Mann makes it to top of leaderboard at 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open PTQ
March 01, 2026
Jeffery Mann of Avon, Indiana, averaged just under 238 at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on Sunday to finish first in the PTQ and advance to the main field at the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open.
FULL RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS – Jeffery Mann of Avon, Indiana, knows better than most how narrow the margin for error is for those hoping to advance through the pre-tournament qualifier and make the main field at bowling’s most prestigious major championship.
After all, Mann missed the cut by four pins in 2025 after falling short by just seven pins the year before.
That all changed on Sunday, however, as the 26-year-old right-hander didn’t just make it through the PTQ, he won it, placing first in the 108-player field at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis to officially punch his ticket to the tournament proper at the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open.
Mann wasted no time seizing control once competition began, shooting 300 during Game 1 to immediately jump to the top of leaderboard.
The two-time Junior Team USA member’s pace would slow down from there, but only just slightly as he added scores of 194, 173, 257, 256, 276, 207 and 237 to finish with an eight-game total of 1,900 (a 237.5 average), which put him 50 pins ahead of his closest pursuer, Deo Benard of Roanoke, Texas, who placed second on Sunday with 1,850.
Canada’s David Simard was third with 1,799, which left Zeke Bayt of Westerville, Ohio, and Tyler Boe of Kirkland, Washington, to claim the final two spots in the top five with 1,767 and 1,766, respectively.
The place everyone had their eyes on, however, was 32nd as that represented the final advancing position into this year’s U.S. Open’s main field.
After the final shots had been thrown, Ryan Burton of Valparaiso, Indiana, was the athlete holding lucky No. 32, which he secured thanks to an eight-game mark of 1,660 (a 207.5 average).
Burton was indeed fortunate to hang on as five bowlers finished within eight pins of his qualifying mark.
After narrowly missing the cut the last two years, Mann was very pleased to have avoided the drama on Sunday.
“I’ve been so close the last couple of years, missing by less than 10 pins, so this was a nice comeback for me,” Mann said. “Countless greats have bowled this tournament over the years, so it’s really a privilege to be part of this prestigious event.”
Another privilege Mann will get to enjoy is a bit of home-field advantage as he lives reasonably close to Royal Pin Woodland.
“It’s really nice to be competing in Indianapolis and to get to sleep in my own bed,” Mann said. “I’ve got a lot of people here who want to come out and support me, which is awesome. I love have all the family, friends and familiar faces around. It’s a lot more special that way.”
It would be even more special if the 2016 Junior Gold Championships 20-and-under boys’ champion were able to give those fans a thrill by authoring a solid performance during this year’s main event.
Nevertheless, Mann isn’t putting pressure on himself to come up with anything spectacular; instead, he just plans on sticking to the basics.
“If I’m going to be successful this week, it’s going to be about consistency,” Mann said. “It’s important to make good reads, keep everything in front of me and make spares because it’s going to be a mental grind.”
With the completion of Sunday’s PTQ, the 108-player field for the 2026 U.S. Open tournament proper was finalized.
There will certainly be plenty of incentive for Mann and the 107 other U.S. Open competitors to be at their best in Indianapolis this week as they will be battling for a Professional Bowlers Association Tour major title, a $100,000 top prize and the coveted green jacket.
Monday will feature the tournament’s official practice sessions, which will run from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern and give athletes the opportunity to familiarize themselves with all four oil patterns being utilized at the 2026 U.S. Open.
Tournament competition will officially begin Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. Eastern when the bowlers on A Squad hit the lanes for their first eight-game qualifying block. B Squad and C Squad will follow at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern, respectively. All qualifying squads will bowl on fresh oil.
All competitors will complete 24 games of qualifying over three days on three different lane conditions before the first cut is made from 108 bowlers down to 36. Those 36 will bowl a fourth eight-game block on the tournament’s fourth oil pattern.
Pinfall totals for 32 games will determine the 24 players who earn 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, will decide the final five bowlers for the stepladder finals, which will be broadcast live on The CW on March 8 at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Last year, EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, defeated top seed Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, 238-184, to capture his second U.S. Open title in three years. Tackett would reach the winner’s circle four times during the 2025 season, including twice at majors, en route to his third consecutive Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award.
Now, Tackett will look to win for the second year in a row at Royal Pin Woodland and become the first bowler to successfully defend a U.S. Open title since Dave Husted accomplished the feat by winning the tournament in 1995 and 1996.
Tackett’s bid for a successful title defense will certainly not be easy, however, as the U.S. Open annually boasts one of the strongest fields in competitive bowling.
Success at this year’s tournament will likely depend upon each bowler’s ability to understand and successfully navigate each of this year’s four U.S. Open oil patterns, which are usually considered to be among the toughest in the sport of bowling.
The 2026 U.S. Open will be 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 will be broadcast live on BowlTV.
CLICK HERE for more information about the U.S. Open.
FULL RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS – Jeffery Mann of Avon, Indiana, knows better than most how narrow the margin for error is for those hoping to advance through the pre-tournament qualifier and make the main field at bowling’s most prestigious major championship.
After all, Mann missed the cut by four pins in 2025 after falling short by just seven pins the year before.
That all changed on Sunday, however, as the 26-year-old right-hander didn’t just make it through the PTQ, he won it, placing first in the 108-player field at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis to officially punch his ticket to the tournament proper at the 2026 Go Bowling U.S. Open.
Mann wasted no time seizing control once competition began, shooting 300 during Game 1 to immediately jump to the top of leaderboard.
The two-time Junior Team USA member’s pace would slow down from there, but only just slightly as he added scores of 194, 173, 257, 256, 276, 207 and 237 to finish with an eight-game total of 1,900 (a 237.5 average), which put him 50 pins ahead of his closest pursuer, Deo Benard of Roanoke, Texas, who placed second on Sunday with 1,850.
Canada’s David Simard was third with 1,799, which left Zeke Bayt of Westerville, Ohio, and Tyler Boe of Kirkland, Washington, to claim the final two spots in the top five with 1,767 and 1,766, respectively.
The place everyone had their eyes on, however, was 32nd as that represented the final advancing position into this year’s U.S. Open’s main field.
After the final shots had been thrown, Ryan Burton of Valparaiso, Indiana, was the athlete holding lucky No. 32, which he secured thanks to an eight-game mark of 1,660 (a 207.5 average).
Burton was indeed fortunate to hang on as five bowlers finished within eight pins of his qualifying mark.
After narrowly missing the cut the last two years, Mann was very pleased to have avoided the drama on Sunday.
“I’ve been so close the last couple of years, missing by less than 10 pins, so this was a nice comeback for me,” Mann said. “Countless greats have bowled this tournament over the years, so it’s really a privilege to be part of this prestigious event.”
Another privilege Mann will get to enjoy is a bit of home-field advantage as he lives reasonably close to Royal Pin Woodland.
“It’s really nice to be competing in Indianapolis and to get to sleep in my own bed,” Mann said. “I’ve got a lot of people here who want to come out and support me, which is awesome. I love have all the family, friends and familiar faces around. It’s a lot more special that way.”
It would be even more special if the 2016 Junior Gold Championships 20-and-under boys’ champion were able to give those fans a thrill by authoring a solid performance during this year’s main event.
Nevertheless, Mann isn’t putting pressure on himself to come up with anything spectacular; instead, he just plans on sticking to the basics.
“If I’m going to be successful this week, it’s going to be about consistency,” Mann said. “It’s important to make good reads, keep everything in front of me and make spares because it’s going to be a mental grind.”
With the completion of Sunday’s PTQ, the 108-player field for the 2026 U.S. Open tournament proper was finalized.
There will certainly be plenty of incentive for Mann and the 107 other U.S. Open competitors to be at their best in Indianapolis this week as they will be battling for a Professional Bowlers Association Tour major title, a $100,000 top prize and the coveted green jacket.
Monday will feature the tournament’s official practice sessions, which will run from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern and give athletes the opportunity to familiarize themselves with all four oil patterns being utilized at the 2026 U.S. Open.
Tournament competition will officially begin Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. Eastern when the bowlers on A Squad hit the lanes for their first eight-game qualifying block. B Squad and C Squad will follow at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern, respectively. All qualifying squads will bowl on fresh oil.
All competitors will complete 24 games of qualifying over three days on three different lane conditions before the first cut is made from 108 bowlers down to 36. Those 36 will bowl a fourth eight-game block on the tournament’s fourth oil pattern.
Pinfall totals for 32 games will determine the 24 players who earn 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, will decide the final five bowlers for the stepladder finals, which will be broadcast live on The CW on March 8 at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Last year, EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, defeated top seed Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, 238-184, to capture his second U.S. Open title in three years. Tackett would reach the winner’s circle four times during the 2025 season, including twice at majors, en route to his third consecutive Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award.
Now, Tackett will look to win for the second year in a row at Royal Pin Woodland and become the first bowler to successfully defend a U.S. Open title since Dave Husted accomplished the feat by winning the tournament in 1995 and 1996.
Tackett’s bid for a successful title defense will certainly not be easy, however, as the U.S. Open annually boasts one of the strongest fields in competitive bowling.
Success at this year’s tournament will likely depend upon each bowler’s ability to understand and successfully navigate each of this year’s four U.S. Open oil patterns, which are usually considered to be among the toughest in the sport of bowling.
The 2026 U.S. Open will be 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 will be broadcast live on BowlTV.
CLICK HERE for more information about the U.S. Open.