EJ Tackett Comes Home with the Triple Crown at the US Open

EJ Tackett with the green jacket and the US Open trophy. Photo credit: MOTIV

Let’s face it: nobody in bowling has deserved to win a tournament as much as EJ Tackett deserved to win the 2023 US Open. 

In the 2022 version of the event, also at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis, Indiana, Tackett outpaced the field in qualifying by around 500 pins. It was truly one of the most dominant runs a bowler has had at the event, and it was particularly special because of Tackett’s Indiana roots.

Unfortunately though, bowling is a cruel sport. In the title match versus Simonsen, everything went wrong for Tackett. After posting monster scores all week, Tackett concluded his tournament with one of his lowest totals. It was a moment of frustration for Tackett, as while he has had some heartbreaking losses on television, it was almost impossible for any of those to reach the devastation of the US Open.

In 2023, the story looked to be the same. Tackett looked untouchable all throughout the week, leading a B squad that featured some other dominant performers such as Thomas Larsen and Jesper Svensson. In match play, Tackett kept his foot on the brakes, distancing himself from second place, held by breakout star Tomas Kahyko.

Despite Tackett having in theory a 50/50 chance at the title, being that he only had to win one match, many were still skeptical. Naysayers harped on his recent flubs when playing in the first seed position. As they say though, sometimes you have to be punched in the face to know how to get back up, and EJ Tackett embodied that mentality this week.

The US Open television show formats were a little different this year, featuring a 5-9 ‘play-in’ stepladder on Saturday evening, and a 1-4 TV Finals the next day. The winner of the Saturday show joined the Sunday show as the fifth seed. 

Justin Knowles found himself in some tense matches during the ‘play-in’. Photo credit: PBA Tour

In the first show, newcomer Justin Knowles showcased his clutch gene, making his way to the title match. Knowles was quite the story at Woodland Bowl this past week, as he inched his way into the match play cut in the last game of qualifying. From there, he continuously performed well, jumping over stars like Jesper Svensson and Tom Daugherty in the process. On the TV show, he defeated fellow Michiganer and close friend Frank Snodgrass, as well as Marshall Kent and Thomas Larsen to face Kyle Troup.

Troup defeated Knowles in a very spirited match, but there is no doubt Knowles made a strong impression on bowling fans and the other competing bowlers that week. 

The first match of the TV Finals was between Kyle Troup and Richie Teece. Teece has become an underrated player on the PBA Tour, and he showed this by qualifying fourth in a difficult field. Unfortunately for him however, Troup was the buzzsaw that cut his US Open dreams short.

In the next match, Troup took on reigning champion Anthony Simonsen. Simonsen looked like himself all week, putting together big games and clutch match play wins. Simonsen looked great in the match against Troup, but missed some shots when it mattered the most, allowing Troup to continue his run up the ladder.

Tomas Kaykho was a revelation at the US Open, a rookie from Finland looking to make a mark on the American tour. Many two-handed players have a power-based game, however Kaykho plays with more accuracy and finesse. Kaykho was an excellent match for Troup, as the game was very close. In the end though, the power advantage Troup had tipped the scales, sending him to the title match.

The title match between Troup and Tackett was one of the best in recent memory. It was pretty much deadlocked from start to finish, being tied going into the 10th. Troup got the first strike in the tenth, but unfortunately his second shot went high, leaving a big four. With Troup splitting, Tackett took advantage and got a double in the tenth, securing him the green jacket.

EJ Tackett is a superstar, and has a legitimate argument for the title of best bowler in the world. While Tackett is the most consistent performer on tour, his rare bad games always seem to happen when the lights shine brightest. Bowling has always been a game about controlling emotions, and when you are in such a high pressure situation like the title match of the US Open, this becomes difficult to do. 

Yet despite all these demons of past failures and television collapses, Tackett seemed ultra-focused. When he missed a shot, he appeared mostly unphased by it. His focus and priority was the next shot rather than the last, and he carried this mindset up to the tenth frame.

The loss to Anthony Simonsen at the 2022 US Open was devastating. Photo Credit: PBA Tour

The jubilation on Tackett’s face the moment he clinched the title was quite something to see. Few bowlers have ever wanted a title more than Tackett wanted the US Open, especially because he had never won a title at the famed Royal Pin Woodland. The Indiana kid winning a title at Indiana’s most prestigious bowling alley is storybook, and it is a memory he and his family will remember for a lifetime.

By winning the US Open, EJ Tackett became the ninth winner of the Triple Crown. He achieved this at the age of 30, a younger age than Jason Belmonte was when he won the US Open in 2020. Tackett now has 17 titles, three of which are majors. There is no question he will be a shoe-in for the PBA Hall of Fame, but could he end up as a top 10 bowler of all time? He certainly looks to be performing at that pace, as he has been winning titles left and right since he came onto the scene.

Tackett has had many great career wins, but this will certainly be his career-defining moment. Striking twice in the tenth to win a major is what young bowlers across the world dream of, and Tackett got to do this in his backyard. 

The week for Tackett was about redemption. It felt like the bowling world’s version of Clayton Kershaw finally winning a World Series. With the green jacket around him, nobody will talk of him as a television underperformer anymore, but rather, as a Triple Crown bowler.