By NOLAN HUGHES
PBA Communications
FAIRLAWN — On the most historic pair of lanes in bowling, Alex Horton made history Sunday at AMF Riviera Lanes.
The 22-year-old two-handed right-hander from Douglassvilel, Pa., won the PBA Tournament of Champions, capturing his first career PBA Tour title and securing the $100,000 top prize.
Horton defeated Andrew Anderson and top seed Zach Wilkins to win the fourth major championship of the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling.
He also became the fourth rookie to win a PBA Tour title this season, extending the record for most rookie champions in a season. It also marked the 10th different winner through 10 events during the 2026 campaign.
“This is the pinnacle of bowling right here,” Horton said. “It doesn’t get any better than this. To win a PBA Tour title is one thing. To win a major is another thing, and to win the Tournament of Champions… not only that, but for my first title, it’s truly amazing. No words can describe my feeling right now. I’m truly blessed to be able to be in this situation.”
As a PBA Regional Tour champion, Horton was eligible to compete in the pre-tournament qualifier (PTQ) for the TOC. He struck in the eighth, ninth and 10th frame of the final game of the PTQ to advance to the main field, which he said was his lone goal for the week. He made it by just two pins overall.
Horton then qualified 16th for match play, where he compiled the best record (17-7) in the field to jump to the No. 2 seed for the stepladder finals.
Four-time TOC champion Jason Belmonte won the opening match of the finals over PBA Rookie of the Year frontrunner Brandon Bonta.
The former Wichita State University player struggled to find the pocket on the left lane, converting three spares along with a Brooklyn strike.
But that is where the striking stopped for Belmonte, who was seeking his record fifth TOC title. He started the second match against Andrew Anderson with three splits in four frames.
Anderson stayed clean and earned himself an opportunity to test out new strategies in the 236-163 win. Belmonte has not won a Tour singles event since his last TOC title at AMF Riviera Lanes in 2023.
Anderson moved on to face the 22-year-old Horton, a fitting matchup as Anderson also made his PBA TV debut as a 22-year-old in the 2018 TOC.
Horton came into the semifinal with a different plan of attack than the previous three players, who all opted to hook the lane with reactive equipment. Horton moved back right with a urethane ball.
This game plan kept him in the pocket while converting just three single-pin spares. That allowed the rookie to distance himself from Anderson.
“The first two shots were important to get my feet back under me to get out those first nerves,” Horton said. “From there, it just came down to execution.”
In the title match, Horton faced the latest champion on the PBA Tour in Zach Wilkins.
Wilkins captured his first title a week ago in the Owen’s Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship with AJ Chapman.
This week, the two-handed Canadian righty dominated the field to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals.
However, in the title match, Wilkins could not figure out the right lane. He struck all five shots on the left lane, but not once on the right lane.
Horton struck on his first four shots before leaving a stone 8-pin. He missed the 2-4-5 spare in the eighth frame to briefly open the door for Wilkins, but the veteran was unable to seize the opportunity.
Horton clinched the title with a strike in his 10th frame. He tallied another for good measure, then hugged his father, Charles, as tears streamed down each of their cheeks.
“He had sacrificed so much for this opportunity for me to be able to bowl,” Horton said. “All of it pays off right there, right in that hug, in that 10th frame. Everything right there shows that we did it.”
Horton became the fourth African-American player to win a PBA Tour title, joining George Branham III, Gary Faulkner Jr. and DeeRonn Booker. All four are major champions.
“It’s hasn’t hit right now, but it will probably hit once I leave the bowling alley,” Horton said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work and to see it pay off in this situation is just amazing.”
Branham, who was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame last year, won the 1993 PBA Tournament of Champions at AMF Riviera Lanes. He defeated Horton’s mentor, Parker Bohn III, in the title match on the same pair of lanes Horton won on Sunday.
“I knew Alex was special when I watched him compete at literally 12 years old,” Bohn said. “He wasn’t afraid to get up there and let the ball go. More importantly, he stayed calm and made the best pass he could.
“Today I told him to get through the first two frames, and then bowl the way he knows how. I didn’t say anything to him after that. He made all that happen. Everything that he has practiced throughout the years, that is what made him the PBA Tournament of Champions champion today.”
The PBA season continues with the PBA World Series of Bowling XVII in Minneapolis next week. The TOC was also the farewell match on The CW for the 2026 season as CBS picks up the action beginning in Minneapolis.
Championship Round Matches
Match One: No. 5 Jason Belmonte def. No. 4 Brandon Bonta, 247-213
Match Two: No. 3 Andrew Anderson def. No. 5 Jason Belmonte, 236-163
Match Three: No. 2 Alex Horton def. No. 3 Andrew Anderson, 223-212
Championship: No. 2 Alex Horton def. No. 1 Zach Wilkins, 224-176
Final Standings
- Alex Horton, $100,000
- Zach Wilkins, $50,000
- Andrew Anderson, $30,000
- Jason Belmonte, $25,000
- Brandon Bonta, $20,000
Complete standings are available here.