game 1. After that, I realized I had a good look and might be able to grab a score.
“I was honestly surprised and thankful for how good my carry was today. It was a lot more than I expected. Today was just the greatest day ever.”
Benard walked that statement back moments later, however, stating that his best day ever was the day he won his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour title, the 2024 PBA Cheetah Championship.
That event also was contested at Thunderbowl, a center that Benard holds near and dear to his heart.
“I have a lot of good memories here,” Benard said. “My whole family saw me win my title here, so it’s so great to be back. I love this place to death.”
Benard’s next memory-making opportunity will come during Round 2 of qualifying on Wednesday when he and the other 389 athletes in the field bowl their second five-game blocks. The third and final round of qualifying will take place on Thursday.
After 15 games, which includes two blocks on the fresh lane condition and one squad on the burn, the top 63 players will join Haines in the double-elimination match-play bracket.
Haines has the opportunity to improve his seed during qualifying; however, if he finishes qualifying outside of the top 63, he’ll be the No. 64 seed.
Match play will follow a three-game, total-pins format and take place on Friday and Saturday until the five stepladder finalists have been determined.
The stepladder finals of the 2026 Masters will take place on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern on The CW. The champion will claim a place in the tournament’s storied history, a PBA Tour major title and the $100,000 first-place prize. All rounds leading up to the televised finals will stream live exclusively on BowlTV.
The 2026 USBC Masters also marks the return of the traditional five-player stepladder finals format for the live television broadcast on The CW. The final two competitors remaining in the Winners Bracket will face off for the top seed while the final four players in the Elimination Bracket will compete for the remaining three spots on the TV show. The No. 1 seed will need to be defeated only once during the championship match.
CLICK HERE for more information on the USBC Masters.