By DONOVAN GRUBAUGH
PWBA Communications
LAS VEGAS – Erin McCarthy of Elkhorn, Neb., made history Tuesday night at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Queens, defeating Malaysia’s Natasha Roslan, 225-204, at Gold Coast Bowling Center to claim her second major and third Professional Women’s Bowling Association title.
McCarthy added to her 2022 U.S. Women’s Open title, and became the first bowler since the tour’s relaunch to lead qualifying, earn the top seed in the stepladder finals and win the tiara during the Queens.
“To think about everyone that came before me, and then everyone that I’m bowling with now, it’s a pretty incredible feeling,” said McCarthy. “I don’t know that it’ll sink in for a while because, honestly, I had no idea that that hadn’t been done yet.”
Roslan advanced to the title match after knocking off Singapore’s New Hui Fen, the defending PWBA Player of the Year, in a thrilling semifinal. It was Roslan’s first career championship-round appearance, coming off a week that saw her shoot two perfect games during match play.
The two international bowlers kept things close and Roslan finished first in the match with 227, forcing New to double in the final frame for her to advance to her third straight title match of the PWBA season.
New stepped up and her ball didn’t make the turn, leaving the 2-4-8-10 split for a 205 finish and allowing Roslan to continue on. New earned $22,500 for her third-place finish, her lowest finish of the season.
The title match did not start well for Roslan, opening the first two frames off of a split and a missed 10 pin. McCarthy began with three straight strikes and an early lead before Roslan came back with a spare and three strikes of her own to claw back into the match.
The lead would stay with McCarthy, however, and she needed at least nine pins in her first ball of the 10th frame to lock out the Malaysian bowler. That first ball left the 8-10 split, and as McCarthy took the 10 pin off for 225, it left the door open for Roslan to strike out for a tie.
The tie would not come to pass as Roslan left a single pin standing and McCarthy won while sitting down. Roslan ended with 204 and $30,000 for her runner-up finish, while McCarthy earned $60,000 and had the tiara put on her by 2025 winner and close friend, Josie Barnes of Hermitage, Tenn., who was defeated by New in the second match of the stepladder.
“Josie placing the tiara was a special moment,” McCarthy said. “She’s my best friend. I’m her best friend. It’s fun getting to room with the same individual for 11 years straight and getting to share those top moments and our low moments. It’s irreplaceable.”
The stepladder began with New and Emma Friant of France, making her first championship-round appearance in just her third event as a professional.
New started with five strikes in the first seven frames while Friant couldn’t shake the early nerves with just two strikes in the same timeframe. Eventually, New shut out Friant, 227-194, to advance. Friant earned $12,500 for fifth place.
New went on to face Barnes and both started with four strikes before the streak ended, but Barnes left a 10 pin and just missed it while New left the 3-6-10 and converted it to pull slightly ahead. They went right back to striking the next four frames before a weak 10-pin in the 10th frame officially ended Barnes’ run for a second straight tiara. Barnes finished with 245 and earned $17,500 while New closed out with 275 to advance to the semifinal against Roslan.
With a second major title, McCarthy is one step closer to becoming eligible for the Performance category of the PWBA Hall of Fame, which requires 10 titles or five titles with at least two majors.
“I’ve actually never thought about that for myself, mostly just because I have a full-time job back home,” said McCarthy. “Obviously I’m out here full time as well, but I know how much these women devote to the game, and I would be lying if I said I put in as much time and effort as some of these other women out here.
“I mean, it’s a thought that’s crossed my mind. I’ve never thought about it honestly until now. I don’t think that’s something that’s going to linger in my head. I feel like if you think about that, you’re going to kind of lose sight of what it is week to week.”
All rounds leading up to the televised finals were streamed live exclusively on BowlTV.
The PWBA Tour season continues next week with the PWBA Summer Series – Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., starting May 26.