Competition set to begin at 2025 USBC Masters
March 20, 2025
ARLINGTON, Texas – The 2025 United States Bowling Congress Masters will get underway Monday at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan, with a sold-out field of 390 athletes hitting the lanes beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern.
Qualifying will feature 15 games over three days with all competitors bowling two five-game blocks on the fresh 2025 USBC Masters lane condition and one squad on the burn. The top 63 players, based on total pinfall, will join defending champion DeeRonn Booker of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the double-elimination bracket beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. Eastern.
Booker captured the 2024 Masters title by defeating Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, 217-177, during the live TV finals on FOX.
Not only did the victory allow Booker to walk away with the $100,000 first-place check, but it also gave him his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour win and major title.
He will look to author another strong performance this year, but it won’t be easy as there are several players riding high heading into this year’s tournament.
EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, the reigning PBA Player of the Year, has already claimed three victories so far this season, winning the 2025 U.S. Open in Indianapolis and following it up with wins at the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic and the PBA Shark Championship, where he completed a successful title defense.
A win at this week’s USBC Masters would give Tackett his seventh major championship and make him one of just four players to achieve the career grand slam.
But as hot as Tackett has been, Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, hasn’t been much cooler.
He earned the top seed for the stepladder finals and eventually finished runner-up to Tackett at this year’s U.S. Open. Anderson avenged that loss shortly thereafter, however, topping Tackett by a final score of 237-181 to bring home the title at the Mike Aulby PBA Nevada Classic on March 15.
Ryan Barnes of Denton, Texas, hasn’t reached the winner’s circle yet, but the rookie has already made two TV finals appearances this season, and he’s cashed in seven of the first 10 events in which he’s competed. That has Barnes’ name inside the top 10 in the season points standings and currently leading the 2025 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year race.
Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, also has multiple TV finals appearances under his belt so far this season and has emerged as one of the players to watch week in and week out. As such, he will head to Allen Park looking to break through for his first win and major at this year’s Masters just as Booker did at last year’s event in Las Vegas.
The 2025 Masters will follow the same format that was used during the 2023 tournament, which also was held at Thunderbowl Lanes.
Qualifying and match play will remain consistent with previous editions of the event prior to the introduction of TV on March 29. The double-elimination bracket will be retained, and all matches leading up to the final eight competitors will feature three-game total-pinfall contests.
However, once the Elimination Bracket is down to the final six, television matches will start with four single-game matches replacing the final three-game head-to-head round and four-player shootout to determine the finalists for the stepladder. These matches will be broadcast live on FS1.
These TV 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 March 30.
The two players who emerge victorious from the semifinals of the Winners Bracket will earn automatic spots on the March 30 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 stepladder at the 2025 event will be March 30 at noon Eastern on FOX, with the champion taking 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, CLICK HERE.
Qualifying will feature 15 games over three days with all competitors bowling two five-game blocks on the fresh 2025 USBC Masters lane condition and one squad on the burn. The top 63 players, based on total pinfall, will join defending champion DeeRonn Booker of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the double-elimination bracket beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. Eastern.
Booker captured the 2024 Masters title by defeating Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, 217-177, during the live TV finals on FOX.
Not only did the victory allow Booker to walk away with the $100,000 first-place check, but it also gave him his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour win and major title.
He will look to author another strong performance this year, but it won’t be easy as there are several players riding high heading into this year’s tournament.
EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, the reigning PBA Player of the Year, has already claimed three victories so far this season, winning the 2025 U.S. Open in Indianapolis and following it up with wins at the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic and the PBA Shark Championship, where he completed a successful title defense.
A win at this week’s USBC Masters would give Tackett his seventh major championship and make him one of just four players to achieve the career grand slam.
But as hot as Tackett has been, Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, hasn’t been much cooler.
He earned the top seed for the stepladder finals and eventually finished runner-up to Tackett at this year’s U.S. Open. Anderson avenged that loss shortly thereafter, however, topping Tackett by a final score of 237-181 to bring home the title at the Mike Aulby PBA Nevada Classic on March 15.
Ryan Barnes of Denton, Texas, hasn’t reached the winner’s circle yet, but the rookie has already made two TV finals appearances this season, and he’s cashed in seven of the first 10 events in which he’s competed. That has Barnes’ name inside the top 10 in the season points standings and currently leading the 2025 Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year race.
Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, also has multiple TV finals appearances under his belt so far this season and has emerged as one of the players to watch week in and week out. As such, he will head to Allen Park looking to break through for his first win and major at this year’s Masters just as Booker did at last year’s event in Las Vegas.
The 2025 Masters will follow the same format that was used during the 2023 tournament, which also was held at Thunderbowl Lanes.
Qualifying and match play will remain consistent with previous editions of the event prior to the introduction of TV on March 29. The double-elimination bracket will be retained, and all matches leading up to the final eight competitors will feature three-game total-pinfall contests.
However, once the Elimination Bracket is down to the final six, television matches will start with four single-game matches replacing the final three-game head-to-head round and four-player shootout to determine the finalists for the stepladder. These matches will be broadcast live on FS1.
These TV 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 March 30.
The two players who emerge victorious from the semifinals of the Winners Bracket will earn automatic spots on the March 30 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 stepladder at the 2025 event will be March 30 at noon Eastern on FOX, with the champion taking 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, CLICK HERE.