The Lessons that Built the Best Bowler in the World

EJ Tackett achieved his third consecutive PBA World Championship title at Reno's National Bowling Stadium, where he stood alone on lanes 25-26 as the crowd chanted his name. Overwhelmed with emotion after an exhausting month, Tackett was left speechless and later expressed his feelings with the words, "Man, that's a cool feeling isn't it," while tears streamed down his cheeks. This victory capped off a remarkable week, solidifying his status with a series of extraordinary exploits on the PBA Tour.

Tackett's win marked his sixth consecutive finals appearance and seventh consecutive singles finals, both setting PBA records that pushed him to his physical and emotional limits. The victory completed the sixth major threepeat in tour history and elevated him to sole possession of 10th place all-time in career PBA Tour titles. Additionally, this was his fourth title of the season and second of the PBA World Series of Bowling XVI, nearly securing his third consecutive Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year honor, a feat matched by only four other players in history.

Reflecting on his career, Tackett acknowledged that he has reached a point where each achievement places him among the greatest players in the sport. He emphasized the reality of his success, stating that it feels surreal and not something that will simply fade away. His historic greatness has become an expectation, no longer surprising anyone, as he continues to build on his dominance in the PBA Tour.

This current supremacy stems from a journey of self-reflection that began a decade ago at the same National Bowling Stadium. In 2015, Tackett experienced a crushing defeat in the PBA World Championship title match, where Gary Faulkner Jr. defeated him 216-178, leaving him feeling furious, deflated, and embarrassed. This loss followed a similar defeat in the USBC Masters the previous season, dropping his career television record to 1-5 with an average of 186.67 and no titles won on TV at that time. As the top seed and only right-hander in a stepladder finals of left-handers, he had taken the opportunity for granted, but it ultimately fueled his transformation into the dominant player he is today.