McNeal leads pack at 2025 U.S. Open PTQ
January 26, 2025
Thomas McNeal of Snohomish, Washington, (far right) averaged over 217 per game to lead the 90-player field at the 2025 U.S. Open PTQ at Royal Pin Woodland on Sunday. Also advancing into the tournament proper were (from left to right) David Northouse of Byron Center, Michigan; Frank Snodgrass of Auburn Hills, Michigan; Dallas Leong of Las Vegas and Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois.
PTQ Results
INDIANAPOLIS – The 108-player field for the 2025 U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling! was finalized upon completion of Sunday’s eight-game pre-tournament qualifier at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
Three-time Junior Team USA member Thomas McNeal of Snohomish, Washington, used games of 232, 219, 228, 255, 220, 214, 174 and 199 to finish with an eight-game total of 1,741 (a 217.6 average), which was tops among the 90 bowlers competing in Sunday’s PTQ.
The effort was good enough to officially secure McNeal a spot in the tournament proper along with Sunday’s other top five finishers, which included Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois (1,714), Dallas Leong of Las Vegas (1,673), Frank Snodgrass of Auburn Hills, Michigan (1,668), and David Northouse of Byron Center, Michigan (1,661).
Competition for the final advancing spots came down to the wire as two players finished just one pin behind Northouse for fifth place while another five finished within 20 pins of the number required to move on.
Things weren’t nearly as stressful for McNeal, however, as he averaged nearly 230 over the course of his first six games to firmly establish a position near the top of the leaderboard.
That wasn’t exactly how McNeal expected Sunday’s block to go on the challenging 41-foot PTQ oil pattern.
“I thought I was going to be grinding a lot today, so the first game was kind of an eye-opener for me,” McNeal said. “I got lined up quickly and managed to put some strings together in Game 1, and then I got ahead of the transition and never really felt like I had to move after that.”
McNeal got so comfortable, in fact, that he wasn’t even watching the leaderboard as the block drew to a close.
“I had no clue I was leading; I was just throwing one shot at a time and going through the motions,” McNeal said. “It’s crazy that I ended up being the leader. I like to lead, but it’s just nice to make it through with only five spots available.”
Making it into the U.S. Open field via the PTQ is nothing new for McNeal as he accomplished the feat during last year’s tournament as well. He went on to finish in 70th place and miss the cut for match play
While he would certainly love to parlay Sunday’s success into a better finish at this year’s U.S. Open at Woodland, McNeal won’t be putting any extra pressure on himself to perform.
“I’m going into this with no expectations; I’ll just be happy to be out there bowling,” McNeal said. “I’m going to decide what bowling balls to bring, and hopefully I match up well.”
There will certainly be plenty of incentive for McNeal and the 107 other U.S. Open competitors to do just that as they will be in Indianapolis this week 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 2025 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 field is cut from 108 bowlers down to the top 24.
Those 24 players will earn the right to compete in three rounds of round-robin match play with 48-game totals, including 30 bonus pins for each win during match play, determining the final nine bowlers who will advance to the two stepladder finals broadcasts.
The first show will feature seeds No. 5-9 battling it out on FS1 on Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. Eastern. The bowler who wins that stepladder will join seeds No. 1-4 for the championship round on Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
The same two-show stepladder finals format was used at the 2023 U.S. Open, which saw EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, defeat Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, North Carolina, by a score of 221-208 to capture his first U.S. Open title.
Last year, Troup avenged that loss and added his name to the long and impressive list of U.S. Open champions by defeating 2022 winner Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas by a score of 223-181.
Now, Troup will look to reach the winner’s circle 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.
Troup’s bid for a successful title defense will certainly not be easy, however, as the 2025 U.S. Open field features more than a dozen past PBA major champions, competitors representing Team USA, Junior Team USA and multiple international teams from around the world and several of the nation’s top collegiate bowlers as well.
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 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.
PTQ Results
INDIANAPOLIS – The 108-player field for the 2025 U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling! was finalized upon completion of Sunday’s eight-game pre-tournament qualifier at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
Three-time Junior Team USA member Thomas McNeal of Snohomish, Washington, used games of 232, 219, 228, 255, 220, 214, 174 and 199 to finish with an eight-game total of 1,741 (a 217.6 average), which was tops among the 90 bowlers competing in Sunday’s PTQ.
The effort was good enough to officially secure McNeal a spot in the tournament proper along with Sunday’s other top five finishers, which included Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois (1,714), Dallas Leong of Las Vegas (1,673), Frank Snodgrass of Auburn Hills, Michigan (1,668), and David Northouse of Byron Center, Michigan (1,661).
Competition for the final advancing spots came down to the wire as two players finished just one pin behind Northouse for fifth place while another five finished within 20 pins of the number required to move on.
Things weren’t nearly as stressful for McNeal, however, as he averaged nearly 230 over the course of his first six games to firmly establish a position near the top of the leaderboard.
That wasn’t exactly how McNeal expected Sunday’s block to go on the challenging 41-foot PTQ oil pattern.
“I thought I was going to be grinding a lot today, so the first game was kind of an eye-opener for me,” McNeal said. “I got lined up quickly and managed to put some strings together in Game 1, and then I got ahead of the transition and never really felt like I had to move after that.”
McNeal got so comfortable, in fact, that he wasn’t even watching the leaderboard as the block drew to a close.
“I had no clue I was leading; I was just throwing one shot at a time and going through the motions,” McNeal said. “It’s crazy that I ended up being the leader. I like to lead, but it’s just nice to make it through with only five spots available.”
Making it into the U.S. Open field via the PTQ is nothing new for McNeal as he accomplished the feat during last year’s tournament as well. He went on to finish in 70th place and miss the cut for match play
While he would certainly love to parlay Sunday’s success into a better finish at this year’s U.S. Open at Woodland, McNeal won’t be putting any extra pressure on himself to perform.
“I’m going into this with no expectations; I’ll just be happy to be out there bowling,” McNeal said. “I’m going to decide what bowling balls to bring, and hopefully I match up well.”
There will certainly be plenty of incentive for McNeal and the 107 other U.S. Open competitors to do just that as they will be in Indianapolis this week 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 2025 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 field is cut from 108 bowlers down to the top 24.
Those 24 players will earn the right to compete in three rounds of round-robin match play with 48-game totals, including 30 bonus pins for each win during match play, determining the final nine bowlers who will advance to the two stepladder finals broadcasts.
The first show will feature seeds No. 5-9 battling it out on FS1 on Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. Eastern. The bowler who wins that stepladder will join seeds No. 1-4 for the championship round on Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
The same two-show stepladder finals format was used at the 2023 U.S. Open, which saw EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, defeat Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, North Carolina, by a score of 221-208 to capture his first U.S. Open title.
Last year, Troup avenged that loss and added his name to the long and impressive list of U.S. Open champions by defeating 2022 winner Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas by a score of 223-181.
Now, Troup will look to reach the winner’s circle 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.
Troup’s bid for a successful title defense will certainly not be easy, however, as the 2025 U.S. Open field features more than a dozen past PBA major champions, competitors representing Team USA, Junior Team USA and multiple international teams from around the world and several of the nation’s top collegiate bowlers as well.
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 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.