USBC Communications
ALLEN PARK, Michigan – Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Ariz., continued his assault on the record book at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Masters on Thursday, recording the second-highest 15-game qualifying score in tournament history one day after establishing the event’s new 10-game mark.
The 31-year-old left-hander rolled games of 236, 229, 258, 235 and 225 at Thunderbowl Lanes on Thursday night to tally a Round 3 total of 1,183. That mark, combined with the 1,252 he authored in Round 1 on Tuesday and the 1,233 he put up during second-round play on Wednesday, gave Butturff a three-day, 15-game total of 3,668 (a 244.53 average).
That left the 2019 Masters champion just three pins shy of the all-time record of 3,671, which was set by legend Parker Bohn III during the 1998 event at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
Nevertheless, Butturff’s mark was still 76 pins higher than that of any other athlete in the 390-player field at this year’s tournament.
Eric Jones of Edmond, Okla., was Butturff’s closest pursuer. Jones qualified second with 3,592.
Day 1 leader Deo Benard of Roanoke, Texas, who recorded the second-highest five-game block in Masters history (1,309) during opening-round action on Tuesday, placed third with 3,581.
The final two places in the qualifying top five were secured by Spencer Robarge of Springfield, Mo., and Urbana resident and Canadian Graham Fach. Robarge recorded a 15-game total of 3,575, and Fach came in with 3,573.
The end of qualifying marked the end of competition for more than 325 athletes at this year’s event as only the top 64 players earned berths in the Masters’ double-elimination match-play bracket.
As usual, competition for the final spots inside the cut line was fierce during Thursday’s final qualifying round with multiple players battling tooth and claw to punch their tickets to match play.
After the final shots had been thrown and the last scores tallied, the final spot up for grabs went to Daniel Vick of Pittsford, N.Y., who finished in 63rd place with a 15-game qualifying total of 3,287 (a 219.13 average), which was the highest score needed to make match play at the Masters in nearly 20 years.
Sixteen players finished within 25 pins of that mark while another 18 found themselves on the outside looking in by 50 pins or fewer.
Parma’s Patrick Dombrowski finished 11th to advance along with Jefferson’s Casey Cohagan, who finished 49th, and Toledo’s Charles Easton, who earned the 62nd spot by just six pins.
Defending Masters champion Gary Haines of Babylon, New York, finished tied for 210th place with 3,083; however, as last year’s winner, he was guaranteed a spot in this year’s match-play field and could earn no worse than the No. 64 seed.
Dublin’s Carter Street (68th), Blacklick’s Chris Via (78th), Willowick’s Dean Vargo and Versailles’ Michael Davidson earned cash spots (96th) after not making the cut.
As this year’s top seed, Butturff will battle Haines during Round 1 of match play, which will kick off at Thunderbowl Lanes on Friday morning at 10 a.m..
Despite entering the match as the favorite on paper in the 1-vs.-64 battle, Butturff won’t be taking Haines lightly.
“Gary (Haines) may have had some struggles during qualifying, but he’s a very talented bowler,” Butturff said. “I know he’s going to have a good gameplan, so I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing all week and just try to get the best shots off that I can.”
Butturff is right not to take a single frame for granted because all matches leading up to the stepladder finals at the Masters will utilize a three-game, total-pins format that makes every pin count.
“When it’s best two out of three, you can maybe sacrifice one game,” Butturff said. “In a format like this where it’s total pinfall, it’s a different scenario. You have to stay focused; you can’t let up at all.”
Butturff certainly hasn’t let up so far; after all, through his first 15 games this week, he has a low game of 207 and has shot 258 or higher six times.
According to Butturff, comfort and confidence have played a big role in his strong start at this year’s Masters.
“I can say that I’ve felt confident in every shot and every move I’ve made so far this week, and that allowed me to come one hit away from the 15-game record,” Butturff said.
But Butturff didn’t come to Thunderbowl in search of records this week; he came here to make a run at another Masters title.
“In all honestly, going into today, I had no clue what the 15-game record was at all, but I would’ve put that aside even if I had known because all I was focused on was taking that next step by making it to the bracket,” Butturff said. “Now that I’m there, I just need to stick to the same gameplan, go out there and bowl.”
Two bowlers whose game plans worked to perfection for at least one game on Thursday were Canada’s Mitch Hupe and Brent Boho of Collinsville, Ill. Hupe connected for 12 strikes in a row to shoot 300 during Game 1 of C Squad’s final block, and Boho followed suit with a perfect game of his own just two games later on the same pair of lanes.
Arturo Quintero of South Portland, Maine, closed the night in thrilling fashion, shooting 299 during Game 5 of B Squad qualifying in a final bid to make the cut. It wasn’t enough, however, as Quintero fell five pins short of the score needed to move on to match play.
With the 64 advancers determined, matches will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Masters until the five stepladder finalists have been determined.
The stepladder finals will take place on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern on The CW. All rounds leading up to the televised finals will stream live exclusively on BowlTV.
The 2026 USBC Masters 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.
This year’s winner will earn a place in the tournament’s storied history, a PBA Tour major title and the event’s $100,000 first-place prize.
BOGHOLTZ HITS 800 IN RENO
Zachary Bogholtz of Nassau, N.Y., recorded the first 800 series of the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Wednesday morning at the National Bowling Stadium.
The 22-year-old two-hander was consistent throughout his singles set, shooting 268, 269 and 268 to close with an 805 series in just his third year of competing at the USBC Open Championships. The performance also helped him take the lead in Regular Singles.
Bob DeCheney Jr. of Grand Haven, Michigan, previously held the top spot with 784.
Bogholtz stepped up in the final frame needing a mark and good count to secure the lead, and a double for the chance at 800. He left little doubt on the first delivery, but the 10 pin briefly stood on his second. A messenger came across the deck to knock it out, though. He recorded a nine count on his fill ball to post the honor score.
Adding in his team (592) and doubles sets (641), Bogholtz also sits in second place for Regular All-Events with 2,038. Brandon Drummond of Loganville, Georgia, leads with 2,078.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.