By JILL WINTERS
PBA Communications
WOODRIDGE, Va. —After 12 games of qualifying at the 2026 Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship,Brad Angelo remains at the top of the standings.
The Lockport, N.Y., right-hander came into Sunday hot starting off with 10 straight strikes for an opening 289. He added 196, 249, 241, 212 and 215 for a two-day total of 2,889.
“I didn’t use as much loft. Pair-to-pair late in the day, you have to be patient and take what you can get on a pair,” said Angelo, who bowled on the double burn. “I kept telling myself to fill frames and there would be other good pairs. I am happy with how the first two days went. There are still 30 games left to go.”
Hall of Famer Mika Koivuniemi has been very consistent in his two blocks. On Saturday, he had 1,422 and on Sunday he added 1,427 to move into second place with 2,849. Behind him is lefty John Marsala on B squad with 2,832.
“I didn’t expect to bowl this good. I feel like I have been bowling good all year but had a few missed opportunities,” Marsala said. “My spare game is spot on this week. I am throwing a ball I just drilled for this tournament. It’s seeing the lanes the way I see them, so it definitely helps. Everything is going in the right direction.”
Marsala is followed by two-hander Ricky Schissler in fourth place with 2,830 and right behind him is Chris Barnes with 2,827 in fifth. The best block and biggest mover up the leaderboard for all squads was Ronald Simms Jr. He had 279 twice on the way to 1,475. He went from 43rd place to eighth. Mike Machuga climbed from 30th to 9th place.
Defending champion, three-time 2026 winner and PBA50 points leader Tom Hess is in 10th place. After 12 games of qualifying, another former champion of this tournament is the cut line. Pete Weber is in 24th place with 2,644 (+244).
Lewis Center’s Dan Higgins Jr. sits 31st, 58 pins out of the cut; Akron’s Don Hogue is 33rd (2,584); and Lorain regional winner John Verbich III is 36th (2,570).
The C squad will be on the Bowl America Woodbridge lanes starting at 9 a.m. Monday followed by the A squad at 12:30 p.m. and finally the B squad at 4 p.m. The top 24 will move into round-robin match-play beginning Tuesday. You can watch the final day of qualifying on BowlTV.
Top 10: Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship standings:
- Brad Angelo, 2,889 total pinfall (+489)
- Mika Koivuniemi, 2,849 (+449)
- John Marsala, 2,832 (+432)
- Ricky Schissler, 2,830 (+430)
- Chris Barnes, 2,827 (+427)
- Jason Couch, 2,801 (+401)
- Erick Pawlak, 2,797 (+397)
- Ronald Simms Jr., 2,748 (+348)
- Mike Machuga, 2,746 (+346)
- Tom Hess, 2,723 (+323)
See complete standings here: https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=69a8d987446b278b1cb1d742