Dombrowski wins 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open in Indianapolis
March 08, 2026
Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, holds the trophy and dons the coveted green jacket after winning the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on Sunday. Dombrowski reached the winner's circle by topping 2022 U.S. Open champ Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas by a final score of 197-195.
STEPLADDER RESULTS
FINAL STANDINGS
INDIANAPOLIS – Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, defeated Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas by a score of 197-195 at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on Sunday to win the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open.
In addition to the U.S. Open trophy, the coveted green jacket and the tournament’s $100,000 first-place prize, Dombrowski also collected his first career Professional Bowlers Association title and major.
If you stopped reading right now, you’d know what happened, but how it happened is the reason why this year’s title match will be one that’s talked about for years to come.
On paper, the afternoon’s final matchup looked like a David-versus-Goliath-type battle.
After all, Simonsen was a 16-time PBA Tour titlist and five-time major champion with one U.S. Open victory already to his credit, which he captured at the 2022 event at Royal Pin Woodland.
Dombrowski, on the other hand, was a 47-year-old journeyman with significant success in PBA regional competition but who had yet to break through on the national stage despite a few close calls.
But as was proven multiple times during Sunday’s live stepladder finals broadcast on The CW, the pins don’t care who you are, and that fact was on full display during the title match.
Dombrowski started the bout with a double to quickly take a five-pin lead over Simonsen after two frames.
It looked as if that advantage would grow after Simonsen left a pocket 7-10 split in the third frame, but Dombrowski left a split of his own, the 4-6-7-9-10, on his third delivery, causing his lead to shrink by one.
Both bowlers stayed clean during the next five frames with Simonsen alternating between strikes and spares while Dombrowski went spare, double, spare, spare to increase his lead to 12 pins heading into the final two frames.
Dombrowski would finish the match first, and after he struck in the ninth frame, he suddenly found himself in control of his own destiny.
A strike on the first ball in the 10th would shut Simonsen out; however, Dombrowski also could reach the winner’s circle by recording a spare and then knocking down nine pins on his fill ball.
As any bowler will tell you, the best mark to get is a strike, and that’s exactly what Dombrowski had in mind when he threw his first ball in the 10th. His bowling ball had other ideas, however, going high and leaving the tricky 3-10 baby split.
The capacity crowd inside Royal Pin Woodland held its collective breath as Dombrowski attempted the spare conversion, but the veteran right-hander made it look easy, directing his spare ball to the right side of the 3-pin and then into the 10-pin to record the spare and avoid disaster.
With crisis averted, Dombrowski stepped onto the approach for his second attempt at a U.S. Open-winning shot.
Needing nine pins to guarantee victory, Dombrowski sent his ball hurtling toward the 1-3 pocket; unfortunately, this time, the ball came in light, leaving the 2-8 standing.
That gave Dombrowski a final score of 197, which was precisely the number that Simonsen would end up with if he could strike on all three shots during his 10th frame.
As one of the PBA Tour’s biggest stars, Simonsen has proven time and time again that if you give him an opening, he’s going to take advantage of it.
That became crystal clear when the 29-year-old two-handed righty calmly stepped up and delivered a no-doubt strike during his first ball in the 10th.
Another would follow moments later, sending the crowd into a frenzy and bringing this year’s U.S. Open title match to the brink of a sudden death roll-off.
As expected, Simonsen delivered a quality shot on his fill ball, hitting the 1-3 pocket flush just as he had on his previous two deliveries.
The outcome very different this time, however, as instead of being rewarded with a game-tying strike, Simonsen’s shot left another heartbreaking pocket 7-10, giving Dombrowski a thrilling two-pin victory and this year’s U.S. Open title.
Simonsen was forced to settle for his third runner-up finish at bowling’s most prestigious major championship – He also placed second in 2020 and 2024. For his efforts, Simonsen took home $50,000.
Dombrowski could hardly comprehend Simonsen’s final shot as he was already mentally preparing for the roll-off he was certain was about to take place.
“I thought he was going to strike out to force the tie,” Dombrowski said. “In my mind, I was thinking ‘great, now I’m going to be in a roll-off with one of the best players in the world,’ so I was trying to get my mind right and ready for that.”
After realizing that Simonsen’s final shot hadn’t struck, Dombrowski experienced a different emotion.
“I was relieved,” Dombrowski said. “It’s been a grueling week with all the games we bowled, especially bowling 16 games per day on Friday and Saturday. I’m at a loss for words right now, but I’m just glad it’s over.”
What’s not over, though, is Dombrowski’s quest to continue proving that he’s a force to be reckoned with week in and week out on the PBA Tour.
“I’m not an old guy. I’m still throwing it well, and I feel like I’m in my 30s,” Dombrowski said. “Some guys out here call me the silent assassin because if you give me an opening, I’m going to make the shots. It’s amazing to win here, but now it’s on to next week and trying to win another one.”
Dombrowski earned his spot in the title match thanks to a 248-211 semifinal victory over 2021 U.S. Open champ Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio.
The pocket 7-10 reared it’s ugly head during the 10th frame of that match as well with Via leaving one that closed the books on his bid for a second green jacket while sending Dombrowski through to the finals.
One match earlier, Via breezed past 2025 U.S. Open runner-up Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, by a score of 246-159.
Anderson opened Sunday’s stepladder finals with a 250-226 victory over No. 4 seed Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware.
Via’s third-place finish was worth $25,000. Anderson and Foy took home $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
The 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open kicked off at Royal Pin Woodland on March 3 with a field of 108 athletes.
All competitors completed 24 games of qualifying over three days on three different lane conditions before the first cut was made from 108 bowlers down to 36. Those 36 bowled a fourth eight-game block on the tournament’s fourth oil pattern, which was used for all rounds of competition from that point forward.
Pinfall totals for 32 games determined the 24 players who earned the right to compete in three rounds of round-robin match play, and 56-game totals, including 30 bonus pins for each win during match play, decided the final five bowlers for the stepladder finals.
The 2026 U.S. Open was 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.
STEPLADDER RESULTS
FINAL STANDINGS
INDIANAPOLIS – Patrick Dombrowski of Parma, Ohio, defeated Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas by a score of 197-195 at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on Sunday to win the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open.
In addition to the U.S. Open trophy, the coveted green jacket and the tournament’s $100,000 first-place prize, Dombrowski also collected his first career Professional Bowlers Association title and major.
If you stopped reading right now, you’d know what happened, but how it happened is the reason why this year’s title match will be one that’s talked about for years to come.
On paper, the afternoon’s final matchup looked like a David-versus-Goliath-type battle.
After all, Simonsen was a 16-time PBA Tour titlist and five-time major champion with one U.S. Open victory already to his credit, which he captured at the 2022 event at Royal Pin Woodland.
Dombrowski, on the other hand, was a 47-year-old journeyman with significant success in PBA regional competition but who had yet to break through on the national stage despite a few close calls.
But as was proven multiple times during Sunday’s live stepladder finals broadcast on The CW, the pins don’t care who you are, and that fact was on full display during the title match.
Dombrowski started the bout with a double to quickly take a five-pin lead over Simonsen after two frames.
It looked as if that advantage would grow after Simonsen left a pocket 7-10 split in the third frame, but Dombrowski left a split of his own, the 4-6-7-9-10, on his third delivery, causing his lead to shrink by one.
Both bowlers stayed clean during the next five frames with Simonsen alternating between strikes and spares while Dombrowski went spare, double, spare, spare to increase his lead to 12 pins heading into the final two frames.
Dombrowski would finish the match first, and after he struck in the ninth frame, he suddenly found himself in control of his own destiny.
A strike on the first ball in the 10th would shut Simonsen out; however, Dombrowski also could reach the winner’s circle by recording a spare and then knocking down nine pins on his fill ball.
As any bowler will tell you, the best mark to get is a strike, and that’s exactly what Dombrowski had in mind when he threw his first ball in the 10th. His bowling ball had other ideas, however, going high and leaving the tricky 3-10 baby split.
The capacity crowd inside Royal Pin Woodland held its collective breath as Dombrowski attempted the spare conversion, but the veteran right-hander made it look easy, directing his spare ball to the right side of the 3-pin and then into the 10-pin to record the spare and avoid disaster.
With crisis averted, Dombrowski stepped onto the approach for his second attempt at a U.S. Open-winning shot.
Needing nine pins to guarantee victory, Dombrowski sent his ball hurtling toward the 1-3 pocket; unfortunately, this time, the ball came in light, leaving the 2-8 standing.
That gave Dombrowski a final score of 197, which was precisely the number that Simonsen would end up with if he could strike on all three shots during his 10th frame.
As one of the PBA Tour’s biggest stars, Simonsen has proven time and time again that if you give him an opening, he’s going to take advantage of it.
That became crystal clear when the 29-year-old two-handed righty calmly stepped up and delivered a no-doubt strike during his first ball in the 10th.
Another would follow moments later, sending the crowd into a frenzy and bringing this year’s U.S. Open title match to the brink of a sudden death roll-off.
As expected, Simonsen delivered a quality shot on his fill ball, hitting the 1-3 pocket flush just as he had on his previous two deliveries.
The outcome very different this time, however, as instead of being rewarded with a game-tying strike, Simonsen’s shot left another heartbreaking pocket 7-10, giving Dombrowski a thrilling two-pin victory and this year’s U.S. Open title.
Simonsen was forced to settle for his third runner-up finish at bowling’s most prestigious major championship – He also placed second in 2020 and 2024. For his efforts, Simonsen took home $50,000.
Dombrowski could hardly comprehend Simonsen’s final shot as he was already mentally preparing for the roll-off he was certain was about to take place.
“I thought he was going to strike out to force the tie,” Dombrowski said. “In my mind, I was thinking ‘great, now I’m going to be in a roll-off with one of the best players in the world,’ so I was trying to get my mind right and ready for that.”
After realizing that Simonsen’s final shot hadn’t struck, Dombrowski experienced a different emotion.
“I was relieved,” Dombrowski said. “It’s been a grueling week with all the games we bowled, especially bowling 16 games per day on Friday and Saturday. I’m at a loss for words right now, but I’m just glad it’s over.”
What’s not over, though, is Dombrowski’s quest to continue proving that he’s a force to be reckoned with week in and week out on the PBA Tour.
“I’m not an old guy. I’m still throwing it well, and I feel like I’m in my 30s,” Dombrowski said. “Some guys out here call me the silent assassin because if you give me an opening, I’m going to make the shots. It’s amazing to win here, but now it’s on to next week and trying to win another one.”
Dombrowski earned his spot in the title match thanks to a 248-211 semifinal victory over 2021 U.S. Open champ Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio.
The pocket 7-10 reared it’s ugly head during the 10th frame of that match as well with Via leaving one that closed the books on his bid for a second green jacket while sending Dombrowski through to the finals.
One match earlier, Via breezed past 2025 U.S. Open runner-up Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, by a score of 246-159.
Anderson opened Sunday’s stepladder finals with a 250-226 victory over No. 4 seed Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware.
Via’s third-place finish was worth $25,000. Anderson and Foy took home $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
The 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open kicked off at Royal Pin Woodland on March 3 with a field of 108 athletes.
All competitors completed 24 games of qualifying over three days on three different lane conditions before the first cut was made from 108 bowlers down to 36. Those 36 bowled a fourth eight-game block on the tournament’s fourth oil pattern, which was used for all rounds of competition from that point forward.
Pinfall totals for 32 games determined the 24 players who earned the right to compete in three rounds of round-robin match play, and 56-game totals, including 30 bonus pins for each win during match play, decided the final five bowlers for the stepladder finals.
The 2026 U.S. Open was 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.