By NOLAN HUGHES
PBA communications
LAKEVILLE, Minn. — After 13 title events in the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling, the first two-time champion of the season has emerged.
Zach Wilkins defeated Jesper Svensson in a roll-off to win the PBA Scorpion Championship, the third title event of the PBA World Series of Bowling XVII.
Wilkins claimed his second title of the season and his career, notching his first singles title in the process. He won the Owen’s Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship with AJ Chapman last month.
His victory on Monday night at Lucky Strike Lakeville outside of Minneapolis established the 33-year-old at the forefront of the 2026 Player of the Year race.
“It’s probably been the greatest month of my entire life,” Wilkins said. “I’ve put in a lot of work to get to this point. I’ve said it time and time again that you never know when it’s going to happen, but you continue to keep putting your head down and going to work, knowing that your process is going to get you to where you want. And here we are again.”
Wilkins led qualifying last week at Bowlero Brooklyn Park to earn a one-round bye in the Monday’s 12-player bracket finals, which all aired on CBS Sports Network.
In the bracket, Wilkins defeated Kris Prather and Zach Weidman to meet Svensson in the title match.
Svensson shot a near-perfect 299 in his semifinal victory over Chris Via, but neither player could get comfortable in the first game of the Race-to-Two championship match.
Svensson missed a 7-pin in his 10th frame to finish with 176. Wilkins, needing eight total pins, left the 2-4-6-10 split. He missed left on the spare attempt and only knocked over the 4-pin, costing him the match with a 176-175 loss.
The Canadian responded with a dominant win over the Swede in Game 2. Wilkins nearly bested his first game total by 100 pins, winning 269-204.
As the top seed, Wilkins elected to have Svensson start the ninth and 10th-frame roll-off. This allowed Wilkins to end on the left lane, where he felt more comfortable in his ability to strike.
Nonetheless, Wilkins aced a strike in the ninth frame before delivering another strike to start the 10th frame. A third strike would have clinched the title, but he said he threw the ball too slow and left the 3-6-10.
With newfound life, Svensson struck on his first shot in the 10th frame. He needed a second strike and count, but left a 7-pin before he could even think about his fill shot.
Coverage of the World Series of Bowling in Minneapolis concludes on Tuesday night.
The PBA50 World Championship finals, featuring Mika Koivuniemi, Mike Machuga, and Tom Daugherty, will begin at 6 on CBS Sports Network.
The PBA Shark Championship semifinals and finals, the fourth and final will air at 7/9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
The PBA World Championship finals will air live Sunday, June 13 on CBS and Paramount+ from Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich.
Match Results
Round of 12
No. 5 Graham Fach def. No. 12 Darren Tang, 237-172
No. 8 Kris Prather def. No. 9 Thomas Larsen, 266-196
No. 10 Santtu Tahvanainen def. No. 7 Sean Rash, 198-195
No. 6 Jesper Svensson def. No. 11 Nate Stubler, 236-201
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Zach Wilkins def. No. 8 Kris Prather, 252-188
No. 4 Zach Weidman def. No. 5 Graham Fach, 267-245
No. 2 Chris Via def. No. 10 Santtu Tahvanainen, 227-213
No. 6 Jesper Svensson def. No. 3 EJ Tackett, 248-223
Semifinals
No. 1 Zach Wilkins def. No. 4 Zach Weidman, 205-177
No. 6 Jesper Svensson def. No. 2 Chris Via, 299-241
Championship (Race-to-Two)
No. 1 Zach Wilkins def. No. 6 Jesper Svensson, 2-1
Game 1: Svensson def. Wilkins, 176-175
Game 2: Wilkins def. Svensson, 269-204
Roll-off: Wilkins def. Svensson, 47-40
Final Standings
- Zach Wilkins, $20,000
- Jesper Svensson, $12,000
- Chris Via, $9,000
- Zach Weidman, $9,000
- EJ Tackett, $5,000
- Graham Fach, $5,000
- Kris Prather, $5,000
- Santtu Tahvanainen, $5,000
- Sean Rash, $3,500
- Thomas Larsen, $3,500
- Nate Stubler, $3,500
- Darren Tang, $3,500
For complete Scorpion Championship results here:
https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=69a773abe062fd1d1db6e6a6
PBA World Series of Bowling XVII Schedule
Tuesday, May 12 — Lucky Strike Lakeville — CBS Sports Network
5 p.m. (6 p.m. ET) — PBA50 World Championship finals
6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) — PBA Shark Championship semifinals
8 p.m. (9 p.m. ET) — PBA Shark Championship finals
Saturday, June 13 — Thunderbowl Lanes — CBS and Paramount+
11 a.m. ET — AMF PBA World Championship semifinals
1 p.m. ET — AMF PBA World Championship finals